the New Year

With each New Year,  new resolutions are written down, new habits are formed,new dreams are thought of, new opportunities are presented, and the list could go on and on.  And I think I'm seeing a theme..."new"!  Well, as part of my New Years "changes", I have decided to start a blog.  This has been a huge desire of mine for the past 6 months or so, but I just never "braved" up and did it.  So, what better time than now with all the changes and fresh starts.  This whole writing thing is definitely taking me out of my comfort zone, but I suppose that's good for me, right?! Most of y'all reading this will already know many things about me, but in case we have some "visitors", I want to share a little bit about me and my "Young World". 

My world basically consists around my husband, church, and work.  So, now a little bit about each: I have been married now to my best friend, Chris for 5 years!!! 5 years....can you believe it?! Time really does go by SO fast!  Chris is from North Carolina originally, and we met here in St.Louis (where I was born and raised) when he came here for college.  And, thankfully I've managed to keep him here since :-)  Our lives together have had many ups and downs, but through it all we have used those times to draw closer and to learn more about each other.  Never in a million years did I think we would have to face some of the challenges that we have in the last 5 years, but God has NEVER failed us once!! When we said our vows to each other on our wedding day, December 29th, 2006, we both meant each word! So, it's always been just the two of us, well and our sweet little cocker spaniel Zoe, for the last 5 years, but not for long.  In June of this year, we will be adding a "little Youngin'" to our family, and we couldn't be happier! It's amazing to me to think that I'm "growing a human being", but that's pretty much what's happening..hah!  It's truly a miracle and a gift from God! Enough about us, and I promise to keep you posted on the pregnancy updates throughout the next few months.  I have been blessed to be apart of the APC family, aka my church family, for my entire life.  My dad is the greatest Pastor/Leader anyone could ever want/have.  As part of my New Years changes, my desire is to grow deeper in God and to develop a greater relationship with Him.  We want our lives, as individuals and as a couple, to be centered around God and His will!  As for my work, I am a Registered Nurse, and have been for 4 years now...wow! Once again, time flies.  I knew going into my nursing career that I wanted to work in Labor and Delivery, so that's what I do and have done for 4+years.  I started out at Barnes Jewish Hospital where I learned and experienced SO much more than I could have ever imagined.  Some good, some bad, but all of it is what helped to make me the nurse that I am today, so I am grateful.  Looking back on some of the situations, I know that God had me there at that particular moment for a very special reason.  There were many drives home that I would cry, cry, cry because of what I had witnessed that work day, but God always managed to wrap His loving arms around me and give me the peace that I needed to go on.  There were many times I told myself that I couldn't go back, or I would ask myself why in the world I chose this profession......but somehow, someway God has given me the strength and courage to do what I do.  I think the best way to describe my job as an L&D nurse is that it's the best and worst job all wrapped into one.  And in the most sincerest way, I do believe that God equips special people to do our job, and for some reason He chose ME! Along the way, I transferred to Missouri Baptist to work on their Labor and Delivery unit.  I still currently work there PRN, but just recently God blessed me with a new job.  One I like to best describe as having "normal people hours".  I currently work in a Perinatologists office, which is a fancy word for a High Risk Obstetrician with lots of additional qualifications, etc.  I have always enjoyed the office setting and the hours that come along with it. Oh, and not to mention the fact that I'm off today because of the holiday..woohoo! My hopes are that I will gain a lot of knowledge and experience in the office setting, which will help to prepare me for my desired adventure of becoming a Nurse Practitioner.  Speaking of, I have applied to Graduate School and will hopefully hear some good news in the next few months of when I will begin that journey.

2011 was full of many changes, and looking back I am truly amazed at how awesome God is.  He had His hand on each and every decision and path that we took.  I have high hopes for 2012, as I know it will bring MANY changes as well!