Happy Dance!

If you haven't heard already…. I got the all clear from my doctor on Thursday!!!!!

Whooooooohooooo!!!

Yayayayaya!

(insert happy dance)

I was so stinkin' excited!  He checked my incision, turned around, and shook my hand to let me know I was all done!  That was by far my best check up yet :)

4 months, 10+ packs of gauze pads, 8 rolls of gentle paper tape, too much antibiotic cream, 3 doses of antibiotics, a little bit of lavender essential oil, and I am finally healed from surgery!  Thank the Good Lord!!

This also meant I got to start swimming again this week!  First thing I did after work on Thursday was head to the pool.  It felt so good to get back in the water.  I could tell with every movement and lap that it had clearly been 4 months since my last swim, but I didn't care.  It just felt good to get moving again. I was only able to do 10 laps in 30 minutes (about half of what I had been doing) but it was the best 10 laps ever!!

My piece of Heaven today :)

I was able to go swimming again today after church, and got up to 18 laps in 45 minutes!  That's much closer to where I was pre-surgery.  It amazes me how quick my body can get back into swimming now.  My goal is to get back to doing at least 20 laps for 45 minutes, 2-3x/week.  I'd love to get up to swimming a mile each time (which is certainly attainable) but it will probably take a few weeks.

I'm just so happy to be cleared and able to swim again.  I forgot how good I feel after a good cardio workout.  Plus it's helping to strengthen all those back muscles again, which is huge!! And hey, maybe I can get that fitness goal on track now.  I've put on wayyyy more weight than I wanted to during this recovery.  It's time to get all of that (and more!) off!!!

Thank you all so much for praying over my recovery!

And just for fun, can we all take a moment to appreciate how cute this sweet little puppy dog is?!?

Happy Memorial Day Weekend :)

Goal Update

Well in other news…It's probably time for an update (and accountability check for myself) on my 2014 goals. I haven't done very well with keeping up with them, but I've also had a crazy few months.  Here is where I currently stand on my goals for this year.  You can read the full list/details of each goal here.

Photography -  wellll…. I did finally use my camera during our recent trip to Haiti.  I also learned a thing or two about editing, so I guess that counts??  I need to start taking more pictures, I just haven't been very inspired recently.

Fitness-  This goal was completely halted temporarily due to my surgery and incision issues.  However!  I go back to the doctor later this week, and IF (fingers crossed, prayers lifted!) my incision is closed with no new openings I will officially be cleared to resume exercising!!!  I can't even put into words how badly I want to get back into swimming laps.  I've never been in great shape, but I haven't felt this out of shape in a while. I guess bed rest and limited activity will do that to you.  But man, I am so looking forward to getting this goal progressing ASAP!

Quiet Time- Getting my quiet time into my morning routine has been a harder habit to start than I expected.  One way I've been able to get the ball rolling (and this applies to another goal as well) is to not allow myself to look at any social media, texts, games, emails, etc until I have read through a short devotion time that day.  This may sound silly, and honestly it shows how out of whack my priorities can be at times, but it really has helped.  I  like to lay in bed for 10-15 minutes when I first wake up to give myself time to really wake up before I have to kick off the day.  This time used to involve checking my phone, responding to texts, Facebook, and a little stretching to help out the back.  However, I have now been able to make those moments into a quiet relaxing time with God, which has made a huge impact on how I feel when I get out of bed and it seems to be helping maintain that attitude throughout the day.  While there are still some days where I totally fail - just being honest here! - it really has helped get this goal moving and it has made an impact for the better.  I'd like to get a more thorough quiet/journal time going in the mornings, but this is the first step! Baby steps :)

Social Media-  The time I spend on social media has certainly decreased, but is still not quite to where I'd like it yet.  The devotion priority I mentioned above, and working more, have certainly helped eliminate countless social media hours, but I'd still like to become more disconnected.  I'm considering setting one day a week as social media free.  Not sure how successful that will be, but it's worth a shot! My generation (and lets be honest, every other generation too) has gotten out of control when it comes to technology and our addictions to it.  I don't want to keep falling further into that hole.  Now is the time to crawl out and make changes for the better!

Wedding planning-  This goal was going really well and has now hit a road block, or potential U-turn.  I had signed up for a certification course in wedding planning but for various reasons it didn't work out.  After further exploration I became very hesitant in the quality of the course and company, and decided it was best to put that on hold and get a refund.  I'm not turning away from this passion, but it's temporarily delayed as I explore these other job opportunities that have opened up.  I guess the ultimate goal here is to simply follow my dreams, trust my gut, and listen to my heart this year - wherever that may lead.

Reading- Ha!  Well I guess I have read through 1/2 of the Dave Ramsey book on budgeting, so that counts right???  I had hoped this goal would be accomplished by two personal/fun reads, but this is certainly progress for me so I'll take it!  E, I need to come raid your bookshelf -- or rather, have you raid it and pick some good ones for me :)

Finances-  This is one goal I actually am on top of!  I am working my way through the Dave Ramsey plan to get myself out of debt and gain control of my finances.  I've created a budget, am about to begin implementing the envelope system, I've secured an emergency fund, and my debt snowball is actually rolling!  This will be a life-long process that will evolve over the years, but I am feeling very good about my progress and the potential I'm seeing so far.  The best part is seeing results!  I haven't paid off a loan completely yet, but I'm certainly on my way and will crush it so much sooner than I originally thought!  The extra jobs are helping a lot too.  I'm learning that sometimes taking an extra job, or doing side jobs, is sometimes the best, and only, option to get in front of debt and take control.  It feels good to be in the driver's seat now and to know that the loan agencies will not come out on top of this battle!

Blogging- I'm trying to get better about this one, but it hasn't been super successful so far :-/



Well, that's where I stand right now. It really does help to stop and write out where I've succeeded and failed in these areas over the last few months.  Just by writing this post I've discovered specific areas I can improve on immediately that hadn't really crossed my mind recently.  Good thing I've got all of 2014 to fulfill these goals right?! ;-)  Kidding of course!  This accountability helps so much.  Here's to a more successful month!

How are your 2014 goals going so far?

Brain Dump: Job Edition :)

Wow…has it really been THAT long since my last post?  I feel like I just blogged my official notice of leaving Haiti yesterday.  Where has the time gone?!

Actually I know exactly where its gone:  to one of the 5 different jobs I'm working this month! And yes, I really do write that with excitement!

Most of the last three weeks have been spent working part-time at Michaels. I'm not super proud of myself for this position, but it's paying the bills, and the employee discount is pretty sweet! I am very grateful for this job though, and I am so thankful for God's provision and timing with this placement.  It won't be a forever job, but it's what I need right now. I also love the staff there, and it has been fun so far which makes working that much more enjoyable! Getting out of the house and back to some normality with life/my back has also been wonderful.

I'll also be working with/for three other people this month (and hopefully part of next) doing various different jobs for them: i.e. errands, data entry, cleaning, child care, etc.  I hadn't planned to take these small odd jobs, but God placed them in my life at just the right time - don't you just love how he does that?!  I was beginning to worry about my student loans and other bills, and literally within days of each other, these offers opened up.  I'm trying SOOO very hard to get my budgeting goals in line as well as get my student loans paid off quicker rather than later so these three jobs are a huge blessing!

With that in mind, I am also really excited about a part-time commission based position I was offered -- or rather am in the process of being officially offered. I'm pretty excited about this one seeing as how I could pay off my student loans in the next year or two if I can get good at it!!!! That would be SO amazing! I will also get to work from home and make my own hours with this position, and depending on my success it could potentially become something full-time later down the road.  The best part is that this position is with a company I believe in and has a missions emphasis; how perfect right?!  What a dream come true it would be to get paid to do missions!  The future part is in God's hand, but for now I am just grateful for the opportunity and excited to see where it leads. More details to come on this once the offer is official and accepted :)

The last couple of weeks have certainly been a whirlwind, but it sure does feel good to get back into the workforce.  I can't wait to see what comes next!

Holy Week Recap

For those of you not on my email newsletter list, here is my most recent (and last) update on missions in Haiti.  It explains in more detail my decision to leave the international mission field full-time and where I will be going from here.  You can also read my previous updates if you missed them here and here.  Thank you all again for your love and support.  Comment below, or email above, with any questions you may have!

Below is a little photo recap of our recent trip to Haiti.  Mom, Erin, and I had so much fun serving at Have Faith Haiti Mission (HFHM) and celebrating Holy Week with the kids there.  Every day had a special Easter theme leading up to Easter Sunday.  It was an incredible week, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to close this chapter properly.  Thanks again to the Hambrick family for letting us stay with you and for all of your love, guidance, and support over the years.  Your friendship is one I hold very dear to my heart. Love you guys!

Day One: New Life seeds, painting flower pots, and dirt dessert snack!

Day Two: The kids did spring cleaning at the mission (Clean House, Clean Hearts theme) while we took the day off to pack up my things at HFMS, visit the apparent project, and enjoy an afternoon swim.

Day Three: Egg-Stravaganza!  Egg dyeing, a massive Easter egg hunt, and coloring paper eggs.

Day Four: The Last Supper.  Jeremiah held a special devotion time that evening to teach the kids about communion and the significance of why Christ washed his disciple's feet at the Last supper. It was  a tangible teaching time as everyone got to experience the servant hood in having someone wash your feet and by participating in communion.

Mom, Erin, and Jeremiah also took a group of kids up to the Baptist Mission that afternoon.  They had a fun time exploring hiking paths, souvenir shopping, a petting zoo, and the playground area.  They even topped off the day with a Haitian happy meal for lunch!

Day Five: Cross activities in honor of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.  We also ended the night with pizza and a sunset swim over at Jim and Debbie's.

 Day Six:  We had all of the kids try on their "new life" Easter outfits that so many people lovingly donated for them.  If you can't tell from above, they all LOVED them! We had to leave for the airport shortly after, but they spent the afternoon doing "in the tomb" activities.  On Sunday everyone got to wear their new outfits to church and celebrate our risen Lord!

And last but not least, our fabulous hosts for the week!

It really was an awesome week!

Haiti Bound

Mom, Erin, and I head to Haiti in the morning to spend a week with Jenn and Jeremiah working at Have Faith Haiti Mission (HFHM).  I will also be packing up my items at HFMS to move back home.  I've decided with my back that it is just not physically feasible right now to live and work in Haiti.  This was not an easy decision, and is one I will elaborate on in a later post, but I believe it is the right choice and one God has directed me to.  I am so looking forward to spending this next week back in Haiti though.  I've missed it so much, and I cannot wait to celebrate Easter with Holy Week activities at the mission.

I will update and give more details in the coming days/weeks, but for now it's off to bed! 4:30am is going to come EARLY in the morning.

Please keep our travels and this upcoming week in your prayers.  Some specific ways you can pray for us:

• For safe and timely travels.  That our bags would arrive on time with no damage or anything missing.
• For patient and loving attitudes throughout the week.
• For my physical health and strength.  My back is still very limited and begins to hurt quickly.  Please pray that there will be little to no pain, and that I will have the strength to endure the activities ahead.
• Pray for the kids and workers at HFHM. Pray that these activities will help them to truly understand the meaning of Easter and will impact their lives for the better.

Off to Haiti we go (again!!).