canada 2009

as we did last year, my roommies from New Tribes Bible Institute got together for a weekend of fun. i just love these girls!! last year kristyl hosted us in her home in michigan and this year sharon hosted us in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.


mostly we just sat around and talked, catching up with what's been going on in eachothers lives in the past year. being adults brings a whole new line of conversation compared to when we were in college. struggles with marriage, jobs, having children, trying to have children, family, money (well, we talked about money when we were in college but we were okay with not having money then!!! :) one big excursion we made was to go get fries from under the bluewater bridge. apparently Sarnia is known for their french fries and people make it a special stop when traveling across the bridge to get fries. oh, it was heavenly! great fries, just by themselves since they are hand cut and freshly cooked, then get a nice spritz of vinegar and salt before being served. however, i did partake in the large serving of poutine. yummmmmmy :) also we had deep fried pickles. well, you should just watch the video.


let me introduce the characters :)



me of course
elisa

kristylsharon and her husband brandon
**Okay, so i am having a ton of technical difficulties posting video right now. i'll have to update w/ video later.

the next visit will be held here in vancouver and believe me, much craziness will ensue. i already have so many places in mind that i want to take the girls to it's just a matter of time!

post of pics

we took jesse and two of my mom's old day care kids to the park...typical face for him :)

us at the oregon zoo

bekah, becky and me at the beth moore conference @ memorial colluseum. absolutely life changing! so much fun, great worship and 7,000 other women being touched by the Holy Spirit through that wonderful woman.

a march trip to cannon beach w/ friends

this video is of us using a GINORMOUS piece of kelp as a jump rope. oh the entertainment one can find at the beach :) darlene was on camera duty, feng and i were swinging the 'rope' and nicole and debbi were the athletes

It's been a long time

Hello :)
i took a sabatical from blogging basically because my life was pretty boring for a while :) i have moved back in with my parents for a while to pay off my debt and save some money. this savings will either go to purchasing a condo or getting me back on my feet in an apartment so i can pursue education.
currently i am considering going to nursing school at clark which means i need to complete my prerequisites in a few sciences. i am not afraid of the courses since i love science and am in such a different place than i was when i was at clark years ago. okay, so i am actually in the same physical place, living w/ mom and dad but in a much different place emotionally and in my maturity. :)
if you have known my educational hopes in the past 6 months you might be wondering what happened to midwifery and lactation consulting. well, i have not given up on these but have moved them to the back of the educational line. while i could work independently as a lactation consultant, i would like to have the option of working in a hospital as it provides a more stable work schedule. the same goes for midwifery. in washington and oregon midwives and lactation consultants can practice outside of the hospital in homes and in birthing centers. however, this requires me to make a significant investment in supplies/facility that is a risk i don't really want to take. i grew up watching my parents struggle in their home-based businesses and i just don't like the insecurity of maybe or maybe not having 'customers'. to work in a hospital requires an RN for lactation and a masters degree in midwifery for being a nurse midwife. thus my decision to pursue my RN before anything else. besides, maybe going through my labor and delivery rotation will completely turn me off to the birth process...at least i have other options as an RN!
i have started going back to therapy on a weekly basis (i was down to once a month) and am hoping it will be a big help. i am just unable to take my antidepressants because of all the physical side effects, though the medicine works SO WELL to regulate my moods. i see a nice christian woman, which makes it easier to talk about all of my issues. she is able to offer support on an emotional, physical and spiritual level and i think that makes all the difference in the world when dealing with depression. though i am not a person who thinks that praying harder and reading your bible more will cure your mood disorder, spirituality definitely plays a part in recovering from these issues.
i have been having a ton of fun lately with my nephew jesse! we have been to the parks, the oregon zoo, we shop, cook and of course color. he's so well behaved and has such a great personality, i just love him being around. he likes coming over here too because he gets special blueberry 'pannycakes' and he also likes to chase and play with maggie.
i guess that's a brief synopsis of some of my life recently. i'll post a blog entry of pictures, and then one about my most recent trip to see my college roommies from NTBI.