Tanzania here I come..again!!

Psalm 37:26-28 Turn from evil & do Good, then you will dwell in the land forever. For the Lord loves the just & will not forsake the faithful ones. 

The people of Tanzania are the faithful ones - that place their Hope in the Lord & keep His way. Their way of life & graciousness can be an example to many! Not with feelings of disparity, but by witnessing pure Grace.  I can't sum up in words or in conversation the "wholeness" I feel when I am in Africa because it is a feeling so much greater & more worthy than earthly words. It is in the presence of their smiles that I truly feel closest to Heaven! So thank-you! For every single person that has donated $1 or $500 to get me closer to that sweet land, grateful population and immense feeling of Christ's love in action. 

Seventy short days until I'm on my way with Hope Ministries to Tanzania, Africa. We recently found out our flight schedule. I leave on my 28th Birthday (May 19th) from Omaha > Minneapolis > Paris, France > Kenya > Kilimanjaro (arrive late on May 20th)

We had a team meeting at the end of January to discuss details of the trip that Hope ministries takes twice a year to Tanzania. I will be going with another nurse from Sioux City, a medical student and several nursing students from Northwestern College. Dr. Sarah Powell, an ENT physician out of the Dakota Dunes, will be joining us also!

I have been fundraising for this trip since I found out about it and knew that it was a possibility to go! I have set up an online donation account at tilt.com which has been an easy way for people to donate. The site Tilt is different from sites like GoFundMe because the percentage that site takes is much less and that way more profit from online donations is made.

Over the holidays I made ornaments to sell and they were a big hit! I raised over $800 for my trip and people were so generous but also got a meaningful decoration for their Christmas tree!

My final fundraiser is a Zumba/Stella and Dot party. I will be hosting a trunk show and my mother-in-law is donating her commission from the event towards my trip. Plus friends and family will get to join in on a Zumba dance party with African themed music! It should be a fun afternoon :)

Whew....I didn't go exactly a WHOLE year without posting.

Where does the time go? I can't believe it was last June that I posted. A lot has happened of course! I continue to work at Advanced Dermatology and Assure Women's Center. We got a new manager at our Dermatology clinic which has been awesome and I really enjoy the hours & people I work with. My patients always make me laugh and it is great to see them when they are feeling for the most part well :) I'm attempting to get more hours at Assure because I love the mission there! For now I'm working on being content with two Thursdays a month.
BIG NEWS! Found out my best friend and her husband are expecting their first Baby in August! Kendra has been a steady & wonderful friend that is a strong Christian women. From the beginning of our friendship I knew she would be an amazing mom and now the time as finally come! They are not finding out the gender of the baby until the big day and I think that is so exciting (and takes WAY MORE patience than I have!)
My friend Mallory and her husband are also having their first baby that they are expecting THIS MONTH! It is great seeing my friends transition into the roles of motherhood and I'm impatiently waiting for the day I can hold that little guy! At the beginning of May Kendra, Bailey and I drove to Hickman, NE for a baby shower for Mal.

6 Humans!! :)

This year has most importantly been filled with my sister and Kyle's wedding preparations! They get married in less than 2 weeks now and I almost don't want it to get here because planning has been so much fun. They are perfect for each other and have been together for over 7 years! In April, Megan had her bridal shower in Marcus at Peace Lutheran Church. The shower committee (Deb Mayer and Carla Weber along with many others) threw an amazing shower. Deb Mayer gave a devotional centered around being a devoted Christian wife. Megan opened presents all morning and got a lot of great items to stock their new house in Cherokee. At the end of the shower Kyle came in with some roses and was ready to do the heavy lifting to get all the gifts transported.

Yes.. I have been MIA

Hey Blogger friends, life got a little busy..I was transitioning into a new job and busy with house projects and various weekend getaways. But I'm back now! Don't know for how long, but I hope I can keep some consistent posts coming at least once a week. A LOT has happened since I last wrote and I'm eager to catch you up on some things from my life. Since so much has happened I might as well fill you in with some bullet points.

1 //  We had a wonderful house guest for 2 months - My great friend Anna from my hometown. She was doing her last rotation for physical therapy right here in Omaha and passed her boards!

2 // We tore down our deck! And are in the process of building a new one that is 5 feet longer. 

3 // My sister graduated from nursing school AND got engaged AND passed her boards....And got a nursing position at Cherokee Hospital!

4 // My brother spent a whole weekend with us in Omaha which was a blast!

5 // I started a new job at a Dermatology Clinic and am loving the great hours and weekends off. Plus I decided to go back to school in the fall to get my Nurse Practitioner degree!

6 // Alex talked me in to buying a compound bow but it didn't take a lot of convincing once I realized how good I was at it ;) I'm hoping to shoot a turkey!

7 // I celebrated in Des Moines with a bunch of friends for Mallory's Bachelorette party and had the honor of being her personal attendant in her wedding yesterday (pictures to come!) 

8 // We have another house guest at Casa de Williams - Alex's best friend Richard recently got out of the Marines and moved back to Omaha. 

9 // On Memorial Day I ran in a 5 mile run at Boys Town and had a time of 57 minutes.

10 // Alex surprised me with tickets to Wicked for my 26th Birthday! 

Weekend Updates & Meg's 22nd Birthday

Happy Hump Day everyone! I actually think of Wednesday as the middle of the work week because I'm working regular 5 days a week with my NEW nursing position at Advanced Dermatology of the Midlands. Today however is an unusual day because Omaha was hit with it's first big blizzard of the winter season and the clinic is closed which means I kinda feel like a teacher enjoying this snow day! I'm blessed to have a nursing job where I can learn so much about a very specific set of conditions and treatments for the skin. I really enjoy the staff I work with and it isn't a bad place for a former lifeguard that spent 6 summers in the blazing sun ;)

with monitors, cables and wires cleared out

In other news, a few weekends ago my parents came down to spend the Saturday helping with various projects around the house. My dad went right into action to clear out some space in our downstairs closet that was previously occupied by tons of random security equipment that the previous homeowner had installed in there. I was so excited to get that nonsense out of there that I forgot to take a "before" picture. 

Then we moved on to the guest bedroom closet to touch up the ceiling that was not quite completed when the house was built. Our home has a lot of character that I love but when having an older home comes areas for improvement. One of my good friends Anna will be staying with us for a few months during her Physical Therapy rotation starting in March so it is a great excuse to get the room finished off and cozy! 

Dad hard at work - looking like a Coal Minor

Finished product!

After we completed all the projects we could get to in one day, we had a delicious meal a Red Robin! Having family come into town is already a treat and luckily my sister is completing her nursing preceptorship in Omaha at my old stomping grounds, The Nebraska Medical Center. Kyle and her came down Monday night through Thursday so we Alex and I helped Meg celebrate her 22nd Birthday. Here are some pictures from that fun filled week! 

Drinks and Dinner at The Homy Inn 

Her Favorite! 

Kyle and Kobe bonding 

Dinner at The Drover

Cheesecake with Julie and Linda 

And this past Sunday was spent with Kendra, Trent, Bailey, Josh and Harper for The Super Bowl. The game wasn't excited at all but spending time with my Best Friends is never disappointing! Harper was pretty chatty and such a cute little girl in her polka dot bow headband! Kendra as always was a great hostess and I ate too many of the white chocolate chip oatmeal cookies she baked! 

Dominated the Dominican

Tuesday night we unfortunately returned back to reality and 10 degree temps from gorgeous 80 degree weather with views of turquoise water and sandy beaches! Thankfully all our flights went smoothly despite airline delays the week before. Originally I felt guilty about going on this trip to the Dominican where there are so many poverty stricken areas and being on the same island as Haiti my heart was torn. I shared this feeling with a co-worker at Assure and she really helped me put it in perspective by saying "Oh don't feel guilty when God gives you those blessings." Being able to share in Kyle and Dacey's wedding was such neat experience and to be there for their vows on the beach as they start their life together was amazing! I am always blown away by the loyalty and dedication to friendship that Alex has displayed over the years to his friends.

Alex and Kyle right before the Wedding

Thursday // Arrived at the resort early evening. Checked out the beach for the first time. Hung out in the Lobby bar area with the majority of the wedding group while sipping on cocktails. 

Finally the beach after 5 hours of flying!

Friday // Woke up early to get spots poolside.  Swam in the ocean and talked to a guy that was wind surfing. Alex & Kyle played water polo with a group from the resort (Their team won of course) Played "Domino Diving" contest. My teammate and I collected 27 sunken dominoes in 1 minute ( all those years teaching kids swimming lessons really paid off :)) Ate at the Mexican Restaurant and had strawberry tequila shots for dessert. Alex and I checked out the piano bar in the lobby.

Domino Diving 

The "CC" group waiting for the rest of the party. 

Saturday // Wedding Day! Kyle knocked on our door to make sure we were waking up! We quick grabbed something at the buffet and made sure Cody (The Best Man) was where he was supposed to be and on time ;) The wedding started at 11:00 am as Dacey's dad, Sam, walked her down the aisle. The ceremony was done in Spanish (since that is the national language of DR) and translated for us. After a quick set of "I Do's" it was time for champagne, Gangnam Style Music and a lot of pictures with the beautiful backdrop of the ocean! That night we had the wedding dinner at the Italian restaurant and I filled up on waaayyy too much of the delicious chocolate/pudding filled wedding cake!

Sunday // Relaxing day spent poolside and Cody, Alex and I walked the coastline the the west of our resort. We had views of parasailers, sailboats and even some couples wearing matching swimsuits :) We walked about 3 miles and Cody and I even showed off our gymnastic skills on the beach. 

C.C. - Our group name :) 

Monday // Day filled with adventure. Alex, Cody and I went on a 4 hour boat ride along the coast to go snorkeling, swimming with stingrays and sharks and chilling in a natural pool far west of our resort. Unfortunately I don't have 'proof' with pictures of us with the sharks and stingrays but it was a way cool experience! We took shots of Mama-Wana (the National drink of the DR) and soaked up every moment of our last day in paradise! That night we had dinner on the beach at the seafood restaurant with Kyle, Dacey, Kendra, Jen, and Cody. 

Ready for our Adventure - Hoping we come back with all our limbs!

Huge plate of Lobster 

Welcome 2014!I

Happy New year everyone! 2013 brought a lot of fun, changes, challenges, and blessings. I started last year off with a Jar of "Epic Moments of 2013" and wanted to jot a few down.

• Ultrasound with Bailey at the Women's Center where I work, found out that her little peanut was a girl and got to share the special moment of seeing little Harper for the first time. 
• Trip to the Zoo with Brady, Kelli, Dan, Kendra, Trisha, Brendan, Bailey and Josh. 
• Mike Graduated! Big party out at the farm with all of our friends and family. 
• Fireworks in Memorial Park with Alex's family - a great tradition!
• Trip to Moore, OK with Bailey and Josh to help with Tornado Relief - even though this was such a tragedy, the experience was like no other and it was amazing to see the people of Moore and their resilience. 
• New Farm dog Addy! Sweet little golden retriever that was such a small playful puppy who instantly melted our hearts. 
• Boating and Skiing in Okoboji in July - Boji is easily one of my favorite places on Earth
• Horseback riding in the Black Hills 
• Running in the Big10 10k in Chicago, IL with Alex and Tim. 
• 1st wedding Anniversary date at Kona Grill 
• Kendra passes the CPA exams and we celebrate with a party at her house!
• Baby Harper is Born! Loved visiting her for the first time and can't wait to watch her as she grows!
• Megan, Mom and I make a whole thanksgiving dinner for the first time - Nailed it!
• Christmas in Marcus with the whole family after Megan and Kyle returned from Georgia. Kyle received NAIA player of the year and made a DVD for our family with football memories. We had fun playing "skittles" in the basement and enjoying a delicious dinner at Grandpa's on Christmas Day. 

Well that was more than just a few but it is hard to narrow down all those wonderful moments of the past year. Alex and I sure are blessed as I look over this list and I know 2014 will bring new changes that I have no doubt will make us stronger, more humble, patient and faithful.

Worship Wednesday (Thursday Edition)

I have been following the She Reads Truth Devotional entitled Emmanuel (Which means = God With Us)

Today's devotional was really uplifting because it talks about God's all knowing power, creator of the heavens and the earth yet he seeks out our individual heart and soul. 

Here is a little part from the devotional. 

No, God’s greatness doesn’t diminish my importance. And it doesn’t concern me that I may be overlooked. God’s greatness is my great comfort, because He has told me how he feels about me. He told me that He loves me with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3)

And if the great enormity of my God causes me to feel security and not insecurity, what in this passing world is big enough to woo me away from Him? What obstacle or unknown is great enough to cause me to forget my security in Him?

Sisters, if we truly believe in the greatness of God – in His size and power and sovereignty, His love and saving work – then this is all we need to find comfort for a lifetime.

___________________

This song is really unique and has a special perspective on the night Jesus was born. Celebrating Our Savior's birth this time of year is sometimes lost in the hustle and bustle of presents, baking, and family get togethers. But this beautiful song is a wonderful display of the true meaning of Christmas and the amazing Gift brought to earth just US!

Check out the Video Here

I wonder if you've heard the story
Of little fame and lesser glory
The night the keeper of the inn
In the little town of Bethlehem
Encountered Joseph and his Mary
About to birth the Savior of the world

His wife said, go and see who's knocking
He ran down to the gate, unlocked it
The moment he heard Mary's cry
He couldn't look them in the eye
Denied them and went back to bed
When his wife asked who was there
He said, I don't know

Just a girl
Just a couple gypsies begging at the door
Told ‘em we don't have room for any more
And closed the door
It was just a girl

He tried to sleep but wasn't able
He snuck out to the dirty stable
The two had found for covering
And laid her in her suffering
The keeper knelt outside the barn
And in the light of that great star
He prayed, what have I done

He's just a babe
Just minutes old there trembling in the hay
I could have found a room for them to stay
I'm so ashamed
He's just a babe

There was no robe, there was no crown
The shepherds stood on royal ground
The keeper wept for what he'd done
He turned away God's own Son

Just a King
Just a million angels crowding in to see
Jesus there among humanity
Just a babe
Just minutes old there trembling in the hay
Staring at his mother in the face
She's just a girl
Just a girl
Does she even know that she just changed the world
Does she even know that He will save the world
Does Mary know that He will save the world
She's just a girl
Just a girl