Jordan & Krystle

 

My brother and sister-in-law, Jordan & Krystle, left tonight for an 8-month journey around the world. Ok, well maybe not around the world, but they are traveling far, far away from home.  For years Jordan has had the dream of moving to Spain to learn Spanish fluently.  When he and Krystle were dating, they decided that someday they would take his dream and accomplish it together.  They are first going to Costa Rica for 4 months and then heading over to Spain for 3 months.  On their way back to AZ, they're going to stop to visit friends and family on the east coast...which will bring them back here to AZ in October sometime.  I am so proud of them for having the courage and determination to follow their dreams and live life to the fullest.  They both quit their jobs, they're renting out their house, and they moved all of their stuff into storage.  I don't know if I'd have the guts to do that in this economy but they're not letting anything get in their way.  I hope that they have the best time and enjoy all of their time together.  I'll be praying that they have safe travels and that they'd make so many memories that they can share with each other for the years to come.  I miss them already! :(  I'm hoping to be able to go with my parents to visit them once I get out of school in May!!! 

I love you Jordan & Krystle!! Come home safe!

new year & decade

It is the start of a new year...and decade! I wonder what is in store for my life in the coming years.  I have no idea but God knows and that causes me to rest in His peace.  I know that whatever may happen in 2010 and beyond, God will give me all of the courage, strength, patience, and wisdom to handle anything that may come my way.  At times I may be faced with things that seem too hard to bear, but that's why I have God to walk this journey with me.  He is always right there, leading me on and He wants to carry my load, all I have to do is ask Him.  
I remember back in 1999 when the craze was to think that we were all going to die once the clock struck midnight on New Years, or that all of the computers were going to crash so the world was going to come to an end.  I was twelve years old and quite naive to all of the hysteria.  My parents weren't wrapped up in all of the panic and we celebrated that New Years just like any other year.  As we all know, there weren't any computer crashes and there wasn't any world-wide catastrophic events.  God was (and is) still in control.  It's amazing how much panic can be developed in this world when we put our trust or faith into a man-made idea or theory and forget to go to God for guidance and comfort.  The other day I was hanging out with a friend of mine and she told me that her family and some of their friends made a time capsule that New Years that would be opened at the end of that decade.  They just opened it last week because it's already been ten years.  I loved that idea and I might put something together for my own time capsule that I can open in 2020. 
A look back at 2009:
Jordan & Krystle got married in January
I got accepted into the ASU nursing program in April
Carissa & Nate got married in AprilGrace became a one year old in June
The nursing program started in August
I was awarded a Banner Health scholarship & job (once I graduate) in October
My parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in December :)

what Christmas means to me

Wow, another Christmas has come and gone.  It's hard to believe how fast life seems to fly by!  I've thought a lot lately about what Christmas truly means to me and I've come up with this answer.  Christmas means everything and without the birth of Jesus there would be no reason to live or no reason to have hope.  Even though some people may argue that December 25th wasn't really the day when Jesus was born, to me that doesn't matter - the date isn't what's important.  Because Christmas, December 25th, serves as a reminder to me that Jesus did come and that through his birth we have a reason to hope and to find purpose in this life.  God sent his son Jesus to this earth in order to be the Savior for all.  God knew all that Jesus would have to endure while on living on this earth and yet, no amount of pain or suffering stopped God from choosing to send us a Savior to free us from our sins.  We were given the best gift ever.  And the gift of salvation is for every person.  It's completely free and you don't have to do anything for it.  No amount of good works can get you into Heaven.  Knowing that I need Jesus as my Savior and that it is through His death that I am able to freed from my sin is what this season is really about.  God gives me strength and comforts me in the hard times and it is through this that I have hope to face each day.  I've been thinking about the people in my life, both friends and family, who haven't yet received the gift of salvation and my prayer is that in this coming year I would take more time to share with others about what I believe and why it's so important. 
I hope that everyone had a wonderful time with family and friends! Merry Christmas!!!

My dream house

I really love Craftsmen style homes.  They seem so warm and inviting to me!  My dream home would have a porch all the way around the house, lots of windows with shutters, a dining room that I can have a beautiful dining table in, and grass & tress in the front yard.  Ok maybe this will never happen but I can sure dream, can't I?! Oh and I would have my dad build the house.  He built the house that I grew up in and I've always wanted him to build me a house someday.  Here are a few pictures of some lovely homes that I found! (The last 2 pictures are the same house and it's by my parent's place up in Prescott.  I always have to walk by it when I'm up there)

on receiving a scholarship

I write with a happy heart tonight as I just found out that I am the recipient of a scholarship from Banner Health.  I applied for this scholarship back in September, was called in for an interview and then had to wait a couple weeks before they told us who they were going to choose.  I was hanging out with my family tonight when I got the email saying I was chosen.  It was wonderful being able to share my news with all of them!  And the amazing thing about this scholarship is that it's not just tuition reimbursement but it ALSO means that I "owe" them once I graduate by working for them for 3 years, in other words--a guaranteed job when I graduate.  How awesome is that?! I am so happy and I still can't believe that I got it! I feel so deeply blessed and I am truly grateful to God for all He has given me.  I can't wait to be a nurse and now I have assurance that I will have a job when I graduate!!! For those of you who knew about this while I was in the process of the application, thank you for praying on my behalf!

recycle OR self-compost

Ok I think ASU has taken this whole "go green" thing a little too far.  At the downtown campus, there are hardly any regular trash cans.  Everywhere you look there are recycle bins that have special compartments for paper, plastic, glass, or aluminum.  But you have to seriously search out the whole building just to find a regular trash can!!  It's like, "well if you're trash doesn't fall into one of these categories than you shouldn't be throwing it away and we'll just let you hold onto it"...or at least that's what I imagine them saying (haha)!  I've even found myself stashing my trash into my backpack and having to walk around with it because I know it's not worthy of being thrown away.  But at least it's provided a topic for conversation and sometimes a few jokes amongst us students, so I guess I shouldn't be complaining after all. =)

Pray for Kate

Kate McRae is a precious 5-year old girl who is courageously battling a rare brain tumor.  Her family attends Cornerstone and her dad is actually one of the pastors there.  They discovered her tumor back in July and ever since then have been journeying through the awful world of "life with cancer."  Kate underwent brain surgery initially and now she is on round 4 of her chemotherapy.  I think the most amazing part of this whole thing is that people all around the world have heard about Kate and her story - people that her family has never met and probably never will.  Because people understand the power of prayer and the power of supporting others when they can't do it on their own.  I know that God is doing incredible things through little Kate's life and I believe that this is only the beginning.  We pray for complete healing from this brain tumor but also that the rest of her body wouldn't be harmed by possible side effects of the chemo.  I ask that you join along in praying for Kate and her family.  Her mom keeps a blog and you can read it to keep track of Kate's progress and specific prayer requests as they come up.  I firmly believe that God never wastes pain.  He uses all of our weaknesses and trials for His glory and He promises to not give us more than we can bear.