A Story of Christmas!

Once upon a time, in a far away land ....

                      The Tale of Three Trees                           The Countdown to Christmas 

              Retold by Angela Elwell Hunt              Written and Illustrated 

             Illustrations by Tim Jonke                                    by Bill Peet

          If  you are looking for wonderfull Christmas books, look into these! They are currently my favorite and even though my siblings and I are all gown adults, our Mom reads "The Tale of Three Trees"  every year on Christmas Eve. And every year she tears up because it's a story that penetrates the heart! The "Countdown to Christmas" by Bill Peet is just a silly favorite!

        Also, a sweet friend of mine put together the following Advent readings. She was excited that I wanted to post it and I am happy to share it with you (thank you Emily!). It starts with December 1st and goes through to Christmas Eve following the Bible's account leading up to the birth of Jesus and through his birth. I know, it's December 12th and I am just now posting this so there's some catching up to do. To be honest with you, I haven't read any yet but it's short verses, easy to catch up (for an audible Bible app go HERE ). ENJOY!

Dec 1:

The Word Became Flesh - beginning

 1 John 1:1-5  

Dec 2:

For Unto Us A Child Is Born 

Isaiah 9:2-7  

Dec 3: 

The Righteous Reign of the Branch

Isaiah 11:1-10

Dec 4: 

The Lord's Eternal Covenant with David

Jeremiah 33:14-16

Dec 5: 

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold - part 1

Luke 1:5-10 

A Story of Thanksgiving

Luke 17:11 - 19

"On the way to Jerusalem he (Jesus) was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests". And as they went on their way they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaratian. Then Jesus answered, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."

 As we think over this past year if there is even just one thing that you are thankful for may it cause you to turn to Jesus. No matter what others around you are doing and no matter your current physical or spiritual state, even if you feel far off, he will hear you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The White Coat Ceremony

As a spouse it's important to take every opportunity to celebrate your loved one! I love when I can get out of our world at home and enter into his on campus celebrating each achievement. I am certainly effected by the highs and lows of medical school but in some ways, I'm also removed from this part of his life. I find myself feeling jealous of those books and exams that get so much of his attention but today I was so proud watching him walk across the stage to receive his white coat! It was good to hear the importance of what he is pursuing because at home it's easy to forget the expectations and pressure he is up against. 

What is a White Coat Ceremony?

During orientation week the students are issued their white coat to try on for size and several months into the first year there is a ceremony where certain faculty members and distinguished medical doctors present them with the coat and at Jason's school a note in the pocket from an alumni doctor. It is a big to-do so invite your family, closest friends, mentors and dress up like you would for a graduation ceremony. I didn't realize it was going to be such a grand ceremony otherwise I would have invite others despite Jason's complaints (he doesn't like to be fussed over).

The stage was full of faculty members and medical doctors who both encouraged the students that they are the best out of the applicants, they recognized their hard work, dedication and individual drive that got them to this point. One of the faculty members spoke to the students acknowledging that although they may have been at the top of their previous classes, they will now be faced with things they won't know. They will need each other and need to learn to work together because the practice of medicine is a team effort. She charged the class to remember compassion, to practice listening and asking good questions with peers, family members and friends because that will ultimately be what makes them a great doctor. A patient wants to know that they have been heard and that their doctor cares about their ailments just as much as they will be concerned with credentials and experience. As a spouse, equally concerned with her husband's growth in character and success, I particularly appreciated and enjoyed this charge. 

After the ceremony we took pictures, congratulated fellow classmates and I got to meet one of Jason's professors and then we scrambled to find a place to eat for brunch ending up at Cracker Barrel twenty minutes away. We like Cracker Barrel but if we had planned ahead we could have explored one of the local restaurants in the area. Next time!

Here are some pictures I took from my iphone, I forgot my camera and was disappointed because even though my smart phone has more mega pixels then my cannon, my camera still takes better pictures at a distance.

    Alongside regular classes and working part time outside of med school, Jason is taking a medical Spanish class and to the right is his professor. Above is Jason, his sister Dannielle and me.

"I acknowledge and accept the privileges and responsibilities given to me today as a physician-in-training and dedicate myself to learning to provide case to those in need. I will approach all aspects of my education with honesty and integrity, embracing opportunities to learn from patients, teachers, and colleagues. The diversity of their experiences, cultures, and belief will enrich my education and my ability to case for patients. When I feel unprepared for new responsibilities. I will acknowledge my limitations and seek guidance ... As I accept these new responsibilities, I will not forget the importance of my own health and well-being. I will continue to value my relationships with those who have supported me in the past and those who will share my future. Knowing my own limitations and those of medicine, I commit myself to a lifelong journey of learning how to cure, to relieve, and to comfort with humility and compassion."    -- Oath of Student Responsibilities

3 Years.

          Today is our wedding anniversary. I feel like it's cliche to say "only 3 years, it feels like longer", but that's how I feel. In honor of the day, below is the song we danced to at our wedding. It was a great start to the last 3 years!

"Million Miles" 
by Josh Garrels

Feel the wind blow, through the window, I know,
that we’ll make it through
It’s a million miles from, where we begun, and I,
I still love you

I remember, as clear as ever, the day,
when we first met
Lord you know I, l love to hold her eyes, in mine
everyday since

Everyday and night
Together we will grow
Makin' the most of a life
As we hold each other close

As we grow old, may it be told, that we,
never lost our flame
If love’s a fire, Then our desire, is to burn,
untamed

Everyday and night
Together we will grow
Makin' the most of a life
As we hold each other close

The First Month

      Prior to July of this year Jason was working full time, taking pre-med classes, studying for the MCAT, filling out applications, shadowing doctors and serving as the missions coordinator at our church. He was a busy guy but now with med school class time only 8am - 12pm plus part time work 4 nights a week through September (out side of med school), I see him more now then before. Some blogs I read this past summer and people I talked to said the first few semesters would be a tough adjustment, stressful for you and your med school spouse as you try to figure things out... OH CONTRAIRE!... I feel like at times I see my Jason more now then before he started school and he is also less stressed, he is happier and looking forward to the current class schedule. This was a nice surprise! I know it won't be like this all 4 years but it is now and I'm enjoying it! 

    
       Credit for this this smooth transition into med school, our new home and our new schedule/life style is due to God who has truly shown his favor and goodness! I'm a strong believer in prayer for the little and big things not only because God says in scripture...... "The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know to God." (Philippians 4:6) ....... but it also reminds me of the existence of God and it helps me relax and be a bit more stress free because ultimately God is in control. We do our best, we are proactive, we plan, but if we are truly honest with ourselves the outcome is still out of our control. Therefore, the only right reaction to this smooth transition is to say: 

"THANKS BE TO GOD!"

A Couch and A Dress

Jason went out of town to visit his folks a week prior to when we needed to turn in our keys at our apartment. This meant that I was left alone to move out our final belongings and find a home for our couch. The last day in the empty apartment I was teary eyed and feeling sentimental about saying good bye without him and locking the doors to our first home together. I was standing in the middle of the hollow living room with the couch, a furniture dolly, my wedding dress and a camera ... the artsy side of me wanted to capture the moment and I decided to try on my dress again before packing it away! 

 I set the camera on top of the dolly and used the automatic timer. 

The Moving Process

For a majority of the time the process of moving 30 minutes closer to campus was a smooth transition because of careful planning and lots of prayer! In order to hopefully save you, dear reader, some trouble I'd like to share some tips.  Feel free to comment with your own tips too, this is this first time I've moved an entire house!

OUR FAVORITE KINDS OF BOXES:

NOTE: We found Lowe's Hardware Store has the cheapest moving supplies such as tape, bubble wrap and paper (if you don't want to use news paper).

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BANKERS BOXES: from office supply stores and best for CHINA- perfect size, double card-board sides, handles, cheaper then fancy china boxes and there's no taping involved.

PRINTER PAPER BOXES: ask friends/family who work in an office to collect the boxes that bulk paper is delivered in, they are perfect size for BOOKS. They should have handles and a deep setting lid so you don't have to use tape to seal them!

WARDROBE BOXES: I didn't know these existed, a friend who moved gave us some and they were wonderful for moving our HANGING CLOTHES and SHOES!

BABY DIAPER BOXES: My sisters with kids had plenty and I like them because they have handles. I used them for EVERYTHING!

WE FOUND THAT THE FOLLOWING MADE MOVING EASIER:

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1.  Pack in small stages - we were both working full time but even though time was scarce we didn't rush and took time to properly pack boxes and purge.

2.  Don't be shy, ask around! If you can get connected with someone who just recently moved you will do each other a favor by taking unwanted boxes/wrapping off their hands. 
3.  At the end of the day go by the local news station and ask for the left over news papers from the day. The papers should be free!

4.  Don't skimp on the bubble wrap for breakables! 

5.  If able, designate one room for finished boxes. This helps you live w/o tripping over boxes.

6.  Label the box based on what room it belongs. Things will get closer to their designated home right off the moving truck.
7.  Even though you finish packing a box wait to seal it until you are 100% sure it's done. You might need something or add something last minute.
8.  Use tissue paper or something similar in between news paper and the item you are wrapping. This keep the item from getting ink smudges from the newspaper.  
9.  If using an open bed, pick up truck you will need a tarp or large sheet/blanket to lay over top of any box that has a lid that isn't taped. 
10.  Skate boards work great for moving mattresses!

TIPS FOR STORAGE UNIT:

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1.  Put everything you can in a box, things will stack better.

2.  Label every box side: This is time consuming but will save time if you need to find something later.

3.  Label where the box can be stacked (bottom, middle, top). In order to utilize a storage until space you need to stack high.

4.  Pack things in the storage unit last that you might need later. 

America!

HaPpY InDepeNdenCe DaY!

Jason and I are staying with my sister, brother in law and my sweet six week old nephew for the long weekend and we haven't gone anywhere all day and are perfectly happy to stay in for the rest of the night. I like the idea of a good American cookout with burgers, hot dogs, watermelon, red, white and blue star shaped cookies and a fireworks show, but we aren't in the mood to go out and battle the crowds in the hot, muggy summer weather only to battle traffic on the way home.  So, my patriotic activity for the day is that I found and read the entire lyrics to "America the Beautiful". My hats off to anyone who cane sing it from memory! http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/americathebeautiful.html 

My other patriotic act for the day is posting the below poem I wrote in high school. This is the only poem I have written and the disclaimer for all the english majors out there is that I wrote it on a whim and it's probably full of errors ...... 

January 2000!

Move #1

Day one in our new place. It didn't happen the way we thought or when we thought but we are here and it's nice to have a new room and color on the walls! Our first apartment together for the last 2 years and 9 months was perfect for us, minus the beige walls we were captives to!

 I imagine we might live many places because of Jason's career in medicine, plus we might end up in the mission field one day (this has been Jason's dream and one reason why he decided to pursue becoming an MD) so I have decided to keep track of them, cherish the things we like about each and when it's time to move on allow them to become memories instead of reality. Sometimes memories are better then reality since we usually remember the good times. If I hold too tightly to each place and long for the past then I won't have as much room to embrace the present. Over time I won't have any room to embrace the present because my hands will be clinched full of the past.

What I love about the last place: THE MEMORIES. It will always be special because it was the first place we lived as a married couple and we made some friends with our neighbors who we will dearly miss. I liked that it was walking distance from downtown but we rarely walked there because we decided to have a tight eating out budget and it wasn't very safe to walk home after dark. Plus we almost never leave the house on time to arrive anywhere on time, we are notoriously 10-20 minutes late much to the frustration of some people. Besides this, I am happy to move on because it was difficult to make it feel like home/"us" because we had a lot of mix matched things. But this time around the new place feels more like home right away because it's Jason and my stuff together rather then mine and his, sorting out what made the cut and what go the boot!

Here at our new place we chose a light, sage green color for the walls after nixing a gray-ish blue color that turned purple after it dried. We are renting a room from some friends, John and Ashleigh,  and it will be an experience we may only have once to enjoy! Most of our things will be packed in a  storage unit since we won't need furniture other then our bed and dressers and Jason's desk that I refinished after a cheap find on craigslist.  I'm interested to see how much stuff we actually need to live off of this next year. Jason is a minimalist and I hate clutter and if we are going to be moving here and there throughout our lives how much stuff do I really want to keep packing and lugging with us?

Classes begin August 4th so we moved before then to spend some time settling in and figuring out community living. Jason and John met each other in Argentina both staff members with CRU and Ashleigh he has known for many years at our church. I got to meet them both after Jason and I started dating so they are fiends we know well. We are all pretty laid back so I think this next year will be a great experience and one that is a financial blessing!

Here we go! :D

Our Story

I met my husband Jason at a block party that he and his roommate, Stephen, hosted on a hot, muggy August night in 2009. I first noticed him by his distinctive laugh which caught my attention right away because it stands out in a crowd, and boy was it crowded that night!

It wasn't long before we were introduced by a mutual friend who's name is also Sarah and who is now married to Jason's roommate, Stephen. They are to this day some of our closest friends! After being introduced and inbetween intervals of "how-dee do's" with others and plates of good 'ol burgers and hot dogs, we enjoyed chatting throughout the night. There was live music under a tent in the front lawn that did little to ward off the summer rain and the waves of bug spray that Jason bathed himself in up wind from where I was sitting. Potion #9???

Our interactions would have ended that night if it wasn't for "Spaghetti Tuesday" (A.K.A. "SpaTues"). This is exactly what you imagine, Jason and Stephen would cook up a big pot of spaghetti for everyone and anyone who wanted to come over. So, staying true to this idea, I was invited to come along the following Tuesday. A few months of interactions over pasta and garlic bread allowed us to get to know each other to the degree that you can in a group setting. But Jason wanted to get to know me better and I was VERY interested and intrigued to know this fun, laid back yet ambitious man! One Tuesday night after a plate full of spaghetti and time with my new group of friends, he squeezed past a few of us getting ready to leave and walked me to my car. He asked if I would like to get coffee sometime and after pausing, so as not to sounds too eager, I gave him my number to call and soon after that a dating relationship naturally evolved!

September 16, 2011 we were married and for better or worse, for richer but mostly poorer, we started this journey of life together which consisted of (and still does) me working as a legal assistant and making a home for us while Jason worked hard at the health department and retaking some undergrad/pre med courses that had expired (after undergrad Jason spent several years in Argentina with CRU and after that spent several years deciding what to do once he returned to the States).

SIDE NOTE: if you intend to pursue medicine, most science classes expire around 5 years. 

Shortly after our first year of marriage Jason started studying for the MCAT and applying to schools. He ended up taking the MCAT twice, which I hear is pretty common, I'm glad that part is behind us. This past fall of 2013 he applied to many schools around the US and on March 8, 2014 he received his first out of 2 acceptance letters! We are going to medical school!