Blog-o-Holl*ic

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2012-01-31T11:49:00.003-06:00

I miss my red hair.

A lot.

Do you remember it?

That sassy 'do with the blond pieces too?

It was around before the bangs.

Before the brown came back into town.

Oh red, I miss you.

Maybe I'll see you again really soon...

...like on Thursday.

Psalm 13

2012-01-29T22:01:00.001-06:00

Setting a New Pace

2012-01-28T13:34:00.003-06:00

I havent blogged about running in a long time. Let me start by saying I still run. Sometime around this time last year I got a little burned out with the whole running thing. Maybe I blogged about my discontent, I don't remember, but I was really starting to dread ANY exercise at all. I'd planned to run another half marathon (gosh, remembering this seems so long ago, much further back than simply a year. I checked last year's posts just to make sure. So you won't have to. See, aren't I nice?), but bowed out after lots of internal and external struggling. Issues with pride and unhappiness... wow - this is quickly becoming more about things much deeper than simply running. What a year it's been.

I'm thankful to be in a much different, much better place all around now.

And so now after a year of kinda sorta on and off running, a busy and excruciatingly hot summer, then training for a triathlon, I've once again regained some semblance of enjoyment from running.

I think I might run a little faster in these fun shoes. They remind me of a peacock feather and are lovely. I'm supremely thankful for the cool Rockport winters... if you can even call it "Winter." I wore a sleeveless dress and strappy sandals to a wedding shower this morning and was absolutely pleasant. But for real, and this should be obvious, running in humid, 96 degree weather is hard. It's been much easier to run farther and faster in the cool winter weather.

Thanks to Pinterest for more motivating pictures and phrases and catchy little doodads. If ever you need a little motivation to exercise (or a huge blow to your ego and self esteem), just click on the "fitness" tab. A few pins in and I'm either looking for a dozen cookies or strapping on my running shoes.

Oh that Pinterest.

I'm looking forward to the release of these new Nike Fuel bands, designed to be worn and keep track of ALL your daily activity- not just your workouts. There's an app that goes along with it that you can use to set goals and bluetooth back and forth to the band, which tracks steps taken, calories burned and overall daily fitness. Challenge yourself to be more active each day and watch your success! I think they come out in February and will run like $150 or something. Maybe I can shoot for next birthday?

(all images via pinterest)

I think between those shoes and this skirt (It really is made for running! Imagine that! It's a Lululemon specialty and would go just right with one of their fabulous tanks. Between that and the Fuelband, I'd be out some beaucoup bucks.), I could probably at least feel like I could run farther and faster than ever.

And lets face it, thinking you can run forever is 90% of the battle.

Most recently

2012-01-22T20:17:00.003-06:00

The last week can be summed up in 1 word: work. You can always bet that when it seems like I'm completely neglecting my blog, it's because I'm either out of town, or working multiple days in a row. So here's a little recap of what's been going on in our house over the last week or so.

1. Most recently, or should I say, currently, we are watching the NFC Championship. This basically consists of Jordan jumping around and screaming and clapping his hands for 3 hours while his team of choice, the San Francisco 49ers finally make their way to and through the playoffs. Go niners! Beat the Giants!

2. New Jewelry! Stella & Dot released their new spring 2012 line and I am loving almost everything, which is not good for my wallet. These earrings are just lovely:

I got these and about a jazillion other pairs of earrings, a couple of necklaces and a bracelet or two. I love it all!

3. I read The Hunger Games. After several recommendations from my sister and some friends, and having hours upon hours of driving time to and from Atlanta, I downloaded all 3 books to my iPad and went to town. For the record, I also read the Stephanie Plum #18 book on the way to Atlanta too and it was kind of lame. I may very well be done with that series, but am looking forward to seeing the One for the Money movie that comes out this weekend!

(cakewrecks)

HG was good! I sped through The Hunger Games, quickly read Catching Fire, and eventually finished Mockingjay. The first of the series was by far my favorite, and although I appreciate a lack of foul language and sexual situations, I'm still a little surprised that these books are written for young adults. But what am I saying, I read Stephen King as a "young adult," meaning I'd probably have been much better off putting away the Hunger Games as opposed to Cujo, The Green Mile, and Pet Cemetery. I'm sure almost the entire planet has already read this series, but if you haven't, they could be worth your time.

So that's about it. Boring few weeks here at the house, which isn't always a bad thing. We've got a busy year to come and I look forward to sharing the places we're going (both near and FAAAR) and the things we're doing. So hang in there friends, not all my posts will be about football, jewelry and books. Just this one.

Passion 2012 (#2 Revisited)

2012-01-11T14:43:00.005-06:00

In light of my most recent blog, it seems divinely appropriate to revisit the same subject matter once again. Because today is Human Trafficking Awareness Day. If you haven't taken a minute to read my previous post, there you will find some information regarding the current issue of slavery in our world today. 27 million men, women, and children are exploited as bonded slaves in our world today- making it the third largest international crime industry. According to CNN, the UN estimates the total market value of human trafficking at 32 billion dollars. And this kind of thing isn't as far away as you might think...

(Image via CNN)

Let us remember that our God does not stand for injustice, but loves mercy.

Take some time today to educate yourself on this out of control problem.

Pray for those who are enslaved. Pray for those fighting this battle. Pray for FREEDOM.

The CNN Freedom Project

Do Something Now

Hagar International

World Vision

International Justice Mission

Slavery Footprint

Passion 2012 (2)

2012-01-09T20:17:00.006-06:00

I bet you didn't know there are approximately 27 MILLION slaves in the world today.

I bet you didn't know that the number of people in slavery at this moment are more than at any other time in history.

I bet you didn't know that everyday thousands of men, women, and children are trapped as bonded labor slaves. Abused in factories. Trafficked for sexual exploitation.

I bet you didn't know that Atlanta, Georgia is a major hub for human trafficking right here in the United States.

Every year, Passion latches onto a cause worth supporting. The Passion dream team is closely paired with the Do Something Now organization and between the two of them, they bring an awareness each year to the needs that are all around us. Needs that we as Christians should feel a burden to get behind and support as well. This year was no different, but in some ways for me it was. This year the focus was FREEDOM. Freedom throughout the world from human trafficking and slavery.

I don't know about you, but before Passion, I was mostly in the dark about this issue of modern day slavery. I enjoy my life of ease where food is plentiful and my iPhone and iPad are always charged and close by. I never even dreamed that this issue of human trafficking was as wide spread and ugly as it truly is. Indifference is NOT an option.

The goal set before us Passion-goers was to raise $1 million dollars to fund 6 different organizations that are fighting against human trafficking, educating others on modern day slavery to prevent the further spread, and rehabilitating those who have escaped a life in slavery. God showed his miraculous glory and provision and our grand total (remember- college students... 4 days...) was $3,066,670.

Three. Million. Dollars.

Let that sink in for just a minute.

In the name of Jesus, 45000 college students raised 3 million dollars in an effort to end modern day slavery. As I said, we gave to 6 separate organizations, and with the excess money given, we were able to fund many other services both in the US and around the world. 25 children will be rescued from slavery in Cambodia and raised in a Christ-centered home, where they will receive medical care, counseling and education. 1,100 freed slaves will have a new outlook on life through International Justice Mission's aftercare program, intended to equip these people with the skills to flourish in their newfound freedom. 22 rescue operations have been funded with IJM that will result in freeing hundreds of children from bonded slavery. 45,000 Ukranian students will be educated on the strategies and methods used by traffickers through the A21 Campaign's Prevention Program. Tiny Hands International has set up border monitoring stations along the Nepal/India border and 8 new monitoring stations and safe homes will be made available. Finally, here in the United States, funds were given to the Wellspring program located in Atlanta, providing 12 furnished homes to those escaping exploitation, as well as The Atlanta Project which is a new task force of the Atlanta Police Department directed at preventing, tracking, and ending human trafficking in Atlanta.

All that and more. Praise God. HE does not stand for injustice and neither should we. Together we are a force for good!

Surprised?

Want to do something NOW? Check out these links and get educated. Give some cold hard cash to these organizations. Come on! Poor college kids raised $3 million dollars! Check out these links for additional information, additional organizations, and ways to give.

www.dosomethingnow.com (click on the Give Now/Freedom box to the right to donate to the causes I listed and described above)

www.equipandempower.org (This ministry is the brainchild of Christine Caine who came and spoke to Passion 2012 about the ugliness of trafficking. Spend some time at this site!)

www.slaveryfootprint.org (Are you interested in seeing how much of your life funds slavery? This is an eye opening site that will shock you- I challenge you to check it out and truly see how much of your life is already supporting slavery.)

Most of all, let us all pray together that the Lord will raise up a movement of His followers to help end modern day slavery for good. Indifference is not an option.

Passion 2012

2012-01-08T20:46:00.003-06:00

Passion 2012 is already behind us which is bittersweet. It's going to be impossible for me to knit words together that will convey the experience I had, but I'm going to try and give you a small taste of the way that the Lord's presence moved in and through Passion 2012.

First, check out this little video. Oh I hope it works and is clear enough- it's just a little iPhone video I took during worship on day #2 during one of my favorite corporate worship songs.

I just only hope you can see from the video the magnitude that was Passion 2012. The dream team upgraded to the Georgia Dome last year because Philips Arena had more than sold out. Little did anyone know, the Georgia Dome would also sell out- meaning approximate 45,000 people, mainly 18-25 year olds would gather together to praise and proclaim the name of God. It was marvelous and breathtaking. All of us singing along together made my ears ring. It was as close a picture that I have experienced to what Heaven might be like- all God's people gathering together and praising Him.

Here's our little group, who as I previously mentioned, was awesome. In the face of little sleep and cramped quarters, they were patient and kind to one another. It was so exciting, as a leader of this motley crew, to see them experience the presence of God in their own way. Two of our students came to a knowledge of God's grace in their lives and jumped in headfirst to a life committed to Christ. One of them will openly share about a life formerly ensnared by addiction, anger, and depression. To see the renewed joy on his face and his new understanding of peace and freedom- this did my heart a world of good. Our God is so good.

Check out some more shots from around the Dome:

(this is a shot from the top of the dome!)

Dr. Piper! He is always a challenge, but in a good way, and this week was no shortage. Jordan and I were lucky enough to hear both Dr. Piper and Francis Chan twice as they both spoke to our community group and at a main session. We also heard from Beth Moore, Louie Giglio, and Christine Caine (more about her later...). There was a huge emphasis this year on reading scripture. But wait- you say- isn't that the point? Yes, but the reading wasn't a few verses that are tied into a message. The opening session spent the first 45 minutes simply reading passages from the Bible. Just the Bible. Then, on Wednesday, the morning session consisted of reading the book of Ephesians. Just the Bible. It was refreshing. It was glorious.

I'll save another post to discuss the cause that Passion 2012 adopted, so stay tuned to hear what 45,000 college students raised $3 million to support.

Jordan and I were in the glitter black community group. Yes, there were so many people and so many community groups that there were plain color groups and glitter color groups. Two thumbs up to whomever decided on using glitter to differentiate additional groups. Three thumbs up to the person who designated the leader group as glitter black. It satisfied the magpie in me. Anyway. Enough about glitter. Tim Smith, senior executive pastor at Pinelake Church in MS, was our fearless leader. Again this year, I had a girl from Australia in my family group (Hayley kept me sane and offered a little extra girl power to a group of men), which I find to be phenomenal that someone would travel from Australia to Passion. It just goes to show how far reaching Passion (and most importantly, God's glory) really is.

Stay tuned for more updates and stories from Passion 2012.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T21:06:00.002-06:00

It's 2012. Aren't we supposed to have flying cars already?

We've started out the new year by logging 660 miles on trusty Van #2, finishing the first leg of our trip to Passion 2012.

Our chariot:

It's been a good trip so far (pleasedontjinxmyselfpleasedontjinxmyself). The ride went by relatively quickly and everyone is getting along, despite being cramped in a van since 7:30 this morning.

The group minus one, who we picked up in Houston. We have a great group of people here- Jordan and I (mostly "I") had a come-to-Jesus before we left, and I've been pleasantly pleased to see everyone being super cooperative, flexible, patient and kind to each other. Sure, it's only day 1, but we're all basically adults and hopefully this trend will continue.

Jordan did all the driving, which I am thankful for! I read an entire book, which means it's a good thing I downloaded 4 before we left. We made it all the way to Mobile, Alabama, which leaves us 321 miles still to travel (or about 5 hours). One of my very dearest friends lives in Mobile and it was an absolute treat to see her and spend some time catching up and laughing together. I look forward to seeing her again on our way back home.

Tomorrow, we'll be up bright & early once again and complete our trip to Atlanta. Stay tuned for more pictures and stories!

Warm Fuzzies

2011-12-26T13:24:00.001-06:00

I left my husband in a bit of a quandary this year. I never really shared with him what I wanted to receive from him for Christmas. The truth of the matter is, I couldn't really think of anything that I was in need or want of.

I am so blessed.

And yet, my lovely husband was still searching for something wonderful to wrap and give me on Christmas day. What I received was something that made me absolutely happy and overwhelmingly proud of my husband. I'd like to share it with you in hopes that you and your family may find this a worthy cause to donate to as well.

In my name, for Christmas, my love donated 13 farm animals to World Vision. Check out what World Vision has to say about this gift:

Thirteen small farm animals can save families from hunger! With this truly life-changing gift, you’ll provide ample protein and vital nutrition — including eggs, meat, and more — for years to come. As the animals multiply, families can sell surplus food for extra income. A bountiful and enduring blessing!

I couldn't be happier that my husband chose to spend our Christmas money helping others. Take a minute to visit the World Vision site and check out the different ways you can donate to others. They take donations from $25 to $1,000,000 (for those of you readers who have a LOT of spare change in your pockets), and you can donate everything from animals, to clean water, to medicines, to clothing, shelter, education.... All from an organization that is well known for it's commitment to helping children in need all around the world.

Go check it out!

Merry Christmas Friends!!!!

2011-12-24T21:27:00.002-06:00

From our home to yours, wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas! Lets not forget that Christ our Savior and Redeemer came to Earth as a perfect sacrifice, and when God looked down on the manger that held His Son, He saw Good Friday.

O come let us adore Him! Christ the Lord!!

Low cal offering

2011-12-18T21:11:00.003-06:00

If you're anything like me, you might be looking for a reprieve from the rich holiday foods that are so easily available this time of year. Try working for a church where you get delicious goodies from sweet ladies every day. We've already discussed my penchant for white fudge covered oreos, and I'm proud to say that we've only bought and eaten 1 box so far this season. That's kind of a big deal.

Earlier tonight, we had a lovely time at a Christmas party and ate the most fantastic salad EVER. It was freaking awesome. It reminds me of this salad that I always get at McAlister's. So go and make it tonight. Your love handles will thank you for the break.

Chopped Salad

6-8 cups Chopped Romaine Lettuce

2 Chopped Medium-size Pears

1 cup Dried Cranberries

1 cup Chopped Pecans

4-6 oz Crumbled Feta Cheese

Poppyseed Salad Dressing (we had the T. Marzetti kind)

Balsamic Vinaigrette (Newman's Own Light version does the job nicely)

On a large platter or large bowl, combine the lettuce, chopped pears, cranberries, pecans, and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppyseed dressing, followed by the vinaigrette (the recipe says that it's a 70/30 mix on the dressing; 70% poppyseed, 30% vinaigrette). Toss the salad around until it's well mixed. Feel free to add more dressing until your salad is dressed to your liking.

Then devour.

Let it be known that I obtained the above picture from the great equalizer.

Counting down the days

2011-12-11T16:20:00.002-06:00

3 weeks!!!

3 weeks from tomorrow, Passion 2012 will commence! I may be even more excited for this year's trip than last year's trip. I still vividly remember how wonderful Passion 2011: Fort Worth was, both for myself and for the dozen or so other folks who went along. There really are no words to express the kind of heart change that occurs during the week of Passion- it's just incredible. Try spending 4 days of your life investing in your relationship with Christ -with the help of some really incredible leaders (Louie, John, Francis, Beth... Chris, Matt, Kristian, Christy, David). It just doesn't get much better than that. New revelations and renewed spirits from Passion 2011 have really changed so many aspects in my life and in my Christian walk this year. I just couldn't be more excited for another incredible experience. I have high hopes for this year and I don't expect my Lord to let me down.

Jordan and I are taking a group of 9 high school seniors and college students to Atlanta, Georgia for Passion - which is.... an additional 10 hours longer drive than last year's trip to Fort Worth! I'm actually kinda-sort of-a little bit excited about spending 16 hours in a van with these kids, if only to get to know them in a better way. The Atlanta-bound church van will leave early on January 1, spend the night in Alabama and then finish the trip on the 2nd, ending up in Atlanta in plenty of time to register and get seats for the opening session. One of my dearest friends is offering up his home to us and I'm afraid he has signed up for quite an undertaking! It should be fun! I'm overjoyed to be spending some time with this friend and hopefully get to know his new lovely fiancee! (Even if we only spend breakfast and bedtime at the house!)

We only have 2 repeat Passion-eers, who are serving to pump up their friends for the trip. I am surprised we have so many students going along, as it is both eating a week of their winter break and costing them a pretty penny (in college money talk). The Lord has brought together a group of great friends and new faces - 3 are high school seniors and the remaining 6 are college-age students. This is especially sweet because we just started a new college Sunday school class at our church. What a special time these kids will have to get to know each other on a deeper level!

So it would be lovely if you will be in prayer with me over our hearts during this time of anticipation. Then also over our travels when that time arrives (both for safety and sanity! 16 hours in a van with 11 people can be trying on everyone's patience). Then also over Passion 2012, that the Lord would be glorified and many would come to know His name. And finally that the Lord would iron out all the kinks and details that we aren't even thinking about at this time. I guarantee that a week spent in the presence of the Lord will have its share of challenges and all 11 of us should be prepared for difficulties.

Let the countdown continue!

Party Time!

2011-12-07T19:38:00.001-06:00

The Spread

The Setup

The Surprise!

I don't know how it happened, but 20ish high school and college-aged girls were able to keep a major secret for several weeks!! A surprise wedding shower! Here's the setup: the bride-to-be is one half of a ridiculously fantastic pair of Sunday school teachers. Maybe I'm a little biased. So the cover for her wedding shower was our annual high school girls sunday school Christmas party. She believed we'd have holiday hors doerves and gift exchanging starting at 5pm. The girls in our class arrived a few hours early to transform our house into wedding shower central. It took her a second to realize what was really happening (see the change in facial expression between surprise picture one and two!) and was 100% surprised. She must have made a remark every few minutes about how surprised and shocked she really was. It was fantastic! And there's nobody that's more deserving of a great husband and a fun (secret) shower. The girls and I hope that she knows how much we love her, both as a teacher and a friend. Many many congratulations!!!

And of course no party is complete without a little food, girl talk.... and...

Just dance!

Time keeps on slippin

2011-12-03T21:25:00.003-06:00

Gah!! Where does the time go? It seems like I posted yesterday and it's been almost a week. Thanksgiving feels like it was a year ago now. Things don't ever slow down around here.

I failed to mention that on the way home from Thanksgiving in Houston, we hit a renegade herd of Javelinas (wild hogs for you non-Texans). It was dark and we were on a little podunk back road and these little stinkers just come shooting out of some bushes. We think they were part of a suicide pact, I mean, why else would 4 hogs run out into the road simultaneously? And just so we're clear, they weren't really all that little either. So we'll take the Jetta to the body shop on Monday and have $1400 worth of repairs done. Yeesh! Merry Christmas to us! Hopefully we'll get a sweet rental car. Last time we had to get a bodyshoprentacar, it was a Chrysler Sebring convertible. And lets face it, unless you're a postmenopausal woman, the Sebring is a little less than cool.

But instead of stressing, I'm indulging in a little chips & Chuy's Jalapeño ranch dip.

Continuing with the running out of time theme, once again this year, I'm deathly afraid that my Christmas cards will not be done and out in time for Christmas. I mean, it's the third of December, which gives me 21 days until Christmas eve. And these cards are so far from done it's not really funny. At ALL. Every year I wonder why I don't just order photo cards just like everyone else and every year I talk myself out of it and every year I stress until they're in the mail.

Stress level increasing. Quiet stress with chips and dip.

Has anyone done any Christmas shopping yet? I am so far behind. We aren't getting to make a trip to Augusta this year, which means my shopping has to be finished and en route to Georgia well ahead of the 12/25 deadline. And as if I haven't made it clear enough- time isn't slowing down to allow me some shop opportunities! Yesterday I thought I was doing really well: I ordered 2 Christmas presents from one place. 30% off. Free shipping. Purchased. 2 people down. Score! Right? Wrong. I got an email this morning from this lovely retailer letting me know that BOTH items I ordered were UNAVAILABLE. Curse you Banana Republic!!!

More stress. More chips. More jalapeño dip.

L&D funnies

2011-11-27T20:39:00.002-06:00

Recent funny moments from the labor unit:

-A baby named Twister

-A sister and brother (not twins!) named Una and Dos

-It's common practice to ask all of our age-appropriate patients whether they plan to tie their tubes after delivery. One of my fellow nurses said her conversation played out a little something like this:

RN: Are you planning on getting your tubes tied?

Patient: Nope

Patient's husband: Hey! Got any idea where I can go to get neutered?

Classy!

I hope all my lovely readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Jordan and I certainly did, as we spent the day with family and celebrated the first birthday of my cutie little Nephew, Jackson. We ate until we had to unbutton our pants, which has to be the measure of a meal's success. Now the true Christmas season can start! We are working on getting our tree up and house decorated. Lets all remember that Christmas is NOT about Santa or giving gifts or even White fudge covered Oreos. (swoon) Our true celebration is centered around the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer! O Come O Come Emmanuel!

Tiny Humans (another L&D post)

2011-11-17T22:10:00.003-06:00

It's that time again friends.

thanks again Pinterest.

More from the wacky world of labor and delivery. On a daily basis, we nurses and doctors escort tiny humans out of their mothers' bodies. Lets think for a second how many babies I've delivered over the course of my obstetric career. I did the math the other day (with the aid of a calculator I might add. I'm a nurse, not a pharmacist.). Just bear with me and estimate I deliver 2 babies per day - well after all that useless math, I estimated that I've been involved with somewhere around 1200 babies. Give or take one or two. Now, I don't have any babies of my own, but considering 50% of the OB-GYNs in America are males, I don't think that literally having a baby is a prerequisite to knowing how to have a baby.

And with all this in mind, there are still lots of folks who think they know my job better than I do.

So today's discussion is all about those lovely ladies who like to call the shots. Literally. All the shots. I think I'll affectionately call it "Birth Plans: Good Luck with that." And before you get all offended at the jaded nurse, let me show you my side of the story.

First, we'll look at the extremists. These are the ladies who refuse IVs, lab work, monitoring, vaginal exams, anesthesia, amniotomy - basically everything. To these women, I say: Go home. Seriously, if your goal is to have a no-intervention birth, then a hospital is not the setting for that to happen. These folks belong in their tub at home with a midwife. Let me make something clear: decades of evidence-based practice has dictated a manual of policies and procedures that if burned, would provide long-lasting heat to an entire Inuit village. I don't make the rules, but I am expected to follow them. Bottom line? I am not putting my license on the line for someone who thinks they should be the exception to all the rules. Please either go home and deliver or be open to appropriate interventions.

And as a side note: the idea that we follow policy that is derived directly from evidence-based practice means that all those little things I do for my patients are not arbitrary.

Now, lets look at those ladies who have a typical birth plan. Number one most important thing to remember (those of you who are pregnant and reading this): the hospital admission isn't the place to premier your birth plan. This is something that you should develop with your delivering physician before your due date- because I'll say it time & time again- your doc writes the orders, not me! I understand there are lots of variables to a normal vaginal delivery and I do believe that people should have some control over their experience. I'm open to special considerations and requests as long as they are also approved by the delivering doctor. Apprehensive about amniotomy? Talk to your doctor. Inflexible about induction? Talk to your doctor. Adamant about anesthesia? Talk to your doctor. Mean business about monitoring? Talk to your doctor. Got the picture?

Here's a truth that's well known to labor nurses and little known to pregnant women: A chart with a birth plan often also includes c-section papers.

What often comes along with low-intervention birth plans? A lack of anesthesia. It's not my business whether or not my patients want an epidural or not. In fact, for the patients who can keep it together, delivering epidural free makes my job a lot easier. The only problem is that most ladies come in completely unprepared for labor. Having a baby is largely regarded as the most painful experience known to man, and yet women who are adamantly against using an epidural will come to the hospital with no game plan for labor. And there's nothing more frustrating than having a patient who is in absolute agony with no coping mechanism. When I do have patients that go epidural free (it still exists!!), I remain largely hands-off. Not all epidural-free deliveries are scream fests. These women know whats up and can vocalize their needs, especially those who are experienced in natural childbirth.

What's the best plan when coming to the hospital to have a baby? Be flexible. Choose a doctor who is supportive of your wishes, make an appropriate labor & delivery plan and go with it. And for goodness sakes, be flexible. There are thousands of variables that can change or go wrong during labor, many of which I have no control over. Be aware that the ultimate goal is the healthiest delivery possible for mom and baby.

And please, for the love of all things lovely, bake your nurse some cookies. It makes all that epidural-free screaming just a little more palatable.

Simply

2011-11-13T12:12:00.002-06:00

How deep the Father's love for us.

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give his only son

To make a wretch His treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss.

The father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen one

Bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon the cross

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

What can I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom.

Again with the food?

2011-11-10T20:49:00.003-06:00

It seems like I always post about hosting dinners and cooking for groups of people. If you haven't figured out yet that I both enjoy hostessing and baking, well then, you're just not keeping up all that well. Tonight is no different than usual. Jordan and I hosted the rest of the ministers and their families for dinner today.

We had pulled pork sandwiches. It was divine.

Can I just say for a second how much I miss the regional foodie goodies from my hometown in Augusta. I miss good Georgia Barbecue, which is of course, pork. Texans are big on this whole brisket thing, which is good - don't get me wrong - it's just not really barbecue. I anticipate I may lose a reader or two just based on that last statement.

Not only did we have pulled pork sandwiches and homemade barbecue sauce, but my husband made a pot of collard greens and I made a pan of macaroni and cheese. It was glorious. Top it off with a glass of sweet tea and it was like home again.

Except I didn't eat any collards. Not a fan.

The real hero of the meal was dessert, because dessert is always the greatest part of any meal. I made Pioneer Woman's Apple Dumplings and they were a huge hit! I've never made them before, and was reminded more than a few times that it's a no-no to introduce a new recipe when company's over. But I threw caution to the wind and ended up with a super easy, universally loved dessert!

Here we go again with the food. I gotta break the cycle. Next up: A new L&D post featuring my answer to the question about patients who want to go "all natural." Maybe I'll call it "What's up with a Birth Plan?"

But before I sign off, I want to take a minute to say how thankful I am for our church's leadership. We are so fortunate to be on staff with such great men of God. I love that we can meet up at each other's houses and eat and laugh together. It hurts my heart to hear stories of churches with staff problems and we are so thankful to be in a place where the pastors support, respect, and encourage one another. And not only are the pastors great (my hubby included!), but they have some fantastic families as well.

And one more thing. That is completely unrelated to the rest of this post. I went to my first BodyPump class yesterday. Today I thought I'd need Jordan to wash my hair, but I was at one point able to lift my arms above my head. Now that it's late, that might no longer be possible. Despite the soreness, I really enjoyed the class. Thinking I'll be ready to go again on Saturday, if only there was someplace closer than Corpus Christi to take said class. Oh, the woes of small town life.

Today

2011-11-06T22:00:00.003-06:00

Why is it the only things I end up gleaning from Pinterest are foods?

I haven't made a rug out of tshirts.

And I haven't made a child's costume out of an umbrella and toilet paper.

And I haven't made wall art from paint chips.

...And I've never been to Boston in the fall.

But what I have made are lots and lots of Pinterest-inspired foods and meals. Feast your eyes on the newest conquest:

"Nutella Puppy Chow" This was the picture that was posted to Pinterest.....

And this was what it actually looked like finished. A little more like for real chow than exhibit A. Can I also just say how much I hate that name? Who really wants to eat puppy chow? I'm staging a revolt. Only, I don't exactly know what to call it. Regardless! It's delicious and addictive. I'll be 100% honest and tell you I made a double batch. I feel a responsibility to feed my coworkers so they get a bag. Tomorrow night is Bible study at our house and we'll have a bag then too. Jordan will take a bag with him to Staff Meeting tomorrow.

I'm channeling a little Oprah right now: "You get a bag! and YOU get a bag! and YOU get a bag!"

Anyway. Make some soon. I couldn't find hazelnuts at our neighborhood Wal-y-marts, so I went with slivered almonds instead and left them whole. It seems to work just fine, because you still have the hazelnut flavor and it gives a nice extra crunch to the mixture. It came together in about 15 minutes which is great when you have some unexpected company coming over. And it's a little dangerous when you're bored and hungry at home by yourself. Be careful.

So after making some Nutella/chocolate/almond crispix mix and taking my lovely and sweet friend Megan a giant chocolate milkshake, I topped my sweet-filled day off with something incredible:

Yes friends, that grainy, iPhone photo is none other than Shane & Shane. Even though I found out THIS MORNING that they were in Robstown, since they're basically my favorite, I hightailed it out there and took in yet another awesome Shanes concert. I just can't say enough about how great these guys are! I've seen them at least half a dozen times in concert and they never disappoint. Even if the "concert" is in the midst of an annual associational meeting. It was a fantastic end to a great weekend.

12 pounds later

2011-10-30T16:56:00.002-05:00

I've been baking up a storm lately, and consequently have gained approximately 12 pounds. Urgh. Curse my love of baking and my only moderately fast metabolism.

Regardless!

I made a coconut cake at the request of a few of my coworkers. I used my grandmother's recipe, and considering she's both Georgia born and Georgia raised, her cooking and baking could put Paula Deen in a corner. It was a success, and completely devoured by the hungry nurses I work with.

A few days prior to my coconut cake undertaking, I made whoopie pies. They were also extremely well received (I fed them to my Bible study group to which one of the guys asked, "Hollie, have you ever died before?" I was bewildered by this question, until he then followed with, "Because I think I just died and went to heaven when I ate this deliciousness." Goofy kid.)

The one, lonely left over pie. I actually have a fantastic tip for some quick and easy whoopie pies....

I had a coupon for this "new" cake mix that includes filling in the box. I had originally intended to make creme-filled cupcakes until I realized that I don't have a regular sized muffin pan (how did that happen?!). Mini? Sure! Regular? Not a chance. So comes in the whoopie pie. Make the batter as indicated on the box, but spoon it out like a cookie onto a well greased sheet pan. Bake about 10-12 minutes at the temperature listed on the box and magically, you have fluffy, cakey, whoopie pie-like cookies. Once they're cooled, give them a good coating of filling and smush them into a cookie sandwich. Good times.

So my sister is in town this weekend, which has been awesome! It's her first trip to Rockport and I think we've broken her in pretty well. She even had a breakfast taco while here, just like any good Texan. We've stayed busy more so with church activities than anything, but it's also been a little chilly this weekend, so sunbathing wasn't really in the cards. She and I share a penchant for baking and so we tackled cake pops on Friday and cinnamon rolls on Saturday.

I can't be the only one gaining 12 pounds here. Just sharing the wealth.

We shared the cinnamon rolls with our ms/hs sunday school classes today and obviously, they were also well received. We made a batch of 60 and left the church with 6. One thing is for certain: if you bake it they will eat.

Sharing the wealth

2011-10-21T14:33:00.004-05:00

I've done this blog thing for a while and have picked up a few must-read blogs along the way. So I figured it's about time to share the wealth. Call me a stalker if you will, but I could spend a significant amount of time reading other people's blogs. Maybe it's because i've become a major homebody or maybe it's just because I like to relate with other people. Either way, I have quite the list of blog reads and they all make my day when I see new updates. Feast your eyes on some of my favorite blogs!

(In no particular order)

1. Something Beautiful.

Erika is a girl I went to high school with and in many ways I feel like we're kindred spirits. Maybe it's just the haircut or maybe I'm just a kook. Either way, her blog is funny and real and I always thoroughly enjoy reading it. Although we (meaning the hubs and I) aren't currently trying to have children, I understand what it feels like to be the last person on earth who isn't pregnant or already with children. A well-meaning lady patted my belly today and asked where the baby is. Your guess is as good as mine, ma'am.

2. And Erika's blog led me to The 24 Year Age Gap.

Ok, so this girl doesn't know me from Adam. But let me tell you, her blog is HILARIOUS. I find myself laughing aloud almost every time she has a new posting. She doesn't seem at all interested in being politically correct, but truly says what everyone else is already thinking (I mean, just look at the picture. Totally hilarious and completely genius.).

3. Kelly's Korner

So, I know that everyone and their cousin already read Kelly's Korner. But I like it. So there.

4, 5, & 6. Buns in my Oven, Joy the Baker, Noble Pig

Three (of many) recipe blogs that I follow. Check out the recipe on Noble Pig for Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip. Oh Heavens that looks divine. Now I just need a good reason to whip some up. I love these three sites because not only do they have fun recipes, but they're easy for a little home cook/baker like myself. Which reminds me, I have to find something to do with this chicken I've taken out of the freezer for dinner.

7. Thrifty Decor Chick

So this is yet another person who almost the entire planet reads, but if you are in the small minority that don't, then you should. I don't really know where this girl finds the time to have a life around all her home improvement projects, but she has got it going on. I've copied 2 of her "no-sew" window panels and regularly drool over her new lovely house things. While I may be a little gun-shy when it comes to tackling major jobs on my own, she has tons of great ideas. If there are any handy people hanging around Rockport thinking they'd like to put up some chair rail and such, hit me up.

8. Far More than Rubies

Lastly, here's yet another girl-blogger who wouldn't have the faintest clue if given the opportunity to pick me out of a line up. This is my most recent favorite new blog as I just found it via Kelly's Korner. And then I spent a few hours catching up on the last year of this girl's life. Kinda weird and lame all rolled into one. Anyway, she, her husband, and child are currently living in the Middle East and her blog is all about life over there. Which goes without saying is a world of different from my life here in America, which makes things interesting.

So go check out these lovely blogs! And if you're in the mood for other great reading, any of the blogs on the right side of the screen are awesome too (Melissa, Carey, Erin, Bakerella, Allison....) ! Let it be known that I stole every single picture straight from these girls' blogs.

What are some of your favorite blogs?

Getting back in the groove

2011-10-14T16:15:00.002-05:00

I'm finally coming back to the Labor & Delivery questionnaire! Has it been long enough already? I only have a few questions remaining, but am always looking forward to new questions, so keep them coming if you're still curious about the lovely world of Labor & Delivery. There's always something interesting going on, that's for sure!

What's your advice for nursing students?

I'd like to expand this question to include another well-meaning group that often just doesn't understand what's really going on: friends and family members. But first, nursing students! I remember many years ago being in that dreadful place. It's awkward! Being thrust into real life situations with people you don't know and having very little clue as to what's going on. And we nurses aren't always friendly and receptive to nursing students, which makes the process all the more awkward. So first, to all my nursing student readers, I say keep your head up- it'll all come together eventually. (There's a reason nursing school is difficult and the standards are high... just like medical school is (more) difficult and the standards are high(er)- You're dealing with real people! Who really need medical care! Take it seriously!!) And now, some tips to make your experience in labor & delivery more enjoyable and more rewarding.

-Dont just sit there. There's nothing more frustrating than walking by the nurses' station and seeing 3-4 nursing students sitting around talking to each other. Especially if the staff nurses are busy with patient care. Offer to do ANYTHING. Take vital signs when they're due. Get the patient a blanket or some ice chips. Empty the trash can. Just do something! Simply spending time at the bedside, interacting with patients is good for developing your bedside manner. If the nurse assigned to your patient gets up and goes in the room, go in the room with her. Make your nurse aware of your scope of practice and offer to do anything that falls inside those parameters. Don't be sidelined or lay blame on grumpy nurses. You are solely responsible for your experience and can either sit in the corner and play Angry Birds or be assertive and productive and learn something about nursing.

-If you don't know the answer, don't pretend like you do. Better yet, if you don't know something, ask someone! We don't expect you to know the ins & outs of the mechanisms of labor (although you should know some basics- read up before you come so you aren't totally in the dark!), so ask questions if you need clarification.

-Be respectful of your nurse and her time. You will (hopefully) get into situations that are fast paced. Be aware that at that time, your nurse may not have a minute to explain why repositioning and oxygen are appropriate interventions for variable decelerations in the fetal heart rate. Stay out of the way unless you're asked to do something and save your questions for later. Patient care always comes first, obviously sometimes at the expense of education - but - if you pay close attention, you'll pick up more than you think.

And in the same way, it's appropriate for visitors to heed the same tips. There are also ways to help a nurse out: If it's indicated, you can get your pregnant friend some ice chips or help her fluff pillows or keep the room tidy and free of clutter. If you have a question about something, feel free to ask. Medicine changes and evolves regularly and things aren't always done the same way (especially since no 2 labors are ever the same!). If you aren't sure about the plan of care, ask the nurse or ask the physician when he/she makes rounds.

Not only that, friends and visitors should be respectful of the nurse's time. We often have more than just one patient and are continuously multi-tasking to make sure all of our patients have their needs met. Depending on what's going on at the time, your nurse may be stretched thin and only have a few minutes to devote to each patient, so make your needs clearly known (I can't read minds people!!!) and then be aware that the highest priority things will be done first (An epidural takes precedence over an extra blanket).

While I'm on the visitor kick, here's a couple of other suggestions: respect the mom and her husband!! Not everyone enjoys having an audience while in labor, so please be sensitive to the fact that sometimes visitors aren't exactly welcomed. And PLEASE PLEASE stay out of the way in an emergency. Sometimes we have to move quickly and don't get a chance to explain things, but always remember, that the health and safety of a patient is my number ONE priority. This means I will ask for the room to be cleared when a baby is in distress. Be aware that sometimes, emergency situations necessitate care that appears rough or forceful. A nurse never intends to inflict pain on her patient (except for maybe that darn pitocin. A necessary evil.), but for example, when a baby is delivering vaginally and the shoulder becomes stuck under the pelvic arch - aka shoulder dystocia - one of our first interventions is suprapubic pressure. To a well-meaning family member, suprapubic pressure only looks like I've got my entire body weight on top of a belly, which is completely necessary to try and free that shoulder and deliver the body! I say all that just to drive home the point that situations can be scary when the nurses are moving quickly, but we work better when everything and everyone is out of the way, and can answer questions after the situation is resolved.

I guess I kinda got on a soap box there. Check back again soon for the next installment!

SYATP 2011

2011-10-06T19:49:00.002-05:00

So this post is a little out of chronologic order, because See You at the Pole was a week ago from Wednesday. But it's never too late, right? Jordan and I went to the middle school first and it was still pretty early. By the time school started, there were over 100 students at the middle school flagpole. Awesome!

There was also well over 100 students at the high school campus. It is so SO encouraging to hear the students pray over their friends, their school, their teachers and leaders.

Girls Retreat 2011 "Made for More"

2011-10-05T21:09:00.015-05:00

We have made it to the other side of this year's Girl's Retreat, and it was awesome. This retreat is my own "baby" and my way of really reaching our girls and forming relationships. We spent the weekend looking at Paul's conversion, the faithfulness of Rahab, and the 12 disciples. The main point was trying to get the girls to believe that they are "Made for More." Saul went from being a persecutor of Christians to Paul, the world's greatest missionary and author of half of the New Testament. Rahab went from a prostitute to being part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. The disciples were young and uneducated but helped spread the gospel of Jesus throughout the world. Our teenagers (and adults!) need to believe that they are created and equipped for an incredible journey. God's plans for us are always so much bigger and greater than anything we could ever envision for ourselves. Our responsibility is to leave our old junk behind and follow after Christ. My greatest hope and prayer is that God's Word was made clear and understandable to the girls, that they were encouraged, and they left with an excitement to continue studying and learning.

We ended up having a total of 31 people in a 3 bedroom / 2 bathroom house for the weekend. We took 2 packed 15 passenger vans and an SUV three hours north to Industry, Tx. It was close quarters, but I think the whole bunch enjoyed spending time together. I am so thankful for the James and Donaldson families for letting us use the farm.

While each day had time set aside for group and individual Bible study time, we also incorporated games, movies, s'mores, manicures, tacos, scavenger hunts, songs, and plenty of other great things. Unfortunately, sleep didn't end up being on our list of activities.

Let me tell you, 31 girls can put away some food. We had each girl bring along a snack and a 2 liter drink. The drinks were drained by Saturday afternoon. The snacks were gone by the time we left. One of our brave adults, Bethany, took on the task of feeding 30+ people a total of 5 meals. This was awesome for 2 reasons: 1. She did an INCREDIBLE job. 2. I didn't have to worry about food or meal planning. While I'm handing out praise, I'd like to say thank you to the Chick-fil-A in Victoria, Tx for not screaming and running at the sight of 30 teenage girls walking in for dinner.

This year, small groups were incorporated into the weekend and I think both the leaders and the students absolutely loved the small group time. We ended up having 5 groups total, 3 of which were middle school students and the other 2 were high school (and college!). The group leaders were fantastic - I just can't help but believe that God hand-picked the right girls and the right leaders.

The weekend was an overwhelming success and I couldn't have done it without the other adult leaders (Bethany, Jessica, Jackie, Nicole and Kim) and the prayers of our fabulous church family. I can't thank you enough!!!!

Crowder / Gungor / August / McMillan

2011-09-30T12:07:00.002-05:00

To further twist the knife, I just want to take a minute to talk about this AWESOME concert. Seriously, if you get a chance to see the 7 Tour, go buy tickets! I didn't realize it until we got there, but not only did we see the David Crowder Band and Gungor, but the concert also included Chris August and John Mark McMillan. Sure, we may not have gotten back to Rockport until 3 this morning, but I'd say it was well worth the trip!

Gungor

Gungor has been a huge favorite of mine since I discovered their music at Passion this year. Michael Gungor kind of looks like an adult Napoleon Dynamite (the picture above just doesn't do it justice. Check this out-

I can't even begin to describe the talent these two bring to the band. Michael can play the guitar like nobody I've ever seen before! Last night, we saw an "acoustic" set, consisting of Michael & Lisa and a cello player. It was incredible! Gungor is planning a spring tour with the full band and you can bet I'll be there. Beautiful Things and Ghosts Upon the Earth will be the best $20 you've spent on music in a long time. Eclectic but intriguing and extraordinary.

David Crowder Band

This may be the 4th or 5th time I've seen the Crowder band and have never been disappointed. The only thing I'm disappointed with is knowing that after Passion 2012, the Crowder band is breaking up. About halfway through the Crowder set, one of the amps on stage caught on fire. I may have felt a little sense of panic for about 3 seconds, but the band kept on playing and acted as if the blaze didn't even phase them. One of the roadies doused the amp with a bottle of water and we were all saved from either burning to death or dying in a panicked crowd stampede.

Maybe that's a little overdramatic.

McMillan / Crowder / Gungor

At the end of the concert, David Crowder did "How He Loves" with Michael Gungor and John Mark McMillan (the guy who actually wrote the song). It was fantastic.

In other news, I'll board a few vans this afternoon with 25 middle and high school girls for the second annual FBCR Girl's Retreat. We're traveling to a town outside of Brenham and spending lots of time digging into God's Word. Please please please keep us lifted up in prayer this weekend. Pray for the girls and leaders. Pray for safety as we travel. Pray that the drama will be left at home (30 girls in a room together? Dramacentral!). Pray that God's Word would be evident and understood. Full report to come as well as the next L&D installment.

Stay tuned!

Not Playing Around

2011-09-27T22:53:00.002-05:00

I am the proud (almost) owner of the following pair these deliciously gorgeous leather lovelies:

And obtaining these beauties was no laughing matter! Rewind time by about a week and you'll find me finally coming to terms with the idea of skinny jeans. Up until this weekend, I'd bucked the trend, mostly because I'd never really liked what they did for my girlish figure. When Carin and I went to the incredible outlet malls in San Marcos, my #1 priority was finding the perfect pair of skinny jeans and some great brown boots for fall.

Thank you J. Crew for having all your jeans on sale this weekend. You are the bomb.com.

But I wasn't nearly as successful finding boots - until today. First, I got an email from my absolute most-loved clothing obsession, Anthropologie. Right now, boots and outerwear are 30% off! Score! So I find these awesome Frye boots and immediately know they'll be the perfect fall boots to go with my new jeans. Only problem? They're only available in a 5 and my 9.5 size foot will NOT squeeze into a 5.

And so the quest for the perfect fall boot begins.

Drawing from my years in retail sales @ the Gap, I know I can call the nearest store and see if these brown beauties are available in a larger size. I remember that Jordan and I will be in Houston again this Thursday (Be jealous. Verrrrrry Jealous. I'll be spending my Thursday night listening to Gungor and David Crowder.), so I begin my search in Houston.

Phone call #1: The store I call doesn't carry full priced shoes. The only chance I have is finding a returned pair, which is a bust. According to the girl I'm chatting with, the Austin store has a pair in my size. The search continues.

Phone call #2: This store has a few pairs of the boots in stock, but aren't actually size 9.5, they only have 8.5. This helpful sales girl encourages me to call the SoHo, NYC store. She ensures me that the NYC stores are my best bet because they are all huge and keep tons of stock. She gives me numbers for two stores and I continue the calls.

Phone call #3: Apparently, no store on the east coast received these boots. This helpful sales girl tells me she is bewildered that the Austin store would send me to her store because there are no boots available within several states. She searches through stores on the west coast and informs me that there are no boots on the west coast either. Now I'm starting to get discouraged. Did I mention I had an anthro gift card that was just dying to be spent on a fantastic pair of leather boots? If only I could find them! The salesgirl does a nationwide search and discovers that a store in Madison, Wisconsin has one pair in their inventory. She gives me the number and I proceed with hesitation. At this point, I'm thinking that it's just not meant to be.

Phone call #4: I explain for the fourth time what I'm looking for and the sales girl immediately tells me that their store does not carry shoes. Ugh. In a last-ditch effort, I tell her about the phone call with the NYC store and she goes, "Are you looking for the Frye boots?! I think we have 1 pair!" So I wait on hold....

.... and then I ordered the last pair (apparently) of size 9.5 Frye boots in the entire United States of America. On sale. With a gift card. From Wisconsin. That's legit. In 5-7 business days they'll be in my arms. Or well, on my feet.

Ouch

2011-09-25T21:29:00.002-05:00

This has been an interesting week! I haven't had a spare minute to write anything on my blog because I've spent a great deal of time working on the materials for the second annual FBC Rockport Girl's Retreat! Can you even believe it's next weekend?! And we have almost filled up 2 vans with girls who are eager to dig into God's Word! I am so blessed. The weekend is centered around the idea that we're all Made for More. We will spend a great deal of time studying the Saul/Paul conversion - what an incredible picture of God's greatness displayed! I'm really REALLY excited for next weekend and am asking that my lovely blog readers spend some time on their knees in prayer for these girls next weekend. God's Word never comes back void.

Next..... I studied for, took and passed my certification exam. Just call me Hollie, RNC-OB. Here are 2 conversations I've had with my husband and mother-in-law regarding my certification:

Jordan: (driving to the testing center): So what exactly does this certification mean?

Me: Umm... that I know what I'm doing?

Jordan: So why exactly are you taking it?

Me: Well, I thought it might look good on grad school applications, if I ever decide to reapply.

Jordan: Oh ok. How much did it cost to take this thing?

Me: $300

Jordan: $300?! ......... So why exactly are you taking it?

MIL: (At dinner) So what exactly does this certification mean?

Me: Umm... that I know what I'm doing?

MIL: So what about all those babies that you've had the last 4 years? You didn't know what you were doing then?????

Me: I guess they just got lucky.

So there you have it folks. According to the NCC, I guess I know what this labor thing is all about.

Then after all that, I completed my first triathlon. It was the sprint variety, but that didn't keep me from feeling like my life was flashing before my eyes during the run portion. The swim was 500 meters, bike was 14 miles and the run was a measly (but excruciating) 5k. I have a friend who completed a half Ironman (70.3) today. She's a total rockstar, and I feel rather wimpy complaining about how sore I am.

Pre-race smiles and jitters. We raced at Aquarena Springs in San Marcos, Tx. By far, the best part of the weekend was the post race shopping spree at the incredible outlet mall in San Marcos.

At the finish line. Please let it be noted by all the readers of this blog that there is someone running up to the finish line behind us, which means I didn't come in dead last. Plus, I out-sprinted a 13 year old on the way to the finish, meaning I wasn't second-to-last either. The race took me a lot longer than I anticipated and was harder than the 2 half marathons I've completed in the past. Today I'm sore in places I didn't know existed. Ouch.

Let it be known that on this day: Sunday, September 25 at 9:58pm (21:58), I, Hollie Marie, hereby announce my retirement from the sport of running triathlons. While I appreciate (ha!) the countless hours poured into preparing for this time, I feel it is in my best interest (mostly for my sanity) to step down indefinitely (aka: forever.).

Sunday Dinner

2011-09-18T19:06:00.002-05:00

Raise your hand if you're from the south and refer to post-church lunch as Sunday dinner.

One of our awesome students (and her family!) treated almost all of the youth workers, myself, and Jordan to lunch at her house. It was such a treat and truly a confidence boost to hear Destiny and her mom tell us all how much they appreciate our work in the church. It was also wonderful to share a meal with those people who tirelessly help us make this youth ministry work. Sure, we spent most of the meal strategizing our next youth event, talking logistics and rules and plans of the dreaded lock-in. But regardless of the conversation, it was a treat to fellowship and eat together.

One of the things I quickly learned being the wife of a minister is that life in ministry isn't ever rainbows and kittens. My favorite lady, once told me and Jordan that "life in ministry has higher highs and lower lows than people in the secular world will ever experience or understand." I would consider myself "on the sidelines" of my husband's job, and even though I'm not the man in charge, I still feel like life can be lonely, exciting, frustrating, and full of joy. It's a conundrum. I don't say all this to make you feel sorry for me- I say it to encourage you to turn around and tell your church leadership how much you appreciate them! These men (and ladies) work around the clock to serve the Lord and often do so without complaint, even when the people they serve aren't so quiet. Your pastors don't work for accolades, but a little encouragement makes everyone's day a little brighter.

Not only did we have a delicious lunch together, but we also celebrated a birthday!!! Happy Birthday Roy!

I can't say it enough- Jordan and I are so lucky to have such a great group of adults that are involved in the lives of our students. I shudder to think about a large group of unsupervised teenagers. We couldn't do it without our awesome helpers! We love you guys!

Weird

2011-09-15T16:17:00.004-05:00

The last few days I've worked have been littered with weirdness. It was a full moon and though it's cliche'd, I am going to blame some of the ridiculousness on that.

For example:

-For the first time ever, I was fired from patient care by a family member. Literally, "Please get out of my daughter's room. You have an attitude problem and you need to go sleep it off." Ive never been fired before, but the entire family (patient included) was a whack-job, so I was pleased to give up the assignment. I felt a little vindicated when the patient's doctor went in the room and gave her a little attitude adjustment.

-I did my first contraction stress test where the contractions were induced by nipple stimulation. Imagine my embarrassment trying to explain the plan of care to my patient.... Tweak for 2 minutes, off for 5. Awkward!

-I had a patient freak out after coming to the conclusion that her husband was cheating on her. After talking to her and calming the meltdown, I found out that not only was SHE the one doing the cheating, but her husband was also in the dark about a previous pregnancy. Wait - What?!?

I think anyone in healthcare would agree that somedays you have fun and normal patients and some days you get the strangest people e.v.e.r.

Please?

2011-09-13T20:03:00.001-05:00

Names and Nonsense

2011-09-07T21:06:00.003-05:00

So we all know someone who knows someone whose kid went to school with a kid who had a friend who's twin cousins were named Lemonjello and Orangejello. Or a girl named Female. Or Gonorrhea. At the recommendation of a friend, I've added the ubiquitous "name" question into the mix.

What's the strangest or most unique baby name you've ever heard?

I polled a LOT of nurses for this one- and I wanted names that someone has actually had contact with, not the mysterious kid named Lucifer. Only problem is that it's often so busy on the unit that it's hard to remember what sex our patient's baby is, much less what the baby's name is going to be. I worked today and took care of 3 separate patients and couldn't tell you one baby name. As for working yesterday? Fuhgeddaboutit.

So when you get one of those really off-the-wall names, it's not only memorable, but word makes its way from one side of the labor unit to the other. Many of the nurses said a lot of the same names, in fact- three of the top 5 names were mentioned by every nurse I surveyed. Feast your eyes on the 5 most unique baby names as determined by my fellow nurses:

-Abcde (It's pronounced "absidy")

-Rooster

-Chlamydia (As in the STD. May also answer to "Clap")

-Stargazer

-Nevaeh. Lets stop here for a second. This weed of a name has to be the most popular and off-the-wall name for the 17 & under clan. Phonetically, it makes no sense. Nevaeh = Na-vay-ah just like 1+1=5. Now, I know what you're gonna say: But Hollie!! - It's Heaven spelled backwards! That's just so unique! Yeah, and last year it was #25 on the Social Security Administration's list of most popular baby names. So not only is this a ridiculous and mispronounced name, it's also not at all unique. If you like the name Heaven, just name your baby Heaven. Am I the only one who think this name is absolutely asinine?

And we can't look at the most unique names without also visiting the most common names! Just like with every other question, I asked around first and came to a consensus. I had a considerable list and pared it down to just a few. Check out the 5 most popular boy and/or girl names as determined by the able-bodied ladies I work with.

-Isabella... Or anything with the "Bella" suffix. Thanks Twilight. Now every first grade class is going to have at least 4 girls named Bella for the next few years.

-Ava

-"Jr" I don't know if it's just a local or cultural thing, but here in Corpus Christi, it is extremely popular to name your son after his father. Here's a conversation with a dad regarding his pride & joy:

Me: So what's your son's name going to be?

Dad: He's gon' have my name.

Me: Oh, so he'll be a junior??

Dad: Well he's gon' be number four.

Me: Wow! A Fourth!

(a few moments pass)

Dad: Well, actually we gon' name him after my dad.

Hm. Howabout that.

-Aiden (or any of it's counterparts. IE: Brayden, Caiden, Jayden, Hayden)

-"Biblical/old" names. Like Noah, Jeremiah, Hannah, Elijah, Levi, etc. I had a patient once who named her kiddo Jeddidiah, which is unique enough as it is. And then I found out that they were huge Star Wars fans and were planning to call their baby Jedi.

Awesome.

Gross out

2011-09-03T21:17:00.003-05:00

Here we go again! Go read the last disclaimer. I figure if you're still hanging around after the Poop-apalooza, you're probably in for the long haul.

What's the grossest thing you've ever seen??

I polled a whole group of people for some great stories about this one. Here are a few of my own:

-4th degree tears. (shudders.) Seeing someone's bottom bust open will drive a nulliparous woman to primary elective c-sections. It's ugly. Imagine putting a bomb in your vagina and lighting the fuse.

-Rectal prolapse: AKA The worst hemorrhoids you've EVER seen. I've only seen this one time and it gave me even more cause to elect for a primary c-section (more on that later.). Poor little lady- every time she pushed, her little rectum would peek out a little more and a little more until finally there were several inches of her insides on the outside.

-Condylomas: The gift that keeps on giving. Genital warts are naaaaaasty. Let me say it again, those crunchy-feeling cauliflower-looking warts are absolutely disgusting. I've seen patients with warts extending from their anus all the way up to the cervix. I've heard stories of warts so big they clog up the baby slip-n-slide, making a c-section the only method of delivery.

And now here are a few from my coworkers and physicians:

-Lots of complaints of chunky half-digested food barf. Labor isn't kind on the digestive tract and it's not uncommon for women to throw up during the process. And every once in a while, we're lucky enough to be hurled upon.

-Not only do labor nurses and doctors occasionally get a puke shower, sometimes we get an amniotic fluid shower. Sometimes that stuff just shoots out. Dr. X told us about a time during a delivery where she wasn't wearing a face shield/mask and got sprayed in the face with amniotic fluid. Apparently, it has a mild salty taste.

-Another fun doctor story comes from the ER, not from L&D, however, those of you readers with XX chromosomes will enjoy (or gag) at this story: Dr. X is on call one night and gets a message from a family medicine resident to urgently come see a patient in the ER. The young woman came in complaining of vaginal discharge and after a full work-up, the resident was certain she had high grade cervical cancer. Dr. X makes her way to the ER to assess the situation. What she pulled out of this woman's vagina was enough to make the resident pass out right there at the bedside. Apparently, the patient had forgotten to take her tampon out and it'd been up there for weeks.

-Revisiting the cleanliness issue, sometimes we get patients who are of the super morbid obese variety. Like, so big it's impossible to know she is pregnant. Or better yet, makes you wonder how in the world she got pregnant in the first place. These patients have skin folds that sometimes don't get washed for weeks just because it might be almost impossible to reach them. I had reports from some nurses saying they've found live bugs in these cavernous crevices.

And while most of these labor & delivery tell-all blogs have flirted with the line separating appropriate and inappropriate, there are a few truly shocking and disgusting things that I've witnessed that are completely inappropriate for this arena. Remember, L&D isn't always about healthy moms having healthy babies (as if I haven't already made that blatantly obvious). Sometimes life in L&D is heart wrenching. Sometimes it is truly gruesome. So I hope I'm not disappointing anyone in choosing not to share some of my more horrific experiences, not only to respect the patients who lived through the event, but also to respect my lovely and wonderful readers.

Stay tuned! More funny, gross, and shocking stories on the way!

Research & New Finds

2011-09-01T20:55:00.002-05:00

We're back home after a lovely weekend in Augusta and I am ready to jump back into the labor and delivery q&a. I totally appreciate all the supportive comments and am thinking of turning this thing into a recurring blog feature. I have several more questions to answer and am working the next few days, so once again, I'll poll the coworkers to find out some popular answers to the next few questions:

-What's the grossest thing you've ever seen?

-What's your advice for nursing students? (I may even expand this topic to include patient's family members and well-meaning visitors.)

-Have any "I didn't know I was pregnant" stories?

Stay tuned friends!!!

More please!

2011-08-24T11:36:00.003-05:00

Many blessings to whomever came up with idea for the on-call shift.

Its a great thing that I was able to spend today on the couch instead of on the job. Tonight, Jordan and I begin the first leg of our trip to Augusta. I'm thankful that I don't have to pack and swoop at 8:15 pm tonight, only to arrive in Houston at 11:30. (To swoop: that frenzied cleaning that you do when you know someone is coming to your house. Beware of opening closet doors post swooping. Other tell-tale signs of a recent swoop? Doors to various rooms are shut, hiding the mess held behind them. What can I say? I like a clean house before a trip/company.)

But instead of packing and swooping, what am I doing? I'm laid out on the couch in my pajamas, hacking up a lung, pushing clear fluids and advil, and blogging. The dreaded summer cold has impeccable timing. But, I'm grateful for a shift off to rest and hydrate and pack and clean and take the dog to the kennel and put together 50 baby invitations and finish laundry and exercise and catch up on my L&D Q&As.

Disclaimer: I haven't been doing this labor thing forever. I don't know everything. Things are going to get gross FAST. Don't say I didn't warn you. All names/patient identifiers have been removed. All stories written are my own experiences unless otherwise noted. If talking about body parts makes you uncomfortable, this isn't the blog for you. The end.

What's your take on hair down there?

This is another widely asked question, but less by laboring patients and more by curious friends. Let me start by describing what a perfect world in labor and delivery would look like. Enter a patient: She is of average height and build- and healthy but not overweight. Her baby is easy to monitor regardless of how she is positioned in bed. Likewise, her contractions are easy to monitor regardless of positioning. Her IV is easily placed in the middle of her non-dominant forearm and runs like a faucet when left free-flowing. She has taken a shower recently and is wearing deodorant. The bottoms of her feet are clean and her pedicure is perfect. Her teeth are brushed and she is not a smoker. Her legs are shaved.... and so is the vag- which incidentally smells like roses.

OK! So - I just stepped on a lot of toes with that one. Of course, that's a perfect world, and in the real world, there are many things outside of a patient's control. Like how the baby is positioned or what veins look best for the IV. But cleanliness and hygiene? I can think of very few circumstances where it is excusable for someone to come into the hospital dirty. Come on people! You wouldn't go to the dentist without brushing, flossing, AND Listerine-ing, right?! Take care of those HEB feet!

So back to the first question: what's my take on hair down there? (Haven't read the disclaimer yet? Now's probably a good time.) First and foremost, if I haven't already made this obvious enough, I expect my patients to be clean. This means I don't want to smell your lady parts before I pull the covers back! Soap and water! Use them!!! Secondly, at the least, be well-manicured. Got a chimpanzee hiding out in your underwear? You'd better tame that sucker before coming in to have your baby. Look- there is a lot of stuff (secretions, fluids, blood, poop!) that comes out of the hoo-hah while in labor and all that hair down there just gets gross. Am I really all that put off by Amazon Woman? Not particularly. But -like I said- in my perfect world, there would be no hair. Wouldn't it be great if that were a side effect of pregnancy? Loss of pubic hair? {chuckles}

Here's a side note: If you know you're having a c-section, take it all off. Because if you don't trim the beast, I will. And I have to do it with a hospital grade electric clipper, which is not as gentle as Schick's twin moisturizing strips. Plus, it hurts enough to have a bulky pressure dressing taken off of the incision after surgery. Add in the torture of pulling off your lady hairs along with the dressing and you'll understand why I encourage my patients to take it all off. Yowzers!!! Next question!

Are most laboring moms vulgar?

The ones who do it without medication/epidural usually let the language fly. Not horribly so, but think about the last time you stubbed a toe or even worse, stepped on a lego. Try pushing out a baby without muttering a few expletives. Most patients are fairly well contained and some don't curse at all during labor. I think a lot depends on what the patients know to be appropriate in their own lives, and stressful situations (a la labor) can magnify a person's character. For example: A teenager from a rough neighborhood uses expletives in everyday conversation. I would expect she would be prone to let the profanities loose when the difficulties of labor set in. Conversely, A pastor's wife finds cursing to be distasteful and disrespectful and chooses to use other, more appropriate words to describe her everyday experiences. She'd probably be one of those who keeps it contained while in labor. Everyone is different and every situation is different.

In my own opinion, however, it's not the patients you should worry about. It's the nurses and doctors who are the real potty-mouths.

Thank you to once again to Pinterest for the picture. And thank you for not automatically assuming that I too am a nurse with a foul language problem.

Muy Rapido!

2011-08-19T21:34:00.003-05:00

It's that time again friends! I think most of the nurses that I work with are aware of my little series and it leads to lots of interesting conversations around the nurse's station. It's been fun hearing about their own experiences with disrespectful patients, poop, and... their fastest deliveries. Babies born in wheelchairs and toilets and sweatpants- oh my!

Disclaimer: I haven't been doing this labor & delivery thing forever. I don't know everything. Things are going to get gross FAST. Don't say I didn't warn you. All names/patient identifiers have been removed. All stories written are my own experience unless otherwise noted. The end.

Fastest Delivery Story:

I had recently started my orientation in Labor and Delivery at BASMC- before it was AWH. I'd already been working in postpartum for 6 months and had gotten a great deal of unlicensed experience while I was in nursing school, so this whole labor thing wasn't entirely unfamiliar. I think I'd been orienting for a few weeks already and was growing more and more comfortable with life in labor.

We get a call from a lady who is on her way to the hospital. She tells us she's having a contraction about every 25-30 minutes. Now, there are a few things that will guarantee a quick admit and discharge, and I was already pretty certain that this woman's lack of labor would earn her walking papers in 20 minutes. She waltzed onto the labor unit with a friend and I escorted her to her room and asked her to change her gown. She looked like she was no more in labor than I was. Or am. Whatever.

But here's where it gets interesting. She walks back from the bathroom, freshly gowned, and climbs into the bed. I'm in the process of getting all the monitors powered up and belts behind her when she gasps and says: "Oh- I think my water just broke." I pull back the covers just to see if I can see anything (Is now a good time to mention that this lady was of the rather large variety?), only to find a growing pool of thick green meconium-stained fluid under her bottom. I excused myself from the room at this point to find my preceptor, so that I could tell her that this patient was indeed staying to deliver because she had just spontaneously ruptured and not only that, but the fluid was yucky (meconium = fancy name for baby poop) and we would definitely need extra nursery personnel at delivery.

So we both head back into the room in order to expedite her admission process and find her now huffing and puffing and moaning and writhing around in the bed. Mind you, at this point, she hasn't even been put on the monitor. Has had no vital signs checked. Has no IV, arm band, or chart. Anyway, so I go to check this woman's cervix and she is 7 centimeters dilated.

At this point, chaos ensues. My preceptor and I are calling for the nursery, and a delivery table. The patient starts dry heaving, which is a sure sign of transition, and within seconds, the baby is crowning. Now we're screaming for help- the NICU team, extra nurses, instruments and a midwife. The patient is also screaming. And pushing. And pooping. Everywhere.

I remember this day like it was yesterday.

This woman was a definite 20% Code Brown-er.

So, the baby's head pops out. We are yelling at the patient to stop pushing the entire time while still trying to get a hold of at least a pair of scissors and a cord clamp. My preceptor immediately notices that the umbilical cord is wrapped tightly around the neck of this baby and it cannot be reduced by slipping it around the baby's head. The safest way to deliver at this point is to clamp and cut the cord, unwind it from the neck and then deliver the body. However the patient is still hysterical and pushing, despite our very vocal urgings to quit. The body squirts out covered in meconium and mom dookie, blue and limp. Finally, my preceptor clamped, cut and unwound the cord and handed the baby off for resuscitation. The baby shook off the crazy/fast trip pretty quickly and was pink and screaming in no time. Welcome to the world.

I think the time from door to delivery was about 8 minutes. Now, it's not unheard of to have patients come in who have been laboring at home and are 9-10 centimeters on arrival, but this woman was by FAR the fastest, start to finish. Later, we come to find out, that this patient has a history of rapid labors, including an unexpected delivery on her couch and another in the back of a taxi cab! I'd hate to see that fare!

...stay tuned for more!

Let's Get Down to the Nitty Gritty

2011-08-16T22:14:00.007-05:00

You get 6 points if you read the title in your best Nacho Libre voice.

Disclaimer: I haven't been doing this labor & delivery thing forever. I don't know everything. Things are going to get gross FAST. Don't say I didn't warn you. The End.

What percentage of patients poop while pushing?

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions. EVER. Apparently this is one of the few things that pregnant women are truly concerned with, because almost every patient makes mention of this smelly bodily function. I've had to have a few "Come to Jesus" talks with patients who simply didn't want to push because they were more concerned with pooping than they were with delivering. But here's the thing: this kid's head is going to take up every last square centimeter of it's momma's bottom when it's coming out, thus anything hanging around gets pushed out by the head. There's no way around it people! Anyway- Being that this is quite the hot topic, I didn’t want to mislead any of you lovely (and curious) readers. So, I polled a small group of nurses to check and make sure my experiences were universal.

We all pretty much agreed on... 70%. Give or take a few.

Probably 80% of those who poo-poo just make little dingleberries. Aaaaaaand the remaining 20% will stink up the entire unit. With some clever usage of underpads, washcloths and Hibaclens, the dingle-ers may not even be aware of their smelly indiscretions. If you ever hear the term “code brown” being thrown around the nurse’s station, you can rest assured that some patient somewhere on the unit has dropped a bomb. Obviously, it's not a pleasant part of my job, but it comes with the territory. L&D is slap full of disgusting bodily fluids. And besides that, lets face it...

Taking it a few steps past the line, I’ll be gross and frank: A patient’s nurse is usually already aware if her patient is … ready to deliver. And by ready to deliver, I don’t mean a baby. Let me bring you to another level of gross awareness: We labor nurses can feel whats in your poop chute when we check your cervix.

While my little opinion group was giggling over our own disgusting patient poop stories, one of the OB-GYNs interjected with his own absolutely revolting experience with an impacted patient. He said this lady had not pooped in 4 weeks and her dookie had become hard and impacted (meaning stuck in her rectum). Being that he was only a lowly intern, he got the job of digitally removing this giant mass of turd. The "digital" that I'm referencing in this story is not referring to a type of clock. Picture this- he said it was so bad, she would've needed a C-section because there was no room for the baby to fit through there. Anyway, there was a sea of diarrhea behind all those rocks and when the dam was broken, Dr. X needed a new change of scrubs. Moral of the story? Take your colace ladies.

Lastly, keep in mind, those of you who are planning on one of them fancy-pants crunchy granola all-natural at-home water/tub births, you’ll probably poop too. But you’re in luck!...

(Thanks Pinterest for the pics. You've made my blog picture searching life so much easier.)

The First of Many

2011-08-13T22:03:00.004-05:00

I have great news! The Q&A will definitely need to be a series! I love my job and I enjoy talking about my job (just ask my husband- He knows more about the ins & outs of Labor & Delivery than any man should ever know, OB-GYNs excluded of course.). I've already started thinking about my answers to some of the questions and depending on what I'm talking about, I could go on for hours. Yikes!

Series it is.

Disclaimer: I haven't been doing this labor & delivery thing forever. I don't know everything. The End.

1. What is the most appreciated thing a patient can do for their nurse?

For this question, I hit the streets. And by hit the streets, I mean that I asked a few of my coworkers for their opinions on this topic. I got lots of great answers:

Hang up the phone when I come in to talk to you.
Don't ask me to get you ice chips when there are 18 family members sitting nearby.
Take a shower and brush your teeth before you come to the hospital. (more on this in a separate post!)
Don't touch the call bell.

The last one's a personal favorite of mine.

In all seriousness, I just want to be treated like another human being. All the coworkers I talked to first answered with, "just say thank you and mean it... ... and don't touch the call bell." A sincere 'thank you' goes a long way. Talking on the phone or having the TV turned up while I'm trying to discuss your care is disrespectful. As is eye rolling. Flexibility should be a prerequisite for labor as things rarely go as planned. If you don't understand something, ask questions nicely. If I can do something for you within my scope of practice, I will do it! I don't have phenomenal cosmic powers (name that movie!), I have to follow YOUR physician's orders. I work hard to make your experience safe and healthy for everyone involved. Please don't treat me like I'm an idiot or a slave or a nobody.

2. What is the best thing a patient or family has done for you?

This is another question I posed to several nurses and would have to wholeheartedly agree with this answer: "I consider it the biggest compliment when a patient asks to have me in their new family picture- the patient, her husband, baby and myself. It's such an honor to be a tangible memory of their experience." Now, there have been hundreds of times where grandma-to-be is running around taking pictures of all the tiny minutiae that clutter a labor & delivery room and says,"oh I guess I should take a picture of the nurse." Look, lady, I know you're meaning well, but I'm not a room accessory and I have a name. When I say I love pictures with family, I mean the parents come to me and ask for me to be in a picture with them or even just a picture of me holding their precious baby. It really tells me that you've valued the effort I've put into your experience.

Sure, getting food and thank yous from patients is nice, but the picture thing is a super simple way to really make your nurse feel loved.

You see, first and foremost, It's my job to care for my patients and make sure their labor and delivery is safe and healthy. BUT it makes my job so much easier and more fun if I feel like I've bonded with my patient and her family. Regardless, I really do consider it a true privilege to have even just a tiny role in this monumental occasion, even if I don't feel like I have any emotional attachment to my patient.

Lastly, I have to mention that getting cards in the mail is a huge HUGE deal. I once got a card in the mail with the picture that I took with my patient and her baby! What a mail day double score!!!!

Stay tuned for the next set of questions!

We're not talking about stirrup pants here people.

2011-08-09T10:51:00.005-05:00

I've wrestled with this idea for 2 days now and am finally convinced to just Go For It.

I'm hosting my first (and maybe only) Q&A. Cue the cheers and applause!

And I know there are plenty of curious minds out there who want to know all the ins and outs and gory details of working in Labor & Delivery. Maybe some of you don't want to know ALL the details. Sometimes I try hard to forget ALL the details. But all the other fun parts, scary parts, hilarious parts and sad parts are fun to share. I've spent many a Girl's Night answering questions about my life in L&D. What's the most popular baby name? What's the craziest name you've ever seen? What's the grossest thing you've ever seen? And so on.

You know you're curious. Leave a comment with your question (or questions!!) and wait excitedly for a followup post with all the answers!

Don't leave me hanging here.

Seriously.

Leave me a comment... now.

Ps. Thanks Google for that great stirrup pant picture. Get the joke? Stirrups? Stirrup pants? Hello? Is this thing on???

Some More?

2011-08-06T23:06:00.002-05:00

As promised, I've made the S'more bars. Twice in fact! They were super delicious and got rave reviews from both parties. The first batch I made went with me to work and fed a large crowd of moderately grumpy nurses. A word to the wise: to get on your nurse's good side, reward her with food. Sometimes we don't get to eat (or pee or breathe) because we're too busy having your baby. It's no wonder we're always grumpy. Carbs are the wonder solution to hunger-induced grumpiness. There is no cure for stupid patient-induced grumpiness.

I digress.

And the second batch fed a large crowd of teenage girls (and a few adult ladies too!) I made the second batch a little different than the first and liked it much better. I'll make note of the change in the recipe and you can choose for yourself.

In any case, make these soon! And have a large glass of skim milk handy to wash the sucker down, because this dessert is sweet and rich.

(it's the same picture from Pinterest. I'm too lame and lazy to take my own picture. Besides, my bars didn't come out of the pan looking quite so pretty.)

S'more Cookie Bars

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter (softened!)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 and 1/3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 and 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff

Several handfuls of semisweet chocolate chips.

350 degrees. Also, grease on up an 8x8 pan.

In a bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Once fluffy, add the egg and vanilla until smooth and well incorporated. Combine the dry ingredients (flour, cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt) slowly into the wet ingredients until everything comes together. The dough will be easy to handle- not runny like batter or sticky. Divide the dough into 2 equal halves and press one half into the bottom of the greased pan. Here's where I deviated from the recipe: The original recipe calls for 2 large Hershey bars (not the king size ones, but the really big bars- like what you find on the candy aisle or in the baking section.). I used the hershey bars for the first recipe and thought the result was a little TOO sweet. So for the second batch I used semisweet chips (even dark chocolate would be nice) and thought that it was a better choice. Whether you choose to use semisweet chocolate or Hershey bars, they make up the second layer of the bars, so press them gently into the crust. Only so that the crust helps to anchor the chocolate down, which is ultra helpful when it comes to spreading sticky marshmallow fluff. Once the chocolate is down, spoon on the marshmallow fluff. Resist the urge to cheat and throw mini marshmallows in- the writer of the recipe says that this just does not fly. So spread the fluff around to the best of your ability (this is where chocochips were a little difficult!), making sure to form a nice layer over the whole pan. Finally, top the marshmallow with the other half of dough. To make this easy, I break the dough into 4 pieces and pat it out flat and lay it on top of the marshmallow like a little dough shingle. Bake for 30-32 minutes. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Obsessed.

2011-07-27T15:16:00.004-05:00

The blog has been a little quiet for the last week and I'm here to say sorry to all my lovely lovely readers. Outside of watching the entire first season of Heroes on Hulu, I seem to be spending almost all of my free time on Pinterest. It's overtaken me!!!

It's this neato little website that can store all the little bits and pieces and ideas and pretty things that I come across while surfing the interwebs. I dont have to bookmark every great website, just pin the pictures to my Pinterest. Pinterest saves the links with the pictures!

Also (this is the really fun part)-- you can see all your friend's pins and steal their great ideas too! Moreover, you can look at EVERYONE's pins. I could spend hours looking at pins. Maybe I have. Maybe I havent. Anyway.

Pins about fashion...

I pinned this dress because I think it'll be perrrrrfect for a beachy wedding I'm going to in about a month.

Pins with recipes...
I pinned this recipe for S'more bars... because... Helllo? S'more bars?!! I'm thinking I'll be making these in the next few days. Full report to come.

Pins for home decor...
I pinned this painted wood hanging wall art thing because I think it'll be super cute on this little blank wall in the kitchen. Its a perfect blend of my lab love and my baking love. It wont really match all that well, but I love it and sometime's that's all that matters, right?

Hair & Makeup pins...
I pinned this because it's past time for another hair appointment and I think the color is perfect. Perfect auburn lovely hair.

So go waste an afternoon on pinterest. It's the bomb.com.

Tres Leches

2011-07-18T15:33:00.002-05:00

My iPhone auto corrects 'Leches' to 'Leeches.'

I guarantee you this cake has no leeches.

While in Honduras, Rhonda made us a Tres Leches cake to celebrate 2 of our team members' birthdays. It was delicious! I had only had Tres Leches cake once since moving to Texas and had hardly heard of it before then. Georgia's all about pecan pie, peach cobbler, and 'nana puddin,' you see.

On Saturday, we invited the team over for a little post-trip dinner and I thought it would be great to make a Tres Leches cake for dessert.

I had fully intended to take a beautiful Pioneer-Womanesque shot of the cake (hold onto your hats-- this is not the PW tres leches recipe!). I remembered to get the camera only to find the battery was dead, and the charger was nowhere to be found. In the time it took to figure all this out, the cake went from lovely to almost gone. Luckily, one of the teenagers at our little shindig/dinner had brought a camera along and snapped a few pictures for me.

The general consensus

So, make this cake today! Or at least before summer's over- it's kept in the refrigerator (so it's cold and creamy and yum-yum) and is a nice compliment to BBQ or fajitas or... breakfast. You know, whatever floats your boat.

Tres Leches Cake

cake:

5 eggs, separated

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

some milk.

tres leches ("3 milks"):

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 small can evaporated milk

1 cup whole milk

topping:

2 boxes dream whip

2 cups milk

2 tsp vanilla

350 degrees. In a bowl, whip egg whites until peaks are stiff. In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks, vanilla, sugar, and flour until combined. I added some milk because it seemed the right thing to do, but I neglected to measure exactly how much milk I poured in (which incidentally isnt the right thing to do.) I'm gonna make a wild guess and say it was about 1/2 cup. The batter comes out pretty thin- like skinny pancake batter. If it's still too thick, add a little more milk. Just go with it. Anyway, once you've gotten your batter to the perfect consistency, fold the egg whites into the batter. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake 20-30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean! Combine your three milks in a small pitcher or large cup and pour the mixture over the hot cake. Put it in the fridge and let the goodness soak itself in.

Several hours later.

When you're about ready to cut & eat your TLC, it's time to make the topping. It is completely acceptable to just bust out a large tub of coolwhip and go crazy. It's also completely acceptable to whip sweetened cream until you have the real thing. I chose method #3, which is kind of a throwback to my past (see the Cherry Yum-Yum post to see what I mean). Make the Dream Whip according to the package. I started with 1 box, which is enough to cover the top of the cake, but I totally believe that TLC deserves a TON of whipped cream, so I made the second box as well. Spread the dream whip over the chilled cake. I also chopped a bottle of maraschino cherries and put those on top of the cake too, but that's totally optional.

So once you've got your cake made to your liking (what, with the coolwhip/whipped cream/dream whip/thin layer/thick layer/cherries/no cherries... there are so many possibilities!), cut into it and enjoy. The milks soak into the sponge cake and marry together to form a creamy, sweet, cold caketastic experience. Too little milk and it's nothing to get excited about. Too much milk and it's like soggy bread pudding. So thank goodness you have a recipe that's kind of not at all exact.

To be honest, I dont really know how mine turned out edible, but by the end of the night, the pan had been scraped clean and I'd gotten many thumbs ups & lots of "yum, that's delicious." I'd mark that down as a success.

Get Excited!

2011-07-15T22:19:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year!

The Fall 2011 Collection from Stella & Dot has arrived!

There are tons of new & beautiful pieces that debuted last week! I am still wrestling over which ones I like the very best - but lets face it, I always agonize over choosing a few when I want them all!!!! They've got lots of fun vintage/bold/pearl/gold/silver/sparkly/whatever-floats-your-boat pieces. There is truly something for everyone!

In honor of this momentous occasion, I have partnered with my friend Lyndsie to do a fantastic giveaway!!!!!! Head on over to Lyndsie's blog and enter for your chance to win one of the following great choices:

1. Rio Chandelier Earrings

2. Soiree Earrings

3. Sun Disc Earrings

4. Bardot Hoop Earrings

(All are available in either gold or silver - just to suit your fancy!!!)

Visit my Stella & Dot Website (click the link or there's a handy little button on the right... yep... that one right over there... just click it!) and take a peek or a gander or a longing glance at the gorgeous jewels! I'm currently taking applications for some great hostesses: the work is ridiculously easy, the compensation is great jewelry!!!

Happy Shopping!!!!

Honduras: Odds & Ends

2011-07-13T20:45:00.001-05:00

This is the final post from Honduras. Ok, probably not.

Want to know the truth? I actually wrote this post first. Long story. I'm still confused.

REGARDLESS!!!!!

Feast your eyes on the Hotel Plaza San Pablo! We called this luxury hotel "home" for 6 nights and 7 days. Funny thing is, it probably is one of the nicest hotels in Siguatepeque. Even though the water only worked about 80% of the time, the toilet paper was unflushable, there were strange cocoon-looking bugs on the walls, the mattress was hard, and the room smelled like sewage when the AC wasnt running, I still considered us to be FAR from "roughing it." Some of my favorite memories from the trip were in this hotel. We had nightly meetings to discuss what we'd learned from the day and it was encouraging beyond words to hear others share about God. The true highlight was a night spent in worship, singing songs in English and Spanish and pouring our hearts out in adoration. Incredible.

This is the restaurant where we ate breakfast and dinner each day (with the exception of the pizza night!). Again, we were far away from roughing it on this trip! Maribel and her ladies cooked some delicious meals for us- all served family style- this was another time of encouragement and bonding within our group. We had many laughs around these tables, and while I may not miss the daily pancakes (they do get old when you eat them 7 days in a row!), I certainly miss the jokes and conversations that went around during our meals.

Thursday was considered our "vacation" or "free" day, where we were neither at VBS or working at Destino. During the morning, Rhonda took us to a market and a pottery place to do a little shopping. These were big hits with the group, although Jordan and I brought back fresh coffee, hot sauce and vanilla extract "souvenirs." The other half of the day was spent at the waterfalls, which were spectacular!

Just like with the rest of the pictures, justice really isnt captured here. The falls were absolutely breathtaking. The power of the water was almost unnerving, but beautiful. We hiked up and down and got soaking wet from the spray and marveled at the beauty, majesty and power of God's creation.

It was hard to say goodbye to Honduras. I was thankful to see the other group members develop a heart for missions, and to deepen my own relationship in Christ. I think we all left Honduras with a large dose of humility, followed by immense gratitude.

Doctor Edwards left Honduras with 9 bags of coffee.

Honduras: Working hard

2011-07-12T21:33:00.002-05:00

We spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at a school in the village of "La Canada."

This is one of the school buildings. Spending time in La Canada was heartbreaking. The village was a true picture of abject poverty. The school buildings were basic cinderblock rooms with no electricity and the playground was a small area where the grass had been worn away to dirt (see frisbee picture below). Abuse, molestation and paternal abandonment was rampant in the village. I can safely say that all 19 of us wanted to take all these children away from their surroundings, and the hard lesson to learn is that we couldnt save them. But we brought the Word of God to the children of La Canada and truly Jesus is the only thing that can give these children the hope that they long for.

We taught the children many new songs, including "Father Abraham" (Padre Abraham), "I'm in the Lord's Army " (Soldado soy de Jesus), "Jesus loves me" (Christo me ama), and "I've got the Joy" (Yo tengo gozo).

You know you're singing these songs in your head right now. Oldies but goodies.

We also taught a different Bible story each day. Monday we talked about Zacchaeus, Tuesday we talked about Noah & the flood and then Wednesday we presented the Gospel message. Each day, the kids also did a craft relating to the Bible story. The last day, we helped them make the wordless book, which we hope they'll be able to take home to their families and pass along the message of Jesus.

We also had game/fun time each day. The children loved throwing frisbees, and were delighted to learn that we had brought a frisbee for each one of them! What's even better-- every frisbee also had the gospel message printed on it in spanish. We truly poured into these children from beginning to end and can only hope and pray that the seeds of God's Word are planted in the hearts of these wonderful children.

This little girl was remarkable and heartbreaking. She came from a home with no father and her mother was often away. She was left to care for her 3 infant siblings. Her home was dirty and food was scarce. She had been kicked out of the school for sleeping in class, but walked over from her home when we arrived. She is 7 years old.

This little gal stole my heart away. She is my little amiga! Always smiley and a total chatterbox, even though neither of us knew what the other was trying to say.

This little guy is a total ladykiller.

It was incredibly hard to say goodbye to these kiddos on Wednesday afternoon. There were many hugs and kisses and tears involved! The teachers pulled us aside and told us how thankful they were for us. They also told us that every single child was present (all 154 of them!) that day, which is something that has never happened before. We were all so thankful that we spent the day Wednesday sharing the message of Jesus and that all the children were able to hear it.

After VBS was completed, we did work for Rhonda at Destino. We spent time painting (although some of us got more paint on ourselves than on the railings!), weeding and doing general cleanup on the campus.

On Monday night, Rhonda took us out for pizza!!!! Who would've ever thought you could get great pizza in Honduras!? It was a delicious treat and a great night of fun and fellowship!

Stay tuned for another Honduras installment...

Honduras: The Beginning

2011-07-11T22:21:00.002-05:00

We are back from Honduras and safe, healthy and in 1 piece! I cant even begin to describe how incredible and life changing the trip was, but I hope to convey a little of my heart in the next few posts. I took 350 pictures and while all of them arent featured, I guarantee these posts are picture heavy and full of wonderful stories and love.

Our travel days were long and tiring. We left the church at 11pm on Friday, July 1st and drove to Houston (Bush Intercontinental Airport). We flew on Taca (affectionately renamed "Taco") airlines and our flight left at a pre-sunrise 5:40 AM. We had no problems getting to the airport or on any of our flights. The first flight took us to El Salvador, then our second flight took us to San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

Once we arrived in Honduras, Rhonda & Carlos picked us up from the airport in the Destino bus and we embarked on the first of many adventurous bus rides. It took about 3 hours to get up to Siguatepeque where we would be staying. We stopped off at Destino del Reino and spent some time on the campus with the kiddos. It didnt take long to fall in love with these children!

One of the homes on the campus. Carlos (Destino's pastor, bus driver, repairman, construction worker, father, nightwatchman and all around cool guy) and his family live here.

The church.

The Elementary School

The beginnings of the Junior High School

Most of the homes in Honduras resembled this picture. It was incredibly humbling to serve in a place where people basically had nothing. Running water was scarce and contaminated. The homes consisted of 1 room, cinderblock with dirt floors and rusted tin roofs. Having dinner meant killing and plucking one of the chickens running around outside. We heard stories of children who hadnt eaten or slept in days. We heard stories of abuse and incest and molestation and abandonment. It was devastating. It's impossible not to be remarkably grateful for my life here in the US. Rhonda is doing an amazing work in an area in desperate need of Jesus. Destino del Reino brings children up in a clean, nourishing and most important, Godly environment. She also sends her mission teams to various villages in the area to do evangelism. The next post will be all about our time in La Canada.

Stay tuned.

Viva La Honduras!

2011-07-01T13:01:00.002-05:00

I'm heaping on the prayer requests this week folks; I'm certain however that you're all up for the challenge!!!

Tonight at 11pm, I will be one of 19 people leaving FBC Rockport, headed to Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. Then, at 0530 we'll board a plane destined for Honduras. For the next week, we will make our home in Siguatepeque, and be helping out at Destino del Reino. Destino is a children's home and school that is run by a sweet Christian woman named Rhonda. The school serves to meet the needs of the impoverished children in the surrounding villages by providing free education (usually only the wealthy children are able to afford education). The children's home is a place where parents send their children to live, and while there, the children are educated and learn how to cultivate the land, so that they may return to their families and provide for them. Both the home and school also immerse the children in the Word of God, raising up a generation of Christian leaders in the small, poor country.

Currently there are about 15-20 children living in the home and approximately 200 attending the school. All of which is possible because one woman stepped out in great faith, and God has used her to do tremendous and mighty works for the Kingdom. I highly encourage you to visit the Destino delReino website and read about what God is doing there.

The following are some prayer needs for our group:

- Spiritual preparation

- Safety in traveling to/from/within Honduras

- Good health

- Unity

- Flexibility

- The absence of anxiety (Being in a new country, traveling, etc.)

- VBS that we will put on for the children of the village

- That God will soften the hearts of the people we will come in contact with.

- That we would be Christ-like in all that we do.

And Continual prayer needs for Rhonda & Destino delReino

- Wisdom in leadership

- Spiritual growth

- That God would call out Honduran and American teachers for the next school year

- Financial scholarships for the children attending

- Transportation needs

- Support for a junior high building at Destino

Please, if only for a minute, take some time out of each day this week and lift our team up in prayer. We will covet your prayers during this time, as we know that we will face many trials and be tested in new and difficult ways over the next week. We are scheduled to arrive back in Houston at 2330 on 7/9/11. So expect the blog to be quiet over the next week, but there will be many pictures and stories from our trip to come!

Verbose

2011-06-29T20:10:00.002-05:00

Life can be tricky sometimes.

I dont always understand God's ways. Like when good people have lives filled with pain and difficulty. One of my dearest friends is in the midst of yet another hard trial. She is easily one of the most wonderful and good-natured Christians I know and yet it seems like in her 27 years, she has endured more hardships than any one person should bear in a lifetime. I do not know how or why troubles continue to befall her, it just seems like she cant ever get a break.

For many years, she and her husband have been trying to have a child with no success. She has seen several different doctors, had procedures done and have been praying vigilantly and expectantly for God to bless them with a child. Finally, she learned a few weeks ago that she was indeed pregnant. They were overjoyed and filled with gratitude over the pregnancy. I couldnt have been happier for them myself, knowing that she wanted so badly to be a mother.

I got a message from her this weekend that she was beginning to have some complications. She ended up spending some time in the emergency room due to the problems she was having, but was reassured by a sonogram confirming the baby had a heartbeat. Unfortunately, her symptoms worsened on Monday and Tuesday and then today at her doctor's office, the baby no longer had a heartbeat. I cant even imagine the heartbreak and pain she is experiencing right now.

Everyday I see babies born to teenagers, drug-users, unmarried, uneducated women. I'll always struggle with the idea that these women (and sometimes girls) have perfectly healthy pregnancies that result in beautiful healthy babies; and yet here is a married, stable couple who desperately want to conceive a child and so far have been unsuccessful. It just doesnt seem fair.

Please keep this couple in your prayers as they are going through the grieving process. Pray for peace in a troubling time, understanding and deeper faith when the questions come, support to help them through dark days, endurance and joy.

God is our refuge and strength

A very present help in trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear. (Ps. 46)

Pure & Holy

2011-06-22T20:51:00.005-05:00

Give me one pure and holy passion

Give me one magnificent obsession

Give me one glorious ambition for my life

To know and follow hard after you

To grow as your disciple in your truth

This world is empty & pale & poor

Compared to knowing you my Lord

Lead me on and I will run after you.

Lead me on and I will run after you.

The Quest

2011-06-19T17:51:00.002-05:00

It's no surprise to any of you that I enjoy baking. I especially enjoy baking for other people, because not only is it rewarding to see the enjoyment they get from my food, but most importantly, I dont have whole portions of baked goods laying around my house. Because I will eat them.

Thank you Gayle for reminding me this morning: I run because I bake.

Several months ago, on a trip to someone's house with baked goods in tow, Jordan turns to me and asks, "Why dont you ever make this kind of thing for us?" I matter-of-factly replied, "Because I would eat the entire pie, minus half a piece which you would nibble on." My husband is not a sweets fan, unlike myself. I dont just have a sweet tooth; I have 32 sweet teeth. I'm currently battling with my desire for some Oreos and milk - my favorite cookie combo.

Earlier this week, I remembered this conversation and I came to my husband with an offer:

I'll make you whatever you want for your birthday!

It was his chance to get any sort of baked good under the sun and my opportunity to show him some love through baking. Here's how the conversation on friday afternoon played out.

Me: So have you decided what delicious goodie you'd like for your birthday?

Jordan: I can pick anything???

Me: Yep.

Jordan: Red Velvet Cake!

Me: (look of disdain... and in my mind thinking: But that's a holiday thing. You dont make red velvet cake in June. He's nuts.)

Jordan: (sensing my indignation) Ok, I guess no red velvet cake.

(Pause.)

(Light goes off)

CHEESECAKE!

Me: Done.

And thus, my cheesecake quest began. Given that it was my husband's birthday, I wanted to make him something really special. I began narrowing down my selections in my mind, knowing he wasnt a fan of fruit-flavored cheesecakes. No lemon blueberry, or caramel apple, or pumpkin (also a holiday-only type dessert!). I wanted something more distinctive than plain cheesecake. I searched through my cabinet of cookbooks with little luck. Pioneer woman is sorely lacking in the cheesecake department. Tasty Kitchen had some options, but none that really stood out. I almost went with a Paula Deen Praline cheesecake, but knew in my mind there was something out there better suited to my husband's tastes. I spent the better part of 2 hours searching for the perfect recipe.

And I think I did.

For Turtle Cheesecake. The ultimate combination of cheesecake, chocolate, caramel and pecans. My husband declared in sunday school today that it was awesome. Those of you who know my husband and his quirky food rating habits, are fully aware that this is a big deal.

Dont be fooled by inferior Turtle cheesecake recipes that make plain cheesecake and top it with caramel sauce, chocolate chips and nuts. You aint gonna find that here. Feast your eyes on this:

Let me tell you (and I am kind of tooting my own horn here... sorry!), that this cheesecake is as divine as it looks. Oreo crust. Caramel Pecan layer. Chocolate cheesecake. Drool. It's hard to believe I've only had 2 pieces so far. This recipe is going in my brain file of awesome recipes to make for anything and everything. (See also: Cherry Yum Yum and Beef Stroganoff!). You must make this recipe!!!! Just Do it!!!

Turtle Cheesecake

2 cups crushed oreo cookies

3 tbsp melted butter

1 bag (14oz) kraft caramels

1 can (5 oz) evaporated milk

1 cup chopped pecans

2 packages (8oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

350 degrees.

Combine melted butter and oreo crumbs and press into a 9in springform pan. Work some crumbs about halfway up the side. If it doesnt easily press together, add in an additional 1-2 tbsp melted butter. In a saucepan over low heat, melt caramels into evaporated milk. Stir regularly until well-incorporated and smooth. Pour mixture directly onto crust. Top with pecans. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Melt the chocolate in the microwave (watch closely!!!) or double boiler and fold chocolate into cream cheese mixture. Pour chocolate cream cheese goodness over pecans. Bake 40-50 minutes or until filling is set. (I didnt use a water bath because I knew Jordan wouldnt care if it was cracked or not. Surprisingly, it still didnt crack.) Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove from pan and DEVOUR.

HLC Journey 2011

2011-06-18T21:32:00.002-05:00

We are back from camp!!!

It was HOT! (try 105+ some afternoons!)

God showed up in a big way in our students' lives.

We had fun!

I'm glad to be back to my own bed & bathroom!

Check out a few pictures from the last week:

I'd like to take a quick moment to wish a very happy birthday to my funny-honey, smokin-hot SuperHusband!!!!!

Our students won 2 of the 3 tournaments hosted by Highland Lakes! We have some awesome athletes (who also just so happen to love Jesus!). They won the volleyball tournament and basketball tournament and were awarded the golden plunger and golden eyemask. I think the dodgeball tournament was rigged so that we didnt have a three-peat!

Austin-bound

2011-06-12T22:09:00.002-05:00

Bright and early tomorrow morning, 40 folks (a ton of students and a few brave adults) will be boarding a bus for Highland Lakes! I'm super excited about youth camp this year, and I know many of our students are as well.

If you could remember, please spend a few minutes in prayer each day this week. Pray that our students would be challenged, have fun, be safe, see God, hear His word, encourage each other, and SLEEP! But mostly, that God would receive the highest glory and honor this week.

Thank you in advance to all my wonderful and lovely blog readers for the prayers I know will come our way!! You guys are the bomb.com!

We arrive back in Rockport on Friday afternoon; full report with pictures to come!

Struggles

2011-06-06T14:12:00.002-05:00

It's time to get real here folks.

So bear with me while I quickly delve into the depths of something I'm having a few minor issues with. It's not gonna be pretty, but every once in a while we have to go deeper than recipes and Harry Potter, right? It's what makes us relatable, right?

Anyway. Here goes.

I applied to graduate school. Some of you know this already. To others, surprise! I chose this crazy cool/expensive/difficult program at this fantastic school and just went for it. I was super stoked about the possibilities of furthering my education, but was also mindful of the burden that school would put on us. We dont have kids, so that's nothing to worry about, but the costs are astronomical (or at least it sure seems like it to me!) and the time commitment of full time graduate school and a full time job would make my free time essentially nonexistent. So I prayed about it. I prayed that God would use this to bring great glory to Himself. I prayed that He would remove feelings of pride, recognition-seeking or just degree/money-seeking. And then I asked that things just be really really simple. Black and White. In or out. Yes or no. God's will? Accepted. Not God's will? Declined.

I even had this idea in my mind of a cute/funny blog post. It'd have been something about Jordan and I facing a huge life change this fall... something that would keep me up late at night and drain all our money but would be worth it in the end. Something that seemed like we were having a baby, but it'd really be graduate school. Something that would frustrate (in a loving way) all those people who are pressuring us to have a baby (in a loving way, I'm sure.).

And then I got wait-listed. Let the heartburn commence.

No easy, simple answers. Not really declined, but not officially accepted either. I'm in limbo. I really wasnt all that great at being patient from the time I clicked "send" in January to April when I found out that I was chosen as an alternate. Since April, I've been mostly a basket case. Now, not only am I still waiting and trying to be patient, but I'm pretty much 100% certain that I'm only waiting to hear no thanks in the end.

I've never been declined from any program or job that I've applied to, so this is a whole new, painful humbling experience. Mostly I feel like I've failed. And telling well-meaning people who ask about school has also been ugly and embarrassing. Not fun.

Thanks for letting me vent all my frustrations. I'm not really in the market for sympathy. Although, extra prayers for understanding and patience and AN ACCEPTANCE LETTER would certainly be appreciated. I am still really excited about the idea of graduate school and would be overjoyed to get the opportunity to start this fall. And pray for Jordan while you're at it. I think maybe I'm making him a little crazy with my daily whinings about not getting a phone call. He may need an extra dose of patience as well. Among other things.

All caught up

2011-06-05T19:19:00.002-05:00

So, 2, maybe 3 weeks ago, Jordan and I were sitting in a theater watching Something Borrowed. It was a cute movie, nothing spectacular, but still a fun movie. Regardless, this post isnt about Something Borrowed. It's about a trailer that played before the movie started. I am actually a little bewildered that the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was shown before a lighthearted romantic comedy. But again, that's neither here nor there. After the preview was over, I shared something with my husband that i'd been mulling around for a couple of weeks.

I wanted to catch up on the Harry Potter series.

Imagine my delight when he shared with me that he also had a hankering for Harry!

Up until that point, we had only seen the first movie back in like 2002 or something. We obviously didnt jump on the Harry Potter bandwagon when it was in full swing, but with the help of friends and Blockbuster and Redbox, we are all caught up and more than ready for Deathly Hallows 2!

Note: I didnt read the books. (and I dont plan to. and I dont want to know all the reasons why the books are superior.)

And another note: I/we havent jumped on another not-named book/movie franchise. (and I/we dont plan to. and I/we dont want to hear that the books will change my/our life/lives.)

Anyway. Back to Hogwarts.

Ok, so maybe I got on wikipedia today and read all about the Deathly Hallows book and already know the ending. But I'm still excited to see it.

Introducing

2011-05-27T21:58:00.002-05:00

Mr. Christopher Michael
May 26, 2011 @ 1:56pm (eastern)
6 pounds 7ounces
19.75 inches

I'm a very happy auntie and very proud of my sister! I love them both so very much and I cant wait to visit him and kiss his sweet little cheeks!

Throwbacks

2011-05-26T12:04:00.003-05:00

I am anxiously awaiting the birth of my nephew- my sister is in labor and the little Mr. will be here any minute now (see I told you she was close!). So to pass the time while I wait with very little patience, I give you another recipe!

I was reading Carey's blog on blondies when I remembered a wonderful treat from my childhood. Every once in a while, my mom would make chewy cake. I specifically remember her making it once for a vacation (to which we would always drive for hours on end to get to) and putting it in an orange tupperware. I think we were going to the beach, and everyone snacked on chewy cake while we were there. Funny the things I remember from my childhood.

Anyway, chewy cake is kind of an enigma. It has the chewy consistency (imagine that!) of a brownie but doesnt contain any form of chocolate, which makes it neither brownie nor blondie. It doesnt have icing (although a praline-like icing would fit the bill nicely), so if a qualifier for cake includes having icing, then it is not a cake either. I wouldnt classify it as a bar, even though it's served in squares...

Oh just make the darn recipe.

Chewy Cake
1 box light brown sugar
1 stick butter softened
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2.5 cups self rising flour
pinch of salt
nuts (I chose finely chopped pecans, but walnuts would be delicious also.)

325 degrees.
Cream sugar and butter until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time until well incorporated. Add vanilla. Add flour slowly until well incorporated. Mix in nuts. Pour batter (will be thick and sticky) into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake x 30 minutes. Cool and cut into squares. This is the one application in which I would recommend complete cooling before devouring. Then you can actually appreciate the chewiness!

And if that werent enough of a throwback already, for dinner on Tuesday night I cooked up cube steak with rice & gravy. And had chewy cake for dessert. Raise your hand if your mom fixed cube steak for dinner. It was like I was 6 years old all over again!

Hallelujah 10 centimeters! I'm off to wait impatiently by my phone for a "He's Here!!!!"

Days Gone By

2011-05-24T20:43:00.002-05:00

So it's been 2 weeks since my last post! That's shameful! It has definitely been a busy few weeks here in the Mims' house, and I'm gonna post a little recap of what life's been like recently.

It took me an hour to catch up on all the facebooking (So & so got married! This girl had a baby! That guy graduated! Etc.), Blogging, and Pioneer Woman-ing. Not exactly how I could've spent an hour today, but I feel like I'm back to being connected once again.

I spent last weekend (May 11-May 18) in Augusta (with a night & morning in Houston thrown in there too). It's always nice to see family and friends again and this time was no exception. I specifically chose to come into town to throw my sister a baby shower. I expect a call anyday now that she's in labor with her sweet boy. I am brokenhearted to not be there for his birth (as I was a rule-breaking visitor and snuck in to the birth of my niece!), but hope to be back in town sometime over the summer to see him and kiss his cheeks! They still arent sure about a name, but I've heard a lot of the possibilities and would never doubt my sister's choices. If I made a list of the classiest people I know, Jenn would be at the top. She's a pretty awesome sister!

I also got to spend a lot of the weekend with my other sister, which is always so much fun. I am so lucky to have such great sisters! We went out to eat and went shopping and saw movies together and painted toenails and ate cupcakes and decorated and baked and laughed and commiserated. We visited a church that neither of us had been to before. It was so much fun! Casey's husband is looking at graduate schools and I'm hoping that he chooses UNT, which will only be about 6 hours from us, as opposed to 18!

Not only did I get in a good dose of sister time, but also got to spend some quality time with my parents and 2 of my favorite friends. By the end of my trip, I was tired and ready to come home to my husband.

I've done my fair share of working since I've been home, and when I havent been working, it still seems like I'm running all day long! Beach to bay 2011 was this past Saturday and I ran leg #2 (of 6 total) for a team with a coworker and a bunch of people I didnt know! I was kind of dreading the race, but got that familiar, overwheming excitement and feeling of accomplishment when I saw the leg 2/3 chute. I'd considered finding a new exercise/hobby, but maybe running isnt completely out of the picture for me afterall.

Early & overcast morning shot- just before leg #1 started! From L to R: Me, Zoe, Carin. I dont think I've ever seen that many skinny people in Corpus Christi all in one place at the same time! (Thank you, Men's Health magazine for naming CC, TX the "fattest city in the US." Spend an afternoon in walmart and you'll understand why. And then you'll go buy stock in whatever pharmaceutical company makes insulin.)

But that's neither here nor there.

Also, this past weekend, we recognized our graduates, both on Saturday night and on Sunday morning. The Saturday banquet was a special time spent honoring our seniors and their families and friends. Tears and hugs abounded at the banquet, coupled with laughter and good memories. Then, we spent some time during the sunday morning services recognizing the students before the entire church. And then the hubs preached. And I was proud of him. (as always!)

This is just a few of our graduating seniors. Jordan and I will certainly miss them all!!!

What I've done

2011-05-10T14:45:00.002-05:00

I've received many more incredulous and horrified looks since revealing that Jordan and I no longer have cable. And to clarify (because i've received this question numerous times as well), when I say we have no cable I mean we have nothing. No basic channels. No local channels. If we turn our TV on, it's to watch a movie or play a video game. Most of the time it looks like this:

It's quiet. And that's nice.

This doesnt mean that we are totally unplugged from the world- last night, Jordan watched the Amazing Race finale on Abc.com or hulu or something. I'd hoped for the cowboys or globe trotters to win it all, but alas. I'd consider watching Glee online except that it's not nearly as fun and appealing as season 1 was. Again, alas.

So for those curious minds out there (and to kill some time now that I dont have mindless shows to kill it for me) i've kept up a little journal of what we've done with our time since we've left cable television in the dust.

I Give You....

What I've Done After 7pm

Wednesday: (the first day with a blank screen.... DirecTV took a few days to actually cut our feed after we cut our $$) Church. Ran 3 miles. Checked Facebook. Wrote a blog. Quiet Time. Bed.

Thursday: Watched Iron Man. Organized my jewelry...

... Played Angry Birds. Read a few pages of Desiring God by John Piper. Quiet Time. Bed Time.

Friday: Honduras Mission Team Fundraiser & Movie Night. Browsed Tasty Kitchen and other wonderful food blogs for new recipes. Read a few more pages of Desiring God. Tried numerous times to play Scene It! with Jordan via bluetooth. No success. Bedtime.

Saturday: Work. Eat (Poppyseed chicken! Thanks hubs!). Quiet Time/Desiring God. Sleep.

Sunday: Work (spent all day helping women become mothers on mothers day. Decided I wanted nothing to do with being a mother anytime soon. I love you mom!). Eat (Pizza Hut). Facebook stalked for RFHS Prom Pictures. Desiring God/Quiet Time. Sleep.

Monday: Work. Eat (Chick-fil-A!)

Sidenote: I could write an entire blog post about my newfound LOVE of Chick-Fil-A Sauce. Oh how I love thee!

Goodbye boring BBQ. My allegiance now lies with Chick-Fil-A Sauce.

Where have you been all my life?

You make waffle fries divine and chicken nuggets... nuggetier.

sigh....

Back to Monday. After I got home from work, I fell asleep on the couch after doing some facebooking & blog stalking.

See that! Life can exist outside of TV! Bah to all you naysayers! My non-work days have been filled with all sorts of good things like cooking and cleaning and laundry and exercise and naps! Tonight I am cooking Chicken Spaghetti and hosting our Bible Study group. Also today, I will do some laundry and pack for an upcoming trip to Augusta and clean the house. And Run. And finish this blog.

And post a random-not-at-all-relating picture of myself and the hubs:

Nonsensical

2011-05-04T21:12:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time there was a doughnut. And this doughnut's life goal was to captain a ship. He hoped and prayed that an opportunity would come his way and that one day, in some way, he could become a ship's captain. It just so happened that not long ago, this doughnut found himself on a ship! He knew in his heart that his time had come. He made his way to the ship's helm and spoke with the captain. He pleaded and begged to be the captain of the ship, even if just for a few minutes. The captain told him that he was a doughnut and in no way capable of being a ship's captain. Brokenhearted, the doughnut rolled off the ship and into the ocean.

Jordan and I chose to cancel our cable this week. I announced this at work yesterday and got a lot of funny looks and stares. Someone goes, "Why did you have to turn off your cable? You're an RN!" (as if to insinuate that I have plenty of money to afford such luxuries as cable.) People just dont seem to understand that we chose to cut this from our lives. Sure, I'll miss Say Yes to the Dress, but lets face it, I'm finally cutting out a major time-sucker and I'm eager to see what proactive things I can fill my time with now that I dont have trash tv and reruns to occupy my day.

And just to clarify: according to hubs, the cable will be reinstated once football season (and more importantly, the NFL Sunday Ticket) resumes.

Speaking of football (in a roundabout way), the dates for Passion 2012 have been announced! Jordan and I will be heading to Atlanta on January 2 and descending on the Georgia Dome (where the falcons play... see the football connection now?). There has been so much that has already come from the workings of Passion 2011, that I am much-o excit-o for next year! For those of you upcoming seniors and college students here in Rockport, start saving your pennies and mark your calendars (1/2/12 - 1/5/12)!

I have a friend who went fishing the other day (not surprising- considering I live at the beach and fishing is very much a way of life here), and poor girl somehow dropped her wedding ring in the water. I'd be a basket case if something like that happened to me. Somehow, she kept on fishing, caught several fish and reluctantly went home to break the news to her husband. Once she got home, her husband started to clean the fish and something fantastic happened! Guess what he found when he cut open the belly of one of her fish?!?!!

A doughnut.

Do Something!

2011-05-01T20:38:00.002-05:00

Today I want to plug a ministry that I am in support of. I've rewritten this blog several times because I dont want to send the wrong message. Do Something Now is a ministry branch of the Passion Movement and is based around the idea that Together We are a Force for Good. Most specifically, I want to bring to light their Haiti Rising campaign. In this, Passion has joined forces with Samaritan's Purse (you know about them if you've ever stuffed shoe boxes at Christmas!) to aid in removing what has kept Haiti from rebuilding after the devastating earthquake over a year ago.

Check out what the Do Something Now website says about Haiti Rising:

Among the massive challenges facing rebuilding efforts in Haiti is the seemingly endless amount of rubble left in the earthquake’s wake. Over a year after the devastating blow, thousands of homes, businesses, schools and churches lie in ruins, mounds of collapsed concrete slabs that remain a formidable barrier to the future. Many of the issues that plague Haiti’s rebirth are complex, yet rubble removal is not. That is, if the right equipment is in place and skilled teams are on the scene. While it takes a dozen workers armed with hammers months to clear one two-story home, a heavy equipment team using an excavator and a dump truck can accomplish the same task in one day. One month vs. one day. Yet, there are few such heavy equipment teams working in Haiti as we speak. Until the rubble is gone, rebuilding cannot begin. Together, we can help clear the way, creating the possibility for families, schools, businesses and churches to rise again.

The goal of this ministry is to provide a second heavy equipment team to aid in removing more of the rubble and help Haiti rebuild itself. To learn more about this ministry or to give to this cause, visit Do Something Now. At the very least, I would ask that, you- my lovely and wonderful blog readers, would pass this information forward. Facebook it, Tweet it, Blog it-- whatever! Half the battle is assembling the troops!

And now for the disclaimer: I dont want to make light the destruction that many southeast towns are facing in the wake of the terrible storms from last week. There are many many needs that are coming out of this and I am aware of this and do not want to pretend or seem like any one need is more important than another. I also know of many individuals personally who have been affected by the tornadoes and am happy to connect a "giver" with a need if you are interested in helping.

Luscious Lemon Bars

2011-04-26T16:42:00.002-05:00

Crumbs on the couch....

Crumbs on the counter....

Can only mean one thing....

Lemon Bars.

This recipe is easy easy easy and one of the many that I've stolen from a fellow seminary wife. I made these the other night for our Desiring God Bible study and got rave reviews! These arent your ordinary lemon bars, so dont come expecting some bright yellow jelly-like bars with powdered sugar on top (although I wont turn those down either!).

These yummy, creamy, crumbly lemon bars wipe the floor with the ordinary lemon bars.

They fart in the ordinary bars' general direction.

So make these the next time you need a quick & easy dessert! It wont fail you!

Lemon Bars

1 box yellow cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

8 oz cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cake mix, 1 egg and oil until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of mixture for topping. In a 9x13 pan, pat the remaining mixture into the bottom, making a thin layer. Bake for 15 minutes. While baking, combine cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and remaining egg until creamy. Smooth over baked crust. Sprinkle on the crumbled topping. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool and cut into squares.

Or just wait until it's not blistering hot, forgo the squares and eat the entire pan of lemon bars while they're still warm. With skim milk of course.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T19:08:00.003-05:00

Happy Easter Everyone!!! ALL praise and ALL honor and ALL glory be unto Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer!

Ps. Congrats EMILY on winning the S&D Giveaway.... shoot me an email ASAP with your choices and a mailing address! (hollie_mims@yahoo.com)

Three Hundred!

2011-04-13T10:39:00.003-05:00

So I promised something wonderful and exciting for my 300th post, and I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that I live up to my word!

It's GIVEAWAY TIME!

In celebration of the arrival of the Summer 2011 styles from Stella & Dot, I'm giving one lucky lady something fabulous and sparkly!!! I love Stella & Dot so much, I decided last fall to become an independent stylist. They have pieces for everyone! Gold. Silver. Sparkly. Simple. Classic. I have thoroughly enjoyed making some extra money letting the jewelry sell itself! Let me share some of my favorite pieces:

Petra.

This bracelet is the most versatile piece of jewelry you'll ever invest in. I wear it All. The. Time. And I get compliments on it EVERY time I wear it! Wear it with jeans and a cute top or with a dress and heels- it works with so much and adds some interest and attitude to an outfit! I love Petra!

The toujours bracelet is brand spankin new, is super cute, and is incredibly affordable! I cant wait to wear this beauty!

I could put pictures of the entire line up here! All the jewelry is of the highest quality and made with sterling silver and 14k gold. I cant say enough about the jewelry from Stella & Dot (can you tell?!). And soon enough, one very lucky lady will will $50 to spend on Stella & Dot Jewelry!!!!!

Are you salivating yet?! Here's how to enter: Visit stelladot.com/Hollie and look around. Then come back here and tell me what your favorite piece is! Easy peasy! (please also leave me an email address!)

Plus get a few extra entries!!!

1. Become a follower!

2. Blog/tweet/or facebook about a great ministry: Do Something Now: Haiti Rising (read all about it here.) Also, stay tuned for a blog all about Haiti Rising!

Entries will be accepted until Friday, April 22!

(want more than $50 to spend as you wish? Talk to me about hostessing a show! My hostesses have all received at least $250 in jewelry!)

Breath-taking.

2011-04-10T18:29:00.005-05:00

The Lord, in all His great sovereignty never ceases to amaze me on a very personal level. He never fails to teach me when I ask for knowledge. He is always faithful to humble me when I seek to be more like Him. As Dr. Piper put it, God uses us and our circumstances to make much of Himself. Isnt that the business that God is in? Making much of Himself? And isnt that the only thing we can expect from the Creator of the Universe?

But are we so lost in the shuffle of life that we've lost sight of the miraculous fact that Creator God wants to use us to bring Him glory? That He wants to call our name?

In Acts 9, we learn of a man named Ananias. Sure, the big story, the awe-inspiring story from this chapter is that of Saul's conversion. If there's anyone who can ever say "God doesnt want me, because I've done bad things," then Acts 8 & 9 should be their proof that God can use anyone to accomplish His purposes. Even more than that, who would have ever anticipated that evil Saul would be transformed into Paul who found joy in his imprisonment and won nations over to Christ in his writings. As Louie Giglio put it last week, Saul experienced a 180 degree change in his life's trajectory. Saul was at one time persecuting and imprisoning Christians. He stood by and watched as Stephen was stoned to death- he in fact approved the execution! Fast forward 30 years and Paul can be found in prison stating "To live is Christ, to die is gain." (Phil. 1:21). What a miraculous and God-glorifying change that would have such a massive worldwide impact. Can you even begin to understand the measure of what God has done in this one circumstance?

Getting back to Ananias- he played a crucial role in this story as well.

"In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, 'Ananias!' 'Yes, Lord,' he answered." (v. 10)

Two things here: First off, lets get obvious. The God of the universe called Ananias by name. The Creator of all things called. out. to. him. We know this, because in the Bible, it's in red letters. Red letters = words of Christ. How cool would it be to see your name in red letters? God still calls to His people. He called to Ananias to be apart of His plan. This leads to #2 which is that Ananias says YES. Not "maybe" or "hold on" or "I dont know" or "let me pray about it". Just yes. He didnt know what God was calling him to, but was willing to go with it and said "Yes."

How much could we accomplish for the Kingdom of God if we were both (1) Listening for and anticipating God's call and (2) willing to say yes no matter the cost? What if we said yes? Not "maybe" or "hold on" or "I dont know" or (the ubiquitous church blow-off) "let me pray about it."

Now Ananias shortly learns that God was sending him to Saul. (The evil persecutor Saul) Nobody knew at the time that God had already visited Saul on the road to Damascus, so understandably, Ananias was fearful of his mission. Despite this (and with considerable encouragement from the Lord in the next few verses), he never backed down on his "Yes."

Fast forward: Ananias meets Saul and restores his sight. Paul later speaks of Ananias: "a devout man according to the law; well spoken of by all the jews who lived there, came to me and standing by me said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight... The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.'" (Acts 22:12-15)

Glimpses

2011-04-04T11:38:00.003-05:00

I'm still reeling from Passion 2011.

Trying still to process the weekend, my soul is overwhelmed and encouraged and overjoyed and burdened by Creator God.

"The Lord said to him in a vision, 'Ananias.' And he said, 'Yes, Lord.'" Acts 9:10b

You make beautiful things. You make beautiful things out of the dust.

Self will never satisfy a heart created for God.

If you let me live until tomorrow, you're getting Jesus. If you kill me, I get Jesus.

(Phil 1:21 paraphrased)

I'm not okay with knowing that the first time some people hear about God is from the Koran.

For You and You alone awake my soul to sing.

For the world to You love, Let your will be done in me.

FBC Rockport (SUYL)

2011-03-31T22:30:00.002-05:00

Is it strange that when I googled "FBC Rockport, Tx" for photos of my beloved church, the 4th image on the list was a picture of yours truly??

I was a little creeped out.

Needless to say, I didnt find any good google-able photos of our church. Thankfully, I've posted (with pictures!) before about our move to Rockport. Check it out.

My husband and I attend FBC Rockport because my lovely and wonderful husband is on staff! He works full time as the Minister to Students (AKA Youth Pastor!) and I help out wherever help is needed! We really love FBC- it's the largest church in our town and we usually have about 500-600 divided between a traditional and contemporary service.

Oh look! I found a map! It's outdated, but you get the idea... the red star = FBC. That blue stuff is water. As in the beach. Living 2 miles from the beach means Rockport is about as laid back as it comes, which also translates to our church. We take the Bible seriously, but we're pretty easy going about everything else. It's not uncommon to see people in jeans or fishing shirts at our services.

Like I said, despite our relaxed demeanor, our head pastor, Scott Jones is Biblically sound and not only encouraging but also challenging and unafraid to step on people's toes when the timing calls for it. It also never hurts to throw a little humor in the mix.

I totally hadnt planned on blogging today, especially after having to stay at work an hour after shift change due to a late c-section, but when I saw Kelly's Korner doing a SUYL about churches, I had to spread the word about how grrrrrreat FBCR really really is! I love my church!!!!

296

2011-03-30T14:02:00.002-05:00

This is blog post #296 and I've got something very VERY special planned for #300. That'll be right around the corner, so hang around friends and see what kind of exciting excitement this post will bring us?

Did you know the year 300 was a leap year? Fascinating!

I cant leave you with nothing (although I'd love to make 3 more short pointless blogs just to get to the big & special surprise), so here's a new recipe for a yummy steak marinade! Gone are the days of Dale's super salty serum!

Firehall Steak Marinade

(Sorry, no pictures... I ate the results!)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup brown sugar

4 cloves garlic, peeled & halved

3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

3 tbsp Montreal Steak seasoning

1 tsp Dried Mustard

1 tsp Ginger, fresh & grated

1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce

Combine all ingredients in a gallon sized plastic bag & shake to combine. Marinate steaks for at least an hour, but can be left overnight. Makes enough marinade for 4 steaks. Enjoy!

The first time I made it, I completely forgot the garlic and it still turned out alright. Also, soy sauce can be subbed in for teriyaki if you are out. The sugar helps the steaks to get a nice caramelization on the grill, but also gives a negligible sweetness to the steak. I found it to be a nice flavor complement to the smoky/salty-ness going on, but my husband requested that I cut back on the brown sugar next time around. Make it your own! Great for chicken and pork tenderloin as well!

Completely unrelated to anything in this post: I'm counting down the hours and minutes until Passion 2011/Fort Worth this weekend. Yes I'm going. Be jealous. Pictures and firsthand accounts to come!

A Glimpse into my world

2011-03-29T22:00:00.002-05:00

Most often, when people learn what I do for a living, curiosity takes hold and people want to know what it's like. What's the grossest thing I've ever seen? (seeing 4th degree tears always make me feel woozy) Does everyone poop while pushing? (I'd estimate about 60% of people do, and it's not a big deal.) What's the weirdest baby name you've heard? (recently? Jedi.) And so on and so forth.

In a word, my job is profane. Sure, bringing life into the world is a wonderful and joyous occasion, but just remember the circumstances leading up to the birth. Labor can get vulgar, dirty and just plain gross. So, be warned!

The top 5 most jaw-dropping, head-scratching patient comments I've heard recently :

1. "Lately, my crotch snot has gotten a little out of hand." -gag.-

2. -after her doc performs a cervical exam- "Good grief, It felt like he was fisting me."

3. Me: Oh! Your baby has the hiccups -which when heard by the baby monitors, is a very very distinctive sound.- Patient: "That's what that is?! I totally thought it was my baby farting."

4. "Earlier today, I had (whispers) a bowel movement, and about 45 minutes later, my butt itched really really bad."

5. "I'm highly allergic to apple juice. Like my throat swells and I get hives. I'm not allergic to apples though, and if the apple juice is mixed in something like a drink or fruit punch, then it doesnt bother me at all." -huh?!-

Welcome to my world. What's something you've always wanted to know about labor & delivery?

Keeping my green thumbs crossed?

2011-03-27T18:46:00.002-05:00

I spent much of this past week out in my yard salvaging some flower beds. Lots of bugs, weed pulling, digging and sunburning later, I am really proud of my beds. Before you go expecting some major great landscaping, just to clarify, I'd never really consider myself a green thumb. To further reinforce this fact, you should know there are no "Before" pictures. Only "Afters."

But in all fairness, to get the full experience, just imagine pictures of completely weeded-out beds. As in, you may not even realize that it was at one point a flower bed because there are no discernible borders. Only crabgrass.

Farewell dastardly crabgrass.

Feast your eyes.

We got Mandevilla, Bouganvillea, Lily of the Nile, Lantana and something else I dont remember the name of. Many of these lovely flowering plants grow to be quite large and I'm hoping that one day I'll be excited to show off my lush backyard tropical oasis.

That might be a bit much.

These guys are plumbago and I hope that they will grow to be large flowering bushes that eventually cover up those ugly white pipe things that stick out of my front yard.

Something that looks like this:

Hey, a girl can dream right?

Today

2011-03-22T22:53:00.002-05:00

So far today....

1. I stepped in poop.

(not dog poop OR cat poop OR even baby poop. Seriously adult human poop.)

2. Someone asked if I was pregnant.

(no.)

I'd consider the day a success.

What a week!

2011-03-20T18:14:00.003-05:00

So I guess the spring break memo didnt quite get to me- there was a lot of spring with very little break! Jordan spent the week with a group of kids in New Mexico doing some snow skiing and attending the WinterFuge camp. Funny how we were separated by about 1100 miles of distance and 7400 feet of elevation! (Rockport : 0 ft above sea level. Glorieta : 7400 feet above sea level. Talk about altitude sickness!!!)

Because the week of spring break is about as difficult to get off as Christmas, I had to stick around south texas and work! So since I was husbandless and dogless (Mauve stayed at the doggy hotel for the week), I worked 4 days instead of the usual 3.

(and here's a side note: for all you non-nurses, the typical full time nurse works three 12.5 hour shifts per week. That's 7am to 7:30pm give or take. Because I live 45 miles away, I leave at 6am and get home around 8:15. Long days.)

I dont usually work more than 3 days because Jordan and I are often busy with church activities at least 2, sometimes 3 and 4 days per week. Since it was spring break, youth services were suspended, so I picked up an extra shift. So I spent Monday to Thursday in the Labor unit having babies and taking names.

And since extra work = extra $$, I did something stupid...

I went with 3 friends and their combined 5 kids to the San Marcos outlet malls. On Friday. During spring break.

What were we thinking???

Despite the heat + major crowds + kid meltdowns, we had a fun time and I got lots of great new goodies, including a FAB Kate Spade purse. I'd consider the trip a total success. After shopping (and sending some of the kids to their grandparents!), we spent the night in San Antonio.

After a busy week as a bachelorette, my husband is home and I couldnt be more excited to see him and have him around again. I love my hubs!

WCS Pictorial Recap

2011-03-12T20:37:00.004-06:00

Hello crazy hairs! This was pre-race with my work bud Kenna. The wind was whipping and I'm not talking just whipping my hair... if you get my drift. Probably at least a third of the race was run directly into the wind.

Gag.

About an hour later, a post race cool down, where I actually got to enjoy the sea breeze sitting on the steps of the beachfront pavilion. Not too shabby!

And back at home after the race for a nice little nap!

And completely unrelated: I'm just wondering if anyone knows of a Klondike bar eating technique that results in clean fingers and face? Surely there must be a way.

What would you do-oo-oo for (clean hands after eating) a Klondike bar?!

Around the corner

2011-03-10T15:25:00.002-06:00

The Rockport Whooping Crane Strut 10K is this weekend! It's falling in the middle of my half marathon training, so I feel like I'm pretty well prepared for it. I ran 9 miles last Sunday and 10k= 6.2 miles!

This is actually my first 10k, which is funny since I've already done 2 half marathons (with a 3rd in a month!) and I really have no thoughts about this race. Me, no thoughts? Shocking, I know. I just hope to have fun! I'm dreading the early morning more than the 6 miles and I'm looking forward to a celebratory breakfast taco instead of a fast finish!

I'm off for a 4 miler this afternoon. Here's hoping for a quick 6 on Saturday!

Keepin it Real

2011-03-05T21:28:00.003-06:00

Even though today is a Saturday, I feel like I have actually accomplished something on my day off. Lets recap, shall we?

-Went to the grocery store

-Vacuumed the Rug

-Heartgard-ed & Frontline-d little Mauve

-Ran 3.81 miles

-Cooked & baked until the sink was full to capacity...

Yes folks, we all know what this picture means....

Hello Love. I've missed you.

And there's a lot more where those came from. Half of the batch will head with me to church in the morning and feed a bunch of high school girls (and maybe the boys if we have leftovers!).

But that's not all!

I also made a pot of spaghetti sauce! I love this recipe- it's my mom's and it always reminds me of my childhood. It's kind of an all day undertaking, not that it's difficult, it just takes time. My perfect spaghetti dinner? A lot of noodles, a handful of grated mozzarella and sauce on top!

And I've got frugal covered also! See, here's the way things usually run after spaghetti night: I freeze the leftover sauce and later use it to make a pan (9x9) of lasagna. The only problem was that Jordan and I couldnt ever finish the pan and we dont do leftovers. So I recently took a Kohl's gift card I had lying around and invested in 2 smaller 4x7ish size pans- perfect size for 2 servings!

So after dinner, I made 2 pans of lasagna with the leftover sauce and these babies are now hanging out in our freezer (flanked by a few pans of fresh cinnies), waiting for the perfect evening!

Dont you love productive days??

Hurrah!

2011-03-04T22:06:00.002-06:00

Civilization has returned to the Mims' Casa! And in honor of having reliable wifi once again (the internet's been dying for weeks and then finally kicked the bucket. AT&T's been replaced!), I shall entertain with a joke!

A Cheerio Tale:

Once there was a cheerio, and he was just a plain old cheerio. Since nobody really likes plain cheerios, Mr. Cheerio lived a life just as plain. But he wished and wished and wished that one day he would miraculously become a frosted cheerio, since of course those are the best. Despite his wishing, Mr. Cheerio went on about his plain life, with his plain job in his plain house.

One day, Mr Cheerio woke up to an interesting sight. Overnight, he developed a small oddly-colored spot! Bewildered, Mr Cheerio didnt really know what to do. He went along to work as usual, but all day long wondered what that spot meant. Finally, that evening, he gathered up all the courage he had.... and licked the spot. And nothing happened.

The next morning, Mr Cheerio woke up and was getting ready for his day when suddenly (!!) he looked in the mirror and realized that throughout the night, he morphed from a plain Cheerio into a much fancier Honey Nut Cheerio! Mr. Cheerio was pumped, because even though Honey Nut cheerios dont quite measure up to their frosted counterparts, it's a much better fate than to be a plain cheerio. So Mr. Honey Nut then reaped the benefits- new job, better house, more friends. His life was really turning around, however, deep down inside, Mr Honey Nut still really wanted to be a frosted cheerio.

Several weeks go by and one day, Mr Honey Nut wakes up to find himself in a familiar situation: that darn spot is back. Perplexed, Mr Honey Nut goes ahead to work, but spends all day thinking about what this spot could mean for him this time around. He could hardly wait to get home so that he could.... lick the spot once again. And nothing happened.

But then miraculously, the next morning Mr Honey Nut had become a Frosted Cheerio!!! All his wants and wishes and dreams had come true! Mr Frosted was overjoyed! He now had the ticket to the good life: the best job, a great house, tons of friends. Mr Frosted was living large and got invited to all the best parties. In fact, he was at a fabulous party almost every night of the week. Recently, he was at a party and after hours of schmoozing and dancing with other fabulous frosted cheerios, Mr Frosted realized that he was really, really thirsty. So he went around in search of something to drink. He saw in one corner a line of cheerios waiting for milk, but being a smart cheerio, Mr Frosted remembered that cheerios eventually get soggy in milk, so he passed. He continues searching, and comes upon a line of cheerios waiting for water. Mr Frosted, remembering his tasteless plain cheerio days, wants nothing to do with plain old water. Mr Frosted then has an epiphany! He wants- no he NEEDS some fruit punch! So Mr Frosted starts searching and looking. Famished, he asks other cheerios and wanders from room to room in search of his perfect drink. Unfortunately, after hours of searching, Mr Frosted finally realizes....

There is no punchline.

Dark Ages

2011-02-27T16:29:00.002-06:00

My greatest apologies blogger friends on my lack of input recently. The Internet is down at home and life feels like the dark ages again!

So apparently we need an entirely new line placed at our house, and who knows how long it will take for someone to come out, dig up the old & busted and put down a new, working line.

Please forgive my absence! I'll be back in the swing of things as soon as possible!

Bad Juju

2011-02-17T22:34:00.003-06:00

Scene: A nice, unassuming female (she may or may not be a nurse who married a preacher) is 5 hours into a long drive. Suddenly, flashing lights appear in her rearview mirror.

Lady: (filled with dread) Oh good grief. (pulls over)
Cop: (slowly exits car) May I see your license and insurance please?
Lady: Sure. (hands them both over)
Cop: (scanning over information) Just so you know, I've stopped you for speeding. I clocked you on my radar going 76 miles per hour in a 70 mile per hour zone. Is there some sort of emergency for you to be driving this fast?!
Lady: ... Umm, no. (in disbelief that she has been pulled over for a measly 6 miles per hour. 6!!!)
Cop: Well, I'm going to have to issue you a citation for this. Give me a minute and I'll be back.

(a short time later)

Cop: Miss, here's your citation (hands over ticket)
Lady: Look sir, I just want to let you know that I am not only a nurse, but my husband is a pastor and I think if you give me this ticket, you're gonna have some bad juju on your hands.
Cop: Have a nice day miss.

Scene ends.

(the "bad juju" comment may have only played out in the nice lady's mind. What she most likely said was "thank you sir." Because remember she may or may not be a nurse who happens to have a husband in the ministry.)

(Im just saying.)

Running through 2011

2011-02-08T20:55:00.001-06:00

Despite my lackluster finish at the Rock N Roll San Antonio Half Marathon, I have convinced myself (with a little help from my friends) to continue pushing myself and keep on racing.

Purple toenails and all.

Running is such a mind game and while I'm always thrilled with myself to finish a run successfully, getting out of the house is a battle. I often come up with any excuse to sit at home. I'll talk myself out of distance halfway through my runs. It's literally all in my head. My greatest motivation is having a goal ahead of me to work toward. So I'm working my way back up to another half-marathon with a 10k race thrown in the mix. My big race?...

Once again, I'd love to finish a 2:30 half marathon. I didnt meet this goal @ San Antonio and was disappointed in my time. Because of some personal issues that I had to face that same exact weekend, I just have a black cloud mentality surrounding the entire experience. I'm determined to change my mindset, so there really is a lot more riding on my next race than just running and finishing.

I've got 64 days until race day (April 16) and a lot of work to do!

MPact Recap Weekend

2011-02-06T22:06:00.002-06:00

Mpact weekend has come to a close and what a fantastic weekend it was! Everyone's a little tired, had a little too much junk food and most importantly is full of Jesus! Our theme this year was "Roots" and it concentrated on getting back to the basics. We took the weekend to work on the foundation of our faith, which is something everyone needs to revisit from time to time. It was rewarding and fun and exciting and lots of other positive adjective words.

Here's a pictorial recap of the weekend:

Orange Team

Blue Team

Purple Team

... and the guys.

Jordan came up with some pretty ... interesting games this year. What youth event would be complete without gross out games and busted lips?

The few days of wintry weather here in the Coastal Bend was enough to throw a kink into just about everything. Including MPact weekend. The Harbor bridge was closed for about 36 hours which made it nearly impossible to receive mail, including the event t-shirts. I anticipate they'll arrive first thing tomorrow.

Of course, the bad weather wasnt exclusive to south Texas, as a great deal of the state got blanketed with snow and ice. Unfortunately, the James Curlin Band was booked to perform both Friday night and Saturday night and was never able to get out of Waco due to the snow and ice. But some of our student leaders had connections and were able to get a band in at the absolute last minute to play at the Saturday night service.

We hope everyone involved had a wonderful time. Jordan and I want to say a huge huge thank you to all our host homes, who were so great to our students. Big thanks to the college students (and some alumni!) who came in and poured into our kiddos all weekend. Thank you to our volunteers and drivers and bakers and prayers. We couldnt have done all this without you!

Symbiosis

2011-01-25T19:03:00.007-06:00

A symbiotic relationship is a mutually beneficial relationship between two things. Often it's between two different organisms, people or groups. In my case, it's this:

I run because I bake.

Today is no exception: 4 miles in the morning, Beef stroganoff for dinner!

Beef Stroganoff

(minus the mushrooms. Because I dont eat them. Blech. Yucky funguses.)

But in the spirit of full disclosure, I must sheepishly admit that I've never actually eaten mushrooms. I never have given them a fighting chance. One could argue I've also never given Twilight a fighting chance, and I'm not planning on changing my mind anytime soon.

I digress.

What you'll need:

- about 1lb beef stew meat

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 1/2 onion, chopped

- a swirl of vegetable oil

- 2 cans beef broth (low sodium)

- 2 packages brown gravy mix

- 8oz sour cream

- Salt & Pepper to taste

In a cast iron skillet, heat up a swirl of vegetable oil while chopping your onion & garlic. Saute the veggies until softened then remove from pan. Season beef with salt & pepper and toss into the hot (HOT!) skillet. Sear it on both sides and cut the heat to medium. Add beef broth, onions and garlic to beef. Bring broth to a low simmer and cut the heat to low. Simmer for 90 minutes or until beef is tender. Remove about 2/3 of cooked beef from skillet and coarsely shred. To remaining broth, add 2 packets of gravy mix This works best if you take out a cup of the hot broth and whisk in the mix and add this cup into the skillet.... less lumps! If you dont have gravy mix, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch whisked into 1/4 cup of water will also thicken the broth into gravy. Add shredded beef back to gravy. Add in sour cream and stir until combined. Serve hot over egg noodles. A salad or green vegetable will finish the meal and balance out the heavy sauce.

Also, just to clarify, all the funny moments listed on my previous blog happened either at age 5 or younger. It's not cute or anecdotal for a 16 year-old to steal ice cream or pour perfume into dirty flood water. I'm just saying.

Welcome back

2011-01-15T22:02:00.003-06:00

Hello Nerd-dom. I cant say that I've missed you.

According to my dentist, I grind my teeth so terribly bad that I no longer have enamel on my molars, thus, the explanation for the neverending dental problems. And so, I now am the proud owner of an occlusal guard. As in drool-all-over-my-pillow, look-like-a-total-dork mouthpiece.

It really takes me back to the 3rd grade and my full-on orthodontia: headgear and a mouthpiece. (this was post braces, which happened in 2nd grade.)

The only thing that was worse than having braces, headgear and a mouthpiece was the way my teeth looked prior to any orthodontia.

So in the spirit of nostalgia, I want to share with you some of my favorite silly childhood memories. These are from the days where I was old enough to have independent thoughts, but now I look back and say, "what was I thinking?!"

- I vividly remember the day I hit my sister with a broom (I was probably 5, she was 1 or 2) and then vehemently denied it. Unfortunately, I was standing between the broom and my sister and her red, broom-sized lump. Sorry for that one Casey.

-I remember the great flood of 1990 in Augusta. We apparently got about 15 inches of rain and the water had risen up to the step on our back porch. I poured my entire bottle of Tinkerbell perfume into the water. Dont really know why.

-I remember going to Child's World (daycare). It was the first place I saw a little boy's ding-a-ling in the bathroom. Yikes.

-I remember telling the lunch ladies at Augusta Christian that I'd paid for ice cream and I really hadnt. I felt so guilty for lying that I couldnt even eat the ice cream and threw it in the trash. They figured it out and I got in trouble. I lost my Blockbuster privileges for a month.

-I remember sitting across from a snooty girl in kindergarten who had really cute animal erasers but she didnt like me, so she NEVER let me play with them(or even touch them!). So when she was absent one day, I took it upon myself to play with them. Ms. Gentry figured it out and I got in trouble.

-Also in kindergarten, my mom would always send this trail mix type stuff with raisins and dried fruit and I didnt like it at all. Instead of eating it or throwing it away, I'd stash it in my pencil box. By the end of the year, my pencil box reeked.

I can still remember the trail mix smell.

Workin' Hard for the Money

2011-01-14T22:41:00.002-06:00

We've got some big plans for the youth group this year...

-Ski Trip/Winter Camp

-Mpact Weekend

-Passion 2011

-Highland Lakes Camp

-Honduras

(and many more!)

So to help our students pay for some of these great trips, camps, retreats, and missions, we had a BBQ lunch and Bake Sale during Rockport's annual Gospel Fest. We were fortunate to make more money than last year's BBQ/Bake sale, which will be doled out to our students based on hours worked.

Erin & Megan are all smiles! These two girls are going on the Honduras mission trip and need all the financial support they can get their hands on! Needless to say, they were some of our best helpers. Definitely service with a smile!

Our bake sale was overwhelming! We were so so SO blessed to have many church members step up and make cakes, brownies, cookies, cupcakes, breads, pies, bars, treats, candy, popcorn, and many other delicious things to choose from! I kept a good distance from the Becky bread. Just so you know.

Fun story: We also had a cake auction where people could bid on whole cakes and pies made by church members. I made an Italian Creme Cake and put it up for auction... it made $45!!!! I shouldve taken a picture of it. Chris had tasted this yummy cake before and fought tooth and nail against two sweet little ladies and was eventually victorious. I guarantee it wont be the last time I make an Italian Creme cake.

Who could resist buying BBQ and Baked goods from this face???

Rambling

2011-01-05T13:09:00.003-06:00

I've been thinking for weeks about what my first post-hiatus blog would be about. My plan from the very beginning was to take a break until the new year and then start up again.

When I sat down to write, I still wasnt sure what I wanted to say exactly, so to clear my head, I went for a run. 3 miles later, I'm still stuck. So here goes unloading, hopefully without rambling incessantly.

I want to be more deliberately God-honoring in all that I do. This means I want my wireless/cyber/internet footprint to leave just as much of an impact towards the kingdom of God as my literal footprints do. I took a break from social networking to reorient myself and remind myself that there really is very little good in facebook and blog stalking. I'll let you in on my reasoning and maybe the last statement will make more sense.

I am always cautioning the girls (and guys) in our youth to flee from gossip. It serves no purpose but to damage others. And yet, I was spending a considerable amount of time reading status updates from people I had little or nothing to do with. On days off, I'd spend a lot of time writing a blog and then a lot more time reading dozens of other blogs, and many were by people I'd never even met before. Sure, I may not have been spreading malicious information about people, but I was filling my spare time meddling in others' business and that isnt honorable either.

"But as for you, O man of God, flee these things (senseless and harmful desires- see 6:9). Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness." 1 Timothy 6:11

So here I am back in the blog world. I've also checked facebook a few times in the last couple of weeks. It's a far cry from 6 weeks ago: daily blog reads and checking facebook from my phone anytime I have a spare minute or two. Rest assured, I'll still share all about my cooking conquests and Mauve mischief (she's taken to eating out of the trash recently!), but my goal is to reflect the love of Christ in my writings.

"For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Matt 12:34b (or the blog, in this case)

Because I have a lot to share and a lot to be thankful for! In just the last 6 weeks, I've experienced love and reconciliation as only Christ could give. I've seen firsthand the sovereignty of God and how He preserves His church and His people. I can see and feel God moving and I'm certain things will continue to change.

Hiatus

2010-11-15T15:43:00.002-06:00

I am taking an indefinite break from my blog. Please text or call me if you need me for any reason. I hope you will respect my absence and be in prayer for me. I hope to come back and be more intentionally God-honoring.

Thanks.

30 day blog Challenge: Day 14

2010-11-14T10:07:00.000-06:00

Day 14: A Picture You Love

This picture was from when Cameron was about 3, and he and uncle Jordan were playing a game together. Lots of laughter and good times associated with this sweet picture.

30 day blog Challenge: Day 13

2010-11-13T11:48:00.002-06:00

Day 13: Goals

My thoughts are consumed with race day nerves and I cant really think of anything that may happen after 7:15 tomorrow morning. Mind you, I have many life goals and when I first started this countdown/challenge thing, I thought this would be a fun day to put up my bucket list. I'll have to make that another blog post down the road.

So here are my goals for tomorrow's half marathon:

1. Have fun

2. Finish the Race

3. Set a new Half-Marathon PR (personal record)

4. Finish in 2:30

5. Be pumped enough to sign up for an additional half marathon in the next few months.

30 day blog Challenge: Day 12

2010-11-12T22:01:00.001-06:00

Day 12: What You Believe

I believe... in Jesus Christ.

I believe... He is the son of God and that the crucifixion and resurrection paid the price for my sins. Death is defeated and Christ is alive and will return. He is my redeemer and savior. What incredible, unconditional love displayed by our creator!

I believe... the Bible is truth and completely infallible. God's Word is given to us to guide and lead, it imparts wisdom, and reinforces His love for us. I dont see the Bible as a book of rules and restrictions, but protection and freedoms.

I believe... the church is the body of Christ. Anyone who professes to be a Christian should be plugged in and serving at a church, working together to accomplish great things for the kingdom of God. I think we need the fellowship of other Christians as encouragement and accountability.

I believe... that I screw things up a lot and am grateful for the sweet unending grace of God. I fail and I fail and I fail again and still He never leaves me. I do stupid things, even sometimes when I know I am wrong. I desperately need more of God each day and have been praying that He would soften my heart, draw me closer, and transform my life to be more like Him.

30 day blog Challenge: Day 11

2010-11-11T22:15:00.002-06:00

Day 11: Favorite TV Shows

Gone but not forgotten...

Long time Favorite...

And my current absolute favorite...

What's your favorite tv show?

30 day blog Challenge: Day 10

2010-11-10T21:56:00.002-06:00

Day 10: Something You're afraid of

So here goes another half-hearted entry. One LONG day at work (stayed an hour after shift change just catching up on my charting. Ugh.) + another long day tomorrow = complete disinterest in anything that doesn't include carbs & Glee. I'll add linkys to this post & yesterday's post sometime soon. Promise. Until then: my fears...

-Throwing Up. (this includes Jordan vomiting)

-Cockroaches, Snakes, & stinging Insects (bees, wasps, spiders, etc.)

-The sting of rejection

30 day blog Challenge: Day 9

2010-11-09T22:51:00.002-06:00

Day 9: A Picture of Your Friends

Ok, cop out...I've pulled lots of pics from facebook & flickr of me & my wonderful friends. Y'all should be proud I'm even blogging, given I've spent the last 6 hours of my life in an airport or on an airplane! Back home again! I've missed my husband, my Mauve & my BED!

I have the greatest friends & appreciate them more than I have words for. (and that has nothing to do with being tired!)

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 8

2010-11-08T15:18:00.002-06:00

Day 8: A place you've traveled to.

So I like to think that at my age, I've done a great deal of traveling. I'm really really fortunate for this and in turn, I love to see new places. I've been all over the US (CA, GA, AL, TX, FL, NC, SC, VA, MD, CT, NY, IL, OH, KY, MA, LA, MS...), Hawaii, Mexico, Honduras, all through the Carribbean, England, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland... you get the idea.

So I would have a really hard time picking one single place to talk about. And then I got to thinking, what if I talk about the place I've traveled to and am currently visiting! Like, right this minute!

Augusta, Georgia!

Ok, so some of you probably believe I'm cheating. Sure, I grew up in Augusta! And now I live in Texas and Augusta has become a destination rather than my home. (wow, it makes me a little sad to type that) I came into town to throw my sweet sister a fun & exciting wedding shower. Jordan stayed home this time, but I'm thrilled because both of us will be back in 4 short weeks for Casey's wedding!

It's funny how different your hometown becomes when you no longer live there. I can remember longing to get out of Augusta when I was in high school. I guess you could easily say I got my wish, and now that I've been gone for several years, I think very fondly of my hometown. I love coming back to visit and seeing my family and wonderful old friends. Jordan and I will often meet friends and family for lunch or dinner and eat at some of the awesome restaraunts that are exclusive to Augusta... we usually gain about 5 or 6 pounds while here! Mostly our trips home are fun and exhausting and sometimes they're sobering, because we come to the realization that just as our lives have moved on since living here, so have everyone else's.

I will always consider Augusta to be where I was born and raised. What is a place you have traveled to??

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 7

2010-11-07T09:27:00.002-06:00

Day 7: Favorite Movies

I like all kinds of movies! This is a fun topic to write about!! I like fun movies, lovey movies, animated things, action movies. The one genre that I'm a little less than excited about would have to be horror, but I also like a little scare every once in a while. Ok, Rarely.

I also like to quote movies. A lot! I sometimes quote movie lines in everyday conversation. This buys me lots of funny looks- unless the person I'm talking to is a fan of the movie. I get a thrill out of PW's movie line quizzes!! Check out these favorites:

"The brothers, they think I dont know a buttload of crap about the gospel, but I do."

"Hey didya see that sky today? Talk about blue."

"Lucky!"

"You can read minds?"

Ok enough. Back to the topic at hand.... my favorites!

Nacho Libre

Monsters, Inc.

The Notebook

The Dark Knight

Zoolander

The Blind Side

High School Musical

Pirates of the Carribbean

Lord of the Rings

Music and Lyrics

...and probably about a hundred more. What are your favorites?

5 points to the person who knows the movies that correspond to the quotes above!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 6

2010-11-06T09:43:00.003-05:00

Day 6: Post a picture of something that makes you happy

(thanks Google Images for the KKs)

So it's breakfast (kind of) here in Georgia and alllllllll I wanted this morning was a hot & fresh krispy. They make me happy. I received a dozen and was forced to share them with my family.

Just kidding. I shared nicely. After I'd eaten 2.

And by 2, I mean 3.

What makes you happy today????

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 5

2010-11-05T18:37:00.002-05:00

Day 5: Siblings

Aside from brothers/sisters-in law, I have 2 awesome sisters: my older sister, Jennifer and a younger sister, Casey. Jenn is a special ed teacher and Casey is a nurse! (I tried to talk her out of it, but she didnt listen!!) They both live in Georgia so I dont get to see them nearly as often as I'd like to, but that makes our time together even more special.

30 day blog Challenge: Day 4

2010-11-04T07:50:00.000-05:00

Day 4: Your Parents

My Mom

And My Dad!

30 day blog Challenge: Day 3

2010-11-03T09:36:00.003-05:00

Day 3: Your First Love

While I could definitely say that my first love is Jesus, then Jordan, and then my momma (or mom then Jesus and finally Jordan if you're going chronologically) , I'm sure this question is much more centered around my first "Goodness gracious I want to marry you & have your babies!" love, so I'll tell you a little more about my husband.

I met my hubs in the spring of 2001 when I was the ripe old age of 16 at DNow. I would say that we technically met the November prior, but Jordan doesnt recall this introduction...I guess it's a good thing first impressions dont always stick. I was a junior in high school and he was a senior at another nearby high school. Our first date was my junior prom, although we didnt make things "official" until the date was over. Jordan was on track to attend Liberty University that fall, which for those unaware, is in Virginia. I would be staying and finishing high school in Georgia, which for those unaware is several states away. I was stressing over this, but lo & behold, he backed out of going a few weeks before and elected to stay in Augusta. I cant say for sure if I had anything to do with his change of heart, but given that we are both horrible at long distance communication (this was before Facebook people!), I was relieved.

We ended up dating another 5 years and finally tied the knot on July 8, 2006.

He's a pretty fantastic guy and even though I haven't had his babies yet, I still would like to someday. He is kind & considerate and always lets me eat some of his french fries. He's goofy, doesnt take himself too seriously and makes me laugh all the time. He is patient with me. I can say without a doubt that I love being his wife!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 2

2010-11-02T10:47:00.000-05:00

Day 2: Meaning Behind Your Blog Name

It's a little self explanatory right?? My name is Hollie & this is my blog.

My sweet friend & mommy Megan actually came up with the name for me. You should all take a minute and head over to her blog and tell her how beautiful her little boy is! When I first started blogging a few years ago, I titled my blog "Ellipses" (that's the fancy name for "..." in case you were wondering). I thought it was profound and appropriate, considering I used ellipses a lot. But lets face it, the name was boring. So I was fresh out of fun ideas for a new blog name and offered some handmade cards in return for a great name. Megan was the winner!

Another friend, Melissa, offered up some blog name ideas during the same giveaway, which eventually became my tagline. You should all take a minute and head over to her blog and tell her how beautiful her little boy is! (anyone seeing a pattern here??).

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 1

2010-11-01T01:00:00.003-05:00

Day 1: Introduce yourself, recent picture, 15 interesting facts.

My name is Hollie Marie Mims. I'm 26 years old. My husband Jordan and I celebrated 4 years of marriage this past July (and we dated for 5 and a half years before marrying!). I believe Jesus Christ to be my Redeemer and Savior, Father and Friend. To make a little money, I work as a nurse on a Labor & Delivery unit in Corpus Christi, TX. I have lived in Rockport for a year and some months, but I will always consider Augusta, Georgia where I was "Born & Raised."

15 Facts:

1. I'm seriously a brat about my hair. I still see my hairstylist in DFW even though I havent lived there since June 2009. My hair is no longer the color pictured above.

2. Of all the shoes I own, only a handful have heels. I wear flat shoes 99.4% of the time.

3. Dont come to my house during the day unannounced. I will most likely be in a t-shirt and underwear.

4. I just recently learned that I grind my teeth. Apparently it's a long-standing problem considering I've ground away the enamel on my back molars.

5. While we're on the subject, I hate the dentist. Maybe it was the horrendous wisdom tooth extraction a few years back leaving me with permanent paresthesia in my tongue and lower jaw.

6. I am the poster child for short-waistedness.

7. I went to a college with no real sports program, so once moving to Texas, I adopted the Longhorns as my team to root for.

8. I went to All-State as a bassoonist in high school, but I miss playing drums in the marching band more.

9. I've been to England, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Mexico and Honduras. I love to travel.

10. I worked on a telemetry unit when I got out of nursing school. 10 points to whomever knows what that means (except you Casey.).

11. I dont have kids. I dont know when I want to have kids. The End.

12. Yesterday, Mauve barfed in the car. I'm running out of factoids about myself.

13. If I wasnt a nurse, I'd want to open a bakery.

14. I basically joined Stella & Dot to get the awesome jewelry cheaper. I hope to one day earn as much as i've spent. That's going to take a while.

15. I'm not a touchy-feely person. I dont give hugs freely. This does not mean I dont like you, I'm just a little standoffish around physical contact/affection. When I voluntarily give you a hug, it's a big deal for me.

30 Day Blog Challenge

2010-10-31T12:54:00.004-05:00

I'm setting a goal to blog everyday for the month of November. I'm linking up with Katie's Journey and ripping off her 30 day blog challenge topics.

So here's the schedule:

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts
Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3: Your first love
Day 4: Your parents
Day 5: Your siblings
Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7: Favorite movies
Day 8: A place you've traveled to
Day 9: A picture of your friends
Day 10: Something you're afraid of
Day 11: Favorite tv shows
Day 12: What you believe
Day 13: Goals
Day 14: A picture you love
Day 15: Bible verse
Day 16: Dream house
Day 17: Something you're looking forward to
Day 18: Something you regret
Day 19: Something you miss
Day 20: Nicknames
Day 21: Picture of yourself
Day 22: Favorite city
Day 23: Favorite vacation
Day 24: Something you've learned
Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs
Day 26: Picture of your family
Day 27: Pets
Day 28: Something that stresses you out
Day 29: 3 Wishes
Day 30: A picture

I think this is a good way for some of you to learn some new tidbits about me. If you're reading this, you should join in the fun also!!!

See you tomorrow for Day 1!!!

Mind Games

2010-10-30T20:28:00.002-05:00

I havent blogged much about my running or training schedule, so here goes...

I need to run 11 miles tomorrow.

I just have to convince myself that it's not really going to kill me. So much of running (for me) is a mind game, telling myself to put one foot in front of the other. And something that i've been struggling with the past 10 days is consistency. 2 weeks ago I ran 9 miles with no problems. Sure I was tired, but my excitement over actually finishing greatly outweighed the jelly legs. Since then, I can hardly make it to 4 measly miles. I've got 15 days left until the Rock & Roll San Antonio Half Marathon and tomorrow is the pinnacle of my training, because next week I'll taper off.

So here are my goals:

1. Run 11 miles tomorrow.

2, 3, & 4: Finish the half marathon; Beat my PR; Cross the finish line in 2:30.

I hope that I'll be motivated enough after this half marathon to continue running consistently. Maybe I can find another race in January to sign up for and keep me on track. Someday, I'd love to really enjoy running. I toy with the idea of someday running a full marathon, and I think maybe --just maybe-- I'm stubborn enough to go through with it.

Anyone want to buy me a treadmill for my efforts??

Overtime

2010-10-24T22:01:00.002-05:00

We hosted another Overtime this past friday night at FBCR. This event is also known as Fifth Quarter- it starts as soon as the football game is over and ends sometime around midnight. Its a place for students to go and have fun and this past week was no exception.

3 words: Sumo Wrestling Tournament.

We also had ping pong tournaments going on. The gal playing on the right table won last night AND won the first tournament, which was held a few weeks ago at a prior Overtime. I think it's safe to say she lives up to her player name: "Rockstar!"

The sumo wrestling was a HUGE hit. (get it? HUGE?? hahaha)

We'll host one more Overtime before the end of the football season. Ultimately, we hope the unchurched students who come to have fun will return and get plugged in. Who says good, clean fun doesnt exist anymore?? We had somewhere around 75ish students stop by to ping pong, eat pizza and bump around in sumo suits. Success!