Incredible Internship

I am LOVING living in DC! I have the most wonderful job and have met some great people. It is overwhelming to write about the past 8 weeks but since I have a snow day home from work, I am going to try to put this grand adventure into words.

Let's start with the job. Everyday I go to work at Children's National Medical Center as a Child Life Intern. I am finishing up my first rotation right now. I have been on the pulmonary and general medicine inpatient floor for the last 6 weeks. I have an incredible supervisor and I have learned so much about Child Life. Each day I check in with the patients on my floor and assess their needs. I offer to help prepare them for any procedures or treatments they may be receiving and I offer normalizing play and activity for them so that they are still a kid when they leave our hospital. I have met some incredible patients and families and have learned so much about God's sovereignty through seeing people deal with both acute and chronic illness in their children. God has a plan for each of us and he will give us the strength and grace that we need to deal with whatever we are dealt in life.

In the next couple of weeks I will start my second rotation which is in the Interventional Radiology Clinic. We will see both inpatient and outpatient kiddos here. Kids come to receive MRIs, CT scans, X-rays: really anything that they need radiological scans for. I am excited to transition to this unit because I know it will be very different from my first rotation and I know I will learn so much!

Overall, I love going to work today (though I was not mad about being told to stay home today because of the snow!) and I am excited to see what the second half of my internship holds!

I am still thinking that I will return to Texas (Austin or Dallas) after my DC adventure is over at the end of April. I am going to start looking for Child Life jobs in the next few weeks and I will be excited to be closer to home soon.

Adventures in Africa

I do not even know where to begin. It has taken me a while to formulate this post because gathering my thoughts after such a life-changing trip has taken time. I am still processing what all this trip means for my life and will continue to do so for months, I am sure.

I felt mostly prepared for Zambia after getting to hear about this wonderful place from my bestie Ellen for years. I thought I knew the feelings it would evoke, the things that would be hard about it, and what I would want to do upon returning to the states with that experience. Oh, how wrong I was!

While it was wonderful to be prepared in some ways, the country continued to surprise me, day after day. Unfortunately I experienced some weird side effects of the malaria medicine I had to take which caused me to be some what mellow throughout the trip so looking back through pictures, sometimes I feel like I am experiencing it for the first time. (Weird I know, and hard to understand--ask me about it if you want more info!)

The most memorable things from this trip will always be those 8 precious faces. Ellen couldn't have said it better when she said, "you will never, ever forget the faces you see over there." She was so right. The 8 kids at the home, as well as countless others we met in villages. Their faces are ingrained in my head. And I am so grateful for that. I will never forget their daily life, their struggles, their fears, their joys, their laughter and their hope.

Another aspect of Zambia that I will never forget is how impoverished, yet joyful the people of Zambia are. I have so much hope for that nation because of the people I met on my trip. They are full of the Lord's joy and love and are raising up children in the same way.

After the mission work we did in Lusaka, the team went to Victoria Falls. I am fairly certain I will never go to another place as beautiful as this. This is probably the closest thing to Heaven on Earth as you're going to get. This was a wonderful oasis to journey to for some rest and reflection after such a life-changing experience. I hope I never forget the beauty of this place and how crafty our Creator is in His work.

Lastly, we experienced some amazing wildlife on a sunrise photo safari nature drive. Again, seeing the evidence of how our God loves us through His amazing creation--I could never have imagined this.

As I have bouts of inspiration or deep thoughts about ending world poverty, I will be sure to blog more about my adventures in Africa. I know this post wasn't sufficient but this is what I could manage for now. Super overwhelming and daunting task.

Shout out to my best friends who I got to experience this with! Such an incredible support and encouragement to me throughout the entire thing! I am so thankful we had/have each other!

a year of blessings

hello all-

wow. what a year it has been. i haven't been on this thing in about 9 months and it is amazing how much life has changed since my last post.

not sure why i feel the need to publicly debrief life since graduation but here goes nothing.

in the last year, life has changed a whole lot. i have started and finished a wonderful first job. i have traveled to arizona, D.C., new mexico, east texas, west texas, pennsylvania, california, and louisiana. i have seen the Lincoln Memorial, the Grand Canyon, walked the Golden Gate Bridge and met 12 amazing women whom i've had the blessing of calling "co-workers".

i've witnessed 12 incredible couples, ordained by the Lord, join in holy matrimony.(yes, i've been to 12 weddings since graduation.) i've been beyond blessed to stand by 3 of those beautiful brides as they marry the man of their dreams. i've attending wedding showers, baby showers, and bachelorette parties. i've learned more about marriage and relationships in the last 9 months than i ever thought i could.

i've moved back in with my parents and now i prepare to move out of their house and in with my best friend. i've taken the GRE, applied to graduate school, and now i wait. just wait. until admissions decides to make a decision on me.

whoever has been saying that college prepares you for life after college is a big fat liar. i never could have guessed what all the world would throw at me, but with the Lord as my savior and guiding light, i think i'm doing okay.

i'll try to keep this a little more updated as i slowly but surely figure out God's will for my life.

for now: i'm a nanny for sweet baby Lilah 4 days a week, about to move in with abbey, and waiting to hear about graduate school at Texas State for Child Life.

things i'm looking forward to (in no particular order):
--the royal wedding
--the threlkeld wedding
--the nemec wedding
--moving into my adorable new house
--summer in Austin- the best thing in the world!
--Amelia Island with my girls!
--LA to see Ellen at some point
--what all God has to teach me and how He will use me in the coming months

stay tuned for a fun picture slide show of my adventures over the past year!

bye for now!

It's been awhile...

Greetings to the 2 people who read my blog...

I am sorry I have left you hanging for so long without any updates. I graduated 3 months ago and what an adventure it has been so far! While leaving College Station was one of the hardest things I've had to do, the Lord has blessed me immensely with a fairly smooth transition into the "real world". I have spent my summer with my best friends, my loving family, and my sweet boyfriend, and it has been hands-down the best summer of my life. See my most recent Facebook album for proof of this incredible 3 months!

While work week is starting at A&M (seriously depressed that I'm not there) and most of my friends have started their "real" jobs, I sit at home preparing to start my job in another week and a half. After going to Chi Omega Convention in Orlando and National Consultant Training in Memphis earlier this summer, I hit the road for Northern Arizona University next Thursday. I am beyond excited to start my job and put into practice all the things I have learned this summer. It will be hard to leave friends and family for 2 weeks but it shall be an adventure.

Bret opens his yogurt place in the next few weeks and I am freaking pumped for him! Watching him grow and mature so much through the process of opening his own business has been incredible and a huge blessing to me and to our relationship this summer. The Lord has big things planned for that guy and I can't wait to watch it all unfold in the next year or so. I just wish the electrician would show up so I could be there for the Grand Opening!! It looks like I'll be gone when he opens so I just need everyone else to be there in my place! Post-college has been great for us (I say that before my job takes me around the country for a year...pray for us) and we've had a blast this summer!

Things I'm looking forward to in the next few months:

Traveling for Chi O
Roommate/Friend Reunion in Houston for Dodgers/Astros Series
Wedding Festivities for Ellen and Paige
Living life in Austin with Abbey and Katherine (this has already started and its awesome!)
Watching Bret's business grow!
and seeing how life after college continues to unfold

Missing everyone dearly post-college... Thank you for being part of my life.

Bye for now!

LD

Newsies + Gaga = AWESOMENESS

This video is the best thing I have seen in a long time. If you haven't seen the movie The Newsies, I would highly recommend it! This "Crossroads" of The Newsies and Lady Gaga just made my day... ok maybe even my week. Check it out! If you haven't see the movie, it was made in 1992 and set in the 1890's. Directed by Kenny Ortega- any Kenny fans out there?? Watch this clip- it's worth it!



You're welcome.

A better update on my life to come soon.

LD

College Comes to a Close

Hello there.

I write to you from my desk at the Dexter House as I start to pack up my last 4 years of college. Some people describe this time as bittersweet. I think it's just plain bitter. While I am (pseudo)excited about the future, nothing about college ending is fun.

I want to reflect on the biggest influences in my life throughout college who have made me who I am today. The Lord is first and foremost the One who has brought me to where I am. He has used the following people/organizations to bless me and create me to live for His Kingdom.In no particular order...

1. Chi Omega- I know, I know, laugh it up. But honestly, from day 1 of college this organization has blessed me beyond measure. Through it I gained my BEST friends, incredible leadership experiences and opportunities for growth, incredible memories, and ultimately a job! Yes, that's right- for those of you who don't know, I will be working for the wonderful Chi Omega Fraternity for the next year. As a traveling "national consultant" I will travel to over 30 colleges in the next year to check up on how the Chi Omega chapters are doing, give them help where needed, and just make sure everything is running smoothly. I am extremely excited about this opportunity and all the travel that comes with it! Pray for me as I move back in with my parents in Austin, travel to many places all alone, and work hard for something I love.



2. My Roommates. This is why Chi O is such a blessing to me. I would never have met these girls without it. They are without a doubt the biggest blessing I have received in college. They challenge me in ways I could never have asked for, they make me laugh harder than anyone else, and at the end of the day, I know they love me for who I am and will never stop loving me, flaws and all. I cannot imagine life without them next year but I know that at every chance we get we will reunite for "roomie time". Whether in LA, Houston, Dallas, Austin, or somewhere in between, we will ALWAYS make plans to see each other before too long. I could not have asked for more amazing best friends to live with throughout some of the toughest, yet best, years of my life.


3. Bret. My wonderful boyfriend and I met freshman year at the Callaway House. Not sure if that place was a blessing or not, but it led me to meet B. We have been dating on and off since freshman year and he has definitely played a vital role in my life in college. God has used him in amazing ways in my life. He is kind and funny and forgiving and trustworthy and lots of wonderful things. While I am sad about doing long distance this next year, we have withstood many obstacles in our past and I know we can make it through this! Thanks for the memories B! Many more to come!




4. Grace Bible Church and Breakaway. These two ministries have been God's vessel for biblical teaching in my life. The selfless service of the people in these ministries teaches me so much on a weekly basis. While I wish I had gotten more invested in these places while I was here, they took me for who I am, met me where I'm at, and loved me unconditionally. I hope that some day I can give back to these places so that they can continue reaching out to college kids the way God has called them to.

There have been many others, of course, but those are the ones I wanted to give a shout out to right now.

Blog you later...

Great Good Friday

I love lists. Here is a list of the reasons this Good Friday has been absolutely wonderful.

1. This is my current view from the deck of my house as I enjoy Spring weather and blog to my heart out. I <3 the Texas Hill Country.



2. My mom bought starburst jellybeans. 'Nough said.

3. I woke up 3 times today. Which means I took two naps. Which is always awesome.

4. My lil bro Mark is coming home tonight! Haven't seen him in months!

5. I got to have lunch with my bestie Court. She is an inspiration in my life and I don't know where I'd be without her. She really brings out the best in me and I have to learn not to take our time together for granted. Soon she will be off to Dallas to save the world through Teach For America and I know our time together will be very limited, but I have faith that she is a friend for life. Love ya gurrll!



6. This is the real reason Good Friday has been so great. I had some amazing Jesus time this morning reflecting on the purpose of Good Friday and all these Easter events.Jesus died for me. And for you. I hear this probably a dozen times a week but it's days like today that I really try to fathom what that means. And because our God is so great and powerful, I don't think I ever truly will. But I will spend my life trying to live as if I understand the impact of that message. As I was reading about the Crucifixion in John today, I was blown away by the part where Jesus prays for ME (and for you). Before Jesus dies on the cross he literally prays for me. (John 17:6-26) I cannot get over this. The man is about to die on the cross for NOTHING that he did wrong, but to save me from my ugly sin and he loves me so much that he doesn't think just dying on the cross is enough but he PRAYS FOR MY SOUL as well!

Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be as one as we are. I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17: 21-23

Some of the Lord's dying wishes are that we (his children) would live in unity and carry out His will on earth by proclaiming His name to all the world. This was a truly humbling passage this morning that really got me thinking. Am I living in complete unity among believers so that the world will see God's love through me? Most of you would say, "No," and I would agree. This is something I am working on and am truly humbled by this Good Friday. May the Lord grant us evermore grace this Easter weekend as we all try to figure out how to live for Him, in unity among believers.

I pray that Christ's story and love is told all over the world this weekend and that many people will come to know that love through the sharing of the gospel. Embrace this special holiday and reflect on what Christ's death on the cross means in your life.

Happy Easter everyone! Jesus Lives!!!

kloveyoubye!