Validation

My first out of five finals is on Tuesday, the 2nd. If you think of me, say some finals week prayers!!!

Melanie decided that she wanted to be baptized at her youth service last weekend. Something like 31 kids got baptized all in one night! It was AWESOME. There were about 400 kids standing up and cheering the whole time......I was very proud of Melanie. She was baptized at about 8 years old, but she really wanted to do it again because she felt like she understands it better now, and wanted to do it to show her commitment to God. Pretty cool if you asked me....

For the last several weeks, our pastor has been speaking on the "end times." So, on the way home from church tonight, we got to talking about Heaven. My 17-year-old, Amanda says, "So, are we going to be naked in Heaven? .......Because, that would be really awkward."

My family and I are crazy about Christmas. Before Halloween, there was a radio station that played Christmas music for a day. I told Amanda, and she freaked. We listened to it all day. Another radio station has been playing it everyday since November 1st. I love it, but my husband is not quite ready to get into the Christmas spirit. :) He tried to change the station yesterday! I called him a Grinch. Me? I'm ready. I like Christmas to last as LONG as possible.... We got a fake Christmas tree two years ago. That means we can put up our tree early and leave it up as long as we want. This year, we're putting it up the day after Thanksgiving - I can't wait!! We're also going to go to a live Nativity again this year, as well as our church's Christmas Eve services (my absolute favorite). But, back to the music....I don't know if I have a favorite Christmas song. The song "Breath of Heaven" comes to mind, as does "Chestnuts Roasting On An Op...

Etiquette Everyday ~ Communications Being Thankful: A Thank-You Note Q&A (From www.emilypost.com) We all have to write thank-you notes. Take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone staring down your stack of cards and list of names. Before you start, remember that thanking people needs to be about just that: expressing thanks. So refocus, reorganize, and rethink the process. Get in touch with the sincerity of thanking people for thinking about you and sending you something—even if it’s a hot pink polyester sweater. Here at the Emily Post Institute, we’ve assembled some simple answers to the most commonly asked questions about the post-holiday thank-you note blues. Who needs a note? All gifts should be acknowledged with a note, unless the goodies were opened in front of the giver—then you have the chance to thank them in person. An important exception: many of an older generation expect a hand-written note. Providing them with one is an appropriate gesture of respect and considera...

I have become less fond of Thanksgiving the last ten years. First of all, me, Joe and our kids usually end up doing it alone. No big event. No warm, large, extended family gathering. We used to have them. And, sadly, we had more when we lived states away from our extended family, because we would always be invited to share the holiday with friends or families from church. I have tried to invite people over (who might not have a place to go), and create a gathering, but that has never worked out. I have tried something out of the norm, and went to Old Country Buffet. Read last year's entry about Thanksgiving, and you'll see what a fiasco THAT was. This year, Joe's parents are still living in another state, my side of the family is somewhat estranged etc., and no one has invited us to join their extended family gathering. I thought about going and serving a meal at a homeless shelter or something. It's still a thought, but we'll probably just be alone again. We do, ho...

My new favorite thing: Brown Sugar Liplicious lip gloss from Bath and Body Works It gives a hint of color and lots of long-lasting gloss. It even tastes good. :)

Amanda and Joe flew to Whitworth University, so Amanda could spend the night in a dorm with one of her friends as well as attend classes. Amanda also got the opportunity to meet with the director of music and receive a private lesson. Then, she and Joe hooked up for a campus tour, and meeting with an advisor from the education department. She received some great advice, and is now probably going to move in a direction that is different than originally thought. However, she feels that God has led her in this direction! We will have to see how the Lord's path for her unfolds! Exciting stuff, though. I'm so amazed and intrigued by the choices and interests of my kids - so different from mine. I am loving to see how God is moving in their lives as they are getting older, and making adult choices. I am now feeling that, as a parent, I am fading into the background of their lives a bit (or at least Amanda's), watching them become this autonomous, God-led person. I wonde...

A couple of weeks ago, I had a meltdown moment. My husband must have sat with me for over a half hour while I cried. I was feeling stressed about my future clinical assignment, and worried over how far away they will send me - wondering if God would really look out for me and not allow me to be sent to Vancouver (one of the locations). I thought that, because what I'm doing doesn't have any "eternal significance" it must not matter to God - whether I succeed or fail, where I'm sent, etc., isn't important to Him in the grand scheme of things...... My husband said that he didn't think that God had brought me this far, to allow something that would make it a hardship on me and our family. I said, that I didn't think God cared about it, because it was my choice to enter the program, and maybe He's just allowing me to do it...... I didn't wholeheartedly agree with myself, even as I spoke the words, but I guess I was having doubts that what I was doi...

Drumroll please... Cross-Sectional Anatomy Midterm: 103 out of 100 Physics Midterm: 94 out of 100 Thank you, Lord! All credit to You! :)

Did you know that there are only SEVEN weekends left to shop for Christmas?!! It sounds weird when it's put THAT way, huh?! I cannot advertise my website on my blog, but I am a personal sales rep for a cosmetics and gift company that starts with an "A." If you are interested in doing some online shopping, please email me through this blog, and I will give you the address. I've already done some online Christmas shopping there myself! I also found a cool site with neat, educational toys at www.mindware.com . Whaddaya know - I also did some online shopping there! I LOVE shopping online, don't you?! It's so convenient, and you don't have to leave the house! One year, I did a lot of shopping at Overstock.com. During this time of year, they have a lot of free shipping deals. You can find ANYTHING there! What was YOUR last online purchase?

Amanda had a youth symphony fundraiser concert last weekend, where the symphony played movie music and dressed in costumes. It was REALLY fun! Here's pics of our family outside of the theater. Melanie went to a Homecoming dance at another high school last weekend, since one of her best friends attends there.....They went with a big group to the dance and Denny's afterwards.....

On Friday, I took my last midterm of the week and our instructor let us all go home afterwards - YES!! I called up my husband (who was doing laundry) and asked him to go out to lunch! We had a wonderful lunch at Olive Garden - soup and salad, my favorite.....Throughout lunch, I could feel myself physically, mentally and emotionally decompressing. I have never worked so hard (in all three aforementioned ways) in my LIFE during last several weeks. Whew. They are driving us so hard. Basically, all I've been doing when I get home from classes in the afternoon is study. I try to make dinners because we ate out way too much last year when I was in school. I like the cooking time to get a little break from studying, but right after dinner, I'm right back at it. My husband has really been stepping up and taking over the majority of the household chores and looking after the kids' stuff. It's such a great relief to know that, during this season of my life, my husband is supporti...