simply believe.

Lately it seems as though I have been more stressed with other things going on in my life other than school which doesn't seem right considering next week is finals week. I made the decision to move into a three bedroom with my cousins Jackie and Cola because not only will it be more fun than living by myself, but I will also save a ton of money. However, my lease for my current apartment is not up until the end of July and we are supposed to move into our new place mid-May. So I have been frantically trying to find someone to take over my lease but haven't had much luck. I'm also in the process of summer job hunting which I completely loathe. So I've been saying a lot of prayers lately in the hope that God will lead me in the right direction for a job and that He will lead someone to my apartment. I know He has a plan, I just have to wait and see what it is.

Last night before I went to bed I opened my devotional, which I haven't done in a while, and I was amazed at how God spoke right to me. Here is what I opened to:
Simply Believe 
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Psalm 27:13

Every fall as the cold winds of winter approach, flocks of birds fly southward to warm climes and mild breezes. With no map to guide them, they fly confidently, accepting instinctively that their winter refuges wait at the end of their journey.

There are times in your life when you must fly south symbolically, away from the winter winds of despair and hopelessness. As you take flight, God will provide a refuge for your troubled soul in his goodness, mercy, kindness, and compassion. He asks you to believe that he will provide gentle breezes for your journey. He asks you to believe that his never-failing love will go with you wherever your journey takes you. Simply believe, he tells you as you lean into the wind and surrender yourself to healing and hope.

Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and you were delivered; They trusted in You, and you were not ashamed.  Psalm 22:4-5

God, my future is in your hands. Amen. 

Amen to that! Who wouldn't want to live here?!

20 question survey

I got this fun idea from Christina, thanks!

1. Name 3 things you are looking forward to.

• Completing my 1^st year of graduate school!
• Finding a part time summer job.
• Moving in with my cousins.

2. If you could have a dream come true, what would it be?

Own a coffee shop/floral shop/craft shop/scrapbooking shop all in one : )

3. You have $200. You have to spend it on yourself, you can't donate it, and it can't be something you actually need. What will it be? 

Shoes.

4. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood? 

Coffee. Dark Chocolate. Venting to classmates (Mikki & Chelsea) who can usually relate to my bad mood.

5. What is your bedtime routine? 

After all the hygiene business…journal, read my devotional or bible, and catch some zzz’s.

 

6. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your significant other?

Originally through mutual friends, but we started talking at none other than THE Sidetrack Tavern the night before the first home Husker football game.

7. What kind of books do you read?

Cookbooks. Textbooks. How to Golf Books. Traumatic Brain Injury Books. Autism Books.

8. How do you see yourself in 10 years?

Like I see myself now only 10 years older…Speech-Language Pathologist…and maybe married with kiddos.

9. What’s your fear?

Stalkers.

10. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to see outer space?

I’m a nerd but not an outer space nerd, so…absolutely not.

11. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Make my bed then my coffee!

12. If you could change one thing about your significant other, what would it be?

He wouldn’t be such a picky eater…other than that, he’s great!

13. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?

I like my name, my new TBI client thinks I’m Whitney Houston.

14. If you had to choose between six months of sun or six months of rain, what would you choose?

Why would anyone choose rain?

15. If you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?

Eggs.

16. What is the thing you enjoy about blogging the most?

The lovely little comments I receive : ) and sharing my musings on life.

17. Do you prefer salty or sweet foods?

That’s a tossup, but I might have to go with sweet on this one.

18. What items are in your purse right now?

• Wallet
• Camera
• Keys
• Kleenx
• Gum
• Lip gloss/Chap stick
• Roll on perfume
• Pens
• Spare Contacts
• Eye drops
• Mirror
• Hair ties/bobby pins
• Lotion

19. If you had to choose between vacationing at the beach or in the mountains where would you go?

Beach.

20. What do you watch on television that you know you shouldn’t?

It is not unusual for me to go a week without turning on my TV (I don’t have cable) and when I do turn it on, it’s usually just the news. However, it’s not uncommon for me to go to my cousins to watch “Jersey Shore” and I guess that may be something I “shouldn’t” watch…its junk really.

birthday love.

After yesterday, I was reminded why birthdays are the best thing ever; we should make people feel like it's their birthday everyday! I received several cards, phone calls, text messages, facebook posts, and friends exclaiming "Happy Birthday" and it never got old, each one just reminded me how loved I am. My mom took the time to make Blake and I each our own jello poke cake for our birthdays before she left for California and my grandma made us a cake that we devoured on Easter. I have received cards from family and friends, each one including wonderful little messages. My coworkers had some snacks and appetizers in honor of my birthday yesterday afternoon which included beer bread and rum cake with fun candles, and there just so happened to be a KSSLHA end-of-semester potluck last night-- more celebration! Not to mention we won our sand volleyball game which was followed by a few drinks. So thanks to all of you who made my birthday extra special, you're truly amazing!

 My yummy personalized strawberry jello poke cake from my very thoughtful mother.

 Four adorable little bowls from my aunt Cherie purchased at Pier1 Imports.

The candles my coworkers put on my rum birthday cake-- beer and golf...

My good friend and classmate from grad school, Mikki, gave me this fabulous cookie from Eileen's but unfortunately I made the mistake of putting it in my bag and it got slightly ruined. Luckily you still get the gist that there are zebra stripes and hot pink which is totally "us". I told her the frosting got messed up in my bag so I started eating it without taking a picture of it's cuteness and she said, "oh well, it's kind of like our friendship, a little messed up at times!" (We like to give each other a hard time with a little harassment once in a while, it's just how we work.) Perfect frosting or not, the cookie is delicious!

He has risen!

Happy Easter to all! I had a fabulous Easter weekend even though my mom and sister were in California. My dad, Blake, and I went to the Herman bar and then to Ronnie's bar on Saturday night which was a ton of fun, and we all made it to church by 8:15 Sunday morning! The guys wore suits (and I wore a dress) which made quite a statement having us standing tall next to each other in our pew, mom would have been proud : ) Despite mom being in LA, the Easter bunny still found us, so we went through Easter baskets after church then ventured to my grandparents for lunch.

 Dad and I on Easter morning.

My grandma makes the best homemade buns ever, she let me bring a few home with me!

blake's birthday.

Well, my brother's 21st birthday was a success! I made reservations for our group at Old Chicago in the Lincoln Haymarket for supper and then we headed to the bars on "O" street. The gang made it to Iguana's for Long Island Iced Teas, Duffy's for Fishbowls, Sandy's for Elkcreek Water, then to Main Street and Brothers. In other words, we hit up all the hot spots and a good time was had by all!

A redheaded slut shot for my semi-redheaded younger brother!

 Domination of a Rum & Coke Fishbowl.

celebrate.

Today is Earth Day, Good Friday, and the most anticipated-- my brother Blake's 21st birthday! I can't believe he is actually 21- yikes! My mom and sister are currently in LA, so they will be missing Blake's birthday, Easter weekend, and will fly home on Tuesday-- my birthday! I am heading to Lincoln to help Blake celebrate "DT" (downtown) at the bars on the infamous "O" street tonight. Tomorrow we are going back home to hang out with dad with the hopes that he'll buy us a round at one of the local bars : )  Mom and Stef might be enjoying sunny California, but they're going to be missing out on some fun times here in good ol' Nebraska.

Here we are as little fellers making gingerbread cookies...

...and here we are at a wedding last summer-- Stef turned 16 in March, Blake is 21 today, and I'll be another year older on Tuesday!

jackie.

My best friend from college and former roommate, Jackie, is getting married and this past weekend she asked me to be one of her bridesmaids! This will be my first time as a bridesmaid and I am totally stoked! To add to the excitement, her and her fiance Andrew are getting married down in Florida next February and then having a reception in Nebraska next summer, so it's almost like I get to be a bridesmaid twice-- I can't wait! Here is Jackie and I through the years...

cows in a pillowcase

Well this probably ranks among the top 10 unhealthy meals I have made for myself, but I should get an "A" for creativity! After returning home from night class starving and not having much in my fridge-- I need to go grocery shopping-- this is what I decided on...cows in a pillowcase. My old roommate and I invented them and came up with the clever name. We've all had the original pigs in a blanket, but what do you get when you put half a stick of string cheese in a crescent roll? A cow in a pillowcase of course! Similar to mozzarella sticks, genius, I know. I didn't have any hot dogs, but I did have another form of pig-- ham, so I put ham and shredded cheese in half of the crescent rolls, and string cheese in the rest. While this little meal is quick and creative (good for kids), it is lacking in the nutrition department, so I award myself no points in my continuous attempt to eat healthy-- I was doing so good!

april showers

If April showers bring May flowers, then what does April snow bring? Because that is what we have here in Kearney-- blowing, wet snow! What unpleasant "spring" weather the Lord has given us today. This is about how I looked trekking across campus...except I was definitely wearing pants in this chilly weather!

strawberry kick

Apparently I am on a strawberry kick because last night I had strawberry yogurt and added more strawberries with a sprinkle of granola...mmm... mmm...good! Maybe I'll have some yet tonight as I finish up my clinic work.

sandhill cranes

Last Friday as I was cruisin' down the interstate headed back east, I witnessed THE sandhill cranes in action. The sky and fields were full of them especially around the Grand Island area. Since I am from eastern Nebraska, this was my first glance at the birds, and now I know what all the hype is about in the central part of the state. I must have seen at least 15-20 "V"s flying through the sky and the fields nearly looked gray-- they were everywhere! Since I was driving, I wasn't able to snap any of my own photos, but this is about what it looked like...

worst day ever.

Today was literally the worst day I have had in a LONG time. Other than being busy for nearly every second of the day and barely being able to sit down to eat lunch, one of my clients was completely unruly in therapy, and I had a test in my night class. I don't think I can put into words how angry he got throughout our therapy session because he struggles with taking turns and getting his way. Needless to say after our session, I broke down and cried briefly and my friend Megan (who is also the clinician that helps me with my therapy sessions) reminded me that God will give me a better day. It was definitely the best advice I have received lately. I took a deep breath, collected my emotions, asked God to help me finish the day, then had a quick cram session for my test. I survived and tomorrow IS going to be a better day-- but for now, I have clinic work to do...

girl talk

I received this in an email from both my mom and my aunt-- what wonderful information! 

"I just finished taking an evening class at Stanford. The last lecture was on the mind-body connection, the relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends.

At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.

Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality “girlfriend time" helps us to create more serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being. Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going. Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf? Yes. But their feelings? Rarely.

Women do it all of the time. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.

There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged—not true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!

So every time you hang out with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back for doing something good for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky. So let's toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it's very good for our health."

healthy breakfast? check!

Steel cut oats, fresh cut strawberries and a splash of milk!

spring has sprung!

I think it's safe to say that spring is in full swing, and I am loving it! There were definite signs of spring while we were in California for SPRING break but it has finally made it's way to good ol' Nebraska and I hope it's here to stay! I can't wait for daffodils, tulips, day lilies, hydrangeas, and all of the the other lovely things that happen this time of year-- windows open, birds chirping, ahh...