God is just Awesome, ya know?

So you might guess that my life can be kind of crazy sometimes. Not just my belongings are everywhere, but my thoughts are too. What to take/not take, where to live, who to live with (or not), what kind of job, how long, what time do I need off, what to do if I get sick (I don't get sick days- I actually owe $ when I don't work), etc etc etc

Sometimes I think I've got things figured out (for the near future anyways). Finish work next week, take care of Dr appts, fly to Phoenix, help with last week/minute wedding stuff, wedding, fly home, Thanksgiving on my own (pizza maybe?), Black Friday shopping, return to UofM for another 4 weeks of work, Christmas, Boxing Day hometown wedding reception....

The rest of the time, my mind is all over the place. I'm uncertain of plans/decisions. Wondering what part of the country I'll be in come January, what clothes will I need or do I just take everything cuz you never know? 5, 472 other questions clutter my brain. I'm sure you have those too (but prob not the same ones, unless... what color underwear are YOU wearing tomorrow?)

This afternoon while I was waiting for it to be time to go to Bible study at chapel, I was listening to my ipod and the song Twenty-four by Switchfoot came on. If you don't know it, check it out HERE. The whole thing is great (and so is the backstory) and it's one of my faves. I especially <3 when we sing it in church :) I just want to share the part that really hit me today:

You're raising these twenty-four voices
With twenty-four hearts
With all of my symphonies
In twenty-four parts
But I want to be one today
Centered and true
I'm singing Spirit take me up in arms with You

You see, my mind being all over the place doesn't matter. God KNOWS. If/when I'm grounded in and centered on Him, I don't need to sweat the small stuff. It'll work out how it's supposed to (though I'm pretty sure He's giving me free will to pick underwear color) . How awesome is it that He knew I needed to be reminded of this today?

ROTC memories

Tonight I had dinner with one of my friends/mentors from my Army ROTC days. We met up at Cottage Inn and he brought his wife and kids. It was so nice catching up and reminiscing about those crazy college days. "Uncle Dave" was always up for a trip out to Diamondback Saloon or other such adult/senior cadet activities.

There aren't many memories that I have of college that do not involve ROTC. It was everything I wanted and my fellow cadets were my best friends. Zero Dark Thirty - physical training; class/Studying - rotc nurses; break time - hang out at North Hall (rotc bldg); allnighters - North Hall; Party time - some rotc cadet's apt/frat; weekends - ftx's (field training exercises) and competitions. My group, we were dubbed the ROTC Nazi's (only cuz it rhymed, not for anti-semitic views) b/c we were ALWAYS around.

I will always miss my Army days, and though I know there was a reason things didn't work out for me, there are times that it twinges just a bit more. There are tons and tons of pictures that I could put on here from those 4 years, but I'll simply put my favorite.

The Silo Hooch, senior year, during the FTX that should have been the combined FTX with all the schools from our region but all the others bailed cuz it was supposed to snow and be really cold. UofM scoffs in the face of snow. We were out in the woods (of course) waiting for the younger cadets to arrive (as we were the ones in charge and setting things us) when it started pouring! There was randomly this old Silo we used for shelter, but it didn't have a roof so we found some sticks and using some trusty 550 cord we strung together a couple ponchos. I don't remember how long we were in there, an hour or so maybe, I just remember it was a hilariously good time.

Things that I know, believe, and/or love

God is great.
I will do anything for my family.
I would rather live paycheck to paycheck than have tons of money in savings while a loved one struggles.
I will always be a Michigan Wolverine.
My second favorite college team will always be whoever is playing Ohio State.
The toilet lid should always be put down for a few reasons: I don't want to look in the toilet bowl, stuff won't errantly be knocked in, for the safety/cleanliness of any animals, and so there's somewhere to sit.
Toilet paper should roll towards you.
1ply TP should be outlawed.
Puffs plus is the best tissue.
Always remove hair from the drain when you get out of the shower and/or clean the sink after you shave.
Jeans and sweatshirt weather is the best.
Cats are better than dogs... if for no other reason than they don't try to lick you in the face.
Target > Walmart
Long road trips without audiobooks and sunflower seeds, well, they just don't happen.
A movie might be bad (Twilight) but if it gets people to read, then I'm a huge fan.
Dancing is good for the soul.
Watching The Princess Bride can cure the foulest of moods.
Terrence = <3
Silence is golden.
Friends are the family you choose for yourself.
True friendship is not one-sided.
People watching is very informative... and amusing.
There is a time and place for ironing... I just haven't found it yet.
I am no good with roommates.
Hanging pictures makes me feel at home, even on the other side of the country.
"oh yeah, he does that" is not the proper response when your pet does something to continually disturb your roommate.
There is a plan for my life; it just isn't mine and I'm not necessarily meant to know what it is.

Sick and broken

Horrible weekend. My beloved Wolverines lost to dreaded State... I sprained my ankle during rigorous tailgating... and now I have managed to catch the cold that has been going around the office. These things are especially uncool for the following reasons: it's much harder to train with a personal trainer when you can't run, jump, and/or stand very well; I don't get days off - if I'm sick enough to need a day off, I don't get paid and I actually owe my company money.

The bright side... when flipping channels after watching Chuck tonight, I happened upon one of my alltime favorite movies... The Princess Bride. It's hard to be miserable when you're laughing so much.

Terrence

EXCITING NEWS!!!

Terrence is completely paid for! I knew this day was fast approaching. I'm about 2 months early. I'm so excited to get the title in the mail (I think that's how it works). I OWN MY OWN CAR!!!
 Oh man, now I get to think of all the awesome things I can do with the extra $600/month... I could buy more clothes, live out of Terrence and travel around the country (oh wait...), pay off student loan faster... or even SAVE it.

To mark this momentous occasion, I shall attempt to share some pictures of my pride and joy at his finest.

Packed and ready to leave California

Hanging out in Yosemite National Park

Another view in Yosemite

 

At the Big House (Michigan Stadium)

My New Blog

So once again I enter into the blogosphere. I shall do my best to not make this a diary... especially since anyone can read what's on the internet, including anyone I might want to vent about.

So me in a nutshell (which you should already know if you're interested enough to be reading this): I'm 27 and I'm a traveling oncology nurse. What does this mean? I get paid to move around the country every 3 months or so, do my nurse thing and be a tourist at the same time. I'm proud of the RN BSN OCN credentials that follow my name on official things :) My job rocks and I love what I do. I've been a nurse for 5yrs, traveling for about 2.5yrs. I've been to Chicago, San Fran, DC, CT, and currently hanging out at my alma mater UofM in Ann Arbor, MI.

Just a quick intro. Time to sleep now. We'll see how this whole blog thing goes...