Yellow, Orange, Pink...

So I can't decide what kind of flowers to put in the planters - I like the combination of yellow, orange, and pink if that makes things any easier.  Their in the shade most, if not the entire day so I need flowers that LOVE shade.  I think the only times I've planted something in my life were in kindergarten (a flower) and the sunflower kit I bought last year which promptly died. 

I don't know anything about gardening or how to care for plants or what kinds to choose.  I'm just trying to keep the animals alive at school.  So does anyone with a green thumb have suggestions for flowers that love shade and would not get too tall and don't need much space to grow?

E(x)ponential Living

A found an interesting sermom series that I think is worth listening to.  You can either watch the 3 videos or just listen to them.  It kind of gives you a new way to look at living and why you should live it to the extent God intended.  The part about investing in other people is especially important.  Here is a link to the series : http://cplace.org/sermons/exponential-living-invest-invite/

Vows for Summer

This summer, I vow (will try my best) to:

1. Read more books for enjoyment - like the ones on the bookshelf that never move

2.  Scrapbook like there is no tomorrow

3.  Work on putting together my "nerd book" for veterinary technology which I'm way behind on.

4. Spend more time with my husband that doesn't involve Netflix.

5.  Take more walks and take pictures of the town while we still live here.

6.  Spend more time in God's Word and more time reading Christian non-fiction books.

7.  Take a short vacation somewhere with my husband.


I think that's a good list for now :)

Unashamed: Starfield

One more song for you guys during the A to Z Blogging Challenge!

"Unashamed" by Starfield is one of my favorite songs ever and it has outstanding lyrics.  I'm not talking about perfect writing and all that jazz, I mean an outstanding message.  I suggest reading the lyrics first somewhere then watching the video.  If you ever get a chance to hear these guys in person, GO!  They came to my first college a couple of years ago and had an awesome concert.

Unashamed - Starfield

Thankful, O So Thankful

What a day.

Today was the day that I have been dreading for 2-3 weeks now - Practical Nursing Exam (animals, not people) :)  I'm pretty good at written tests but when I'm being graded on something that I have to actually DO, I freak out and usually mess it up.

I met with some friends over the past week practicing all of the things we have done in lab.  I've discovered that I'm not very good at drawing blood or IV injections, and I've never gotten blood from the jugular vein yet.  Plus although i could do most of the bandages, I'm not confident in them.

For the practical we draw a task from a pile and have to do it.  I think that is kind of what sucks about these kinds of tests- pick the one you aren't good at and you could get a bad grade but the person after you picks something easy and gets a good grade.  Hate that.  So I really hoped that i wouldn't draw IV inection or blood draw.

I have been praying daily that I would do well on the exam and if possible, I could draw physical exam.  Although it was said that this is the test most often failed by students, I desperately wanted it because I studied the book, notes, watched youtube videos, and ran through the test in my head multiple times.  I even had Matthew buy a flea comb at Walmart just so i could use it in case I got physical exam! 

Well, I was asked to pick a piece of paper from the pile. I saw one and was about to take it, but for some reason I had the urge to pick the one UNDER that paper.  PHYSICAL EXAM!  I had to read it twice to be sure.  Being kind of nervous I did skip over a few things that I had practiced but I thought it had went really well.  As I was leaving my teacher said I did a really good job and that she was impressed with how it went!  Of course, now that that's over, I should concentrate on working on some of the things I can't do as well but for tonight it's Pizza Hut pasta, breadsticks, and Hershey sticks :)

Sleep is Good....

As contradictory as this sounds, sleep is what keeps you awake.  When you don't get sleep, it can be hard to function mentally and physically which is why they say you should always get a good night's sleep before big events such as sports games or tests.  Sometimes though, no matter how hard you try, sleep can be hard to come by.  I've been having trouble falling and staying asleep the past few months (it's not just finals).  I found that Tylenol PM works really well for me, but I don't think it's a good idea to be taking that kind of medicine just as a sleep aid.

I've been looking up some natural remedies such as melatonin supplements and getting more excercise since I don't want to go into the perscription route.  And counting all those sheep just doesn't cut it.

Does anyone have any good ideas or tips on how to fall and stay asleep?

Rest

It's been a good weekend of rest, even though I've got some kind of bug again.  Slept in on Saturday, watched 4 episodes of Numbers with Matthew, made brown sugar cookies, made bakes potatoes with cheese whiz and broccoli on top, and started on a scrapbook page. Today we went to church, I went to school to practice horse slings, hobbles, and sidelines, then came home to finish my scrapbook page and do some homework.

I can't believe I only have a week and a half of school left!  Then we get a 5 week break which doesn't seem like much but it is to me!  During that time I hope to put some flowers on our back porch and work extra hard on my scrapbook pages.  I mean really, when else in my life am I going to get 5 weeks with nothing to do....?  It might also be a good time to start x-ing off some of those projects on my pinterest board. 

Do you have any spring plans for some days off?

Quotes about Prayer

"You can do more than pray after you have prayed; but you can never do more than pray until you have prayed." A.J. Gordon

"We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties." Oswald Chambers

"Prayer wonderfully clears the vision; steadies the nerves; defines duty; stiffens the purpose; sweetens and strengthens the spirit." S.D. Gordon

“The trouble with nearly everybody who prays is that he says ‘Amen’ and runs away before God has a chance to reply. Listening to God is far more important than giving Him our ideas.” Frank Laubach

"Seven days without prayer makes one weak." Allen E. Vartlett

"Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue. God’s voice in response to mine is its most essential part." Andrew Murray

"Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things 'above all that we ask or think.'" Andrew Murray

Prayer Ideas

Practicals and finals week are getting so close I literally cannot think about anything else.  I'm not used to having finals where you actually have to do something rather than just write answers.  So I'm beyond nervous right now and it seems like I have a broken record of continous prayer in my head asking God for help during this time.  I found a cool website called prayerideas.org that has fill in the blank prayer ideas for many life situations- yes even for final exams!  If your having finals soon, you should check it out.

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

Thought I'd share a bit more upbeat song tonight arranged by David Crowder Band.  It's sad that these guys aren't making albums anymore, but the CD's they do have out are outstanding! Their songs are all very unique and what I love about them most is that they are great for use in church, but they don't follow the normal chord progressions or use cliche wording.  Different, but catchy and easy to follow. Luckily we got to see them in Kansas City a few years back.  Hope you enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWekq9bHtKU

No More Dr. Quinn! Nooooo!!

So for the past few months, Matthew and I have been watching an episode of Dr. Quinn almost every night while we eat supper.  Yeah, we're eating in front of the TV while we still can:)  Tonight we will be watching the very last episode in the series and as dumb as it sounds, it's sad that it is ending.  Same thing with Smallville - you just don't want them to end. 

If you haven't ever watched Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, I highly recommed the series.  It was made in the late 1990's and is about a woman, Michaela, in the late 1800's who just graduated from medical school and moves out west to Colorado to start a practice. Her dying friend asks Michaela to take care of her 3 children Matthew, Coleen, and Bryan.  The storylines have great a message, great acting, and history lessons all rolled into one.  Perhaps the theme of the series could be considered equality.  Many episodes feature the towns people struggling through their old ways to accept people of different cultures that come to town.  It's hard to find TV's shows anymore that the whole family can enjoy and don't use violence, sex, drugs, or language to be succesful. 

There are two movies that come after the series, but our library doesn't have them :(

Suggestions please!
So what good shows do you recommened that have a good story and message all in one? 

Many Many Things

I've got the pinning bug.

That's right, the pinning bug.

Here's the problem:  I don't have the "make it" bug.

My pinterest board of crafts, DIY's, and recipes is growing daily, but I never seem to start any of those projects.  One of the problems is that I don't have a house where I can store these projects (apartments can only handle so much) and we don't have any outside space for any of the cool garden/patio ideas I find.  Not much room for art on the walls either.  I usually make 2 pinterest recipes a week, so I guess I'm doing ok there.

However, there are some things I can make such as the cool recipe binder with divider tabs or the wine bottles covered in book pages with modge podge.  I suppose such things take the back burner when you are in vet tech school but I'm sure I still have way more free time than most people since I don't have a job or kids right now.

So my question is, how do you motivate yourself to start some of these projects?  Once I am working on something, I love doing it and using my creative side but it's actually starting the project that gets me.

Anyone have suggestions?

Less is More (For Some)

I like to think that auctions in Nebraska are, well, unique. Outside on the grass there are 3 old cars, a truck, 25 tires, 3 truck beds, saddles, a trailer full of tools (and like 15 ratchet sets), and a boat from the 80's.  Walk into the heated building and you see furniture, guns and ammo, decorative barbed wire, John Deere toys, and 10 homemade quilts.

While 2 farmers are bidding up a yellow sign that says "cowboy country," the ladies are serving sandwhiches and chili to the people who are exhausted from watching the items fly by and listening to the voice of the auctioneer.  If a person isn't wearing jeans, they have their work coveralls on.

I hadn't been to an auction since I was in middle school until today.  After looking over the items I decided I wanted to bid on a canister, paper shredder, rocking chair, and some books.  I came home with a box of books, a replica old time lantern, a box of christmas ornaments, a box of wrapping paper and tissue paper and bows (best $1 ever spent), hanging file folders, and 2 cast iron skillets.  I thought I did pretty well for $16 altogether and I had a great time watching what the other items went for.  However I about had a heart attack when a beautiful hardly used Baldwin piano sold for $90.  If I had a house to put that in, it would have been the deal of the century in my book. 

So I got home and sorted through my things.  It's common for auctioneers to combine items if no one is bidding on them so along with my file folders I obtained a box full of check envelopes and an electronic letter folder from possibly the early 90's.  And I only bought the box of ornaments because of the beautiful crochet snowflakes that I could use for scrapbooking embellishments.  Yeah, I have 2 boxes going to the thrift store tomorrow.  But hey, those hanging file folders are expensive even at Walmart.  And less things I have to keep in the house or in storage means more time NOT spent cleaning.

Keep Your Eyes Open

A short thought for tonight before heading to bed...

By our sinful nature, our eyes are focused on ourselves most of the time.  Our problems come first, then family's, friends, and maybe strangers.  It is a first thought to look after ourselves first.  But if you slow down and really take the time to observe other people - their actions and words and emotions - they struggle too.  And people can't get through their trials alone.

Perhaps if we are more willing to keep our eyes open for others, a chain reaction could occur where one person helps another in any way they can - money, provisions, time, prayer - and the goodness of God's grace and love is shown through us.  And maybe its not that we don't see the need, it's just scary to reach out.  But if you never take that chance, then you'll never know what wonderful things could have happened.

Don't close your eyes or look away.  Keep them wide open!

Just When I Thought Winter Was Over

Things were looking up around here - some days were in the 60's and 70's even!  I was able walk around without needing a jacket or long sleeves for a week.  The grass was turning green again and the birds were singing songs together.

Surprise!

Winter has come back to this small town and it's not planning on leaving.  What started out as rain, turned into sleet, hail, and snow and when you have rain and snow at the same time DOORS freeze shut.  Even one of our large animal labs for classes was cancelled because the gates were frozen shut and once you got them open, the freezing rain made them freeze so that you couldn't shut them.  The roads were icy until this afternoon and since the town already turned on the sprinkler systems at the park, there are ice rings everywhere.

School gets out in 3 weeks (I've never been so worried about finals in my entire life) and I'm hoping that I get to enjoy my 5 weeks off by sitting in the sun and taking walks rather than staying inside because of poor weather.

We hope to actually get some flowers to plant on our front porch this year.  All we have out there now are some empty wood planters and a pot with birds on it that looks like it should have been thrown out 6 months ago.  Plus, every other apartment in our square has a windchime...I feel that we should get one in order to fit in :)

If I Were a Butterfly...and the Cricket Choir

Remember that one song from grade school/ sunday school that starts out "If I were a butterfly..."?

If you haven't heard of it or don't remember the lyrics, here they are :)

Photo by Christian Meyn at freedigitalphotos.net



If I were a butterfly, I'd thank you Lord for giving me wings
If I were a robin in a tree, I'd thank you Lord that I could sing
If I were a fish in the sea, I'd wiggle my tail and I'd giggle with glee
But I just thank you father for making me, me

For you gave me a heart and you gave me a smile
You gave me Jesus and you made me your child
And I just thank you Father for making me, me

If I were an elephant, I'd thank you Lord by raising my trunk
If I were a kangaroo, You know I'd hop right up to you
If I were an octopus, I'd thank you Lord for my fine looks
But I just thank you Father for making me, me

For you gave me a heart and you gave me a smile
You gave me Jesus and you made me your child
And I just thank you Father for making me, me

If I were a wiggly worm, I'd thank you Lord that I could squirm
If I were a fuzzy wuzzy bear, I'd thank you Lord for my fuzzy, wuzzy hair
If I were a crocodile, I'd thank you Lord for my great smile
But I just thank you Father for making me, me

For you gave me a heart and you gave me a smile
You gave me Jesus and you made me your child
And I just thank you Father for making me, me

Of course what made this song totally awesome were the hand motions that went along with it.  The alligator part was especiallly fun (who can make the loudest SLAP noise with their hands and scare the teacher?) So not that it wouldn't be cool to be an animal for the day but what is the message behind this song? 

Here's what I think.

It's easy for us to get caught into the trap of looking at all of the things we think are going wrong in life, but we often overlook all of the wonderful things that are going RIGHT for us as well.  Really, all things work for the glory of God so even out of our hardships comes wonderful things.  There is always something to be thankful for.  So say for instance you were a butterfly.  No you can't go bowling or drive a car or do taxes....?  But you can thank God for being able to fly high in the sky and get to see a beautiful view of His creation.  No matter where you are, who you are with, what you are doing, etc. there is always something to be thankful for.

So, you don't think that animals praise God like we do?

Check out this link for a cool surprise!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFguHRdUlk8

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Matthew 6:26

Hold Me Jesus

You may have heard other versions of the song "Hold Me Jesus" but this version by Rich Mullins is my favorite so far.  The first line mimicks my feelings on those days that I feel worried or saddened by something.

 "Well sometimes my life just don't make sense at all..." 

That's a good way to put it.  But I also see this song as a prayer asking for God to hold us in his arms and calm our fears.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3: 5-6)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9T3tL5U67w

Glory in the Storm

Sorry about not getting this posted for the A - Z blogging challenge yesterday.  We had a pretty good storm last night (lightning included) so we unplugged all electronics and I wanted to save  my computer battery in case we needed to check the weather!

So about 7:00 last night it started to rain at a fairly steady pace - it was relaxing to listen to while I worked on some scrapbooking.  But while calling my parents, it started to sound like millions of marbles were hitting our roof (tin roofs are VERY loud).  Great -hail.  The wind was picking up and sounded pretty mean even from inside the house.  The thunder and lightning kept me from sleeping for quite a while and I was pretty tired this morning.

But I loved every minute of it (eh, minus the hail.  But the car didn't take any damage)

There is SOMETHING about storms that I just can't get over.  I love listening to them while I read and if I could sit ouside and watch the storm without worrying about getting struck by lightning, I totally would.  I think maybe the reason I find them so fascinating and beautiful is because a storm shows just how awesome and powerful God is.  He can take blinding light, roaring thunder, and rain to make something that both shows his power and helps refresh the earth at the same time.  Plus, don't you love the shine of everything after it rains? It's almost like painting a coat of gloss over everything for a few hours to make it shine.  Plus, I'm sure the farmers around here were excited for the good amount of moisture we received :)

Figure it Out

No, I'm not talking about that guessing game show that used to be on Nickalodeon...

Problems and decisions are challenging things, especially for me.  If there is something I'm worried about or a problem that needs to be fixed, it's VERY difficult for me to sleep or even think about anything else until I find a solution that will work.  Unfortunately, there aren't always situations that we can control or solve ourselves and it can be frustrating to not be able to do anything about that problem.  It can make you feel helpless not being able to control a situation.

Right now I struggle with schoolwork, missing friends from home, worrying about the future, etc.  And I haven't been able figure out what I, myself, can do about it.  But I have figured out a few things:

1.  Prayer is important in times of worry

2.  Worrying doesn't really help.  It just wears you down like tire treads (only 100x faster)

3.  Years from now I can look back and say "I overcame that hurdle" and even though we are always being presented with more, God doesn't give us more than we can handle.

So if the Maker of the universe thinks I can handle it, why worry so much?

Everthing and Nothing - Matt Maher

I don't know what it is about this song, but the relaxing melody and great message make me listen to it over and over again.  If you haven't heard of Matt Maher, you should go listen to some samples of his music on Youtube.  Some friends and I got to see him in concert a couple years ago and his songs are amazing! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yEMeRQs4tI

Discovery Cove Adventure

You know I never even blogged about our honeymoon when we got back!  I guess we were too busy packing, moving, changing my name and our address, etc :)  A few days ago I was talking with a friend at school and got on the topic of stingrays....o my gosh.  Stingrays.  Coolest animal ever - by far.  Besides going to Universal Studios and Busch Gardens, Matthew and I also went to Discovery Cove during our honeymoon last year in July and it was our favorite day of the entire trip by far!  So I wanted to share a little bit about Discovery Cove and why it is so awesome!

This place isn't your average Orlando Park.  Basically, it is a very large area consiting of multiple water pools and rivers.  There aren't any slides or rides -  they have animals instead :)  The park only lets in 1000 people per day, so you have to make reservations online ahead of time.  But this means no crowding around other people, fighting over beach chairs, waiting in long lines, or feeling like a sardine! 

I think the absolute best part about this park was the it that it is ALL INCLUSIVE.  Yes, the tickets are pricey - ours were $170 plus tax each.  However you get unlimited access to Seaworld and Aquatica for 2 weeks AND for $20 more (well it was at the time we went at least) you get 2 week access to Busch Gardens too!!  We rented a car and drove down to Tampa to spend a day their as well.  The all inclusive ticket includes the dolphin swim (if you chose that option), access to all reefs and oasis in the park, the aviary, the wind away river, all snacks, meals, and beverages, lockers, sunscreen, snorkel gear, wet suits, and all day parking!

The main thing that Discovery Cove is known for is their Dolphin swims.  You can choose to have or not have the 30 minute dolphin swim - it's usually $80 or so more.  Basically you get to spend time with a group and a trainer petting the dolphin and having them do tricks.  Since our honeymoon budget wasn't endless, we opted out on this but we still had an amazing time.

It rained almost every day in Orlando during our honeymoon but THANKFULLY the one day that we had to go to a park on a certain day due to reservations, it was nice and sunny! 

Here is a "schedule" of what we did at Discovery Cove:

-Arrived at DC and got our photo ID passes - besides being a cool souvenier, these also have your age on them so that you can get drinks from the snack bars.

- Got breakfast at the breakfast buffet.  Their food is AWESOME and you can take as much as you want.

- Got lockers and snorkel gear and wetsuits.

-Swam with stingrays and tropical fish at the Grand Reef (I could spend days there)  It was so peaceful to snorkle with all the fish swimming around you and stringrays floating by.  The coral reefs at the bottom were awesome too.

- Ate the lunch buffet

-Swam in the fresh water oasis.

-Explored the winding river - this felt exactly like I was in the rainforest floating down a river!  They have tons of plants, waterfalls, rocks to sit on....just awesome!  Plus there are some caves to swim through as well.

-Fed the exotic birds in the aviary.

-Grabbed free drinks and warm doughy pretzels :)  It was actually kind of funny because they have all of the food and snacks just sitting around this big cabana serving area and you can just take whatever you want and walk by.  It felt like I was stealing food haha but its free so no worries.

- Swam some more in the Grand Reef!

-Relaxed on the "beach" to soak up some sun

-Checked out the gift shop and bought a glow in the dark stingray haha

Hello!

The people there were all very nice and willing to share info about the animals.  In the Grand Reef they even have a see through walled off area that has sharks in it so it feels like you are swimming with the sharks (little ones!)  But the stingrays were by far the best part.  They even had the giant ones that are like 7-8 feet across! 

Although there were some younger children there, I wouldn't really recommend this park for kids under the age of 7 or 8.  It's very easy to get lost for one thing - all the landmarks look kind of the same.  In order to get the most out of the experience you have to know how to snorkle.  The water gets deep in the reef - we're talking 12-15 feet or so and you have to be really careful around the animals.  The giant stingrays like to bury themselves in the sand so you basically have to either shuffle on the sand floar or have your head underwater to be looking.  Although they live in a park and their barbs are clipped, these are wild animals and will defend themselves if necessary.  So its important to stay calm and move slowly and only pet the stingrays with the palm of your hand.

One word of advice - get there early!  You can start check in before the park opens and that will give you more precious time in the water.  The park closes at 5:30 every day I think so it's not like Disney where you can sleep in and go around 11. You're paying like $200 for this after all...

I REALLY hope we get to go back someday!  It was one of the coolest things I have every seen or experienced and I can't wait to see my stingray friends again :)



One of the giant ones!

Cheesy Potatoes

For holidays, we almost always had this cheesy potatoes recipe and I definitely didn't mind eating the leftovers!  Thanks Mom for sending me the recipe to use for Easter :)

2 lb. frozen hashbrowns (If you use a 24 oz bag instead, use a little less sour cream)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 T. dried minced onion

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 pt. sour cream

2 c. American cheese, grated

milk


Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Thaw potatoes before mixing. Add milk until it reaches desired consistency (I used about 1/4 cup to make them creamier). Mix all of the above ingredients and put into a buttered 9 x 13 pan.  Place pan in the oven and bake for about 60-70 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes (since the sides cook faster).

Before I Forget: Thoughts from Today

- If you have to do something at school before class, it doesn't matter how early you leave.  95% of the time, you will be 3 or more minutes late for class...

-Computers and machines are mysterious things - you never know when they decide that today they are taking a vacation.

-Plans change

-You can find out that you have a lot in common with someone by just taking 30 minutes to talk with them.

-I've had cheesy potatoes with every meal since Easter dinner.  I think it's time to stop no matter how good those things are.

- I really wish I had some cheesy popcorn right now. It's too bad that Orville Redenbacker (um, spelling?) doesn't make the pour on cheese kind anymore - that stuff was wicked good.

- I really don't want to work with cows tomorow.  It's just not my thing.

-The tractors have made so many deep rutts in the road going up to school that I'm shocked my car hasn't randomly fallen apart yet from the bump clank clank BUMP shake BUMP of the road.

-Matthew should be home soon.  Gonna go defrost some pancakes for dinner.  (Oh come on, you've done that too.)

And You Thought Farming was Easy...

Image by Prozac1 at freedigitalphotos.net

Well, I blew it :(  I am taking part in the A to Z blogging challenge and I missed the first day!  Well I wasn't feeling that great yesterday anyways so I'm just going to sneak this post in on the 2nd.

I had the privilege of growing up on a farm in the Midwest and I can't believe how lucky I was to be able to do so. Plenty of room to fly kites, large quantities of barn cats clawing at your feet, irrigation pipes on the lawn to run through when it's hot outside, a shelterbelt of pine trees to play "expolorer" in....I mean really, it doesn't get much better than that.  One of my favorite things was getting to ride with my dad in the combine/ or tractor after school and read Hank the Cowdog books to him (If you have trouble reading in a bumpy car, try reading in tractor...)  We'd laugh and laugh about the crazy things Hank and his friend Drover did and I loved every minute of it.

I came across an article today that both made me laugh and spoke some truth.  To me, it seems that most people (or at least those who live in larger cities) have their "ideas" about farmers and what they do all day.  Farming is harder than it looks and there's way more to it than feeding animals and driving around on a tractor all day.  Take a look and you may be surprised to find some cool facts!

http://12most.com/2012/02/02/notable-things-didnt-know-about-farming/