It's been a while...

Well, since I have 3 wks of a break from school, I thought I'd use some time to update you on our lives! Beware, though. This might be long! I'm actually in the mood to blog & have alot to talk about. 

1) Let's start with my favorite little girl. Danielle turned 1 year old on Feb. 16. Where the time went to, I'll never know, but we are now totally loving having a little toddler. We are enjoying this stage and love to watch all the new things she learns and explores, the new found confidence she has on her feet, and hearing the new words she learns every day. She's also good at using her little signs to tell us what she wants and needs, if she doesn't know the words already. She's been working at consolidating her naps to one, and is doing it like a little champ! She's just a joy. Truly- I can't describe how much I love being a mom to this little monkey. She makes my heart swell and my lips smile every day- no exaggeration!

She had the Roseola virus a month or so ago. It was fun to be able to Dx it. I then sent picts to a Derma-doctor friend...and he confirmed. "Want a job?" he asked. Ha ha Um...no thanks...you couldn't pay me to become a doctor- especially a dermatologist.

She is also quite the fan of Baby Einstein and Curious George, as well as Elmo of course. Every day at some point, she toddles up to us with the remote and asks, "sd-v-sds"? One a day's the limit...but oh how she would love more than that! 

2) I will (hopefully) never have to take a Nursing Informatics class again...at least not Dr. Toebe's. Glad that one's done...that's all I will say about that.

3) Looking forward to Pharmacology next semester. A little scared about the new "nazi" teacher...but we'll see. Also looking forward to my new clinicals, but a little nervous.

4) I am LOVING my break! Our whole family needed it bad. Danielle's been such a little mommy's girl lately...it's nice to be home with her. It's also been nice checking things off my long time coming to-do list, and doing some spring cleaning...

Things I've been filling my new free time with:

-Spring cleaning! Little by little...every day.

-Making fun and delicioso meals...don't usually have time for that.

-Taking Danielle places to play almost every day. 

-Organizing and framing photos.

-Decorating my Middle School S.S. class room. The kids wanted a beach theme- so a beach they got!

-Still teaching piano...have some great students doing really well on their songs!

-Leading worship at church...haven't been doing that for  awhile either.

-Reading...oh yes...this is one of my favs...reading something OTHER than textbooks! The latest is "The Memory Keeper's Daughter". 

-Doing Sudoku puzzles while I watch TV with my husband in the evening...don't usually have time for that either! :-)

Looking forward to:

-the new snow (see below) melting so we can play outside some more.

-taking Danielle to the zoo with Gretchen and her kiddos

-finishing Danielle's baby book and album

-grocery shopping tomorrow!

-shopping for bamboo blinds for the classroom

-coffee with a good friend on Thursday sans daughters

-more play time with Danielle

-more cleaning and organizing

-more baking and freezing

-preparing for company in June!

5) I watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition last night. It had to have been one of the most inspiring things I've ever seen. The Martinez family is a Christian pastor's family who sacrificed much to move into the worst neighborhood in the USA and have completely turned it around, just by showing God's love. If you did not see it, really, you must find a way to see it. I'm not sure where you could go online, but I'm sure you could find it somewhere. After watching it, I had to spend time in prayer, reexamining my love for people and my purpose in the areas I live and interact...as well as reclaiming my will for the Lord and where He might want to use me in the future. The Martinez family seem to truly understand what it means to love as Jesus loved. I'm not sure I am there yet...that was a hard pill for me to swallow. My prayer is that the Lord will radically throw me in, head deep, so that I will be transformed into the radical lover of people that Jesus was. I thought I loved people...but would I be willing to sacrifice everything, move my family to the most dangerous neighborhood possible, be beat up by gangs, and work constantly and tirelessly to love people who might be hard to love? I hope that I could; I might say that I could. But could I really? I think that I would...if Christ asked me too. But I want to be the one stepping forward...volunteering. But maybe Christ wants me in this safe place. In a traditional church. In a traditional hospital. Ministering to "normal" people. Can I be satisfied in that? I must be. Because that is where He has me now...and I must not just look forward to what might be to come and what could be, but look at today. For today is where I am. And today is what I can change.

Really you must see it to see where I'm coming from. I'm sure it will cause you to ask yourself some questions too.
Go here to see a preview of it: http://www.tv.com/extreme-makeover-home-edition/martinez-family/episode/1196644/summary.html. 

Some who are critical by nature might find fault in the show, but I think this family has got it right on, and we have much we can learn from them!

6) We were hit with a snow storm last weekend. A "late-season doozy", as the paper described it. A record fall for this time of year. It was even the 3rd biggest snowfall in a single day in Anchorage history since 1915...15.5 inches was the average in the area in one day..and by far the largest snow fall in April. Some places got up to 22 inches. We got about 15 at our house. People were pulling out their shorts for the annual Heart Run, but instead that was postponed and we pulled out our packed away hats, mits, and boots intsead. It was very depressing, to say the least. Beautiful, but depressing. Spring invigorates me. Motivates me. Winters here are long. Spring is wonderful. So then when we seemed to "regress", it was quite discouraging. But alas, it is supposed to be in the 50's today, and I'm sure it will be gone soon enough. I remember last year at this time, we were sitting on the deck, enjoying a hot and beautiful spring day. This picture was taken on Friday evening...off of our back deck.

7) Gas is ridiculous. The end.

8) Morgan's still the amazing husband he's always been. There's no way I could go to school and be a mom without him! He tirelessly tries to be an influence in teen's lives...some times it can be hard. How do you help a teen move beyond what he or she gets when he or she goes home? It's a hard one.

9) Found 2 ucky-yucky hairy black spiders in the house so far this spring. I hate spiders.

10) Must have 10 things on my list....relief- I made it to ten.

Happy Spring, everyone (if you still even have any faith left in my blog)!