Merry Christmas!!

Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ - I hope we can all take a moment today to reflect on the love of God sent to us through His Son. As the song below implies, nothing can separate us from His love- we are all children of God. What a wonderful promise! Merry Christmas to all!!

New Favorite Song

I have a new favorite song - Orphans of God - I heard it this past Sunday at Brook Hills again and I really like it. (Go listen on iTunes, Avalon sings it originally, but not as good as the trio at Brook Hills) Enjoy!

"Who here among us has not been broken
Who here among us is without guilt or pain
So oft’ abandoned by our transgressions
If such a thing as grace exists
Then grace was made for lives like this

There are no strangers
There are no outcasts
There are no orphans of God
So many fallen, but hallelujah
There are no orphans of God

Come ye unwanted and find affection
Come all ye weary, come and lay down your head
Come ye unworthy, you are my brother
If such a thing as grace exists
Then grace was made for lives like this

O blessed Father, look down upon us
We are Your children, we need Your love
We run before Your throne of mercy
And seek Your face to rise above

There are no strangers
There are no outcasts
There are no orphans of God
So many fallen, but hallelujah
There are no orphans of God

Sips n Strokes #2

Mom and I went to Sips n Strokes last night for her birthday - it was fun but very challenging!!

Update on Sugar

Well, my cat is still alive! My mom took her to the vet on Tuesday morning and she started responding a little more - they thought she had been hit by a car or something that temporarily paralyzed her shoulder/arm. They also thought she made have had a concussion so that's why she was a little slow mentally... Anyway, they believed she would survive and improve, so after a bag of fluids, a few shots, a good grooming and $160 later, my mom took her back home. The report out of Auburn today is that she stood up on her own and walked a few steps and used the litter box! I'm very happy and look forward to seeing her on Sunday when I go home...

Orlando pictures

Tribute to my cat, Sugar

Ok. so I'm very sad right now! My cat of 16+ years is dying... My parents found her in the corner of our garage this weekend and she is struggling to live. We think she had a stroke or something because one of her front legs is paralyzed - and when I stopped in at home Thurs night on my way back from Orlando, we heard a cat screaming but couldn't find her. Anyway, mom is taking her to the vet tomorrow morning to make a final assessment on the situation.
As most of you know, I am not much of a dog person (and Sarah said that is okay!) but I just loved my two cats. We got Sugar and Tiger when I was in 5th grade. We named them after Auburn - Sugar because I thought Auburn always went to the sugar bowl for some reason and then obviously tiger after our mascot. Tiger passed away about 8 years ago, but Sugar has outlived all of her brothers and sisters that were also living in our neighborhood. She was kind of a cranky cat until Tiger died and then took his place as the sweet one.
All that to say, I wish I was in Auburn so I could go with mom in the morning, but I'm not... so I'll just have a little grieving session here by myself. :-( Sad day!

Orlando here I come!

Amy and I left Bham tonight and are staying in Auburn. We're heading out to Orlando in the morning for the pharmacy residency conference. We are meeting 6 other girls there for a week of fun! First off, Amy and I are competing in the Clinical Skills Competition on Saturday morning - we hope to make the top 10 and finish competing on Sunday! We'll be meeting with the residency programs we are considering on Monday and Tuesday and we plan to spend 2 days at Universal. I'm excited to have a week off from rotations and be in a city that is 30 degrees warmer! Oh - and of course we will be watching the SEC championship Sat...I might even say Go Gators during it...can't believe that, but I think they will come out on top.

Sad day for Auburn

I'm not going to say much, because most people who know me, know how I feel. I'm sad to see Tommy go, no matter how it all went down. I think he is a quality person who did a lot for our University. I think it's going to be hard to find someone with as much character - someone who values having a spiritual coordinator as much as offense or defense. We'll see!
I want to believe how Jay Jacobs said it went down, but somehow I just don't think he is telling the whole truth...drama!

AU/UA experience

Well, last week I had hope. I believed in Auburn and proudly supported the t-shirt and yard sign, gearing up for game-time. I knew the odds, I knew we were facing a #1, undefeated team, I knew we've already lost 6 games, and the chances were slim for a final victory, but still, I was optimistic! I went with my family to the game yesterday (since I've been to every Iron bowl since I was 10) still feeling excited about this heated rivalry. Decked out in my orange, my AU face tattoo, shaker and rain gear in tow, I climbed to the top of the endzone in the clouds of mist that continued throughout the game. I love the spirit of the competition. Well, we all know how it went down...it was sad. I thought we would at least score a few points and keep their points down...but we didn't manage to do either. I really didn't have that many expectations, but it still was depressing.
Ok...on to the annoying bama fans - over the last few months, most bama fans I have encountered have been reasonably nice with comments like, "we've been there, we know how it feels." etc. While I am not a supporter of their team, I'm ok with the fact that they have been successful this year, good for them. I have not been taunting with things like 7 in a row or anything... I have come to grips with the fact that it is not our year.
Well, the bama fans around us were just plain awful! They were SO rude to us. They rolled their eyes when we would say a single cheer - funny was the fact that they were sitting in the AU section. I was simply trying to be a fan and be an encouragement for my team. The guy in front of us was so bad that the cops came up there and threw him out of the stadium. Obviously about the 3rd quarter, most AU fans started leaving, but not us. We stayed until the bitter end to show them what a true fan is like. I continued to cheer and support my team. The Au fans near us sang once, "It's great to be an Auburn Tiger" and the bama fans said "I don't think its great to be with Auburn." But no matter, win or lose, it is great to be a fan, a true supporter through the good and the ugly. So I am proud to say that IT IS great to be an Auburn Tiger!

Ice Skating!

Last night we had a girls night and went ice skating in Pelham - it was SO fun!! Here are a few pics...

The week in review...

So there's not much exciting to share with you this week...I have been slacking again in my blogging entries, but here's a re-cap of my week:

• Sunday: entire family home, lunch at the C Club for Will's birthday, parents bought Mario Cart for our Wii.
• Monday: First day of 5th rotation, HSP (health system pharmacy) at Baptist Princeton, learned how to fill the pixis machines with drugs. Spent about 1 1/2 hours of my afternoon blowing the leaves in my front yard into a gigantic pile...afterwords finding my arms shaking all night from holding the heavy blower (and the fact that I'm out of shape) - but I feel accomplished!
• Tuesday: Volunteered at M-Power (an indigent medical clinic) in the pharmacy after work and went to bible study in which I'm really enjoying my new group! We are studying 2 Peter - learning a lot.
• Wednesday: Worked in the IV room all morning putting stickers on IV bags (how fun!) Visited and played with Miss Campbell in the afternoon - she loves her Aunt Jess! (especially when I bring her candy...). Spent the night with Kimmie since Steven was out of town.
• Thursday: More IV room at work. Amy and I began our preparation for the Clinical Skills competition coming up in 2 weeks. Made Baked Potato Soup for the roommates and it was SO yummy!
• Friday: Blogging at work. Girls night tonight with Lauren, Amy and Jessica Jones!!
• Looking forward to a relaxing weekend in Bham...decorating for Christmas, applying for residencies, hanging out with friends and resting!
• WAR EAGLE....WE BELIEVE....GO TIGERS.... (gearing up for Iron Bowl :-)

Happy Birthday Will!!

My little brother turned 20 today!! (I feel old...) He was home this weekend in Auburn and it was great for our whole family to be together. I hope you had a blessed day Will - Love you!

My Platform is tomorrow!

My biggest project of the year is tomorrow! I have been working on my platform for weeks now and I feel pretty good about it. The presentation is at 3pm tomorrow so please say a little prayer and wish me luck!

Rwanda Opportunity

So...I have an opportunity to go to Rwanda in March with Kanakuk Colorado!! The minute I heard about the trip, I signed up to be a chaperone because I was so excited. I have been praying about the opportunity, but still do not know if it is a wise choice based on how much this trip will cost. The trip works out perfectly with my Spring Break so that I would not have to miss any school/rotation work. I would be helping chaperone 30 kids on possibly their first international mission trip...and the best part is what we will be doing: working in an orphanage where Miss Gabby Braner (daughter of K-CO directors) was adopted from and helping to lay the foundational work for KAA - that is KIDS ACROSS AFRICA!! Yes, they are building a Kanakuk Kamp in Africa! So, as you can see, I am super excited about the possibility. Now to the possibly limiting part...I have to raise half of my cost by Dec 1st! And that just happens to be $2000. Now, I completely believe that the Lord will provide for me if He desires that I go. I am just not sure if it is wise for someone who is on student loans and has racked up over 100,000 of loans to be raising support and spending some of my loan money right now. I think it is an awesome opportunity and one I am dying to be a part of. So, please pray that I will bring this before the Lord continually and follow His lead - not my own desires. I am willing to sacrifice whatever necessary to make this happen - I'm just not sure what that looks like for me and my situation. I'd appreciate an insight or encouragement you have. Thanks for your prayers over this opportunity!

P.S. They also need one more Female chaperone - who wants to go with me??

3 Students and a Truck

My classmate, Jigar, came up with this yesterday as we were finishing moving all of Auburn/Dr. Kelley's stuff from Carraway to our AU pharmacy office in Vestavia. That phrase describes my last few weeks at Carraway - yesterday was the official last day of Carraway, the doors are closed, no more patients... So sad! We saw several patients this week who were extremely distressed to hear that the hospital where they were born at and have gone their entire adult life was closing its doors. They didn't know where they should go. They wanted to follow my preceptor, Dr. Kelley, but she doesn't know where she will be. It was hard to explain it to them and then watch them walk out the door, just hoping they will follow-up with someone and get adequate medical care. While my learning experience has been a little different than expected, it has been a good lesson on something that rarely happens! I'll spend the next two weeks seeing patients at Kirklin Clinic downtown and working on my platform which is Nov 11th!!

Back to my roots...

Literally! So, I've gotten a little more bold with my hair color and I am tired of being called a blonde (b/c I'm NOT!), so when I found a new sylist here in Birmingham, I asked her what color she thought would be best for me. She told me that usually, the color of your hair when you were age 2 or 3 is usually what looks best... So, that is what I attempted. Let's just hope my pre-mature gray doesn't come shining through too loudly in about 4 weeks! I've included some pictures of my early childhood to prove my dark roots.

TOP 10

Reasons NOT to vote for Obama (according to Sean Hannity - and I agree):

#10- Judgement
#9 - Media Darling
#8 - A hearbeat away (Biden)
#7 - Out of the mainstream
#6 - Consistency (lack of)
#5 - Too many Democrats
#4 - Divisive politics
#3 - Taxes and Spending
#2 - Foreign Policy
#1 - LACK OF EXPERIENCE!!

That's all for now...

My new favorite hobby...

SIPS N STROKES!!
12 of the girls in my class that are here in Bham went to Sips n Strokes last night for a little break from the school work. We had SO much fun!! I wish I could do one of these each week - while my Type A personality didn't allow complete relaxation, it was still great to get my mind off of school and turn on my creative mind. If anyone wants to go with me (aka...Kimmie) sometime soon, let me know!!

Carraway hospital is closing...

I'm sure you've all heard the news about Carraway Hospital here in Bham closing this week. It's quite sad and I think it has been coming for a while now...but the financial issues are finally reality. When I walked into work this Monday, to the Carraway Clinic where I am this month, I could tell something was different...only 1 person in the waiting room...receptionists looked sad...no doctor sign-in sheets...and the truth came out that they let all of their residents go at 8am and planned to close the hospital this week and the clinic by Oct 31. So, it has been an interesting few days to help notify some of our coumadin patients, help Dr. Kelley move all the AU equipment, etc. I know the other students, Dr. Kelley and I will all be fine because we are with Auburn, but I just feel so bad about all the residents and employees that now have to find new jobs and possibly move to a new city! It would be great if you could keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Sarah's Blog

Sarah has joined the blog world!! WAY to go!! Check out her blog at www.sarahgarner.blogspot.com
Kimber you are next...

This week:

I started rotation #4 this week. I am at Carraway Community Clinic - which is an internal medicine clinic associated with Carraway hospital (yes, the one about to file bankruptcy!) I am able to help with chronic management of Diabetes, Hypertension, High Cholesterol, Coumadin/Warfarin monintoring, etc. So far it is going well! It is a big change from being in-patient on the last rotation (which I loved!)

Tuesday, Amy Pennington and I competed in the Clinical Skills competition back in Auburn for school. And we WON!! We also won last year and were able to compete at the national conference. We are going to nationals in Orlando this December and hope to win or at least place in the top 10. We know we are big dorks for being excited about this, but it is good to see all your hard work of studying pay off - we actually have learned something these past 3 years!

I also attended the Residency Conference at the pharmacy school on Tuesday. Many residency programs from all over the southeast came to recruit - I am planning to do an extra year of training through a residency next year - either in peds or general. At first, I thought I would stay in Bham at Children's Hospital for this, but now I am opening my eyes to a few more options - Nashville, Charleston, Chapel Hill....just to name a few. Where should I go?? We'll see...

Last night I went to the Michael Buble concert in Bham - it was VERY good! He is quite the entertainer...

Farmer in the Dell - Pumpkin Patch

This weekend in Auburn a few of us went out to Dr. Dell's pumpkin patch - it was fun! I got several unusual pumkins, rode on the tractor ride w/ Campbell and enjoyed seeing all the Crosby family!

Recent pictures

Pictures from my life lately...

War Eagle!

Happy Birthday Katie!!

Happy 27th Birthday Katie!! It's official...you're old! (and I'm only 4 months behind you...) Hope you have a great day!

this and that

Still slacking in the blog world...my rotation at Baptist and Auburn football are keeping me busy!
Ever since watching the end of the Ryder Cup last Sunday, I've been wanting to write about golfer, Boo Weekley and include some of his hilarious clips from interviews. He is quite a character. AND... he is related (somewhat distantly) to my roommate, Lauren!
I'm back in Auburn for the Tenn game tomorrow - I'm confident we will pull out a W. I'm NOT looking forward to hearing "rocky top" again and again and hope we can get ahead early so to lessen the chances of it playing.
My little brother is flying to Ohio today to play in the NCAA preview tournament (for the championship in the spring). My parents are leaving tomorrow to join him. Sad thing is, he has had vertigo over the last week since returning from Japan. It has really hindered him from practicing this week - he can't balance himself and feels like he is going to fall over when he swings! Please keep him in your thoughts - I hope he is better for this tournament that starts Sunday.
More to come when life slows down (if ever)...

my thoughts on game day

Before the game:

• It's GAME DAY!!! Corso and Herbstreet have picked us to win
• The home team has won the last 8 meetings...we must take advantage of the home team position
  
• Optimistic about our offense - I believe we will look much improved this week
• Trusting our defense to keep their points low
  
• Tailgaiting all day...seeing friends (newlyweds Sarah & Adam, Amy P., Katie & Ben, Joy & Jordan, Kelly & Chip, Ashley M., Molly A. and many more)
• Decked out in orange and blue, LSwho pin, AU face tatoo...super excited for the big day!
  

After the game:

• Sad day... :-(
  
• Hard-fought game; dominated first half but lost steam in the 2nd
• Defense struggled in the 2nd half...
• 5 lead changes kept it intense
  
• I think I need to be on anti-anxiety meds during these big games - I could not stop shaking the entire game...I don't want to admit it but that's bad.
• "I believe" videos are AUsome...especially the one with Bo Jackson - they get me fired up!
  
• As the OA news put it..."It was weird. It was wild. It was a barnburner without the fire."
  

My house in Homewood

I love my cute little house in Homewood! I finally bought an Auburn flag to hang outside and support my team! Yesterday I barely pulled on one of the branches of this "dead" tree in my front yard and it totally broke off! (You didn't know I was that strong did you? :-)

boys will be boys...

This past weekend I had the privledge to keep the Speaks boys - Jackson (11), Harrison (9), Griffin (7) and Sullivan (5) in Auburn. I had a great time and they kept me busy! I took a few pictures of their "air-soft" war Saturday afternoon. They had 2 boundry lines set up in the backyard and had 5 other boys from the neighborhood participating with them. It was hilarious! Growing up I would have never thought to do this. Me and the girls in the neighborhood instead played school in my garage or started our own "Babysitter's Club" in middle school. It's so fun to see how different boys and girls are! I had a great weekend being "mom" and I look forward to the day when I can have my own!! :-)

ready or not, DEFENSE is what we've got

WOW...3 to 2!! You don't see that much in College football. It was definitely a defensive battle. If you're looking for a super high-scoring game...you probably won't find it when AU plays an SEC team.
Now...I do not like to be negative and I hate to see all the negativity in the media and from other SEC fans - because honestly, what does it benefit? I know our offense is struggling a bit (I'm being positive), but we still have time to work out the kinks of the new spread and besides, our defense is amazing! They held Miss St. to 116 total yards and 0-for-16 on 3rd downs. In the first three games, the defense has only allowed 16 points, 9 of which were generated by our fabulous offense. It's a team sport and if our defense keeps playing like they have, we will win many ballgames this year. I just hope the team can ignore all the negativity this week and work hard to get ready for the big game next weekend - Reason #1: we must win, but Reason #2: I live with a die-hard, abnoxious LSU fan who will not let me live it down and I might have to move out if we lose! :-)
WAR EAGLE!

My life lately...

BUSY!!



I have started slacking in my blogging since my new rotation at Baptist Princeton. Even though it has required really early mornings, late nights of studying and long days in between, I LOVE IT! This type of job is exactly what I want to do with my pharmacy degree - I'm just not sure which population I want to do it in. Peds? We are working with the Internal Medicine Staff team and are able to round on all their patients with them. It is neat to see how pharmacy fits into their teaching/learning experience and the ways in which we can help. Yesterday, I had the chance to catch an error in the chart about a certain hypertension drug and able to make the recommendation to do something different - and they accepted it! It was exciting...


Last thursday I had to drive to Auburn for the Rho Chi/Scholarship banquet. Ashley drove from Mobile and Jenna from Huntsville to represent the officers. I also got my hair cut shorter and a little darker...I like change...
Tailgaiting at the AU-Southern Miss game - I suprised my dad with his copy of my blog book. I was very happy with the way it turned out and glad I have a book to capture my Africa experience.


Richelle and I at the AU-LA Monroe game labor day weekend!

For Your Glory part 2

Ok, I finally figured out who sang one of my new favorite songs - it is Ronnie Freeman. Here are the lyrics:

"In you I live and move and have my being,
I find my heart beat in your love.
So I sing and dance, because I've been forgiven,
You've taught my heart just how to trust.
And all of this, a reflection of your grace, not for any other reason.

For your glory I was made, to bring you honor, to give you praise.
For your glory you have saved my soul, and you call me your own,
For your glory.

For your glory I was made, by your grace you came and saved my soul, saved my soul.
For your glory I was made, by your grace you came and made me whole, made me whole.

For your glory I was made, to bring you honor, to give you praise.
For your glory you have saved my soul, and you call me your own,
For your glory... For your glory!"

Simple, but true. We are here for HIS glory. It's not about me, it's all about Him!

For Your Glory

As I was driving back from Auburn early this morning for work, while performing a mini-concert to the album 'Pages' by Shane & Shane, I decided to share some of my favorite lyrics with you from the album: ashley mix, #11. But I have been looking for the past half hour and can't find the song title... Maybe I need to go listen to it again in my car at lunch. It goes something like this, "For your glory I was made, For your glory I was saved...." Does anyone know that song and who sings it? It's a good one, maybe I'll share it with you soon.

hope

I have to admit that I was not very excited about this election, the choices and the drama of it all until last night. Sarah Palin did an amazing job. I was extremely impressed with her confidence, attitude, experience and humor. McCain made a wise choice in her and I am more excited about this election than ever before (well, this is only the third time I can vote...). I know I'm not very knowledgeable about politics, the important issues and government proceedings, but I can sense that Sarah Palin means what she says and brings a lot of hope to the Republican ticket. The next 60 days or so should be very interesting.

"In politics there are some that use change to promote their career and then there are those like John McCain who use their career to promote change." -Sarah Palin

Aubie's Olympic Recap

Did anyone else see Aubie's great sign at the game Saturday? It read,

"Olympic metals totals:
Greece - 4
Romania - 8
Jamaica - 11
Brazil - 15
Auburn - 18"

Isn't that awesome? If Auburn were it's own country, its 18 medals would rank in a tie for 14th in the world with Spain and Canada! Our 31 athletes represented us well. It's great to be an Auburn Tiger!

http://ocm.auburn.edu/olympic_facts.html

Vista 64-bit stinks...

I'm sure everyone else but me knows this... I have recently discovered some of the problems associated with the Vista-64 bit operating system on my laptop... I bought a Palm Treo smartphone last week so I could use a drug information system on it during my pharmacy internship. Little did I know that Palm OS and many other popular systems (iPhone) are not compatible with Vista-64!! I even tried using bluetooth to sync the phone with my computer and had no luck. So in my frustration I bought another Windows-based Palm on ebay yesterday and hope to have it in my hands by the end of the week. With that said, I have a like-new Palm Treo 755p for sale if anyone is interested! I'm listing it on ebay later this week.
I'm left wondering why no one warned me against getting Vista-64?!?

The Loveliest Village on the Plains...here I come!

Yeah!! College Football season is finally here and I am SO pumped up about it. I just LOVE this time of year and the excitement of the competition. I'm about to walk out the door to go to Auburn/Lake Martin for the weekend. I'll share a few things I am looking forward to tomorrow night and over the weekend:

#1 - The new pre-game video - I loved last years but I know it will be even better...Are You Ready?

#2 - Watching the new style of our offense under Franklin - it is bound to be an exciting pace of play

#3 -discussing the game, plays, new AU players and new rules with my grandmother, brother and dad [over the phone with dad b/c he is out of town! :-( ]

#4 - Eating at some of my favorite Auburn restaurants...hopefully Amsterdam's tonight.

#5 - Relaxing at the lake on Labor Day and catching up on some good reading.

#6 - Not worrying about school/internship for 3 full days!

Well, better go - I hope everyone has a great weekend. WAR EAGLE!!

Children's Hospital...

Today I was able to spend the morning with one of my classmates who is currently doing his pharmacy rotation at Children's Hospital...which for those of you that know me well, know that this is my dream rotation/job opportunity! It was a great day and I saw and learned a lot. I also learned of an opportunity to switch my rotations around so I can be there next month!! I was super excited about this possibility and have made a few phone calls and sent a few emails to make this happen. I am still waiting to hear, but please pray that things would work out for the best and that I will be patient in the process. I really want this opportunity so that I can see if I want to do my residency there next year.

Happy 30th Anniversary Mom & Dad!!


Children's update 8/29/08 - due to many unfortunate events I am not going to be able to do my rotation at Children's next month. I was VERY upset to find this out today, but I know it will all work out for the best. I trust the Lord is over my schedule, whether I will practice in peds or not and where I will do my residency. I think He is teaching me to trust a little more and not rely on MY abilities and MY finagling of the schedule... I was just SO excited all week about the opportunity and then had my hopes crushed today... may I learn from this and set my eyes on things above.

My Blog Book coming to a store near you...

Want to know why I have been slacking lately with blog posts?? Well...besides watching the Olympics, going to weddings and working, I have been busy working on my "Blog Book" from my Africa trip!! I had no idea that you could do this so easily, but leave it to blurb.com to create a program (booksmart) that will upload your blog posts and pictures and help you create a hard cover book of it all!! It has been such a fun project and I can't wait to see the final product. I plan to send it off today and it only takes 7-10 days to have it delivered. I hope I will be able to share it with you and especially my friends and family that are not "internet/blog savy" (Joy for one).

I highly recommend this site and program for anyone wanting to turn a few posts into a great book and keepsake. Until later, happy blogging and happy weekend!

AU Football is only 10 days away!!!

Kickoff is approaching quickly and I can't wait! I love this time of year...everything is starting over - a new beginning...of school, of expectations and most importantly College Football!
The only thing that will be missing this fall on the Plains of Auburn is my sweet grandmother. She is almost 82 years old and has decided to stay home this year to watch the games instead of sitting by my side in Section 2, Row 47. I was really disappointed to hear this but I completely understand and think it will be best for her. Besides, she has had season tickets since there were season tickets and has faithfully attended hundreds of AU games! She will be greatly missed in the stands but I'm sure I will still get to "talk" football with her when I stop by the lake on my way to and from to Birmingham this fall.
I better get back to work now... WAR EAGLE!!

Head lice, student loans and Team USA...my thoughts for the day

I spent most of the morning at work feeling slightly 'itchy' after writing an article on Self Care for Head Lice...I sure hope I never have to deal with that problem...but if so, I know everything there is to know about head lice...how fun!

About lunch time I came to the realization that I should be receiving my student loan check any day now. Well, the more I thought about it, I realized that I NEVER completed my FASFA information with the government last Spring to let them know that I needed student loans again for my last year of pharmacy school. Without filling out FASFA, Auburn doesn't know and therefore I have a pretty large tuition bill that needs paying by the end of the week!! AAHHH!! I can't believe I forgot about this...I guess I was a little scattered with finals, moving to Bham and heading to Colorado for the summer? I spoke with the financial aid people at Auburn and everything will be allright after I pay the bill...and file FASFA...and eventually get reimbursed. Just a little hassel in my financial life!! Thought I would share my BIG mistake of the year with you.

One more thing...I have been slightly obsessed with the Olympics since I got back to town on Sun. I really love watching the games and feeling the pride of being American! I downloaded the Team USA soundtrack from iTunes last night - it's pretty good, you should check it out.

Wedding Day Pictures

Here are the rest of my pictures from the day of Sarah and Adam's wedding. It was a very beautiful ceremony and really fun reception. It was pretty hot at the reception but the band was amazing and food delicious... It was so great to see many of my college friends and be able to celebrate Sarah and Adam's big day!!

Pre-wedding pictures

I'm back home in Birmingham...exhausted from the busy weekend and have been watching Olympics since I got home...so here are the pre-wedding day pictures from the weekend. I'll post the rest tomorrow!! Go Team USA!

updates from TX

Updates from Texas

Today’s Sarah’s big day!! We have had a great time in Texas – it has been non-stop since we landed. Thursday night they had a cookout out at their ranch which was really neat – it was so beautiful out there – very “Texas…” Friday morning the girls all had a nail party at a local salon then off to the Bridesmaid’s luncheon at a house of a family friend. After the rehearsal we had a dinner at The Texas Sports Hall of Fame. It was a really cool venue that highlighted many important times in Texas sports history. Sarah and Adam also had all of their sports memorabilia from childhood displayed. My favorite thing about the weekend so far is getting to meet all of Sarah and Adam’s extended families. They both have very close knit families that happen to live all over the country - from North Dakota to North Carolina – all here in Texas. Today is going to be a long day, but I know it will be a beautiful wedding. I’m very excited for Sarah and Adam to begin their life together and I can’t wait to see how the Lord uses them in His purposes. I'm trying to include a few of the pictures we’ve taken so far.

Updates from home

Will is playing in the final rounds of the State Match play today in Tuscaloosa. It started Thursday morning with 64 competitors. 32 Thursday afternoon, 16 and 8 on Friday and now Will is in the Final 4 today!! He has played very well and kept his calm. This morning he is playing against Glenn Northcutt who plays on the Auburn team. Mom is there supporting him and relaying the stats. Good Luck Will! www.bamagolf.com

Our chocolate lab, Chip, “ran away” from home a few days ago in Auburn. He is normally kept at home by the electric dog fence. After he was missing for a few days, my brother Andy went to the pound to look for him. Chip was there looking very sad. He was excited to see Andy but also had that look that he knew he was in trouble… Andy loaded him in the truck and when they got home Chip was hovered down in the corner and wouldn’t get out of the back of the truck because he knew he would get in trouble once my dad saw him. I’m so glad he’s back – while I am not a big ‘dog person’ I really like Chip and would be very sad to not see him when I go home! Meanwhile, my cat of 17 years is still kicking and would probably be very happy not to see Chip again.

Former AU Swimmer and friend in the Olympics!

I wanted to point out a great blog you call follow during these next few weeks of Olympic activity. Jeremy Knowles is a former AU swimmer who will be swimming for his home country of the Bahamas in this year's Olympic games. I have known Jeremy and his wife Heather for the past several years through my church in Auburn. I actually co-taught my 3 year old preschool class with them a few years ago and Heather was a part of my awesome Bunko group! Their blog is: http://jeremyandheatherknowles.blogspot.com/ - it is so interesting to hear about the olympics from an actual athlete! Heather is leaving today to join Jeremy in Beijing and his first event is Monday night. She will be updating the blog during their trip so check it out when you get a chance!!

Off to Texas!

This is my first post from work... in which the first week has gone well. I am working at a consulting office here in Birmingham for my 'drug information' rotation. So far I have spent a lot of time on the computer doing research and writing articles for a newsletter they produce. So far I have written, "Does depression cause heart disease?" "You and Your Hives" and one on all the specialty drugs out there (those costing over $500/month). It has been interesting, but I am glad my weekend is about to begin.
I am flying out this afternoon to Texas for Sarah Lundeen and Adam Garner's wedding. I'm so excited about the trip and I have never been to Waco (Sarah's hometown) before. I'm meeting 3 of my college girlfriends at the airport in Dallas to ride to Waco for the kickoff cookout tonight. The weekend will be full of wedding events! I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures to post...stay tuned.

Campbell

I was able to eat dinner over at The Compton's last night along with Kimmie and Steven Sprayberry. I had brought Campbell back a little outfit from the market in Africa - so we had a fashion show... isn't she is SO precious!?!

Pray for the Allison family

I received the following email today:
Kaylee Marie Allison (10), died early this morning unexpectedly following a very brief virus. Please lift up the Allison family in your prayers: Rodney & Tammy and Kaylee Marie's siblings, Lily(8) & Sam(5). Kaylee Marie's birthday is also today. They live in Auburn and are members of FBC Opelika. (Brother Steve was with them during the night.)
Please also pray for Tammy's brother and his wife, Tim & April Speaks, as they are telling their sons, Jackson, Harrison, Griffin & Sullivan about their cousin. Please lift up grandparents, Mike & Carolyn Speaks and Rodney's parents, Mr. & Mrs. Allison, also.


This news is so terribly sad! I am very close with the Speaks family and have babysat their family for the past 7 years. I can't even imagine what they are going through and I don't know quite what to say, but I ask you to lift them up. I pray the Lord will provide comfort and joy through this tragedy.

Support Orphans - Support AnNi

My friends and directors of Kanakuk Colorado, The Braners, have started a neat clothing line called AnNi - AnNi is a company dedicated to designing cutting edge clothes to help orphans around the world. See their website for more details and for how to order these great clothes! http://www.annifororphans.com/ Here are a few AnNi shirts that I have...

And Miss Jordin Sparks proudly displaying her AnNi shirt

Official Birmingham Resident

Even though I moved all of my stuff up to Bham 3 months ago, between Kanakuk and Africa I haven’t been here for longer than a few days at a time. I am glad to finally be here for good (for at least the next 9 months)! I’m excited to start my internship tomorrow and thankful I have one of the more “laid back” rotations for my first 5 weeks.

It was such a blessing to worship at my home church today (Lakeview) since I hadn’t been there in the last 3 months. I went a little early for the service so I could stop by my old Sunday school class – the 3 year olds, who are now 4 and about to promote to the next class. They were so excited to see me as I was them. They all ran up and gave me a hug and started telling me a million little things like, “I lost a tooth!” and “I’m taller now” and “My brother did this and that.” They were SO cute! When I told them that I had been in Africa one of the little girls said, “I’ve been to Africa!” I asked when and she replied, “Oh a couple of weeks ago…” No, she hasn’t been, but it was still cute. They had just gotten ready to have their snack and Mrs. Christi (my co-teacher) asked who wanted to pray for our food. Instead of just one person praying they all one-by-one wanted to say their own prayer…I think they were a little excited to have a visitor…it was precious and I’m glad I got to say hi to them. Tuberville and the Auburn football team were also at Lakeview today which was neat...it also reminded me that we are only 27 days away from kickoff!! :-)

It was fun to share more Africa stories with my roommates today and Amy P. over dinner tonight. My body is still not completely adjusted from the trip, but I know it just takes time… I heard from some of the missionaries today and they had to wait 2 extra days to fly from Cote d’Ivoire to Senegal! I’m so glad we made it through smoothly without much delay.

My brother, Will, is playing in a qualifying round tomorrow for a chance to play in the US Amateur tournament. They will only take the top 3 of 65 players tomorrow! Good luck Will - play your best!

Reflection

This blogging thing is a little bit addictive! I am exhausted but couldn't let the day end without posting something...
The last 36 hours at home I've spent reflecting on the trip...but I know that will continue for a long time - there are still so many things from the experience that are just starting to come to the surface. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I do hope I can use my medical training to do this type of trip again as well as working with the actual people groups. I'm so thankful the Lord has given me a heart for Africa and I can't wait to see how He can use me in the big picture of reaching the nations.
I'm happy to report that I went to sleep at 9pm last night and slept until 7:30 this morning without the help of Ambien or Benadryl!! I felt much better today but am still quite dizzy from the Mefloquin, my GI system is still a little "off" and I think I am coming down with a little cold...but I cannot complain - I am so thankful we had no illnesses within our medical team during the trip. I just pray I am up to speed before I head to Texas next weekend for Sarah and Adam's wedding!! :-)
It's been good to be at home with my family, but tomorrow I must head to Birmingham to get settled before I start my first stateside rotation Monday morning...

Tribute to Mrs. Alford

I am sad to report that one of my PPE patients, Mrs. Mary Alice Alford, passed away on Wednesday. I am so thankful that I was still in Auburn today and able to attend her funeral. She was a really neat woman that I had the privilege of meeting with about every week or two for the past two years in pharmacy school. She loved the Lord and made her faith known despite the many health hardships she faced. The service today was a true testimony to her faith and certainly glorified the Lord. I pray for comfort for her husband and other family members as they grieve. I also pray her legacy will carry on for her future generations.

Jesus draw me ever nearer

I just found the words to a great song we sang several times at the Conference this past week. This song seemed to represent the cry of the Missionaries heart and should be the cry of all of our hearts - for the trials we encounter and throughout our short journey on this earth. I could go on and on about why I like it, but I think the words speak for themselves...

"Jesus draw me ever nearer
As I labour through the storm.
You have called me to this passage,
and I'll follow, though I'm worn.

May this journey bring a blessing,
May I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart's testing,
With Your likeness let me wake.

Jesus guide me through the tempest;
Keep my spirit staid and sure.
When the midnight meets the morning,
Let me love You even more.

May this journey bring a blessing,
May I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart's testing,
With Your likeness let me wake.

Let the treasures of the trial
Form within me as I go -
And at the end of this long passage,
Let me leave them at Your throne.

May this journey bring a blessing,
May I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart's testing,
With Your likeness let me wake.


"Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer"
Music by Keith Getty; Words by Margaret Becker
Copyright © 2002 Thankyou Music

Home Sweet Home!

We made it home safely today without much trouble. We left Senegal shortly after 3am (10pm here) and flew 9 hours to the states. I am very thankful for my Amiben pill I took right after boarding...because I do not even remember taking off and woke up about 7 hours later! Dad didn't sleep as well as it is hard for him to be comfortable on the plane b/c of his height. I watched a movie and dozed off and on for the last 2 hours and before I knew it we were on the ground. We made it through customs fine and Mom was waiting at baggage claim for us. We drove in the driveway around 9:30am today - about 27 hours after we had left the hotel...no too bad.
I'm glad to be home and I'm sure it will take me a couple of days to adjust - both to food and sleep. I've loaded some more pictures today - so enjoy these last few. I'm sure I have a few more stories to share about the trip on the blog so keep watch! Have a great weekend!

In Senegal - headed home...

We have arrived at the airport in Dakar, Senegal! We did not have much trouble in Abidjan and only had to wait a few hours. We were able to eat a nice lunch there while we were waiting. It is now 7:30pm here in Africa and 2:30 back home. We do not fly out of here until 3am and cannot re-check our bags until midnight…so we have found a “cozy” place to sit and watch our bags for a few hours.

The morning went by fast as we had plenty to do before we left the hotel. I went to breakfast for the first time since last Friday morning and was able to visit with a few people there. We then went to worship once again where they recognized us briefly for our service to them. They also did something really neat that you might have seen before on YouTube. It was called “Cardboard Testimonies.” About 20 of the missionaries formed a line and walked up on stage. There was a hymn playing in the background and they remained silent. One at a time they held up one side of their cardboard piece – it told of their story before coming on the mission field, whether it was a fear they had, a quality, or a belief, etc. Then they turned it over and it read what that “thing” has changed to or how the field had addressed that issue. It was a very powerful presentation.
For example, one girl wrote, “My dad said I would die in Africa” with the other side reading “I have learned to die to self in Africa.”
Another example was “I used to serve at pizza hut” with the other side reading “I now live and serve in a mud hut.”
A third example, “I have never been overseas” and other side “I now live in Timbuktu.” (former AU grad)
Next, “How will my children handle this?” and the other side “They are happy, healthy and also sharing Jesus with others.”
The last one was very moving – it was missionary who is retiring soon after many, many years on the field – he is probably in his 70’s. His cardboard read, “I haven’t run since I was 16 years old” and the other side, “I now run with perseverance, 190 churches planted!” It was an awesome presentation.

It was sad to say goodbye to everyone – we had gotten to know several of them pretty well. Some of them asked if I could come back soon to visit them in their actual village or town. I am so glad that we got a broad view of what missionary life is like in West Africa through their presence there - if we had only been to one village/site my how much smaller our prespective would be. Now I wish I could go to each of their villages to see it first hand!!

Ok - I did not find internet in the airport until 11:30pm - then we had to start checking our luggage - sidenote: the Delta people were so professional and great to talk with...the first local people here that truly speak some English!! So now we are at the gate enjoying our last Coke Light. We also just found an African outfit for me to wear at my trip presentation I have to do in the fall - it is actually orange and blue...imagine that! Only 1 1/2 more hours before we board and head to the states. Thanks for reading and praying! We'll be home soon and I'll post the remaining pictures then.

Our last full day in Africa :(

We thought we would have a full day Thursday here at the conference, but our flight plans have changed and now we must leave at 11 am tomorrow to head to the airport. So it has been a busy evening trying to wrap things up, get packed and start saying our goodbyes! It is 11:30pm as I am starting to type…
This morning we again were able to worship with the conference and we should be able to again for the last session tomorrow morning. I know I have said how much I enjoy this time each day – besides the music, they share stories and statistics about the field that are also encouraging. The speaker has also been preaching through Hebrews 11 and 12 as the conference theme is "run with perseverance." During worship today a couple got up to talk about how much influence their volunteer teams have had on their ministry in the last year. Through their teams they have seen 90 people accept Christ and be baptized in the past year alone. They told one story about one of the first villagers who accepted Christ. He then decided to change his name to Paul and a Paul he became. He started going to other nearby villages to share the good news. When the M asked Paul what he said to them, he responded, “I said that if you become a Christian, it will be hard and people will not be nice to you. But it is the truth and you need to follow Jesus!” I thought that was a neat story and an example of the many we hear daily.
I have been wanting to share with you about One Story - The One Story team is a really neat ministry here in West Africa with the IMB. It is made up of 8 different teams of 2-3 journeymen (women) each. 4 of the teams are located in Mali, 2 in Guinea, 1 in North Africa and 1 in Burkina Faso. Their purpose is to create an oral recording of different bible stories in the language of the particular people group that they are working with. In order to do this they must first find a translator that knows some English. They learn about the culture in which they live and try to pick out the stories (besides the basic ones of the gospel, baptism, etc.) that would best apply to that culture. Once they know the culture a little bit they begin writing the stories and have them recorded by the local translator. They often have to find a back translator to make sure the stories recorded are biblically accurate and in the proper context. Once a story is heard by a few people in the village, they hope that they will then go and tell other friends in the village. They also have high hopes of getting these stories put on the radio. Please pray for this team and their ministry. The pictures I loaded earlier include one of the One Story team.
Today we were able to donate all of our left over supplies and medicines to the missionaries. We gave all the prescription drugs and surgical things to the Doctors and Pharmacist from the Baptist hospital in Ghana. We then made 7 different bags of OTC products for each of the guest houses in the countries (where missionaries might stay when in the big city of their country). After that we still had a lot of OTC meds left – so I took them down to the meeting room and set them up on a table. At first I didn’t think many would stop by, but within 10 minutes ALL of the supplies were gone! The missionaries were so happy to have the products and seemed to be in need of the specific things I had.
We saw a few more patients throughout the afternoon and then went out for dinner with 3 other journeygirls. Dad and I decided we good easily miss another meal at the hotel so we asked the 2 Auburn grads and another of their friends to go to dinner. We hopped in 2 taxis and ended up at an Italian/pizzeria restaurant about 20 minutes away. None of the girls spoke French fluently, but enough to get us there, order and get us home without much trouble. It seemed a little risky but it was really fun and we had some great conversations over dinner.
When we arrived back at the hotel there were several patients waiting to see us as well as several things to wrap up with vaccines, follow-ups, etc. We also found out that we would be leaving for the airport at 11 instead of 2 or 7pm as earlier expected. So, here I am in the room and we are all packed up! I can’t believe our time has come to an end here – it has been a great experience. We plan to go to breakfast and worship in the morning and then head to the airport. Praise the Lord the strike ended late morning today and hopefully we will not have much trouble getting on a flight to Senegal since we are getting to the airport so early. Once we get to Senegal we will have to wait for about 9 hours before our flight to Atlanta… We arrive at 8am eastern time Friday morning. Please continue to pray that things will go smoothly with our flights and we(I) will have patience during all the waiting. Thanks for your continued support!! I hope to report from Senegal, but if not it will be from Auburn Friday.
Aurevoir (that’s goodbye in French for you bama grads) from Cote d’Ivoire!

I finally learned how to do a slideshow!