This is week has flown by! I can't believe it's the last week of July 2010 already! So much has happened within the last week...
For starters, I pulled off Luke's surprise party on Sunday. It was a success! He was surprised and we a good group of people show up. It was so great to see everybody after having moved to Kalamazoo. It was also great to see Luke so happy, surrounded by people who love and support him. He needed that.

We went from a fun-filled day on Sunday, to driving down to Jonesville so he could suture a finger...Luke got to do it himself, and he did great! I think it only re-confirmed the fact that Luke is gonna make an excellent doctor someday. I believe he's gonna be a doctor that not only knows what he's doing, but someone who genuinely cares about his patients. He wants to make a difference in the world, and I believe with my whole heart that he will!

As the week draws to a close, we are both very thankful for it! While the week has gone by fast, it has also been a long week. Little things have been popping up all over that have caused us to be a little "off". However, I finally got the new computer yesterday! It's so great that all the keys work on it, the screen works, the battery works, ahhh...new computer! It was determined that I would need a new one for school and we found the new one at Office Max (great place to shop for office supplies!) for a VERY good price.
Tomorrow is Thursday already, and I feel like I still have a lot of work to do. Tomorrow we are meeting people for dinner and I'm gonna be busy all next week! Then it'll be the second week of August before I know it! Which means I will be starting my new job soon and school!

That's the latest and greatest with the Butters'. I'll keep ya updated!

His Grace is Sufficient

The last few weeks, my joint pain has been getting worse. What, I thought was just my muscles and joints adjusting to my training for the 5K has turned into something more. Glucosemine vitamins have not been helping the situation. Last night I was in so much pain I was up all night. Sleep has been something I have not been getting enough of lately...

I am very frustrated and have been praying about the issue of "pain" a lot lately. Not only have I been struggling with joint pain, but I also deal with Endometriosis on a regular basis. Just when those symptoms seem to dissipate, I'm hit with severe joint pain. This type of pain makes it very hard to even walk without being in pain.

Let's take the 4th of July...We parked a couple miles away from the beach and had to walk. I am an active and fit person. I should not be complaining of pain in my hips just to WALK a mile or so. I don't mean to complain, but it gets so frustrating at times. If it's not the hips, it's the female issue...and vice versa.

I find myself relying on 1 Corinthians 12:9;

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

After some research, I have found that Rheumatoid Arthritis runs in my family, hip replacements and joint problems. I feel that I am too young to be dealing with RH right now. I can't even ride horses anymore without being in some kind of pain. I keep praying that I will be reminded daily that God's grace is sufficient for me. That Christ's power is made perfect in my weakness. I know that He is the true healer; God can take away all of my pain. Whether that pain be related to Endometriosis or my joints.

In the meantime, I have been encouraged to get blood work done to test for sure what my joint pain is caused from. Blood work is something that I have to stay up on for my other issue as well. I get so frustrated...even writing about this makes me angry. Why do I feel like I have bad genes? It's bad enough that I have Endometriosis to begin with...but the idea of possibly developing RH at the same time? Really God? Really??

What is He trying to teach me? What am I supposed to learn through this? I'm supposed to be the one who helps people deal with this someday? Now I feel like I need occupational therapy!

If anyone is reading this, and this is more than just me venting about things; I ask for your prayers. For both of us. Luke is doing so good at encouraging me and trying to help me feel better as well as being a spiritual support. However, I know it weighs on him as well.

In the meantime, I'm told to take it easy and to stop training for my 5K... :(

Our 1 Year Anniversary

Luke got coffee spilled on him. :(

Today is Day 1 of Year 2! I can't believe it, yet here we are!

Luke and I had a wonderful weekend up in Mackinaw City and Mackinaw Island. The weather was gorgeous and views were breathtaking! We even ventured up into the U.P. to the Tahquamenon Falls. Luke had never seen them before...they were a lot bigger when I was 10, but still fun to see!

It's amazing how fast time goes when you're having fun. This summer has been fantastic! Now I'm anticipating the start of the semester. I cannot wait to start in the OT program!

Luke's getting signed up for classes at the community college so that he can apply to more grad schools. He has a few schools for the PA program that he's applying to this summer. However, he's also considering Med School up at MSU. I know that whatever he chooses to do, he'll be great at it! He definitely has a passion for medicine and helping people.

Luke got me a ring for our anniversary; the one that I've wanted for the last 8 months! It's beautiful! The best part; proceeds go toward children with Autism as well. It was the ring that I said I wanted when I got into grad school; never did I think I would be getting it for our 1 year anniversary, or in grad school by the time that came around!


So here we are...starting day 1 of year 2. It's a typical Monday...Luke's at work and I've got tons of work to do here at home. Funny how life kicks in huh?

Today was a rainy day. I had originally planned to lay out by the pool and work on my tan and read a book...however the weather had something different in mind. So, instead I headed into Portage and went to the Barnes and Noble and spent a good hour just browsing the books. It made me realize there are SO MANY books that I am interested in reading. The list includes books from Fiction to Classic Fiction, Biographies to Memoirs, to Religious Fiction books, books on religion, not to mention all the travel books that I can only dream about visiting right now.
So I decided that while I'm half way through the summer already, I better get started. There's no time like the present right? For starters, I picked up Kate Chopin's, The Awakening. It was $5, on the B &N Classics list and was a short novel; perfect place to start in my opinion.

After spending some time in B &N I realized that I have always wanted to write...something. I used the excuse that I didn't have enough time. Now I realized that I have all the time in the world right now. What have I been waiting for!? So this got me thinking about what I would write. There are so many different options. I have so many ideas welling up inside! I guess I should start with writing down ideas; that seems to make the most sense right now.

The summer is going by fast. Looking at my calendar and I realized that my weekends are already "booked" until the second Saturday of August. That leaves 3 weeks until classes start! I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I know that the sooner I start, the sooner I'll be done and beginning a career. Hopefully Luke will be getting into school soon as well! I know that he's going to make a great Physcian's Assistant. He has the ability to retain information and expell it back to individuals at a level patients will comprehend. He has a passion for people and medicine. He very clearly puts people first.

I think about all of the amazing things the Lord has done for us in the past year and it makes us very excited about the things to come. We know that the Lord has special plans for us. We know that as long as we continue to seek Him first we are going to be able to do amazing things through Him. I remember being a little girl and telling my mom and dad that I felt like I was meant for something BIG. For a 13 year old, that's pretty intense. I've held onto it and I feel that way now; except that I've been blessed with an amazing partner. It's no longer just about me, but what WE can achieve together to glorify the Lord.

Thanks for reading!

Time to Update the Butters' Blog

What a great weekend! This holiday weekend I spent it horseback riding with my mom, the beach with Luke and his brother and sister-in-law and relaxing. I finally finished my book this weekend, A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White; time to find a new one!

We're heading into a busy week. I have another interview tomorrow; hopefully this will lead to another part time job that I will be able to start before classes begin in September. I also have loads of laundry to do and organizing. The apartment has some areas that need to be re-organized already.

Luke's new job is going well. He is catching on quickly and liking the work. My July calendar is already full every weekend! I cannot believe that we are coming up on our 1 year anniversary already! Life is crazy like that! We're planning a trip to Mackinaw City...we're both looking forward to it!

Thinking about how fast July is going to fly by, reminds me that I need to get serious about training for my 5k in August. I have been running, but I don't have a routine down yet. I'm finding a hard time getting motivated to run. Time is definitely not an excuse either. You make time for the things you wanna make time for right? Running outside is a lot harder than running on a treadmill. Although, I know it's better for me.

I almost forgot!! We got new additions to our family; two goldfish. I named them Bonnie and Clyde. Come to find out, they have "New Tank Syndrome" which in short is goldfish anxiety. Clyde keeps running into the side of glass and is turnig black. Apparently goldfish need a 50 gallon tank and 10 additonal gallons for every fish. Who knew little Comets required so much space!? So...the search for a bigger tank is on.

Well that's about all the new "news." Happy Fourth of July and God Bless!

~The Butters'~