You would not believe (if you were a regular Washingtonian) how much snow we have received today! This morning was no big deal, just about a 1/2 inch blanket everywhere, but this afternoon the entire western half of the state is in total chaos over the 2 inches of snow in Tacoma, and the several 8-10 inches or more in other more north western parts of the state! I know this means nothing to many of you from other parts of the country, but to us in the PNW (that's the Pacific NorthWest), this is AWESOME! :)
Please keep the Tacoma Lutheran Home in your prayers today. Sharon, a woman who devoted 30 years of service here, and had just retired two months ago, passed away last night from a massive heart attack. She and her husband had just returned from a trip, and had planned to return and travel much more. Please keep her family and everyone here at Tacoma Lutheran Home in your thoughts and prayers, as this is a very difficult time for many long-term workers here.
Brianna and I bought a tree last night and it's PERFECT! We even haggled for the price, so we got the best deal! ha ha! Fred Meyer had some great ornaments and a tree-topper too, so it's all ready! Now we need to figure out if/how we want to decorate the rest of the house. It's so nice to have that fresh tree smell!!!
Oh my goodness, I'm so excited to be done with class! I've aced all but one exam so I'm expecting the best. I have one more lab exam tonight, then the lecture and lab finals on Monday night! Wish me luck!
I can't tell you how excited I am to be so close to finishing this whole application process, AND to be close to finishing my class! Final application is due February 1st, but my personal due date is January 1st. My final for my class is on December 8th. I will be so RELIEVED when it's over! ha ha!
So the last application is Marquette, and I'm excited to put all the rest of my effort into it.
So, I know many of you aren't the raise-your-hands, shout-hallelujah, dancing-in-the-isles, kind of Christian. Most of my life we've been the sit in church and stay within our comfort zone, and that worked for me, I still felt God working in my life, and I still knew He was there.
Well be prepared for God to rock your world. Though I know it's not the same coming from a blog as it is for me, who experienced it first hand.
Christopher has been praying a lot lately with his friend Nate, who left for bible college in California not two months ago, and started having some pretty cool experiences, just feeling the Holy Spirit with him, and comforting him, especially with the pain that he's had for about 3-4 years. Once or twice he found himself walking around the house, then around the block! Then last night, he tucked me in and went home to get ready for bed, when he just felt the sudden urge to get up and walk. Two hours after I had gone to bed, there he was, cold and shaking saying, "I walked here! I walked to your house!" It took me a minute to figure out what was going on, but as I woke up I realized that Christopher's van was not parked outside like I expected it to be, and it's was 12:30 in the morning, and there he was sitting right in front of me. We talked for a few minutes, prayed with my roommate Brianna, and then he invited me to walk with him. We walked all the way back to his house together! (That's about 1.5 miles one way, by the way!)
The night still feels like a dream, especially after only 3 hours of sleep, but we woke up his parents and his brother who were more than thrilled to see him in the middle of their living room, dancing like a big goofball. He finally tucked me back into bed at about 3:30 am and it took me about an hour to settle my mind, and try to comprehend the night's events.
But it was real. Brianna, Christopher, Christopher's parents, his brother Sean, they can all attest to the fact that it really happened. After being wheelchair bound for more than 2 years, Christopher blew all of our minds away - let me rephrase that - GOD blew all of our minds away, including Christopher's. This morning he is feeling more of the same pain that he is used to, most likely due to too much activity last night! But we are praying that the experience last night was not the last, and we pray for the strength and the will of God to be shown through Christopher's life, as he struggles with how to deal with friends and family with questions and doubt. Please, please, please pray with us in this exciting time!!!
Well folks, I've turned in my primary and secondary applications for University of Puget Sound, Midwestern University and Western University of Health Sciences. From these three applications, I will wait for requests for interviews from Western and Midwestern. (UPS doesn't do interviews.) I should hear back from Midwestern at any time, Western will begin inviting people for interviews beginning in January, and UPS will make their invitations for admission by the first of March.
I am still working on the applications for Pacific University in Oregon, and Marquette University. Pacific's application is due by the first of next month and Marquette's application is due in February. Pacific will notify applicants by February, and Marquette will make their decision by the end of February/beginning of March. So, things are moving along very quickly, and I can't wait to finally be done with everything and hear back!
And yay for the Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community Gala at the Tacoma Convention Center last night! We had a great night full of the silent and live auction, a wonderful four course meal with wonderful prawns for the appetizer, a salad with sauteed apple, pomegranate and walnuts, and chateaubriand steaks with sauteed mushrooms, mashed potatoes and asparagus in a chardonnay marinade for dinner! And of course chocolate covered strawberries and other truffles for dessert. Mmm, it was so wonderful, and to go along with the great dinner we had "Cirque de la vie!" perform with amazing performances of human strength and flexability! Overall is was a fantastic formal night, Christopher and I looked fantastic in our formal attire, and it was so fun getting to meet all of my coworkers' spouses! Hope everyone else had a great Daylight Savings evening!
Oh, and by the way, the Gala raised over $100,000 to be put towards a new aquatic and wellness center! Yay!
**Sweet little kitten was given a great home by my friend Bre. Yay!***
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm please to present: "Little Kitten."
She was dropped off at a nurses' house that I work with, and after a few days of trying to figure out if she belonged to anyone, the nurse brought her into work and asked around to see if someone would be willing to take this sweet little 8 week old kitten. Well I told them that I should be considered as their last resort, and really I should have "sucker" written all over my face, but I took her home and she's been with Brianna, Zoe and me since Wednesday. She's cat box trained, eats "big girl food," and it a MAJOR cuddler. She been fun to have around but we're really trying to find another home for her because Zoe is not all that fond of the new little kitten, though believe it or not, the kitten hissed first. ha ha!
(Photo of Courtney in a typical classroom for the PT program at Marquette)
Thanks to everyone who came over to my parents house while I was in town! I had a fantastic (but WAY too short) trip, and I can't wait to come back at Christmas time. My visits to Midwestern and Marquette were great, and it gave me a little better idea at what I am getting myself into. I hope to finish up my applications this week - I have one more essay to write - and then submit at least 3 of the applications! Those three would be UPS, Western U in Pomona, CA, and Midwestern. The other two, Pacific U in Portland and Marquette, need a little more time before I get those going, but I hope to have them done by the end of October.
In other news, I got my first test back in the Anatomy and Physiology class I'm taking, and I scored a 122/115 on the lecture exam and an 89/92 on the lab practical (naming landmarks on the skull, ribs, vertebrae and sternum). Yes, that means I received extra credit on the lecture exam, because when asked to draw and label a typical cell, I drew and labeled 28 different parts, whereas most people only labeled 10! That's what scored me the extra points, though I kept reminding my classmates that I had already taken an A&P class before. Nevertheless, it was very good to know I had an idea of what I was learning. It helps make my exhaustion somewhat worth it!
Oh, and by the way, after an ultrasound and 3 blood draws, my liver enzymes have normalized. Thank goodness! The doctor suspects a random virus. But now, my iron levels have decreased to the point that I'm taking an iron supplement for my anemia. Needless to say I'm sure, it's not the nicest experience for my tummy, but we're dealing. ha ha! Thanks for being the coolest family and friends ever! Much love!
So before Christopher and I started taking our night class, we decided to take a short trip to Portland, since neither of us had been there before, and it was close enough to just get away for a second. It was SO nice! We barely escaped the rain in Tacoma on Saturday, and visited Washington Park, where they had a Japanese tea garden, a beautiful rose garden, and an arboretum, all just on the outskirts of downtown Portland! There were trails and roads all over and it was just a beautiful place to spend the morning.
We went shopping downtown, walked around, spend a couple hours in Powell's bookstore, and then we went to Macaroni Grill for dinner, the best Italian restaurant ever! It was just a fantastic vacation that was much needed before adding "part-time student" to the "full time" worker. I'm glad we had a chance to do that.
Here is the link to all the pictures I took, they're all on facebook.
***THIS JUST IN! I'VE LOST 5.6 LBS TOTAL IN THE PAST 4 WEEKS! YAY!!!***
I just wanted to put up a picture of my new haircut before I try to style it! ha ha! Not kidding, I probably cut about 3-4 inches off, it was a pretty significant cut. Oh, and I added some more highlights that look a lot like what I had before. So anyway, hope you all are doing well! Work is going well, not ready for class to start in 3 weeks, but that's the way it goes. Christopher started his first full time job today (oh, and it's his 22nd birthday too! yay!) so that's pretty exciting. Other than that, things are going well! We even had a sunny day today, which is pretty rare this summer! So lots of love!
Just thought I'd show off our great day in Seattle!!! Today Christopher and I had a fun day trip to Seattle to celebrate the summer, and Christopher being done with summer classes. The first stop was actually the Pacific Science Center to see a 3D movie at the IMAX theater, and we walked through a speed race care exhibit too. It was a good first stop.
After the Pacific Science Center, we went to the Science Fiction Museum (SFM) and the Experience Music Project (EMP), two places Christopher and I both have never been to. The SFM was pretty fun, actually, Christopher was totally in his element. They had replicas and real props from different movies and TV shows from Star Trek to the first ever printed Edgar Rice Burroughs books. The EMP was even more fun, I had been dying to see the Latin Music exhibit for months, and it turned out to be a really fun and entertaining exhibit. The museum itself would be a lot of fun with a little extra cash as well, you can make your own music video! They also have a sound testing room so that people can try different instuments, and then experiement mixing the different sounds together. I had a really good time there!
This is Christopher playing tic-tac-toe at the Pacific Science Center against a robot. Down on the first floor, I took my blood pressure, tested my flexibility, balance, grip and more! It's a really fun museum!
We ended our afternoon downtown at the little park at the end of the Pike Street Market, with two ice cream cones and the beautiful summer sun. I do have to say, being around Seattle for the first time since graduation, I really missed my family that came out to visit that weekend! You were all on my mind! Lots of love!
***CORRECTION: Christopher full time position title is "eLearning Support Specialist." His current parttime position is Program Specialist. ***
Just a quick little note, but I had to tell everyone how excited we are, because Christopher was chosen for the full time position at Tacoma Community College as a Programming Specialist! It's a huge accomplishment for him, and we're all just really excited for him to start this new position in 2 weeks!
Another exciting note: Courtney lost 3.6 lbs today at her first successful week back on Weight Watchers! Yay!
What better for a sunny summer Saturday than a long art fest? It was a fantastic event that included a sidewalk sale, the "Bite of Proctor," and the weekly Farmer's Market all within a 1/4 mile radius. I didn't grab a whole lot of pictures, but here are a few.
Here's our high-tech campsite! Two tents, plus a covering for the picnic table, and if you peak behind the open tent area, there's a "camp kitchen" with cupboards, hooks for dishes, etc. We were SPOILED! This is the cute little winery that we went to, the Westport Winery. The people were very nice and very helpful. They had wines that were name things like, "Surfer's Last Syrah." It was pretty cute. Not such a great day at the beach, winds of about 20 mph, gray skies and scattered showers. But we were at a sandy beach nonetheless. Sandy beaches are few and far between in Washington state! Jonathan taking a picture of Nate and Brianna up on a rock wall that separated the little tourist town of Westport from the ocean. Jonathan on the lookout tower. It was such a fun little outing to go to Westport, I wish the weather had been nicer.
Something good to remember when I'm going camping: I live in the Northwest. Not that our trip was bad or anything, my friends and I had a great time. I really enjoyed getting away from Tacoma and heading outdoors. We spent a lot of time just hanging out together. We visited the coast, spent time on the breezy beach, and then Christopher and I visited the cutest little winery that was just a 10 minute drive from the campsite. We enjoyed a little wine tasting and yes, bought a couple of our favorite bottles, and then we drove back to the campsite to help set up for dinner. Our friend Jonathan has every piece of special camping gear you could want, so our trip couldn't really be called "roughing it," but it was sooo much fun!
I just have to say, that it's not all my fault. I'll take the blame for the chicken thigh that ended up half eaten and left on the kitchen floor, but Courtney's swollen finger was not all my fault. They wanted to trim my nails! My beautiful, long, sharp nails. Then, they held me down, like they didn't trust me! And when the dogs came into the groomers I couldn't believe they allowed those dirty creatures in the same room as me. So, like any cat would, I freaked, and I bit the closest thing to my face, which just happened to be Courtney's hand. Now, I did not mean to cause the swelling, or the pain, and I really didn't mean to force her to go to the Urgent Care to get antibiotics. It's those dumb dogs, if they hadn't come into my presence, I never would have bit her! So, I'm sorry, okay? I apologize. Now if you'll excuse me, I need my beauty rest.
First of all, I just want to thank each and every one of you for your happy thoughts, wishes and congratulations on my graduation!I never felt so blessed as I did that weekend.I had all my grandparents, my cousin, friends in one place, during a perfect weekend in the Pacific Northwest!I can’t tell you how much all your love and support has meant to me!
I thought I should give an update on my comings and goings especially since I’ve graduated.The weeks prior to graduation I had received two job offers in two different rehab departments, one in St. Joseph hospital’s inpatient therapy department and the other in a nursing home called the Tacoma Lutheran Home.After graduation, and lots of thought, I decided to take the job at the nursing home, where I’ve enjoyed learning from my new coworkers and socializing with some of the most interesting seniors in Tacoma.Though working closely with the older population may seem somewhat difficult considering their delicacy, these wonderful people have so much wisdom and positive energy.
I love my new job, and I’m excited for the great new learning experiences entailed.Right now, I’m still getting the hang of most of the computer issues, mostly scheduling and dealing with the ins and outs of Medicare rehab benefits.I also help transfers the patients from their rooms, to the rehab room, and back, and spend time during every day tossing balloons, and keeping the patients steady during exercises. This job is giving me the experiences I will need to help get into graduate school for physical therapy in the next year.
While working full time I’ll be taking an anatomy and physiology series at the local community college.I’m looking forward to relearning all the great secrets of the human body and also increasing my GPA to hopefully increase my chances of getting into a Physical Therapy program.I’ll be applying to the graduate program for Fall 2009, and so far I’m looking for schools along the west coast, though I’m keeping my options open at this point.
Just another little tidbit, Christopher and I are still dating, it’s been a little over 2 years now.I’ve also just moved into a new apartment in Tacoma with my good friend Brianna, and a cute little kitty! A woman put an ad on craigslist, and she wasn’t able to keep little Zoe, so I decided to take her in! It’s been quite a learning experience, but a lot of fun. There’s a lot of new things happening in her life as well as mine, and we appreciate all your love, prayers and support!
So I wrote a great long letter about my current happenings, and I planned to send it out to all of my friends and family so they could be more informed about what I'm doing with this silly little thing called "life after college." Well, then I went to the store to buy the envelopes, and the stationary, and the stamps, and I decided that this might be a better way to show all of you what the heck I'm up to! So I've decided to paste that letter that I've already written into this blog, and then attach some lovely pictures that hopefully you all will be able to enjoy. So please, sit back, relax and please visit often or just give me a call so we can stay in touch!
