doing it

bell has this nike shirt. and instead of the typical "just do it" saying on the front, it reads "doing it." it got me thinking, hey i'm doing it. what is "it" you might ask? it would be anatomy and physiology. i made the decision last summer to take a&p this summer. i chose to do it now instead of during the regular school year on top of my full load. and ever since i made that decision i dreaded the day i would have to act upon it.

now, it wasn't something i thought about daily, but it flitted through my mind frequently. i had heard horror stories about the class. from friends who'd previously taken it, from people i met at odu, and from the advisors. i realized i'd be doing a&p for the summer. not working, not hanging out, heck, not even sleeping. "a&p would be my life" one advisor stated with an impish smile. how could i not dread that? should i have looked forward to these promises eagerly? anticipating them with joy and desire? should or shouldn't have, i didn't. i really couldn't wait for the whole shabang to be over.

and then i had to decide this past spring to take the class at odu or tcc. i chose tcc for a handful of reasons. it was a tough decision, but every day i go to school i'm glad God helped guide me to make it.

and "every day i go to school" reminds me that i'm doing it! this thing i've dreaded for almost a year, i'm doing it. and after today's practical, i'm half way done. 5 weeks down, 5 weeks to go. and not a single day has passed that i have not felt desperate to call upon the name of the Lord, begging for help to learn everything i need to.

"prayer can never be in excess." spurgeon

and He has indeed answered my call.

"oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people." psalms 105:1

He is indeed worthy of praise! helping me gently along every step of the way, teaching me more than the superior vena cava, the cricotracheal ligament, and the ciliary zonule. He's revealing Himself to me more and more every day, and I couldn't be more grateful for this time of dependence on Him.

i'm doing anatomy by the grace of God. and i'm half way done!

round 2

ding! ding! ding!

and here begins round 2.
another week, another load of school.
4 tests. 5 quizzes. 7 days. holy cow.

and when i realize this, all that i have to do, i realize once again how incapable i am. i realize how anatomy would totally kick my butt if it weren't for grace. grace that gives me strength when i feel so weak. grace that reminds me to pray and ask my heavenly Father for help. and grace that sees me though to the next day. and that's when i realize and remember how capable God is. He is capable and willing to help me through these next seven days and then the 5 weeks left after that. and then the next year, and the next, and so on. He is capable to sustain me through this trial and every one that will come in the future.

God is able. God is willing. And God is at work. What good, life-giving news.

a few a&p pictures. so interesting i know.

starting out

pushing through

and done. ahh. isabel's looking good.

Back to the books : )

grace&triumph

as i've been preparing for the past 10 days or so for my first 3 a&p tests, which occurred in a 2 day span, i've had to say no to many things.

i left graduation right away. and then my sisters and friends went to the beach for the afternoon. i studied at home. then they all came over to our house. and i sat upstairs studying. it was hard. really hard. i only cried once, but wished i was downstairs hundreds of times.

i missed reaghan's pool party sunday afternoon. couldn't hang out on the nights jake was over. and i think worst of all of these was missing garrett's soccer games. everyone went to the beach pretty much all day both saturday and sunday. thankfully, i was able to go to 2 games, but felt the weight of school the whole time i was there. and then it was hard leaving while everyone else was there. i cried again sunday when everyone else left to watch the championship game.

studying has been hard. my mind wants to be a million other places. my creativity goes wild when i need to be doing intense studying instead. even harder than the actual studying was just trying to focus on what i was "learning."

needless to say these past few days have been tiring. feeling sad and at times discouraged. yet, in God's kindness i was often reminded to pray and read God's Word.

last night, i decided to just be done studying at 9. at 9 i'd close the books, put everything away, and do something enjoyable. so i did. i brainstormed fun stuff and watched the basketball game. and today, i went and took 2 of my tests. and i felt like i did well.

well, this afternoon i found out how i did on my lecture part 1 test. i got a 102. i was overjoyed and grateful beyond belief to see the grade. God was indeed helping me to study hard and say no to temptation. he was with me with each and every question. i'm so glad 2/3 are behind me. i'm hoping tomorrow's goes as well, but i'm not quite as sure about what to expect. whatever, the outcome i know God is with me.

61. getting a 102 on the first anatomy test!

62. gorgeous summer nights

63. lovely flowers on the dining room table from our yard

64. the games i did get to see

65. access. such a great message. provoking and encouraging. perfect combo.

again, so much to be grateful for!

warm weather brings...

58. sand soccer tourneys

garrett plays hard

he runs fast after the ball

stop. refuel.

go.

stop. do ballet.

and go.

he plays hard and we love watching!

59. beach colors

60. summer rainstorms

grateful

although today was a rough day at school, long and stressful, this afternoon was good. i felt energized to study hard, eager to learn, and confident that in Christ I can learn all i need to by monday and tuesday. i’m grateful for days like these

library

Here is where people,
One frequently finds,
Lower their voices
And raise their minds.
~Richard Armour

quiet and calm
cool and hushed
the perfect place for hours of study

i've so enjoyed sitting for hours in the library to study for a&p
it's quiet and i accomplish much while inside the big brick walls



plus, i have a lovely view

a tribute

after the last few days, i've once again realized how perfect my mom is for me. and even more importantly, how much her life reflects Christ.

ever since i was little, i can remember my mom constantly serving us. i also remember going to friends' houses and the moms slept in on saturdays, left dishes piled in the sink, constantly planned fun stuff for themselves with friends/husbands, and i remember thinking that was weird. while i know most of these moms lived for God, their strengths were in other areas, though they never neglected their kids in any way. but it seemed weird to me still because my mom never slept in, tried to keep the sink empty and always had the laundry going, and rarely planned fun outings for herself, but instead spent most free time doing fun things for and with us.

while it used to seem weird to me the way other moms did things, i now realize my mom is the weird one. and not in a bad way at all. she excels at serving her family. she goes over and above in the category of putting her family before herself. and this, more than any other way, is how i see Christ in her.

proverbs 31 says

an excellent wife who can find? she is far more precious than jewels.

my mom is an excellent wife, and she is indeed far more valuable than all the riches in the world.

the proverb continues on to say

she works with willing hands...
she rises while it is yet night...
she makes her arms strong...
her lamp does not go out at night...
she opens her hands to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy...
she makes linen garments and sells them...
she opens her mouth with wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue...
she looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness...
charm is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. give her of the fruit of her hands and let her works praise her in the gates.


wow. my mom excels at daily living out what it is like to be a Godly woman. and what a better way to teach and train her four daughters than to live out a Christ-like example every single day.

she works with willing hands
my mom complains less than any other person i know. she does not grumble or gripe when she is left to do the laundry again, or when it's time to pick up. but instead she frequently offers to clean up the kitchen after dinner so that we might go finish homework or run off to some fun engagement. willing hands, i tell you.

she rises while it is yet night- her light does not go out at night
she is basically always up before me in the mornings. even on saturday, her one day to sleep in. she still rises early to begin her day, and she usually begins with God. spending time with Him is of first importance, and she displays that by making that the first thing she does. she stays up late often times to complete her work, to pick up after everyone, or to ensure we are all home safe and sound.

she makes her arms strong
i've always thought my mom had the prettiest hands. now, i know it is because her hands and arms are continually busy, working to ensure everyone else is comfortable.

she opens her hands to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy
even while my dad was out of work for 17 months, i still found thank you notes in my mom's room from families thanking her for the generous check or gift she had given them, because their family was also struggling financially. she never drew attention to her giving, but God used her generous heart to bless others regularly. i know of many times she purchased gifts for others and then had to run an errand. a couple times i went with her and found her errand was to return that thing she bought for herself in order to pay for something for someone else. and we had gotten so excited that she actually bought something for herself for once. we should've known.

she makes linen garments and sells them
she works hard at her full time job to help support our family. and she does an excellent job. and then she puts in extra hours tutoring to save up money for the future, go ahead and pay that other bill, or to give us swimsuit money for the summer. she is not lazy and she is not stingy.

she opens her mouth with wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue
i personally think i have gained the most wisdom-next to the Bible- from my mom. she almost always has a Biblical answer or solution and does not neglect to get right to the heart of the issue. though this wisdom at times is hard to hear, i always look back and see that it was indeed wise. she studies God's word and is close to her Savior, and in turn imparts wisdom to others.

she looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness
she is always on the look out for us. she cares for both our physical and spiritual needs. my mom is not idle. she works hard five days a week and then comes home and works her second full time job being a wife and mother, and a stinkin good one at that. lazy and slothful are not things my mom practices.

give her the fruit of her hands and let her works praise her in the gates
that's the point of me writing this. i'm overcome with gratefulness for her and want for her God glorifying deeds to be praised. while she never draws attention to herself, her actions and life are indeed worthy of attention because Christ is alive in her and doing a good thing through her.

summer colors

these past few days i've been so enamored with colors. and not just bright, cheery, bold hues, but the white washed, clean tones too

some are my own pictures, some i've seen. so here are a few

fresh salsa

green chocolate vine

clear and i love the touch of beachy green

turquoise and orange. summer. summer. anthropology. yes.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150269874651416&set=a.10150269874321416.373216.107418161415&type=1&theater

snowcones

sunsets

sea shells

fossil

love this white by lizelle lotter

green and gray from pottery barn

pretty golden glow

feminine in white ruffles

i've always loved the colors in this perfume ad

shades of the jade sea

beach streets

patterns and shades

candy jars

and lastly, it doesn't get more summer colorful than this


a ferris wheel at the beachfront. lovely and blurry, i know