*Life*

Wow! Is life really that crazy? It's already almost August (over half the year is over), and I have only taken the time to write on here once this year?! Crazy! Time just keeps on ticking away and the days and weeks go by so quickly! What has happened so far for us in 2012?! A LOT!! Some good and some not so good, but we made it through it! :)

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Back in February, Nathan was experiencing some severe stomach pains that caused him to finally seek some medical advice. The doctor was convinced that it was probably his gallbladder--Gallbladder at the age of barley 22? Really!?! (His birthday was the week prior to all of this).  Well within the next few days, the tests and scans revealed that he needed his gallbladder removed ASAP! The doctor really wanted to schedule his cholecystectomy that same day; however, it was scheduled first thing the next morning. I know that this surgery wasn't as severe as like open heart, but it still stressed me out knowing that my husband was suffering from such severe pain and especially at his age! Well surgery took longer than expected due to such an "ugly" gallbladder! Luckily the doc. could still perform the surgery laparoscopically vs. open so Nate's recovery time was shorter! All went well, and he was discharged from the hospital that same day! One week later, and he was fully recovered and ready to return to work! 

~Thank you, God, for allowing my husband to not have any more suffering and for his speedy recovery! Also, thank you for putting Nathan in the hand's of a wonderful medical team!~

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Well after that bump in the road, Nathan and I have otherwise been blessed with lots over the year! 

From January-March, I had a wonderful opportunity to coach a great group of 7th grade AAU volleyball girls! We had practice usually once (sometimes twice) a week and had a weekly tournament around the surrounding towns. We qualified for state and headed to Ankeny, IA later in March for the state tournaments! Emotions ran high and stress levels seemed to be almost through the roof, but we all truly had an amazing time! My wonderful family came to support and cheer us on! After about 14 hours of volleyball, our girls completed their season as state champions of the silver tournament!! What a wonderful achievement for them! This team truly deserved it! They worked hard during every practice and tournament. It just amazed me to see how much they developed over the short season! As I stated before, our team was a wonderful bunch of young, talented ladies who made us have one amazing season! :)

~Thank you, God, for giving me the opportunity to meet some pretty fun, talented, outgoing young ladies! Thank you for giving us a wonderful season and making every practice and tournament a fun-filled time. Thank you for this overall experience! 

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In May, Nathan and I were blessed with becoming HOMEOWNERS!!! This was a huge step in our lives! We would go online and periodically do some "house hunting" but always thought that our dream of owning a home was a long ways down the road! However, we were really eager to start investing our money into something that we could finally say was OURS!! Well, Nathan and I found a house that we were really, really interested in so we thought "Lets just go look at it!" Why not, right?! Well, after looking at it, it confirmed our feelings toward the house--We wanted to get the process going and make an offer! After finally getting all the paperwork completed through the bank and the realtor, we got to finally take possession May 1st!!! :)

~Thank you, God, for this wonderful blessing of having a place to come to and call Home!! Thank you for this opportunity for Nathan and I to grow even more in our marriage as we took this next huge step in our lives!!  

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Well, a very happy and exciting time in our lives was also a very sad and difficult time in our lives. Nathan and I decided that it was time to place our two kitties (Rascal and Sammy,) in a different home. As we were making this moving transition, we decided that two cats would not work too well in our new home. We had no "good" place for their kitty boxes, and it was beginning to feel like the cat fur was overtaking our house! We asked around and posted them on facebook swaps. Luckily, we found a person who was willing to take them both so we didn't have to separate them! It was very hard for me to say goodbye but knew it was for the best. The move helped me focus on other things than missing the boys.

~Thank you, God, for allowing the time for us to love and raise Rascal and Sammy. We love them and will always miss things about them.

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The summer months have been great! No school for both Nathan and I (which has never happened yet)! Nate's plan is to return to school this fall so we have been enjoying it to the fullest! Our weekends seem to always be busy, but I don't think we would want it any other way! We have enjoyed spending time with the nieces and nephews, other family members, friends, and just each other! 

~Thank you so much, God, for truly blessing us with such wonderful people in our lives! We have a great friends and our families are just terrific!!

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Our newest, exciting news is that we will be welcoming a new puppy to our family! :) We have decided to name her Bella. She is currently only 2 1/2 weeks old so we have to wait 5 1/2 more weeks! We are just super excited! We have always wanted a puppy but never could due to being renters! Now that we have a house, it seems about right to start filling it up!!-- (Puppy for now! ;) ) We started shopping for her already and just can't wait to take her home!! It does make me a little nervous, but our excitement outweighs the nerves! :) So I guess there is just on thing left to say...Bring on the training!! 

~Thank you, God, for allowing this new adventure to take place in our lives! Help the training and transition for Bella to go smooth!

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So, I can truly say that our year has been great to us thus far! We have many more exciting things to look forward to...Our wedding anniversary being one thing--TWO years already!! Wow! I cannot complain with where I am in life right now...I am truly blessed and happy! Life is what you make of it, and I always remember to just take life one day at a time! :)

~Thank you, God, for all the blessings you have blessed my life with! Thank you for my awesome husband, our terrific friends, and our wonderful families! Thank you for watching over all of us and helping us get through this crazy ride called life! We love, honor, and worship You! Please bless all those reading this blog along with everyone else in this world! I pray for everyone in this world suffering from the Colorado shooting and any other traumatic event. Please comfort all of those grieving on this day! Help us all understand that everything happens for a reason and that your plan for us may sometimes seem unclear, but we just need to continue with our faith because you always have something in store for us! This I pray in Jesus' name, AMEN!~

Reflection

It's just crazy to think how fast another holiday season flew by!! First comes Thanksgiving, then it went...Then came Christmas, and that also just went right by...And now, New Years is done and over with!! Crazy!! 2011 has been another great year for us!! May--Graduated from nursing school, July--Passed nursing boards, August--Celebrated our first anniversary!! Purchased our first new vehicle as a married couple!! October--moved into a HOUSE from an apartment!! November--We became an Aunt and Uncle again to Ashlyn Eleanor!! December--Made our second "big" purchase as a married couple--a washer and dryer!! :), Fell in love with another puppy that my in-laws purchased--an English Bulldog whose name is Jake!, Spent some wonderful time quality family time!! I can sit back and look at what we have in life and just smile... We have so much to be thankful for every day, and sometimes we just don't take the time to truly realize how blessed we actually are! We are truly blessed beyond belief!! 2011 was also here and was quickly gone...The holidays come and go but so do the years...As I sit down to reflect my year, I just smile thinking how lucky/fortunate I am. I wouldn't change anything that has happened in the past year(s)--Everything happens for a reason and makes me, me. 2011 was a great year, but I am excited to see what 2012 will have in store for us!! :) 

Happy New Year Everyone!! :)

Changes

"Changes"--Some people take this with a grain of salt while others have a very difficult time accepting these occurrences. I have personally actually learned that "changes" aren't always a bad thing. I believe that I have stated in a previous post that everything happens for a reason. I fully believe this and so it has helped me understand that "changes" can actually be a good thing in my life. Big changes are happening in our household lately. Nathan and I are moving into a house! We haven't fully settled by making the BIG move of purchasing a house; however, we are slowly moving up the ladder by renting a house from renting an apartment! It's a small house located in Boyden, but we are both very stoked! So this apartment has gone from a nice living environment to making a pathway between all the boxes! We are expecting to be moved out by the end of this month/beginning of Nov. It's difficult to get packing done due to my hours at work, but I truly have a wonderful husband! He is someone who I admire for all he does! He works full time, goes to school, and helps me around the house! I love him so much and don't know how I could live life without him! I will post again when we are all settled in the house to let you all know how it's going! ;)

The next big change in life is that I have concluded that the nursing profession is not something that I see myself doing for the rest of my life. It is a profession that totally deserves recognition, and I totally commend all of those who are in the healthcare profession. After all, where would we be in this world if it wasn't for those who give up their time in their lives to help others improve their quality of life? But, the stress of knowing that someone's life rests in the hands of me just quite frankly scares me to death. I feel that when I am put in this situation of deciding how to best care for the resident/patient, I totally just freak out inside. I know everyone has told me that it is a normal feeling to feel "scared" especially starting out. However, I just don't think that this feeling will ever go away for me. I will always be scared to go to work knowing that something terrifying could occur during my shift...And then what?! I know that many people would not understand my reasoning for this change, but life is just too short to be anything but happy. And, with the help of God, my wonderful husband, and family, this is something that I have figured out is best for me at this time. I know that just because I am giving up with the profession now, doesn't mean that I am not licensed anymore. I am planning to keep my license up to date so that I will always still have this option. I worked hard all throughout my college career, and I have given it a chance, but it is just not meant for me at this time in my life. So this leads to another change---going back to school. I have to decide when and where to go back to school. I might have to work a little while until I start my schooling again, but I am okay with that too! I have decided that I want to obtain a totally different degree--Accounting! I LOVE math and numbers so it excites me to finally get started in something I really enjoy working with. This change in life does, however, frighten me because this has to be it. I have to know what I want to do in life. I don't want to waste my whole life going through school. I want this to be it. I just pray every day that God will help me figure out this obstacle in my life. I want to make sure that this IS really what I should be doing with my life. And who knows what life will bring being a Registered Nurse + an Accountant?! I guess I will just have to sit back and enjoy the ride and see where life takes me next! :) I am truly thankful for everyone in my life who have supported me with all of my tough life decisions and who will always be there for me! Thank you very much and I love you all!! :)

Duluth :)

Since I am going on a little get-a-way next week, I thought now would be a good time to write...My hubby and I are heading up to Duluth, MN with his parents this Monday until next week Sunday--Totally excited!! Nathan just loves, and I mean LOVES Duluth! He has soooo many things that he wants to see again that hopefully we have enough time to do it all! :) Not only is Duluth just a great place to visit, but it also has a very special place in our hearts. June 26, 2009 was when my "boyfriend" turned into my fiance (and who is now my husband!! :) ) I remember it like it was yesterday...

...He had explained to me that he wanted to go to Duluth to just scope out the area because that was where he wanted to possibly move someday after he completed his teaching degree. Well, I knew that there was no way that my parents would allow for me to travel 7 hours away to just "scope out the area". But, Nathan insisted on asking my parents for their permission by himself. So I agreed. Needless to say, he had something else up his sleeve to ask them. Well, my parents agreed to let us go, and so we were off to Duluth! We had a whole agenda planned during our time there. Our first night was to just go to a baseball game and just start scoping out the area. We ended up walking a pathway around Lake Superior and that's when Nathan sat me down on a bench, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him!! I was the happiest woman in the world and of course I said yes!!

Now we have been married for almost a year already! Wow, time just keeps ticking by...But I can honestly say that this past year has been one of the best years of my life. Nathan is a such a wonderful husband who is always just "there" for me! I truly could not have asked for a better person to spend the rest of my life with! I am totally excited to keep living this journey with him and see what our future has to hold for us!! :)

We Just Never Know...

Hello All,
          So, I am kind of new to this whole "Blogging" your life thing. However, now that school is completely done with, I am hoping that I will be able to have more time to just journal some things that are going on in my life. Speaking of school, boy has that been a lot of stress on me for awhile now! I graduated this past May with my RN degree and had to await the arrival of my RN boards. As graduation was approaching, I was beginning to feel that I had completely chosen the wrong career path for myself...I was beginning to feel more and more unsure on what I had gotten myself into, but I also felt that it was just too late to give up now--I have too much invested into it and would let too many people "down" if I just gave up. So, on May 14th, I walked across that stage to receive my diploma. Well, there is a big transition after school is completed. I mean school is, or should I say, WAS my whole life and that was all there was too it. I had to transition from being in class every day and seeing all my classmates, to just sitting at our apartment and trying to continue on with studying/preparing for boards...I did not pick up many hours at work because I figured that it was a time for me to just focus on school--After all, we were told that we did not complete the program until you had passed the NCLEX exam. Well, sitting at the apartment just became monotonous and made me begin to really start thinking about things like my life in general--What did God truly have planned for me and my life? Was nursing truly a career that I could go to every single day? Maybe a new career path would appear in my future? I had so many thoughts racing through my head that it began to take a toll on me. I was really convincing myself that nursing was not for me and that I should just go back to school. I love math and was really considering to get an Accounting degree or something related to Math. Well, I scheduled boards to be the 14th of July. I prayed every day that God would just help calm my nerves regarding the big exam and that He would show me some kind of sign. If I was truly meant to be a nurse then hopefully I would pass boards, but if I was meant to do something else with my life then I would know based on my board results. Well, as of today, at 8 a.m. this morning, I received my "sign"...I can now proudly say that I am a Registered Nurse! It still scares me to think about the profession overall. But, I fully believe that everything happens for a reason so I feel that I need to give it a chance. I have been truly blessed with a wonderful husband, family, and friends who all had faith in me and supported me til the end! Who knows what my future may hold related to my career path. However, I have learned one valuable lesson this year and that is to take one day at a time. Don't look too far into the future but rather just live in the moment of today. What the future holds is unpredictable, but with God, your family, and friends, all things are possible...and in the end, everything will all work out!! :)