God Bless President Ford

President Ford has passed away and our country has gone into mourning for his loss and is also remembering him for all the good he did in our country while he was president. Although I hadn't been born yet when he was president, he did a phenomenal job at leading our country out of some pretty rough times. That is worth remembering and reflecting on. If a nation doesn't remember its history, history is likely to repeat itself. The next generation must learn about it to prevent the mistakes from happening again. Although I don't agree with the former President Ford's view of the current war, I do believe he was an effective and prominent leader in his short 2 1/2 year term. I don't intend to go into it now... I will leave that to the media...

The media is crawling all over the Ford Museum here in Grand Rapids, MI. After working at the station yesterday, I decided to go check out all the media coverage at the Ford Museum b/c how often does something like this come around...? Saw all the media trucks. The only national media outlet I saw was FoxNews - which is the one I wanted to see anyway. (I think it was the Fox News Channel, but it was hard to distiguish it from Fox17.) The others were the locals - WZZM, Fox17, WOODTV, WWMT 3, and then a couple out of town media outlets - one from Detroit and another ABC outlet. When I went last night, the reporters and camera crew were all set up in a semi-circle about a hundred feet from the entrance to the Ford Museum. I went in the museum lobby and signed the Condolence Book, then I kind of wandered around a little outside. I thought it was interesting since I've never seen media coverage like this live and in person. I MAY have made it on national TV as they were taping while I was there - it was around the 5:30-6pm news time. But, I'll never know... I can just say I did... LOL :D

Then I went and checked it out again around noon today and saw the same thing. I highly recommend seeing the memorial that is set up. Very nice and a once in lifetime thing to see. The burial is set for next week Wednesday on the hillside of the Ford Museum here in Grand Rapids, MI. What an honor for us.

The pics above:

The 1st is inside the lobby signing the condolence book.
The 2nd is of Ford's burial site on the north side of the museum.
The 3rd is of line and the Ford Museum.
The 4th & 5th are of the Memorial Site at the Ford Museum sign on Pearl ST.

God bless America and God bless President Gerald R. Ford.

Keeping your eyes and ears open...

God has been moving in ways that are astounding me. The more I look and the more I listen, the more I see and hear God working in this world. I have now realized that I didn't see God working much before b/c I wasn't looking for it. Ever since Caiden's first miracle about 1 1/2 years ago, I have heightened my awareness of God working in the world around me. I have seen miracles happen, have heard miracles happen, and have watched God move before my very eyes...

Caiden has had 2 miracles happen over the course of a year and a half - Caiden is CANCER FREE!!! And God is NOT done yet - Caiden will be perfectly healed in Jesus' Name.

Heather had a heart transplant and has zero rejection levels!!!

WCSG made it's Sharathon goal of $1.25 million by 11:58am - the goal was by 12 noon. That is the most they have raised ever. God brought in more money in the last day of Sharathon in 6 hours than on the previous day in 14 hours.

I have seen 2 miracle babies come thru the NICU recently - one was not expected to even be conceived; another was a twin who was expected to die before birth - both babies are alive and doing well.

I ran into a lady at the YMCA and found out her daughter was involved in a car accident a few years ago and that she had a brain injury from it. She proceeded to tell me that her daughter has fully recovered and is attending college.


God also used Tommy at the mall as an answer to a lady's prayer for a sign to pull herself back together and to go back to church. And you know what, God used me to send Tommy to the mall b/c he went there b/c I told him about a kiosk that was usually there this time of year that had the gift he was looking for. When he found out the place wasn't there, God led him to this particular store where this lady was working. If I hadn't told him to go to the mall, he would not have gone there at all. God then used Tommy to bring this lady back to Him. How cool is that? B/c Tommy had the light of Christ glowing from him, he was able to be a witness to this lady. He was willing and open to be used by God. Isn't God is amazing?!?? He turned a trip to the mall that was initially disappointing and frustrating into something that was used to bring someone back to Him.

God uses those who are willing and open to be used by Him to do His work. I know God has been using me in ways that I have never imagined. I'm a Neonatal nurse, therefore I touch the lives of hundreds of families every year in ways that are beyond my comprehension. By working weekend option, I am available to be used by God during the week in amazing ways... For one, I have been able to be apart of Caiden and his family's life. He has also led me to do volunteer work for Tommy and Brook and WCSG. As a result, I have developed MANY good friendships there. One amazing opportunity I had at WCSG was that I worked with Warren Kramer to design the WCSG Christmas website. For this site, God placed in my mind an idea to create a modern day nativity so people could relate to Luke 2 if it were to have happened today: Seek the Star, A Modern Nativity. I take no credit for this project - I give all the glory to God. God gave me the idea and He made it happen. He used my openness and willingness to be used by Him and He made it happen.

Therefore My challenge for you: Be open and be willing to be used by God. Ask Him to use you, b/c He will. Keep your eyes and ears open to see and hear God working around you.

Then be prepared to be amazed.

My Converted WaYfm shirt ;)

Like my Converted WaYfm shirt? I did it b/c I thought it was nuts that I work for WCSG/WaYfm and the only apparel I have is for JQ. So I converted my shirt to WaYfm! ;)

Painting my bedroom orange right now! It is looking really good. I'm very pleased with how it is turning out. I'll have to post more pics when it's done. It goes great w/ the pink carpet, don't ya think? ;) No, it will be leaving soon - next month. I have gorgeous oak hardwood floors that I can't wait to bring out! But, oh the work to finish them... It'll be worth it in the end tho. At least, I have had several offers for help of which I'm willingly accepting!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! May God continue to rain down His blessings in abundance upon you!

I adopted all of these guys from the Gift Shop at work! Aren't they cute?!? They are standing in front of my Christmas tree in my living room.

Fudgey Monkey

Best ice cream ever -> Tommy and Brook's Fudgey Monkey icecream from Culvers. They just had it 2 weeks ago Saturday and I stocked up again. I was running low and so it was perfect timing. In fact, I'm thoroughly enjoying it right now and it's making me cold. It has brownie chunks with a hint of banana in it. So good and addicting! I haul out a quart and eat till I've had enough of it for a while. Bad habit I know b/c it's just before bed! But it's SO good.

Played volleyball again tonight, and the team I played on, shall we say, was just a little slower than I'm used to. So to keep me going, Hawk Nelson's "woh oh, come on, turn on your radio, woh oh, come on, turn on your radio ...Come on if your feeling if you're feeling alright... Come on if you're feeling, if you're feeling alright...! ...." has been playing over and over and over and over in my head! If you know the song, you know what I'm talking about. I was even moving to the beat in between plays. That's how bad it was stuck in my head and is still stuck in my head. I think they call that an earworm. I think I need a new tune. Any ideas for another one?

Won all 3 games!!!

Yea!!! We won all 3 games for volleyball tonight! Too fun. Had a really good team put together including Mandy from last year's team! That rocked to have her back. I miss playing with her regularly. My sister played as well, so that was way too fun to have half of last year's team back playing together!!!

Work this weekend was one of the funnest weekends I've had in a while! One of my good friends and mentor is getting married on Christmas Eve and I worked with her all weekend :D. I'm so excited for her! She's marrying Santa (okay, not really, but he does play Santa every Christmas time, and he's a cute Santa too :D). We also took some fun pics of our babies this weekend for the parents. They turned out so cute! My babies were adorable this weekend and since I was on intermediate side, I got to snuggle with them. :D I haven't done that in a while mainly b/c I like to work on the ICU more often and care for the extremely sick, premature babies. I prefer to get my critical thinking skills going strong and utilize them to the max and make them better. That's where I learn a lot and get better at what I do. It's tough emotionally after a while, so it's refreshing to go to the intermediate side once in a while to snuggle with babies that can tolerate and enjoy being held.

AND I found THE best tennis shoes for working on your feet for 12+ hours -> New Balance. They give the most support and my feet hardly ache from being on them so long. My feet don't even hurt at the end of the day. That's my plug for New Balance!

Learned a lot this weekend...

I've learned a lot this past Thursday night and this past weekend. I learned from working with Walt, who's still single and just a tad older than me, and also from working with a colleague of mine this weekend, that God is using those who are single in ways they could not serve Him if they were in a relationship with someone. I've realized this before, but lately it's been tough emotionally for me to be single. I've been wondering why I either haven't found Mr. Right or why I haven't really been asked out by a marriage-material type of guy yet. Then I overheard the other nurses in my room talking about the men in their lives, who they're dating or going to marry, and I started to feel sorry for myself. But then thru the course of the weekend, God opened my eyes to see that He is using me in ways that I can only be used if I'm single. He opened my eyes to realize that I need to relish this season of singleness, stop feeling sorry for myself, and ENJOY IT! I need to live in the JOY of the LORD for only He can fill this void in my life! As I've begun to accept this more freely and have stopped dwelling on the guys I wish would ask me out, I'm accepting the fact that being single has so many doors and windows of opportunity. There are so many things that I can do and allow God to do thru me as a single person verses being in a relationship with someone. Honestly, I feel that God has used me as a single person in ways that I never dreamed or imagined He would in this last year and a half. And He continues to use me and my openness to His will. His peace is filling me in over an abundance as I accept His will in my life. I am open to Him and willing to follow His leading. And I will continue to say, "God never ceases to amaze me!" b/c it's been an amazing adventure already!!!

Hangin' w/ Walt

Had a great time at the POG/Scott Krippayne Christmas concert last night. They were great last night and the Resurrection Life choir sounded phenomenal with them! I heard the whole concert and watched about 15 minutes of the end of it and loved that 15 minutes I actually watched. I felt as though I was led into the presence of God in those 15 minutes just worshiping our Saviour and King. It was amazing.

The other four hours, I was busy working the merchandise table with my friend Darci (Caiden's mom). We had a great time doing that and I'd gladly do it again! Met a really cool guy named Walt Smith and found out he plays the bass guitar for Warren Barfield. It was really cool hanging out w/ him all night and getting to know him. Above is the pic of Walt and me. If you wanna check him out, here is his myspace link: myspace.com/waltsmith. He was traveling w/ POG and Scott and running the merch. table for them at each show while his group is taking a break for Christmas. One of Jeremy Camp's guitarist's, Dana, was there last night as well helping with the Compassion table, and he said to Walt, "This place looks very familiar." Well, ya think! LOL You just played for a sold-out show here October 27! LOL :D Good times!

Our Founding Doctor

This is our founding doctor, Dr. Radecki, at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He founded our unit in the 1970s along with a pediatrician. He is my favorite doctor, and I have so much respect for this man. It was a true honor to have the opportunity to work with him before he retired this summer. We all love him to pieces and he comes back EVERY WEEK to hold babies! He has a true heart of gold and he will always be apart of our NICU. God bless you, Dr. Radecki. Thanks for all the hugs - I love every one of them!


Wow, what a party tonight! It was the NICU Christmas party and we had line dancing with an instructor - just like last year. I think I did almost EVERY dance tonight and I don't think my feet have ever hurt anymore than they do tonight - that is including the 13 hour shifts I have done! I danced for about 3 hours straight - that's better than the workouts at the Y! Even my voice is hoarse and I used my feet more than my voice. I got to dance with each doctor that came as well - too fun! Oh, and sorry to the future Mr. Right, whoever he is, b/c I played the guy in all the dances that required partners tonight (doesn't matter anyway b/c it's all the same LOL). So, I may be used to taking the lead... sorry in advance :O. LOL

Well, I gotta meeting tomorrow (or today as it's past midnight), so I better hit the shower and then to bed!

Happy 16th Birthday Nate!!!

Happy 16th Birthday, Nathan!!! My baby brother is getting so old!!! Yes, he's driving. Yikes :-0 No, he's a good driver. Although I haven't ridden w/ him yet. LOL

I attached a couple pics of him and me. I gave him a bunch of mylar balloons for his birthday - including Darth Vader. He LOVED them. You can also see that he towers over me w/ his 6 foot 3 inch frame. Not fair! But he's a good soccer player! I can't wait to watch him play indoor soccer this winter. Starts soon!

Sweet Victory

Check out this cool video someone made on Tyler and James. WaYFM plays the song... Tyler & James on YouTube

They did it!!!

The official winners of THE AMAZING RACE... TYLER & JAMES

The boys won The Amazing Race!!! OH YEAH!!!

GO BOYS ~ GO BOYS ~ GO BOYS!!!

It got exciting at the end and they almost didn't make it... but, and I quote Phil, "Tyler and James, you are the official winners of the AMAZING RACE."

The first pic above is Tyler and James. The second pic is a candid of Phil - LOL :D (Source: Amazing Race 10 - Phil's Pics)

Amazing Race Finale Tonight!!!

Amazing Race finale is tonight!!! 2 hour special... Who's going to win? Go boys!!! My vote is for boys...!

GO BOYS
GO BOYS
GO BOYS
GO BOYS


GO BOYS!!!!

Merry Little Christmas!

Here's my li'l Christmas tree! It stands about 3 feet tall and is a fiber optic. Below it stands my 2 1/2 feet tall snowman and snowwoman. Yes, the tree is on a table to help it stand taller than the snowmen... LOL

Worked 12 hours today and didn't know how I was going to make it. You should try working 12 hours on your feet after having your 4 wisdom teeth pulled 3 days before. My bp was low and I didn't feel that great much of the day. I was okay sitting, but standing caused me to feel a bit lightheaded. Not fun... One more day... guess I'd better hit the sack.

Volleyball!

Well, my cousin played an awesome volleyball game yesterday afternoon. They played their huge rival school and lost. It was so sad, b/c both teams played so well. My cousin is an awesome volleyball player already and she's only in 8th grade! Her season is done next week :`( Then next year it's high school! She will play for South Christian and they have already scouted her out. They were bummed when they found out she was only in 8th grade b/c they really wanted her to play for them this year. Man, I can't wait to watch her play next year at South. I hope I can go to every game! Sounds like she is going to play softball this year, but that means I have to wait till spring and my brother is going to play baseball this year as well. It's going to be a busy spring, but I have to get thru winter first!!!


I'm still looking like a squirrel. Keep me out of the crosshairs, please JB! I know how you have a tendency to find squirrels instead of deer and that makes me nervous :O. LOL. I took myself off the pain meds and doing okay. I took the last ibuprofen last night at 9p and haven't taken anything since. I am a little tender but it's tolerable. Planning to work the weekend, so we'll see how that goes. I'll be keeping the pain meds handy just in case.

Caiden had another eye exam yesterday and it showed a couple seeds in the left eye that are hanging on, but we are believing that they are dead. The seeds may have been there before b/c he had a hemorrhage in that eye awhile back. Now that the blood is drying up, the Dr. can see more of what's in the eye - which includes these seeds. We are praying that they are dead. The oncologist is leaning more towards thinking they are dead b/c a study that he heard about in Japan of a similar situation where they actually removed the eye and then tested the residual seeds. The residual seeds were found to be dead. Praise GOD! We believe this to be true for Caiden. The Dr. ended up doing local chemo injections to this left eye to be sure they are dead. He also wants to do one more systemic chemo treatment after this one. We were hoping this was going to be the last one, but since these seeds have hung around, the Dr. wants to be sure they are obliterated. We are believing and proclaiming that CAIDEN IS HEALED PERFECTLY IN JESUS' NAME!!!

So that's what been happening over here! Luving the sun but not the cold weather! That wind was so cold last night! But my grandma and I had a good time eating out at Russ' anyway! Oh, and going to Walgreen's for batteries ;)

Still looking like a squirrel!

Pain is completely under control w/ Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen, YEA!! Now to lose the squirrel/chipmunk look :D I've had minimal bleeding and don't have the big clots that everyone keeps talking about. I'm stitched shut quite well.

Has anyone ever had the Dr. call you from his home? He called me last night from his home and said he was just checking to see how I was doing. I was shocked! My sister had the same Dr. and he didn't call her, just someone from the office did. All I can think is that my being a nurse played a role in the matter... :D I'm definitely not complaining at all! In fact, I'd recommend him to anyone and his cocktail :) He did a great job!

Anyone have any stories to share about your experiences w/ having your wisdom teeth pulled or any of your family or friends? Tell me about them! I'd love to hear about other people's experiences!

Now feeling like a chipmunk...

Now I'm feeling like a chipmunk or perhaps like one of the many squirrels JB had seen while he was hunting :). I'm also starting to feel like I got shot in the cheeks, back bottom gums and left side of my tongue now that the local anesthetic is starting to wear off. I think the left side is going to be the most painful, at least that's what it seems right now. The nurse told me that the roots were really close to the nerves, but I don't know if there were any problems getting them out b/c the Dr. didn't say anything about it. He just said that everything went well.

Looking back, I realize now that I was totally out of it during the whole procedure, and I'm very thankful for that. I'd recommend that cocktail to anyone! LOL It was Propofol, Valium and a small amount of Versed. I was really fighting them to not use Versed b/c of how I've heard and seen how people behave after their procedures when that is used as the main anesthetic - they act extremely drunk and loose and completely out of the norm for quite some time. So after hearing my concerns, the Dr. said he'd use the smallest amount of Versed. That I'm thankful for b/c it took only a couple hours to wear off. My head has cleared now, and I don't feel drunk anymore. I can move w/o wobbling or holding onto anything now. Yea! I can pass the test of walking in a straight line :) All that's out of the norm is the pain and fatness feeling in my cheeks. Fortunately I still have some numbness from my chin to my cheeks to my ears to help w/ the pain. When that wears off, I don't know. I think drugs will be my best friend for a while - ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

Haven't watched Pirates II yet, but that and some Tommy & Brook Fudgey Monkey ice cream is on the agenda for tonight! (And from what I hear, Culver's is serving it again on Saturday - a must try for those who haven't had it yet! I luv it!)

Feeling Drunk...

Yeah, the one and only time I will probably have this feeling - I hope. I just got all four of my wisdom teeth pulled out at about 12:15pm today. Wasn't going to do the IV sedation, but the Dr. talked me into it. I'm glad I did. I was in and out of it. It was VERY nice. Got doped up on Valium, Propofol and a tiny bit of Versed. Propofol is a wonderful thing. I didn't feel anything - not even the 16 shots. The Dr. was talking to me about my job as a NICU nurse and then the work I do for WCSG as he was giving me the "laughing gas" and the IV sedation - it was all I could do to TRY to answer him. Then I was gone. No matter how much I tried to fight the sleep, I just couldn't answer him much more past a couple sentences. My head was so fogged at the time. It was a nice sleep though. I woke up and he said that they were almost done. Very nice. Then I felt drunk, foggy and sleepy afterwards. But my head is nicely clearing - as evidenced that I came home and jumped on AIM right away.

Now, I'm off to chill out and watch Pirates of the Caribbean II: Dead Man's Chest. Just bought the 2 disc edition last night for today. Should be a good time :)

It's LIVE!! It's LIVE!!!

The WCSG CHRISTMAS SITE IS LIVE AND FULLY RUNNING!!!

And we received the honor of having the top banner on WCSG homepage!

All our hard work has come to fruition!

Wanna check it out? Go to www.wcsg.org - click on the top banner, and there you are. Warren Kramer and I designed it, and Topher DeRosia made it function.

The big projects are located in Seek the Star. There you will find the Nativity story - AKA: Seek the Star in this section. I did the photography for it and I'm pictured in it along w/ my family and friends' kids; Warren Kramer did the art, design and music for it, and Jeff Vance did the audio w/ his own kids... Make sure your sound is on for it!

Also there is the Advent Calendar - Warren did the art and design, and I did the content for it, Topher made it function. You can only open each day as it comes....

Those 2 projects are my pride and joy of this site!

You will also find the true story of St. Nicholas by Terry Mattingly in Online Blessings.

Enjoy!

Christmas site is coming along...

Well, we are working hard over here to get the WCSG Christmas site up and fully running. We are planning to have it done by this Thursday. There are 2 really cool projects that will be on it that I'm really excited about. I'll keep you posted as to when it's done and ready for full surfing...

Went rollerblading in shorts again tonight w/ 62 degree weather. Never imagined that I'd enjoy a warm November evening skating around my neighborhood to Avalon's Christmas Album, Joy, - my all-time favorite Christmas album by the way - enjoying the gorgeous Christmas lights that everyone has put up. It's fabulous! If you don't like skating, then go for a walk around your neighborhood at night while it's still warm - it's a great light show!

Is this Michigan?

It is 54 degrees right now at 9:57pm, Christmas lights and trees are up everywhere and it is November 27, 2006, in Michigan right now. Are we sure we live in Michigan? Feels more like Florida to me! BUT I'M NOT COMPLAINING AT ALL - I LUV IT!!!

Tonight after volleyball, I put on my rollerblades and went blading for about 3-4 miles in SHORTS! I started out w/ a long sleeve t-shirt on but eventually took it off. YES, I WAS ROLLERBLADING WEARING SHORTS AND SLEEVELESS IN MICHIGAN ON NOV. 27 AT 8:30pm AT NIGHT! I had Third Day's Christmas Offerings album playing on my MP3 player as I was enjoying the Christmas lights in my neighborhood! GOOD TIMES!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This was definitely one of the best Thanksgivings I have ever had. My mom had everybody over - my aunt and uncle, four of my cousins and 3 of my second cousins - which are ages 5 y/o to 6 mos; as well as my grandma and my immediate family. It was such a good time, especially since we hardly get to see them. We ate, then played card games for probably 4 hours straight and ate some more. Good times.

Found out my 13 y/o cousin is following in her mom's footsteps (as well as mine) at playing volleyball. She's setter and also hitter, and from what I hear, has a nice serve as well. Hooray! ...someone after my own heart :). I can't wait to go to her games!

Then I saw how great my dad is w/ kids. He was entertaining my cousin's 5 y/o son so well. They were best buddies for a while. It was so cute and fun just watching them together. I said to my mom, "You guys need to have more kids." She said back to me, "No, we need grandkids..." Man, if that doesn't put the pressure on... :0 Oh well, guess she will just have to keep waiting b/c I don't see any prospects... :( Where are the guys these days anyway? I think God is teaching me to let Him fill that void in my life...

Anyway, I posted a couple pics from today. Good times!

All I can say is, wow...

I was on my way home tonight when a gorgeous sunset filled the sky. The sun was so big and so close. I have never seen it that large or close before. At one point, it looked red. I could have cried... it was amazing... God is amazing.

Miracle Friday...

I think I've been going non-stop since Tuesday - the start of Sharathon for WCSG radio. I honestly haven't had a day off since two Fridays ago. But it's been a blast! God is working in ways that I never imagined! He NEVER ceases to amaze me!

I have to share about Miracle Friday. It was this past Friday - the last day of Sharathon. We needed $250,000 pledged in 6 hours. Seems unfathomable - especially considering we hardly did that on Thursday in 14 hours, but God works in awesome ways when we step out in faith and believe that it is going to happen. I went to Sharathon that day believing, YES, BELIEVING AND PROCLAIMING, that we were going to make it to our goal. I stepped out in faith believing God was going to provide. I persistently said from the moment Sharathon got on the air that morning, "We are going to make it." When Brook brought out her umbrella and said it's going to rain - I immediately said, "It's going to rain down money!" Then when Tommy started talking about the weather and didn't seem to get it right away, I was like, "No, it's going to rain down money!" Then he kept looking at Brook and eventually got it. Yes, it's going to rain down money - blessings from above. As I kept saying that we were going to make it, I realized what I was saying and said to Topher, "No, God's going to make it." And Topher said, "That's right."

As the morning progressed, the phones kept ringing and ringing and ringing, and I kept saying and praying, "Keep it coming God. Keep it coming!" And HE did, so fast that Topher and I could hardly keep up. We would approve one pledge and 5 more would show up. It was SO AMAZING TO WATCH GOD WORK BEFORE OUR VERY EYES.

Then as we were inching up on 12 noon and our goal, I thought, "Alright, we're going to make it even if we do go past 12 noon." I decided I would be okay with that. As we were getting closer to the $1.25 million mark (the goal) and Topher was getting busy, I said, "Hey Topher, I'll take over from here." ...b/c I knew it was coming...

As the pledges came in small increments, I started getting antsy and wondering what I could do, but God said to me, "Just let me work." Then 60 seconds later, ...it came. A daysponsor! I turned to Janet and said, "We made it." Then to Topher, "Topher, we made it." And did he get a grin on his face -"Really?" I said - "Yep, a daysponsor just came thru..." He then said, "Did you get the name?" I said, "No, but I can find it..." He said, "No, I'll get it.." He looked it up and found the name... He then revealed to me that the pledge came in at... 11:58am. God did it.


A couple other facts:

More money was pledged by 12pm Friday than by 8pm Thursday.
In the 7 o'clock hour alone on Friday, $52,000 was pledged.

GOD NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME! PRAISE THE LORD!

Yes, that day was indeed Miracle Friday.