A Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

So the weekend has come and gone...and it has truly been a Thanksgiving to be thankful for!

Thursday, we celebrated my first Thanksgiving with the Butters' side of the family. Wow! Talk about a big family! I always dreamed of having a big family one day, and here I am - married into one. It's a great family though and I'm so thankful for all of them! (Even the ones I'm still learning names on) lol.

We then headed from Battle Creek to Jackson for Thanksgiving with the Bregg's. This was an improptu as we did not originally plan on spending it with my family. They were all pleasantly surprised and it was great to spendsome time with them as well. I did not realize how hard it would be to not see them for Thanksgiving. So, as we told ourselves we did not want to spend our holidays traveling all over the lower half of Michigan, my husband willingly gave into my need to see my family on Thursday. I was very grateful to him for that...but agree that we need to come to a comprimise on holidays. We are still in the process of figuring this one out... :D

Friday, Luke and I both had to work. Unfortunately, I forgot to set the alarm and woke up 10 minutes before I was supposed to leave. Then much to my surprise (yet, what I deemed very fitting for the start of the Christmas season) woke up to SNOW!! So, only five minutes late to work, and starving without any breakfast or coffee - my husband brings me breakfast. Again - another reason to be thankful!!

Saturday, I spent cleaning and working on my final essay for UNC. With Luke's encouragement and encouragement from other family and friends - I finished it!!!! While it is not the "final" piece, it is written. What is left is editing and adding of references. This is the easy part. Luke worked all day Saturday at the hospital in the ER...yet by 7:30pm we we're packed and on the road headed back up to my parents' house.

Sunday started early at 5am. Luke was originally planning on going hunting with my father, but wasn't able to because of his cold (I don't like it when he doesn't feel good...) We had, yet, another Thanksgiving dinner with my family, but this time the Gafkjen side of the family.

And here I am, back in our cozy little apartment and so thankful to be alive and married to a wonderful man! We are both incredibly blessed to have each other and our families. It is weekends like these that remind me of the important things in life.

This last week I have truly felt God working on my heart. I know this is more than just a "feeling" as I have actually seen the changes in myself (and so has my husband). It's encouraging to know that Luke and I have family and friends who love us, support us and who are praying for us.

So thank you. Know that your prayers, encouragement, and support does not go unnoticed. Luke and I are just beginning this journey together and we could not make it without the grace of our Father or without family and friends by our sides.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

~The Butters'

Post-poning the enevietable...

Not only have I not posted a blog in a long time, I have failed to mention that application due dates are coming upon Luke and I. I don't know how friends of mine keep up their blogs with everything else they do? I always have good intentions of blogging at least once a week and then I find I'm exhausted and going to bed early or occupying my time with other things.

So, I'm sitting here listening to Leona Lewis' new cd "Echo" and it's an amazing follow up to her first album (which I also own and love!). However, I am post-poning my final essay for the University of North Carolina. I have wrote two awesome essays that I feel will show UNC what I have to offer. But UNC requires not 1 or 2 essays, but 3. This third one I really seem to be struggling with. I have paper strewn across the floor with reference books from past classes and I'm stuck! I do not even know where to begin. Writing has always been my strong point, opposed to speaking and defending myself, but not with this essay. This one has me pinned and crying out, "Uncle!"

This essay is the only thing I have left to do to submit this application. UNC has received my GRE scores, one of my references and another one is on the way with my transcripts. Aghh - I get so frustrated by this sometimes. I have been struggling with this essay for the last week.

I know why I want to be an occupatonal therapist, I know what it takes, I know how my courses have helped me pave the way to where I am right now - but I how do I put that into words to meet the criteria of this essay?

"Reflect on the content of the prerequisite courses you took in the categories of Human/Individual Behavior, Modes of Reasoning, and Social Institutions & Systems. Consider how the specific courses you took in these domains intersect with the philosophy and score of occupational therapy and occupational science. How do you view the future of occupational therapy and how will your knowledge in each of these areas contribute to your effectiveness in the profession?" (Include at least 5 publicatins as references from professional books or journals that have helped you learn about occupational therapy.

Most of my problem is probably fueled by the fact that I'm struggling with the thoughts of not getting accepted into school for next year. I Luke so much credit for continuing to take classes here and there and still pursuing his dream to become a Physcian's Assistant. He's been out two years now and still is not in a program. I guess that's a little discouraging to me. I've put almost $300 into this application, not to mention all the time and effort, by the time I'll have it submitted. To not know if I'll even get asked or an interview is a little disheartening.

So what next? How do I stay focused on a dream when it is so hard to see the next step? How do I keep striving to achieve something that seems so far away? How do I write a simple essay explaining to a panel of judges that I know what it takes, and I'm going to work hard to be the best I can be if I can't see those things right now?

...I will go back to the drawing board. I will try to approach it from a different angle. I may even have to go back to the beginning and remind myself why I want this in the first place. In the mean time, prayers, encouragement and support will be greatly appreciated; for both Luke and I. We both have a long way to go and we're too far in to quite now.

This is the last picture of Luke and I taken at a K-Wings hockey game a couple weekends ago.

I'll keep ya'll updated on our application status' and life

- but it's back to the drawing board for me now.

Listening to:

Leona Lewis - "Happy"

"Someone once told me you have to choose

what you win or lose.

You can't have everything.

Do you take chances,

you might the feel pain.

Don't you love in vain,

'cause love won't set you free.

I can't stay by the side

and watch this life pass me by.

So unhappy, but safe as could be.

So what if it hurts me?

So what if I break down?

So what if this world just throws me off the edge,

my feet run outta ground

I gotta find my place.

I wanna hear my sound.

Don't care about all the pain in front of me.

I'm just tring to be happy."

A Second In Time

Life sure does get crazy huh? One minute you're welcoming in fall with the close of September and before you know it, it's November and the plannings of Thanksgiving and Christmas are in the air. I cannot believe we're into November already?

These last few weeks have felt like a hurricane. So many changes and new things going on in our lives - it's hard to keep up with everything. Just when I thought I was getting extra time with work, (as our hours all got cut and I now receive Mondays off in addition to Saturday and Sunday) it is easy to find yourself filling that extra time with more "stuff." How does that happen?? And why do we do that to ourseles??

Life goes by too fast...whether we waste our days away or fill them with meaningful conversations and meetings. Life is just that way. Take our weekend for example:

Friday Luke and I both took Friday off to take the GRE up at MSU. We packed and left at 6:00am to spend the whole day in Lansing (because of course we couldn't both take the test at the same time due to registration issues). After having a long day in Lansing, we drove back to my parents house in Jackson to visit family and stay the night as we had a funeral to attend of a dear family friend. Then back to Coldwater by 4:00pm to have dinner ready for my aunt and uncle who came to visit. Sunday was started with church, a visit to Luke's brother's new house, then homework all day.

How does that happen? How does a full 3 days whiz by like a second in time?

Through everything this weekend I've come to realize a lot. A lot about life and living. If life truly does zoom by that fast, what am I doing to make it count? Am I being productive and living everyday like it's my life? The funeral this weekend reminded me how quickly life goes by. Lee lived his life and passed his legacy on to his children and grand-children. While I pray that it's years before I leave this life - I want to be able to say that I lived every second of it.

...I have an itching in my sole that has been unsettled for some time. I know I am meant for something big and God is not done with me yet. I am so ready to "Start" my life and harder I search for that "STARTING" point, the more I come to realize that I'm already running the race and I'm passing things by. I wanna make it count and I need to start picking up the pace.