Looking back on life...

Journey back with me...back to 2008.  I was just weeks shy of graduating from college with my Associates of Science Degree in Physical Therapy.  The count-down was on...

April 2008 was a busy BUSY month for me.  I was finishing out my last clinical rotation before graduation.  I had a 70minute, one-way, commute to the facility where I was working with developmentally delayed and special needs children.  I LOVED IT!  The kids were amazing...and my co-workers were wonderful.  The downside to working with so many children, is that it is almost impossible to avoid all their germs.  By the 3rd weeks of April, I asked to leave early one day to go back to campus and get a strep-test done.  I had had a sore throat for a few days, and the last thing I wanted to do was give this to one of the kids.  Test came back negative, but they still gave me an antibiotic due to my circumstances.  (My co-workers were impressed I was able to get 4 weeks into a 6 week clinical before getting sick...most other students maybe got into week 2.)

3 days after finishing the antibiotic, my throat hurt again. I went back to campus early again one night (see, awesome bosses/coworkers) and the PA-C (Physicians Assistant) did another strep test.  When this one also came back negative, she decided it was time to do blood work to see what was going on.  Up early the next morning, the blood work was drawn...and the following day (Friday) they called and confirmed their suspicions.  MONO.   At this point, I had 5 days of work left, 1 week of review classes for my board, and then graduation.  I was literally 14 days away from being done with college.  Or so I thought.

I felt good, so I was ready to bang out the next few weeks.  I had no idea how long I had been symptomatic so I wasn't about to let it change my plans.  That was until Sunday morning when I woke up, and was unable to eat anything in the cafeteria besides yogurt and milk (this was due to how swollen my tonsils were...pretty much closed most of my throat off).  That was it.  I called my mom as soon as I got back to my room and said "come get me...immediately."  I then called my boss and my professors to let them know of my change in health status, and they were AMAZING.  My boss was willing to let me come back "whenever...just get healthy."  And my professors were willing to give me an extension to get things done.  (Pays to have a great relationship with them.)  I was able to complete things by June 1st...my goal.

Fast forward a few weeks...I had graduated from school and had moved home with Mom & Dad, but not the way I expected to move back home.  See, take one head-strong, independent college grad + parents rules = disaster (in most situations.)  BUT...take one head-strong, independent college grad that was sick and needing mom and dad for EVERYTHING = success. 

Mono ended up being a blessing.  (EAK! I know...not what you expected, was it.)  Moving back home as a "fully-dependent-on-mom-&-dad" college grad, was the best way to move home.  As I started to heal from this sickness, my parents were willing to give me the freedom and respect and lack-of-curfew I wanted/needed.  Mono allowed my relationship with my parents to become an amazing friendship with both of them.  (Heck...I still willingly live at home 4 years later!  The relationship must be awesome!)

Mono also allowed me to focus my attention that summer to studying for my PTA board exam.  Had I not gotten sick, my plan was to resume working full-time at the PT clinic I now work at.  I was going to get my temporary license and work full-time.  Things changed, and I only worked 3 days a week the entire summer.  That allowed me ample time to study...and boy did I need it.  I ended up taking my boards in September of 2008, and passed them on my first try!!!

So why did I tell you all this?  Post-mono, May has become a month of reflection...where things get better put into perspective.  Life has been full of ups and downs.  Some big, some small.  Some stick-out in my mind, and others blur into foggy memories. 

Looking back on my mono-months/year I NOW can see how God had everything working to HIS plan.  Did I want to be sick? NO WAY! But, am I glad I was able to pass my boards and create an amazing relationship/friendship with my parents?  YOU BETCHA!  Some of the best things in my life came out of that tough time.

So, that leads me to my pondering thought, that has been on my mind all day. 

What am I going through right now, that will someday help define this era of my life?  What will I look back, on several years down the road, and see God's hand in my life?

I don't have the answer(s). But I know someday I will...

Update

Hey guys, I asked last week for prayers for my friend Claire's newborn baby boy.  He was born a little prematurely, and was having some issues breathing. 

Well, I'm pleased to say that this little man will be going home soon!  I haven't seen an update yet today, but last update said he just needed to keep gaining weight and pass a car-seat test!

Keep Praying though....pray for Claire's little man to keep growing and to pass this test.  Pray also for this amazing family, as they begin to transition into being a family of 5, with a newborn at their house now!!!

Thanks for all the prayers you guys have said so far, and for the prayers you'll continue to say for them :)

Looking Back...Looking at Today...Looking Forward

Looking back...sounds so reminiscent.  Makes me think of good, bad, and ugly times.  But today...I'm looking a beauty. 

Last year, I wrote this post and showed you blog-friends the picture of my neighbors daffodils beginning their spring-time blossom.

Well, I am pleased to present you with this years pictures:  A FULL 2 WEEKS EARLIER then this year!!!  (The crazy weather I have talked about before here, has meant an early spring for us here in Western New York!)

Today is March 22, 2012.  I am in the middle of the most strange weather pattern (also known as winter) that I've ever seen. 

We have just had our like 6th day in a row in the 70-80's.  (Usually we're excited to see the 50-60's.)

I was able to go on a run OUTDOORS yesterday, and a walk tonight with my momma.  It was beautiful.  Simply put...I'm loving this little taste of summer.

BUT here is my fearful thoughts...We still have to get through April.  I asked my dad about taking my snow-tired off my car this weekend, and he isn't sold that it is a good idea yet.  While the weather patterns show we are unlikely to drop to temperatures where snow would stay long-term, he is concerned about a possible 'freak' storm happening. 

UGH...I just wanna take them off.  Now that I am driving with my window DOWN (!!!) I can hear the clicking sound of the studs/tread.  It's loud when I drive...

Tomorrow we are suppossed to see the temperatures drop some...from the middle 70's today, to the high 50's.  And for some odd reason, I'm ok with that.  It is still March (last time I checked the callendar), so I typically don't get this good weather. 

So long as the snow stays away, the temperature is above freezing, and the sun is shining, I think I'll survive til "spring".

Prayer Request (and Music Monday)

Today's Music Monday is coming to you a little differently then normally.  Usually it is something that I've recently sung in church or heard on the radio, but today it is coming via a friend of mine who needs pray. 

My friend Claire gave birth to a beautiful little boy on Thursday, and due to some breathing complications her little boy has been in the NICU since a few hours after his birth.  She posted that THIS song is one she keeps playing and is using it to help her through this trial.

Would you listen to this song, and then remember this wonderful Christian family in your prayers?  Pray for his lungs, but also pray for Claire and her husband as they stand by.

Whelp...I've been busy

So when I logged on here Tuesday, it said I posted my last blog on Feb 28th! EAK! That was quite a while ago. I'm doing my best to catch-up with all that you, my faithful followers and friends, have been up too...but bear with me. I have a lot more to read :)

I "disappeared" two weeks ago to house/baby-sit for a family friend. The husband and wife went to Florida for a week, and I was left in charge of a 10 and 14 year old. The week went well...I hardly saw C, the 14 y/o. Between a planned weekend get-away with his friends, basketball practice, and school he was on the go and out of the house most days. J, the 10 y/o, and I had a lot more quality time together. This went mostly-good. There was one evening where things weren't going super-great...but considering it was one night out of SEVEN, I was pleased.


I returned home for 3 (short) days before heading out of town for the weekend. (Forewarning..photo-dump to follow!)
 

My parents, brother Kevin, and I packed up the mini-van and took a little vacation to Toronto, Canada. (Yes...I still live at home, so that means many of my vacations still involve my parents!)

 Toronto was BEAUTIFUL!  (I had only previously been to the city for a field-trip in high school to the science museum.)  I LOVED THIS CITY! 

I thought we were crazy to even consider heading north in middle March, as usually for "spring break" ya head south and "catch some rays..."  Not so for us.  We went north, but because of this AMAZING heat-wave the weather was in the 40's on Saturday, and the 60's on Sunday & Monday!  (For that matter, the weather is still in the 50-60s most days, and will be for much of this coming week!)

We went to the CN Tower!  What a beautiful building...

Both during the day...

and night....

We were able to go up in the towers, and there, they have a glass floor that you can stand on. It was very weird, I'll admit, to walk out onto the glass floor...because when you look down, you look WAY down....

The view...

my brother (Kevin) & I

Mom & Dad

looking down....way down!

That evening we went to a Medieval Times Dinner...super cool if you've never been before. You're watching a horse-competition (dual) and eating a meal completely with your hands (if you sneak in plastic silverware and they catch you using it, they take it!)

Sunday we meandered through the city, then went to a Toronto Raptors (NBA) game. I'd never been to a NBA game before, so this was really fun!

Monday, before we went back across the boarder, we went to Niagara Falls.  If you ever get the chance to see the falls from the Canadian side....DO IT!  The American Falls is beautiful, but the Canadian Falls are breath-taking.  The amount of water flowing over the edge ever SECOND is mind-boggling.  Simply beautiful.  And if you go on a sunny day (it was dreary when we were there) the rainbow is constant!

American Falls

Canadian Falls

American Falls

Canadian Falls

Me at the Canadian Falls

rushing water...

So much water!

We followed that day up with a Buffalo Sabres game!!! EAK!!! I LOVE THE SABRES!!!

We ended our wonderful long-weekend with a quick shopping trip to the outlet malls in Niagara Falls.

So there....I got it all out :) Hope you enjoyed the re-cap of my absence from blogging!!

Weird and Wrong at the same time!

Something is wrong with this picture...

My car is reading 70 degrees when I took this picture this afternoon. I live in WESTERN NEW YORK! It is usually ~35-40 degrees out...not 70!

It is middle of March and the continuation of a very very weird winter is going on here...the abnormally warm temperatures are continuing into this month, and the meteorologists don't expect the temperatures to drop for another few weeks!!! WEEKS!!!

I am LOVING this, and won't be complaining anytime soon...YAYAY!!!!!

So for now...HELLO SPRING!

Can you guess....

Hey guys...me here :) I've been missing-in-action for a few weeks now, BUT I promise I will be filling you in soon.

BUT here is a hint as to one of the things I have been up to. Anybody know where I've been and what I've been up to the last few days?!?!? (Answer will be revealed in a few days!)

ATTENTION all FRUGAL FRIENDS!!!

Attention all of my frugal friends....I have a website that is a MUST for you :)

It is http://thefrugalgirls.com/

I stumbled upon this website last week and am IN LOVE WITH IT!!

They are constantly posting free ebooks/recipes/coupons/discount reminders/etc....and their website is LOADED with tons of ideas for recipes, arts & crafts, etc....

It is a MUST SEE!

GO...GO NOW! (and then feel free to leave comments/ideas of the fun things you've learned about!)

Music Monday

We have been doing an AMAZING study in Church since September. It is called "The Story" and it takes you through the Bible in 31 chapters. My love for the Bible has been completely renewed and through this book, my eyes are being re-opened to the amazing Bible stories that I learned when I was young...yet had forgotten in my "teen/adult" years.

A few weeks ago, we learned about the story of Queen Esther. Oh what a book....I have since completed a mini-study on this book in my daily devotions, and I've got to admit...it might be my favorite book. The story reminds me that often God has me in a certain situation/location "for such a time as this."(Esther 4:14) And that ONLY HE can see the big picture in my life.

One of the things that took place during the service was the watching of a music video. Gotta admit, I've watched it many many times, for a few reasons. 1. The song is very VERY catchy. 2. The version I watch, takes you through the story of Esther.

I hope you enjoy today's Music Monday song/video "Born for This" by Mandisa!

Music Monday

So, yesterday I went to see the movie The Vow, and can I say it was OhMyGoodness Good!!!  What a great story-line....I can't wait to see it again :)  (And lets just say, Rachel McAdam & Channing Tatum were amazing....wow!)

Well, I got home and began doing some research on this movie and it is based on a real-life couple.  That makes me happy, yet sad...to know that this movie was someone's real-life.  But enough of the sad stuff...I found a new song that I am so in love with (I've listened to it several times already!)

SO...Music Monday this week is called "We Are" by Joy Williams.  Hope you fall in love with it as much as I have :)




And as a bonus video: Here is a brief synopsis of the real-life story behind the movie :)

Unexpected, positive, change in plans!

So, it is Valentines Day.

I'll be honest...it is one of my least favorite holidays on the calendar.  I, personally, think it is a halmark holiday.  I honestly feel like "you shouldn't need a holiday to express your feelings to me...you should be showing this to me throughout the year."  And I was not planning on writing any sort of a blog today...I'm single. I don't have any fun, lovey-dovey story to share with you today.

With that being said, I had every expectation to spend the evening alone.  I was going to pick up food from a local diner, come home, relax, and enjoy my evening to myself.

That changed when I missed a phone call from my best friend during the middle of the day.  She was going to be coming to town today, and wanted to know if I wanted to get together for dinner.  OF COURSE, YES!!!!

My parents had dinner plans out tonight, so I had the house to myself (yup...I still live at home.)  We decided that I would pick up food from the little diner in town, and then we would meet back at my house for dinner!

Can I just say, that this was one of the best Valentines Days I have had?!?  It was so amazing to get together with my best friend, Rae, (and her little boy) and just have uninterrupted time together!  It was exactly what we needed!  (Our lives are so hectic, and we work opposite shifts...so time together is precious!)

This is one of the best ways I could have possibly spent my "holiday" evening!  I am so very happy for that phone call that changed my evening plans!!

Music Monday

Shout out this week goes to:  Kelly Clarkson!  What an amazing voice she has, and I appreciate that her songs are real...not much sugar-coated in her lyrics!   (And can I say....she looks amazing?!?)

Strange Weather!

We are in the middle of some WEIRD weather here in WNY.  It's in the teens or twenties one day, with snow falling, then the next day its 40 degrees and the sun is shining and melting the snow. 

Well, earlier this week we had a really strong line of storms roll through off Lake Erie, producing some heavy rain and major winds.  I was reading today the Newsletter sent out by the college I went to in Erie, PA (Mercyhurst).  I thought it was bad here...look at what happend to the campus!



The winds were so strong that it blew the Steeple off the Chaple!  Thank goodness nobody was injured when it fell, but OH MY!

(Here's the story if you want to read the article)

Oh the craziness will continue today as we are suppossed to get a few more inches of snow (no biggie) but have some major wind to blow it around too.....fun times!

Music Monday

I KNOW...I've been bad.  It has been FOREVER since I've done a music Monday, and today's posting almost didn't get posted!  (Lets just say, my computer was already off for the night when I remembered I hadn't posted yet)

So...without further adieu.  Today's song is "Hosanna" performed by Hillsong.  We sing this song at church, and sang it yesterday and MAN...the lyrics are so incredibly powerful.  It is definitely one of my current favorite songs!  May it bless you like it blesses me :)

(Disclaimer:  sorry for the slow-loading Youtube version...it was the best I could find)

Liebster Blog

Thanks, Claire @ Fast Forward Girl for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award!  It's an award given to blogs with less than 200 followers who the giver thinks deserve a little more recognition!  (And to be honest with you, I had no idea it existed, so I was very shocked to get it!!) 

Here are the rules:

1) Show your thanks by linking the sweet person who nominated you.

2) Leave links to 5 of your top blogs and leave a comment letting them know!

3) Post the award on your blog.

4) Enjoy the Love :)

 

SO...the award(s) go to...   (And I broke one of the rules...2 of my awards are given to people who have more then 200 followers, but less then 300 followers...FYI)

1.) Jessica @ The Paradigm Shift  This AWESOME lady is one of my BFFs!  She and I got to know eachother shortly after the birth of her little boy, and we were instant friends!  I love reading her blogs for so many reasons...she is an amazing Christian woman, and is such an influence in my life.  She also LOVES DIY projects (and well...I need help with crafts!)  So it is always fun to see what she is up to (or dreaming of doing!)

2.)  Christine @ Apartment 46   I found this blog a few months ago, and I really enjoy the outlook on life that Christine has, and boy does she have a sense of style!  Man...I soo love some of her outfits!  She is in the middle of a 30 for 30 challenge, only wearing 30 total pieces from her closet!  It's so fun to check in each day and see what she has come up with :)

 

3.  Krystle @ 3 Little Men and a Mommy   I love reading Krystle's blog...she is so real and very willing to share about the good and hard times in life!  She is such an inspiration to me, raising her 3 beautiful children to Love Jesus with all their heart!   

4.  Melissa @ Little Mrs. Married   This is one of the first blog's I ever started following, and man does this girl have spunk!  One of the things that always draws me back to Melissa's blog is her amazing outlook on life!  She is not afraid to have fun, and then tell you an amazing story about it later (I have literally sat here giggling soo very hard, my stomach hurts!)  Melissa is another wonderful Christian influence and I've learned much about perseverance from her!!

 

5.  Kallie @ Learning to Be  I love the honesty that Kallie conveys in her blog.  She is a wonderful writer, great momma, and a wonderful wife!  I also love her blog because of all the pictures she has posted  (I love photography, so I love to read blogs that have lots of pictures, lol).  

 

SO...there you have it!  The 5 winners I've chosen to receive the Liebster Blog Award are:  Jessica, Christine, Krystle, Melissa, and Kallie!

 

Special thanks for Claire giving this award to me, thus making it possible for these other ladies to receive it!!

 

NOW...GO read some new blogs and fall in love with them!!!! 

Cell Phone Game

Ok, I just read a really cool story on Yahoo! and felt the need to share it with you. It's called phone-stack. Here's the jist of it.

Ever go out to dinner and feel as though your dinner-date/friends/family/etc aren't paying attention to you, and are still using their phones? Well...play phone-stack! Everyone either places their phones face down or stack them on top of each other, face-down. Even as the phones go off (hopefully on vibrate), everyone must ignore them. First one to look at their phone has to pay the bill. If nobody looks at their phones before the bill arrives, every one pays for their own meal. That's it...pretty simple way to help focus people on the present conversation and not what is going on online.


Apparently this "idea" came from a blogger...pretty neat in my eyes!!

Happy Stacking!!

(Here's the article link where I hear about it from)
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/phone-stacking-craze-teaches-dinner-etiquette-kim-kardashian-170025780.html

DONE....

So, I went into this weekend not really having anything that I HAD to accomplish, which is kind of a nice feeling. It gave me the flexiblilty to do some tasks that had kinda fallen by the way-side. It also gave me the chance to help mom with some of her stuff (the joy of still living at home :})

One of the tasks she wanted to do was take down the Christmas tree...always sad to see it go, but it means we get that corner of the house back too. I posted a few blog-postings ago the picture of our tree. (Here's a reminder in case you forgot what it looked like)

Now, I know it looks like there are a TON of ornaments on the tree, and well...there are. Here is a picture of all the ornaments on my card-table, spilling onto the piano (to the right). And mind you, some of this is double layered, if they were flat/non-breakable ornaments...

YUP...that's all of them. I failed to count them. I really don't want to know how many we put up there, but safe to say its a few hundred.

SO...with the ornaments down, and tree coming down as I type this...I can officially say that: "At my household, Christmas is done."

Happy Weekend everyone :)

Tonight!!

(Disclaimer...I've been absent. I know this. I have been so busy and am trying to get things back under control, which means I'm slowly catching up on blogs, I promise I'm trying! And I also promise that I'll give a good update soon!)

OK....

SO on to tonight!! I know I shouldn't be as excited as I am, but I can't help it. My favorite TV show comes back tonight...Biggest Loser! (Yes, I'm a reality tv junky some nights, but this one helps people regain their LIVES and so I gladly support it!!)

So, I'm super excited that the show will be starting in roughly 5 minutes...but what I heard on the news tonight, got me even more anxious. There is a girl, originally from near where I live in New York! How cool is that?!?!?

Her name is Emily, and she is originally from Silver Creek, NY...which is roughly 2 hours away from my house :) She graduated from the same college my Mom went too, which is pretty neat too! She also competed in the National Junior Olympics and the Empire State Games, earning medals in all meets...which is super awesome!!

You might recognize her, because she has been on the promo-comercials the last few weeks.

Well...gotta run! It's on!! Much love later :)