HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIMBERLY!!!!

(This is actually JOEL doing a blog post)
In case all of you out there in Bloggerland didn't know, Monday, January 28th was Kim's 29th Birthday, so.... Happy Birthday Kim!
I thank God for bringing this wonderful women into the world 29 years ago and allowing her to be my wife. I am so proud of her and how hard she works at work and school (especially this week!) and how much she cares about people (like you folks!) and how much she desires to serve the Lord. I love being her husband and going through life with her. So everyone make sure and wish her a Happy Birthday!!!

Can you guess what we had for Kim's Birthday dinner??? Anyone who knows Kim very well should know....






Yep... you guessed it. Sushi!!!




Here we are at Kim's favorite Sushi buffet where we eat way too much raw fish for any two people to handle.




Kim and her favorite food.





I guess Kim likes showing off her presents 'cause she wanted me to put this pic up.

1 DOWN 1 TO GO...

I TOOK MY FIRST DIAGNOSTICS TEST YESTERDAY (ON MY BIRTHDAY) AND TOMORROW IS MY FIRST PHARMACOLOGY TEST...PLEASE PRAY FOR:
~No anxiety during or before the test
~Focus over the next 24 hours to study
~For understanding of the concepts covered
~Confidence during the test
Thanks I appreciate you all so much!

I've been thinkin...

I was thinking this morning about the reason I created this blog. At first I suppose it was because everyone else was doing it and it was a fun new way to keep up with people I may not otherwise. Now, it is still a way to keep up with people, but I feel I want it to be more. Not that this isn't enough to keep up with people, I LOVE that and have fun looking at all my fellow bloggers blogs. However, since I am a nurse, I thought maybe I should share some stuff I know that maybe others out there don't. I am defintely not an expert, but any means, but I have seen and experienced a lot in my nursing career and thought maybe I should share some. I am also hoping maybe Joel will share a little of his expertise and write a post once in a while about his thoughts on Jesus, the Bible and just general Joel thoughts--I know he has a lot of them.
So, are there any questions that anyone has that I could answer? Anything anyone wants to know?

Every little bit helps...

I stole this from Erin's blog, but I think it is cool and if I can do any little thing to help, why not?!
Go to this site, play the game and help feed hungry people!

http://www.freerice.com/index.php


Also go to Poverty.com to learn more!

A NEW start...HOPEFULLY

I am not sure how much I have talked about previously regarding my classwork over the summer. Let's go back even more in case y'all don't know at all what I (Kim) am doing. I am working on a Master's degree in nursing which when I am finished, I will be a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Over the summer, I took a Pharmacology class (basically studying drugs and how they effect the body)which I subsequently did not pass. It goes without saying that I was pretty devastated and it really made me re-think what the heck I am doing! I was discouraged and just really thought I was not cut out for this. I don't doubt that I am a good nurse, I know I know what I am doing, but this class just KILLED me.
Anyway, it was possible that I might not be able to continue in the program. However, it has worked that I have one more chance to complete this course. I am also taking 2 additional courses with this one to total 3! That is more than I have done previously so I was able to go down to part time work-only on the weekends!
ALL this to say, I would appreciate all your prayers and encouragement the next 10 weeks as I endeavor on this CRAZY PHARMOCOLOGY adventure.
Sorry to share probably more than what you want to hear. Thanks for reading.

Vote for me!

Hey everyone! I am posting this to ask for you to vote for me. I entered a scholarship application to get money for school. I figured this is the quickest way to get it out there. I know it's kind of goofy, but school is expensive, I'm sure a lot of you understand. Thanks and VOTE FOR ME!

http://www.brickfish.com/Pages/PhotosAlbums/
PhotoView.aspx?picid=270852_67355585&=
PPIMEMAIL&isep=1&pbapi=286045&pbvi=8860259

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of our family and friends!

First Snow

I have tried to get pictures to capture how beautiful the snow has been here, but it is usually dark when it is so pretty and the pictures don't turn out well. So, here are some pictures of the dogs playing in the first snow of the year! They really love their sweaters!

Turkey Try

On Sunday, I tried my hand at making a Turkey dinner with all the trimmings. On Thanksgiving I realized I had never done this before and I didn't know if I could. I have watched my grandma, aunt and mom do this for years, but had never done it before. Well, it turned out pretty well. We had some friends over. The doggies even wanted some of the leftovers! OF COURSE!! I also tried (2 times) at making my grandma's roll recipe. It wasn't quite as good as hers, but wow, they were pretty good. It was great to have that taste again. The picture of Joel sitting is putting all the leftovers together! It was tons of fun! I'm glad to know that if I HAD to do it, I could. I think mom's is better though!

Tradition

Today, Joel and I were able to endeavor on our annual Christmas tradition. We had a great day. I had a meeting at school today, but after that, we met at our area IHOP (International House of Pancakes) for brunch. Then we split up and did some Christmas shopping (we're almost ALL done). We then went and got our REAL Christmas tree! It smells so pretty! We asked what kind of tree hold it's needles best since we are getting it kind of early. Of course, they told us the most expensive, but it is a beautiful tree and it has smelled the whole apartment like pine! I don't even need to buy any candles to make the apartment smell good. Of couse, no Christmas tradition would be complete without some White Chocolate Mocha and Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks! The tree is decorated, almost done with shopping, and even got some laundry done...thanks to my wonderful and productive hubby! Enjoy the pictures! It was a great day of tradition!

BUCKEYE WIN!!!!!!

Joel and I had a party today in celebration of the very long rivalry between the OHIO STATE BUCKEYES and MICHIGAN WOLVERINES! SUCCESS!! THe Buckeyes won! It was such a great game and we had tons of food and good times. We had just a few people from work including MO-a fellow ER nurse and die-hard BUCKEYE! It was a great Saturday to relax and enjoy football, buckeyes, chili and fun.

SICKO...ANY THOUGHTS?

Hey bloggers!
Well, we finally broke down and watched the long-awaited SICKO that EVERYONE kept telling me I needed to see. I must say, I was a bit skeptical. Not only is it about healthcare, but it is written by Michael Moore. Well, I must admit, I agreed wtih ALMOST everything he said. He was right on and hit a lot of topics that I have been frustrated about for years. I also learned a lot that I didn't know.
All in all, I think it is a MUST see. I think every healthcare worker should see it, but also every healthcare consumer.
I look forward to hearing your comments about what you think...Hint HINT!

Reformed?

As I handed out candy to about 10 kids today for Halloween, it struck me that I should post not about Halloween, but about October 31st. Now if you say "October 31st" the first thing that comes to mind is pumpkins, candy, scariness, and kids. The sermon that I heard this past Sunday talked of a very different October 31st, which is Reformation Day as well as Halloween. Reformation Day is the celebration of the Reformation. As a re-cap of what the Reformation is...

On this day in 1517, Martin Luther posted a proposal at the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany to debate the doctrine and practice of indulgences. This proposal is popularly known as the 95 Theses, which he nailed to the Castle Church doors. This was not an act of defiance or provocation as is sometimes thought. Since the Castle Church faced Wittenberg's main thoroughfare, the church door functioned as a public bulletin board and was therefore the logical place for posting important notices. Also, the theses were written in Latin, the language of the church, and not in the vernacular. Nonetheless, the event created a controversy between Luther and those allied with the Pope over a variety of doctrines and practices. When Luther and his supporters were excommunicated in 1520, the Lutheran tradition was born.

As there were trick or treaters tricking and treating, I couldn't help but thinking of my roots, the roots of the church and the importance of this day on 1517. I praise God for His hand in the life of Martin Luther and for the listening ears of Luther himself. May I have the strength and courage to listen and hear God's voice and to feel His hand nudging.

WOMEN of FAITH

This weekend, I was able to go to Minnesota for the Women of Faith conference. It has been recommended to me before that I needed to go, but what a blessing to be able to go with my mom, 2 aunts, cousin and other new friends. It was an amazing weekend and we had great "girl" time together.
The conference title was "Amazing Freedom". I encourage you women out there to go to the website and check out some of their stuff
www.womenoffaith.com
OR
if you have the AWESOME opportunity to go to a conference, it will change your life!
Thanks Aunt Donna and Heidi for putting this together for all of us to come.
What an amazing, freeing weekend!

O-H-I-O AND Cleveland ROCKS!!!

NEED I SAY MORE?????
Ohio State moves to #1!!

Blessings...

God is good.
We hear that and sometimes may even say that often, but do we always think about what that means? God is good, whether we are or not, whether our circumstances stink or not, whether we are focused on Him daily or whether we are focused on ourselves. Blessings from God can come in many different shapes and sizes, they can be people, they can be, well anything. Today we got an amazing blessing that really came at "just the right time." A lady came up to us at church today and gave us a gift of money. She told us that Joel had been so great and that we really held a special place in her heart. It is wonderful to hear these things and they really remind you that you are and have done what God has called. But when we looked at the amount of money she gave, we were floored! It was a HUGE blessing for us and it really helped us with unexpected bills we have had!
God is good! He is good yesterday, today and forever. I am so thankful for His blessings to us in the form of money, but in the form of relationships, love and strength.
Hallelujah!

What are YOUR blessings today?

A Fun Fall Recipe

I thought I would share this recipe with you. I made it last fall and people at work enjoyed it. I wasn't sure what I would think of putting together chocolate and pumpkin, but it's actually very good. Let me know what you think...



PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES


INGREDIENTS
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)



DIRECTIONS
Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Randomness....

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times... You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?

"Make My Day..."

I came home from a crazy busy day in the ER today and ready to jump into bed when Joel tells me that I got something in the mail. How excited I was to see that it was a PACKAGE! WOO HOO! I love packages. I was even MORE excited to see it is from my favorite PA and friend Robin! To my surprise, she sent me beautiful handmade jewelry that will match ANYTHING I have. I LOVE IT ROBIN! Thank you so much! Thank you as well for the beautiful words you sent with it. You truly and honestly did "MAKE MY DAY!"
Thank God for friends and for packages that turn bad days into good ones!

Mas Maine and Canada

THought I would post more pictures from our Canada/Maine trip. Here you will see some interesting whale pictures. We didn't see any of the whales that jump out of the water...we saw some that barely wanted to show their dorsal fin-but it was still cool to see them. There's also some more lighthouses, sea kayaking, Joel "standing in the gap", and Joel's attempt to capture me taking in the view.
Enjoy...