the big 2-9

It's officially the last year of my twenties. I turned the 29 about a week ago, just one year away from the big 3-0. I'm not sure what my 29th year will hold, but I know it will be a year of transition with me finishing school and starting residency, Jamie likely quitting his job and going back to school and the possibility of us relocating. If I've learned anything, it's that there is no way of predicting how a year will turn out, no matter how many plans you have. I'm excited to see what God has in store for the year ahead.

I was inspired by Ashley's blog to make a list of 29 things I want to do in my 29th year. Here they are:

1. get in great shape before I turn 30
2. be a better wife and show more unconditional respect for my husband
3. finish the Warrior Dash without keeling over
4. go on vacation somewhere besides Jamaica (although I love Jamaica)
5. grow out my hair (at least for a while)
6. be more grateful for all I've been blessed with
7. get professional pics taken with my hubby that aren't wedding pics (especially since we never had engagement pictures taken)
8. be a more consistent journaler (especially since I got 6 journals for my birthday), and hopefully blogger ;)
9. cultivate a passion for God's Word that I have been lacking lately and be more consistent in reading and studying the Bible
10. make an effort to build transparent, authentic community and relationships
11. get back to my crafty roots and spend more time doing creative things
12. get better at using my camera and the external flash Jamie bought me
13. become more financially responsible
14. attempt to actually enjoy cooking (aside from making desserts) and learn more healthy recipes
15. get a Mac (so ready to get rid of my crappy laptop)
16. get some cute winter clothes (my winter wardrobe has been lacking since my Houston days)
17. drink more water (and less diet soda)
18. read more books for fun
19. go to the shooting range again
20. go skiing
21. go camping with my hubby
22. start a photo journal
23. eat healthier
24. be more intentional about making sure people in my life know that I love them
25. complain less, encourage more
26. run a half-marathon
27. get my house more organized and less cluttered
28. live generously, in the knowledge that everything I have is God's anyway
29. finish (or at least start...ha) making my t-shirt quilt that i cut the pieces out for probably at least 5-6 years ago

We'll see how accomplishing that list goes for me. I'll try to keep you guys updated, especially in light of #8 ;).

where has the year gone?

I realize it's only March, but I also just realized that this will be my first blog post of 2010. I'm not sure where the past three months has gone other than the fact that my life was swallowed up by my surgery rotation for the first bit of the year. Honestly, I just haven't had much to blog about or maybe just not time to process things enough to share them with the world (or the two people who probably read this blog).

One of the big questions that has been looming larger and larger these days is what I am going to do with the rest of my life. I know what most of you are thinking "you're in medical school. you're going to be a doctor" and you would be right about that, but I'm still undecided on what area of medicine I want to pursue. It's true that I don't have to decide right now but seeing everyone around me decide on their specialties and having to make my schedule for next year has put the pressure on. Some things that are going through my mind in the decision making process are doing something that will glorify God, using my gifts in a way that will most benefit others, my desire to do medical missions and how I can best accomplish that, and the fact that I would like to have a somewhat normal life with time to devote to my marriage and eventually family. Right now, my top three options are: emergency medicine, internal medicine or psychiatry. Stay tuned to see what I decide and pray that God will give me direction on how I can best serve Him.

better off in bed

Have you ever had one of those days where you should have just stayed in bed? Yesterday was one of those days for me. It all started when, instead of the alarm on my phone going off, the phone froze at the time the alarm should have been going off and Jamie woke up a half-hour late for work. The day starting off on the wrong foot before we even woke up should have been my first clue not to get out of bed. But instead, I got up and went to class. To make a long story (and day) short, I ended up hitting a truck in the parking lot at the hospital on my way from class to meet a friend for lunch -- in Jamie's truck. Mind you, this is my second accident in a eight days, the first being a slide on black ice into a guardrail in my car. This after a lifetime of very little trouble in the way of cars. God must be teaching me something, although I'm not 100% sure what yet. Maybe a little clue from my Bible reading yesterday though:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

Prayers appreciated that the damage won't be too expensive and that I can find joy even in a Monday were I spent a significant portion of the day crying.