'Cuz You've Had a Bad Day...

Whenever I hear this song I picture my four year old nephew, Vander, singing it in this sweet voice with a great set of lungs. He doesn't know all the words but that one catchy phrase comes out crystal clear. Yesterday, while this song was playing through my head...well, while it was my theme song for the day...I was wishing I had Vander to sing it because it would have brought a smile to my face!

Do you ever just have a truly bad day? Where you wake up and you know from the start things will go wrong? I knew I was doomed when I made my cup of coffee, opened the fridge door, and saw we were out of coffee creamer. Now sure, I could have run to the store on any given day but we were in a rush to get to my aunt's house to meet the movers. I didn't even have time for a Starbucks run. Doomed. Yes, coffee does make my day better. That probably sounds awful but really, you don't want to be with me if I am missing it. ( Just ask my husband!)

The day snowballed. One thing after another went wrong. By 7:30 I was done with the day. My head hurt, I really could find anything positive to say, and poor Trav had to listen to my sarcasm whether he wanted to or not. It was one of those days where you want so badly to crawl into bed, pull the covers over your face, close your eyes, and wake up a new, fresh day. I would have done that in the car driving to Irvine if I could have!

But, as I look back on certain things throughout the day I can't help but laugh now. ( by no means was I laughing yesterday!) Here are a few laughable moments:

* My aunt's garage had been filled with mice. We realized this while the movers were moving our stuff out and the floor, our fridge, our dressers, everything was covered in mice poop. Nope, not laughing at that. I'm still disgusted. But while I was sweeping up all the poop and cleaning her garage for her I thought I caught a glimpse of a mouse and screamed! Loudly. My poor aunt was so startled until we realized it was a leaf blowing through the garage. Did I laugh than? Nope, just scowled to myself. ;)

* We rented a storage unit that we had before. While the movers were loading up to bring their next load in, I decided to go check out the unit we had. I went in to find that the light doesn't work in the unit...in fact, it will never work for some weird reason the facility gave us. Why that made me mad, I don't know. But as I was standing there fuming at how much we are paying for a unit that has a light not working, one of the movers came in with a load of boxes. I heard this thud and an, " Ow. woah, I can't see!" He had run straight into the back wall of the unit in the dark! Poor guy....I'm chuckling now just remembering it! Maybe it was good I wasn't in a laughing mood in front of him!

* I had to leave while they were unloading into our unit in Trav's car to run and get more cash because we were going to owe them more. I was flustered and ticked while in a hurry for who knows why. I pulled into this wannabe Circle K parking lot and got out of the car. Oh, but I left the car on and it started rolling forward as I was getting out of the door causing me to trip while staring in disbelief at how the car was still moving. As it hit the curb I jumped back in and jammed it in park. We won't tell Trav this one! 

* I was at the gas station down in Orange filling up after driving back from Irvine. I had to go inside to pay and when I came out there was a man collecting money for a homeless shelter. I dropped a dollar in and was about to keep walking when he said, " Mam, I hope you have a blessed day & a great Mother's Day!" Do you know what I did? Besides scowling, I turned to walk away ticked that this man thought I either had a child or was expecting. I than mumbled to myself I would never wear the outfit I had on again. Way to kill doing something nice. As I drove home the verse, " whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me" was trying to run through my head but I was pushing it aside with thoughts of, " Seriously, just because I am wearing a t-shirt does NOT mean I look like I am pregnant." Oh man, what in the world was I thinking....he meant no harm!

* In the afternoon I was already done for the day. Wanting to start a new one. I thought it would be great to lay by the pool and just relax, soaking in the sun. Except I talked on the phone the whole time which is fine but I layed facing the sun with one arm holding my phone to my ear and the other resting across my forehead to block the sun from my eyes. ( Oh yes, I lost my sunglasses yesterday too) I don't need to explain the tan line I have across my forehead nor my reaction when I saw it later last night. ;)

Here is a video of that song. 

Thankfully, today is a new & beautiful day. And yes, I have already had my coffee =)

Who Am I ( Blacklight hands)

I have always loved this song by Casting Crowns. When I saw this video I had to share it!

Enjoy!!

Soul Surfer

Travis and I went to see this last night. I highly recommend it. When we sat down in the theater we realized there was a group of 40 jr. highers behind us. I will admit, we were both annoyed. They were already loud and we really didn't want to miss half the movie because of background noise. But than Trav said," Wait. They are from a youth group." That's when I realized that those kids had chosen to spend their Friday night together at this movie to watch the story of a young girl who gave it all up to the Lord and overcame something greater than any of us could imagine. Awesome. They could have been anywhere but they choose this.

The theater was packed. I imagine a good 75% of the crowd were Christians. But the other half came because they knew a little about her story and I'm sure, wanted to learn more or see how the media portrayed it. Well, they left with an awful lot more. They listened to Carrie Underwood, Dennis Quiad, Anna Sophia Robb, and Helen Hunt sing "Blessed Be Your Name" on the big screen. They heard scripture after scripture quoted. They saw the questions being asked of "Why God let's bad things happen" or "How can this be His plan for my life?." They witnessed a family cling not only to each other but to the Lord's plan for each day. The watched the story of Bethany unfold as she struggled through her trial but with the strength that only He can give, she overcame it and discovered something greater than she thought was possible. Pretty cool.

If you have a free time with Easter breaks coming up, check it out. It's a tear jerker so be prepared.( My eyes were brimming with tears the entire time. )

Here's the trailer :

What is a Trader?

During our small group yesterday, a friend showed us this video and I think I have watched it 7 times since than. I imagine I will continue to watch it over and over because I am still fully grasping it.

Trav and I are learning & growing in ways we couldn't even imagine right now. One of the biggest challenges is being content in all aspects of our lives. I love how this video talks about the "hijacked version of the American dream."

To say this video is convicting is an understatement. I had to share it....hope you all like it as much as we did!

Everything I Need

I was silly. I was unrealistic. I worked it up in my mind a little too much. I was not thinking about God's timing. I'm working on not being disappointed. I'm working on being patient. I'm working on letting go of the whole timing thing.

I threw myself a pretty nice pity party this morning. Partly because it's about to be that "time of month", partly because I just needed a good, solid cry, and partly because I built what this would be like up in my mind for 2 years only to have it be different. The end of nursing school wasn't supposed to be like this.

For 2 years we have talked and prayed about the end of nursing school. It would finally mean our life can move ahead again. For two years we have waited and taken steps back while everyone around us took steps forward. But it was ok. It was hard but it was ok because there was this light at the end of the tunnel, January 30, then end of school. 

I made a huge mistake. I had this unrealistic, almost fairytale like, picture of how this would be. I would finish school, we would find a place to live, we would get a puppy, I would get a job, and within a few months we would be expecting our first child. Was I crazy? Maybe it was all the diet dr. pepper! Coming back to the real world, as you can imagine, nothing has unfolded like that. In fact, nothing has changed. Which is normal. But not in my crazy, fantasy world mind.

Instead, we are finding ourselves being hit left and right with unexpected bills yet there is no second income coming in yet. I have been rejected from 9 new graduate programs here, in Colorado, and in Texas. ( Now, a part of that is because I haven't even taken my state boards and these days a hospital could give less about you if you are not official. Also, I don't have my BSN.) But getting those rejection emails still blows regardless. We are no closer to having a place to live of our own again, owning a pup, and let alone even think of a baby.I've been frustrated. A little mad. Very disappointed. I've ignored the encouraging words from my family and Trav, letting them disappear out the other ear without every digesting them. Trav sends me frequent texts or whispers to me when I'm falling asleep at night, " Our time will come. Just trust, Emma. We will be blessed, we are blessed, we just have to wait." I couldn't ask for a sweeter and more encouraging husband yet as he is reminding me this in my mind I'm saying, " You want me to be patient longer? Wait longer? Why can't we be blessed now the way I want to be blessed? Let's just make our own plan."

And than the Fish plays a song, one I have heard so many times but never really paid attention to, and I find myself convicted right than and there as I have been many times before. We are more blessed than we could even imagine. We have life pretty good all because of Jesus. That's all, and I mean all, that matters. We don't need more money, we don't need our own place to live, we don't need to have the best job, and we don't need all the stuff. But we do need a life filled with Jesus. We need His love, His grace, and His intervention. All of the things I was worried about or wanted to fall into place are just things to fill our life with.

It's going to be a challenge to let it all go, but from here on out there is nothing Trav or I need except for Jesus, filling us completely in every aspect of our lives. And when it is finally our timing, it's going to be better than great because we have waited, trusted, and let go. Wherever we live next whether it be a house, apartment, or a cardboard box I will cherish it that much more because of this waiting time in our lives right now. When the Lord decides to bless us with a puppy or a baby I will cherish every moment a hundred times more. When I am given a nursing position I will work that much harder, be that much more compassionate, and that much more thankful. When Trav is finally promoted we will be that much more grateful for the new hours and the new salary.

It's so comforting to know we are not in this alone. And I'm excited to wait and see the Lord's plan unfold.

Josh Wilson "Savior, Please"

While listening to the Fish while writing a careplan, this song came on. Love the Fish...love Josh Wilson's music....love how lyrics speak to me.

So, Lord, as I head into my last week of school please hold me. Don't let me forget why I have been working so hard and what I am working towards. Remind me daily why I am here and how this life is nothing compared to the eternity I will have with you one day. Hold Trav and I as we wait to see where life leads us.

A nonproductive study break...but a great blast from the past!

 As you are about to tell I have been really productive with my time since I got home from class! On Facebook this past weekend there was this movement of putting up a picture of your favorite childhood cartoon as a way to fight back against child abuse. Well, I had a hard time thinking of my favorite...Tail Spin? Gummy Bears? Chip n Dale? I started remembering shows from when I was a kid. Trav and I always talk about how our cartoons and shows were so much better than what is on now. You didn't have to worry about all the censoring or what could possibly be on an episode. They were just carefree and geared towards KIDS! 

I youtubed the theme song for Fraggle Rock and it kept suggesting more cartoons from the good old 80s and early 90s. I than became seriously distracted going to each one to see what I remembered. I decided to share them with you! :-) Now, what's going to happen when I enter in "Saved by the Bell" or "Brady Bunch" ?!

( Just click on the link to hear the theme song! I know you feel like procrastinating from whatever you are doing right now to skip down memory lane....)

Fraggle Rock

Disney Gummy Bears

Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers

Duck Tales

Dark Wing Duck

Tail Spin

Care Bears

Under the Umbrella Tree

Reading Rainbow

Smurfs

Jetsons

Flintstones

Snorks

Wuzzles

Animaniacs

Tiny Toons

"Just when I think you couldn't possibly be any dumber,

You go and do something like this....and totally redeem yourself!" Oh yes, another ever famous line from Dumb & Dumber. Trav quotes this movie on a daily basis so naturally when we traveled to Colorado and were right there in front of Aspen, I heard the entire movie from start to finish straight from Trav's memory! =) 

As a birthday present from Trav, a chance to visit a friend and explore Colorado, we headed out to Denver the first weekend of October. I love traveling with Trav. We've developed a routine at the airport from checking in, to going through security, and of course finding the right seats on the plane. When we landed in Denver it was dark but the airport was lit up, looking like white capped mountains scattered across the dark sky. We picked up our little, tiny rental car and headed to find Littleton, CO. Christie, my roommate from Azusa, lives in Littleton as well as her parents. Her parents were kind enough to open their home for us to stay in because they were in the mountains at that time. Christie and her boyfriend, Brandon, took us to one delicious authentic Mexican restaurant for dinner. We ate till we couldn't walk. After, we debated heading out to downtown Denver, but we are all old folks now and decided just to sight see it from the car. ;)

The next morning, Christie took us to the cutest lil restaurant for breakfast in downtown Littleton, Cafe Terracota. I loved how it was in an old, town style house...it felt very quaint! Afterwards, Trav and I set out on our own lil adventure. We had some things we wanted to see before heading to the mountains with Christie and Brandon for the night. We first visited the new Columbine Memorial. It was breathtaking. They did an incredible job of honoring those who were killed and remembering their greatness. I was in awe as I read the tablets on each individual. I was amazed at how strong they were, their courage, and their faith. Some families chose to put poems or journal entries their child had written before the shooting. God works in mysterious ways and what they wrote about just weeks before they lost their lives is living on to teach others about why we are really here and what the end goal really is. It was only minutes before I had tears streaming down my cheeks. I know I will never forget that day. Watching the tv with my parents and the way I felt. Running along the edge of the memorial was a wall with quotes engraved from what people said that day as well as the days after as they recalled the events and emotions. I can't get Trav to read a book, but he read that entire wall. I glanced over to see him sitting in front of it and even from a distance I saw the glistening on his cheeks and knew he was feeling what I was feeling.

We drove around the high school after. Thank we headed up the street a little further to find my old home. We even found our old church that was right down the street! We met back up with the others and took off for the mountains! What a drive! The scenery was breathtaking! The road to their cabin was decorated with colorful aspen trees and I realized what we miss out on in California....fall. The Brady's cabin is picturesque...you feel like you are in a movie yet you feel like you are at home! Her parents have a yellow lab, Rory, who immediately took to Trav. Shocking, right?! Her two lil cousins were there who I have always heard so much about but it was fun to meet and play with them. All of us headed to the "town" to grab a bite for dinner. It was a fun BBQ place, much like Heros here in Fullerton, where you throw your peanut shells on the floor. Later that night Trav, Christie, Brandon, and I sat in the jacuzzi, talking under the starlit sky. It was wonderful!

Before heading back down the next day, Christie showed us one of her favorite hikes. Probably the most breathtaking hike I have ever been on. Pictures couldn't even capture how beautiful it was. We spent the afternoon cheering on the Broncos and bbqing at their house. We feel pretty blessed and thankful for their hospitality. They treated us like family the whole weekend. 

On our last night their, Trav and I got an ice cream craving so we drove to find a Dairy Queen. Along the way we stopped at the Super Target so Trav could check it out. Needless to say both of our jaws dropped when we went inside. This is unlike any Target you have seen. Lined across the front of the store was over 40 checkout lines. The grocery in this store was bigger than the Vons by my parents old house and I thought that was a big grocery! We walked the aisles in complete awe. There was even a self-serve candy section. How dangerous would that be if it was at Trav's store!?!? 

On our last day in the great CO we did some touring of our own. We headed out early to see the different fields. Finding the stadiums in different cities we visit is a tradition/hobby of ours and I just love it! We stopped by the Broncos first....but Tim was not there ;) We drove by the Pepsi Center next and let me tell you, that is one awesome arena! Soon after we had an appt at the Denver Mint. We took the tour and learned alot about the production of coins here in the US. We walked to the Capital building as well and loved the architecture. On our way to 16th St we found Coors Field, another awesome stadium and than Mermaid Bakery where we had to grab a cupcake even if it was 10am! We finished off our downtown touring with a hamburger at Good Eats.

Before heading to the airport we drove out to Golden, CO to tour the Coors Factory. Golden was not what I expected. Instead, it was this little town that mimicked what and old town would have been like back in the wild west days...I loved it! I will say the Coors tour was pretty neat. And, you get to sample at the end which is always fun. We walked around the downtown a bit after and again, fell in love. On our drive to the airport, we talked about everything we had crammed in during our short visit and the fun we had. We both fell in love with Colorado...it's a whole different world in so many ways! There are so many places we want to visit in the US....and so much history to see. We are already planning our next adventure. 

Now, you may think I am crazy for posting this song, but everytime we got in our car this song came on the radio and now whenever we hear it we think of Denver and our adventures.

I Will Follow

The Fish always seems to provide me with my weekly songs. And they always come at just the right moment where I know God is using the lyrics to speak directly to me. However, this song hasn't just stuck around for my weekly song, it's been much longer.

If you haven't heard "I Will Follow" by Chris Tomlin I am attaching the link below so you can. It's wonderful. Right now Trav and I are at an odd place. I'm finishing school. Trav is on the verge of being promoted. I'm figuring out my specialty. Trav is figuring out his lifelong career. We are still living at home. But in 10 or so weeks all of this could/will change. Where will we be in February you may ask? I don't know. Actually, I don't have the slightest idea. We could be right here in Brea. We could be in South County. Trav could be at Target. I could be at Choc. Trav could be coaching. I could be in Labor and Delivery working. We could be in San Diego, Arizona, Colorado, St. Louis, or Maine for all that matters. We have no idea what our future holds and it is slightly scary but really exciting.

It's easy for Trav and I to talk about "our" plans. Because we always know what's best for us, right? Ha. We have definitely learned that when praying for our future, it means letting go of our worries, concern, doubt, wonderment, and our own plans while laying it at the Lord's feet and saying, " Here. Lead us. Guide us. Place us where YOU have planned for the two of us to be." Yikes that is hard. It's taken a year and a half for Trav and I to be able to pray that with peaceful minds and a calm heart as we truly do trust He will lead us. There hasn't been a morning or an evening of each day for the past 1 1/2 years where we haven't joined together to pray for what's to come after nursing school. Trav always ends our prayers with, " Lord, let us follow you. Guide us to where you need us to be. " It's those words that Trav lifts up that either let me fall asleep with a restful mind or start my day with encouragement. The Lord is good and I know His plan for our life is going to be great whatever it may be.

It's interesting how we have grown over this time I've been in school. There were days I really doubted our future and was insistent about "my" plan. Than there were days Trav was worried and had his own plan in mind. But somewhere in the midst of all the nightly talks, the internet searching, the Concordia Chapel chats, and most importantly the prayers, we both came to one solid ground with only one thing for certain: It's not our plan and we want to openly with a gracious heart seek for what God has planned for us. It's exciting. Don't get me wrong though, I still freak out. I like to have things planned out and the unknown tends to freak me out big time. However, John Tesh told me the other morning ( Yes, he too speaks directly to me) " Never fear the unknown with a known God."

So we will work on not fearing the unknown. And we will continue to pray for His plan to unfold. (Sooner rather than later, Lord! ;) ) We do ask that you keep us in your prayers over these next 8 weeks. Nursing school has not just been something I've been going through. Trav has been every bit as deep into it as I have been and little does he know these last 8 weeks are going to be one heck of a ride! :-) But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Please pray that we are able to keep our focus on God's plan and the amazing things He has in store for us in this upcoming year. And that we never loose site of wanting to follow where He leads.

Amazed

This morning Trav and I taught Kindergarten Sunday school. A fresh batch of kiddos, new curriculum, and a great start to a new Sunday school year! It's surprising how much WE learn from teaching the kids and taking in what they can teach us. I always leave these Sundays with a restored childlike faith because there is just something so powerful, so pure, and so eager about it that we should never loose site of it.

We came back this evening to the night service called Engage. We really enjoyed it tonight. It was entirely unexpected that we went, but a totally God thing. We took my Aunt Katie to dinner at Ricardos, which is close to church. Afterward we pulled out of the parking lot and Trav looked at the clock. He said nonchalantly, " well we could make it to Engage." I didn't even hesitate with my response of "yes". Although we were a few minutes late we snuck in the back and listened to a message that we both needed to hear. It was on rest and keeping the Sabbath day holy. Lately, Trav has been overworked and I have been crammed with school work. Sometimes we forget that we need time to not only rejuvenate ourselves but also our faith. After all, God worked hard for 6 days and than rested. It makes sense that we as Christians do the same....with our working lives and our faith. At the end of the message they passed out paper for all of us to make a commitment to rest and rejuvenate. Trav and I each wrote out ways we can rest, rejuvenate, and encourage each other each week. We sealed it off with a prayer, committing this to the Lord. Afterward, we chatted outside with some friends, leaders we used to work with in the youth department, and some new faculty. It was just what we needed. Trav was asked to lead a small group session for some of the youth males. I think he will be excellent at it. I would love to pursue that as well with the gals but my school schedule just doesn't allow time for me that works with a high school youth schedule. I also really love our church family. Being a member of the Lutheran church my whole life it really is a small world. Everyone has known me since I was a toddler and watched me grow up. They watched as Trav and I met, dated, and than began our journey of marriage. It is so comforting having people from all areas of the church and school life come up to chat with us or check in to see how we are doing with all the transitions in our life and let us know that they are supporting us and praying for us. It is such a comfort and we are pretty blessed with the church family we have.

This song was sung in church tonight and I have been humming it since we got home. I love the lyrics and hope you enjoy listening to it as well!

Servant's Heart

The Simple Truths of Service | The Simple Truths of Service Movie


This movie was shown to us during our clinical post conference today. I love inspirational stories like this that grab at your heart. A servant's heart is a wonderful gift to have.

Enjoy!

Healing Begins - Tenth Avenue North - w/lyrics

Another one of my favorite artists and songs! I often hear a song that really means something to me and I hang on to it, playing it over an over! I go through "songs of the week". This one is this weeks and I just love it.

Music was always my passion and I miss it. It was a way for me to express myself. Music makes me feel and moves me. One of these days I will find a way to be involved with something musically again. Until than, I will just soak up the good music that is out there.

Be strong in the Lord....

I LOVE this song! I blast it when it comes on the Fish! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)

The words are so powerful, reassuring, and comforting.

"Don't forget why you are here. Take your time and pray"

Behind the Music

I have loved this song for awhile. It helped me see through some tough things that were changing around me. I fell in love with it even more when I dug deeper to see what the inspiration behind the song was. It's amazing. It still makes me cry every time I watch the videos but well worth it! There are more videos you can google that continue on the family's story.

Enjoy! The song is wonderful....the story is miraculous.

Lou Gehrig's Disease

We are currently going over the Neuro system in my med-surg lecture. If you haven't heard of Lou Gehrig's disease, it is pretty devastating.

If you have a few minutes, this is a really sweet story of a couple who fought through the disease together. I love inspirational medical stories like this.

Tom's Dream: A World Without ALS (A Love Story)