Lord, Move or Move Me

"I can't find the words to pray
I'm a little down today
Can you help me?
Can you hold me?
I feel a million miles away
And I don't know what to say
Can ya hear me anyway?
What I need is for you to reach out your hand
You have taught me
No matter what you'd understand

Lord move in the way, that I've never seen before
Cause there's a mountain in the way and I'll knock on the door
I'm drifting away, waves are crashing on the shore
So Lord move (move), or move me.

I've looked every where to find
A simple peace of mind
I can't find nothing on my own
So I got to leave myself behind
Take up this cross of mine
Give away everything I hold onto

Lord I know the only way is through this
Lord I know I need you to help me do this Lord move in the way, that I've never seen before
Cause there's a mountain in the way and I'll knock on the door
I'm drifting away, waves are crashing on the shore
So Lord move (move), or move me.

Out of this place of complacency
To a place of fellowship with thee
Cause I am weak but Lord you are so strong
And you know it's been way too long (been way too long) Lord move in the way, that I've never seen before
Cause there's a mountain in the way and I'll knock on the door
I'm drifting away, waves are crashing on the shore
So Lord move...or move me!"

-FFH

I'm the Luckiest Girl in the World!!!

In case you haven't heard it from me, Adam, my family, his family, Facebook, or word of mouth.....
ADAM AND I ARE ENGAGED!!!!!!
On July 3rd, I experienced one of the most important days of my life (a day I have been dreaming about since I was a little girl) - the man of my dreams asked me to marry him, and I said YES!!!! I can't wait to tell the wonderful story, but I must preface it by saying it was a COMPLETE surprise! I wasn't expecting it at all, which is exactly how I wanted it.....

Last weekend, I flew down to Maryland to celebrate our 1-year anniversary and the 4th of July with Adam and his family. Adam and I started 'officially' dating on July 5th last summer after we had known each other and been friends for a few months. I flew in around dinnertime Friday night suffering from a lack of sleep and a fried brain I had gotten from taking my 2nd Anatomy test earlier that morning. Adam was also going on little sleep because he had been getting up at 4:00 for work at the Naval Academy every morning, and staying up late at night to plan the special weekend :) We ate dinner Friday night and hung out with the fam for a bit before going to bed fairly early since Adam had to work the next day from 5 am to 5 pm (yes, he was working on Saturday).

When Adam finally got home from work Saturday night, he seemed really tired and didn't want to do much of anything (little did I know this was all part of his plan....). I was a little bummed because I hadn't seen him all day, but I knew he was tired. So, I volunteered to read him a few excerpts from a book on maintaining a God-centered relationship, Going All the Way by Craig Groeschel, Pastor of LifeChurch in Tulsa, OK. I fully expected him to be as enthusiastic about it as I was. I mean, what guy doesn't want his girlfriend to read to him from a book on relationships? Unfortunately, he started to fall asleep while I was reading it (again...all part of his little scheme). I'll admit, I was getting pretty upset at this point. All I wanted to do was spend time with him since I hadn't seen him all day, and all he wanted to do was take a nap! So, I left the room, feeling unimportant, so he could take his nap.

A few minutes later, he comes to his senses and suggests we go to Starbucks to grab some coffee so he could stay awake while we discussed the book I wanted to read to him (again...all a part of his planned ruse to keep me from suspecting anything). As we walk out the door, his mom yells, "stay focused, Adam." I thought that was strange at first, but I just assumed she knew how tired he was and there could have been a possibility of him falling asleep at the wheel. We drive to Starbucks in silence. I was still a little bummed, but I was getting over it. Then, Adam realizes he forgot his wallet, and I hadn't brought mine either. He says he doesn't want to turn around and go back, so we can just sit outside at Starbucks and read the book. I also thought that was a little strange since he was the one who obviously needed the coffee, but I pushed that thought aside and didn't think twice about it.

As we are getting out of the car at Starbucks, he pulls a sack out of the back seat of his car. I was unaware that we were exchanging anniversary gifts early, but he said he was really excited to give me my gift. So, we sat down at this table and I opened my wonderful present!

A brand new camera!!! It's a pretty blue color, it's waterproof and can take video underwater, it's shock resistant (b/c I don't have any problem with dropping and damaging technological devices), and it has really good zoom. I was super excited! As a matter of fact, it didn't even dawn on me that the camera already had a memory card in it, it was fully charged, and the date and time had been set. I just assumed the Panasonic people wanted me to get full use from my camera the minute I took it out of the box.
I'm admiring my new camera and Adam is explaining all the features to me when he suggests we take a picture. So, he extends his long arm and takes our picture.
 (side note: I feel like most girls are dressed nicely and look stunning when they receive their engagement ring....not me. I had been at the pool all day, I had on dirty clothes, chlorine in my hair, and had yet to shower)

So, we take this picture and as Adam is showing me the picture, I get distracted by something I notice: His hands were shaking like crazy, and since my eyes are level with his chest, I realized I could see his heart beating through his shirt. "Wow, he's super excited to give me this camera!" I thought to myself. Again....totally oblivious.
He decides he doesn't like the picture and suggests we take another one. So, I smile, he takes another picture with shaky hands, and I think "it's a good thing he didn't get any coffee. Who knows how bad he would have had the shakes?"
Still oblivious....as always.
He hands me the camera and I look at the screen....it's not a picture of us; it's a picture of a collage of words. I do a double-take and reread the words as Adam is getting down on one knee, "Will you marry me, Laura Beth? I love you."

I was shocked speechless and words were not coming out of my mouth right away. Finally, I screamed "YESSSSSS!!!" and told him I loved him for the first time! It was a complete surprise, and for once, I'm thankful I was oblivious to the little signs. So.....we took another picture! If you look closely, you can see the smile that was stuck on my face for the rest of the evening, and still creeps up every time I think about that moment :)

We spent the rest of the evening celebrating with his family and chocolate cake, spreading the news to everyone we knew, and saying "I love you" to each other. Those 3 words mean so much more when you save them for the moment you know you truly mean them.

I'm currently wearing a "temporary" ring because Adam specifically thought of and sketched a design idea for my real ring, and it's being specially made with unique features that are all symbolic of something. The "temporary" ring is beautiful sterling silver and CZ from Amazon.com, but it is still very special to me. When he described what he had designed for my ring, I bawled like a baby because it was perfect; exactly what I wanted, and we had never even discussed rings! When it's finished, I'll put some pictures up, but below is a good shot of the one he proposed with:

The next day, on the 4th of July, we did one of our favorite things to do together - COOK! Here are some pictures from our all-day cooking fiasco:

And.....the result: the biggest and best meal we have cooked yet! Here's to many more and happily ever after....I LOVE YOU!!!

"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him..."

Psalm 37:3-5

Alive Again

"I woke up in darkness
Surrounded by silence
Oh where, oh where have I gone?
I woke to reality Losing its grip on me

Oh where, where have I gone?
'Cause I can see the light
Before I see the sunrise
You called and You shouted

Broke through my deafness
Now I'm breathing in and breathing out
I'm alive again
You shattered my darkness

Washed away my blindness
Now I'm breathing in and breathing out
I'm alive again
Late have I loved You
You waited for me, I searched for You

What took me so long?
I was looking outside
As if Love would ever want to hide
I'm finding I was wrong

'Cause I feel the wind
Before it hits my skin
'Cause I want You,
Yes I want You I need You, and I'll do

Whatever I have to just to get through
'Cause I love You,
Yeah I love You"

-Matt Maher Alive Again

Is there life outside of studying for Anatomy?

"I should defintely be studying right now," is what I kept telling myself while I was perusing Facebook, but somehow, I found myself writing this LONG OVERDUE blog post.......So, what's new with me? Well, pretty much everything! I still feel like I'm on vacation, even though it has been an entire month since I moved to Charleston, SC. OT school reminds me of the reality of why I'm here, but the beach (conveniently 5 minutes from my apt) sends me into a sweet serenity! That is, until the serenity is carried away with the powerful gust of wind which also carries all my notes away with it! Thankfully, there were enough people on the beach to help me by running after my papers. Strangely, though, I get distracted while running after my papers because I begin rattling off the Anatomy terms for the movements my legs were making and the names of the muscles allowing me to sprint after my flying notes....

Anatomy has taken over my life! I have learned more in the short weeks since I began classes than I learned in an entire semester of undergrad. Here are a few signs to watch for if you worry that Anatomy has taken over your life:

1) You sleep with your Anatomy textbook

2) You try to enjoy a relaxing weekend on the lake after your first anatomy test, but while you're wakeboarding, the only thoughts running through your head are the names of the muscles which are contracting and which nerves are innervating those muscles and giving them a burning sensation.

3) You are taking a walk along the beach and almost trip over a child because the flashcards in your hand were obstructing your view.

4) You are not bothered by the putrid smell of Formaldehyde, and you are intrigued by the insides of the person who donated his/her body to further the education of human anatomy by Med students, PAs, PTs, and OTs. (thankfully, we don't do the actual dissecting; we just observe)

5) You wake up in the middle of the night shouting the different mnemonics for the names of the many nerve, artery, and vein branches running throughout our body: "Randy Travis Drinks Cold Beer!" (that was one for the brachial plexus)

6) You study EVERY free second have; not because you want to get a good grade, but because you're passionate about what you're learning.

Despite my passion for anatomy and OT, there are times when I get discouraged and doubt if I can actually make it through this class. However, God has a way of reminding me that I'm exactly where He wants me and He won't let me fail. I'm also thankful for such a patient and encouraging boyfriend! He pushes me to keep studying when I'd rather just talk to him all night. 


Speaking of.....I had all intentions of writing about my amazing experience at his graduation from the Naval Academy last month, but I think it would have been waaaaay to long. I had so much fun, and I'm so proud of his many accomplishments! Here are a few of the pictures that captured the experience. Enjoy!

James is Adam's best friend and his room mate this past year. Please pray for him as he begins SEAL training. Tory kept me sane on the many weekend road trips we took to Annapolis - driving 14 hrs round-trip to see our men for less than 24 - totally worth it! We will miss hanging out with you guys!

 

Adam received the Naval Academy Athletic Association "Top Male Athlete Award" for the class of 2010! He got an awesome sword w/his name engraved on it! So proud of him!

His brother, Mark (continuing the Meyer legacy at the Naval Academy), got the honor of being the first to salute Adam officially as an Officer!

                            

And of course, I got the honor of being the first to kiss him as an official Officer of the Navy;)

Christ's Consistent Confirmation

Wow! The past few weeks have been a blur. I have had so much on my mind and so much to do to get ready for my last week of work at SWIMMAC Carolina, to prepare for finals for the A&P II class I took this semester, to find a place to live in Charleston, to pack up and move, and of course, all the important things I have to do to start school in 2 weeks!!!!! It has been by the grace of God that I have been able to keep up with all I have to do and maintain my sanity at the same time. Despite all the changes that are going on in my life right now, one thing has been consistent - God's confirmation that I'm headed in the direction of His will! Let me give you some examples, and I'm going to use pictures to describe some of them because I feel like my blog consists mainly of words...

1) The first confirmation happened the week Adam was visiting me, and it was actually that week that I made my decision to go to MUSC. I was so thankful for Adam's guidance in my decision and for everyone's prayers that God would lead me in the direction He wanted me to go. However, long before I decided where I was being led to go to school, I had been worrying and wondering if my computer would work well enough to carry me through 7 semesters of papers, projects, and a giant thesis. It was the computer I used in college, but it would constantly malfunction and, despite taking to a computer guy, no one could really find the source of the problem. Also, I'm technologically dumb, so I really had no idea what was going on each time my computer would act up. In short, I was worried that I was going to have to buy another computer at some point with money I did NOT have, but I trusted that God would provide. So, one night while Adam was here, I came home from work and he told me he had a surprise for me. Now, Adam is a pro at surprises and if you know me, I LOVE surprises, but this was the king of surprises! So, he leaves the room and comes back with a box from the Apple store, an excited smile on his face, and he says, "I got you this for getting into grad school"...

A MacBookPro!!!! I was literally speechless and I had no idea how to use a Mac, but my computer worries would be solved. I thanked God right then and there and embraced my boyfriend, but I know that words will never be enough to describe how giving, caring, and amazing Adam is!

2) Some of you may know this already, but I have had a lot of trouble meeting Christian girls while I have been in Charlotte. So, as soon as I decided I was going back to school and that I would be moving to a place again where I knew no one, I began to pray for God to bring some wonderful Christian girlfriends into my life wherever He was sending me to OT school. Since I waited until the last possible minute to decide to go to MUSC, most of the girls in my program had already found roommates, but I met a few girls via e-mail and phone who had roommates but genuinely wanted to help me find one. These girls are Believers and it looks like there will be a handful of them in my program! I am so thankful and excited to actually meet them in 2 weeks. God used that situation to both answer my prayers and confirm that I was going to be where He wants me to be! (I don't really have a picture for this one)

3) As I was getting down to the wire (less than a month before I would have to be in Charleston for orientation), I felt like everyone had a roommate except for me. It felt like the every time an opportunity would arise, it would fall through, even though the girls in my program were being really helpful. I was beginning to get really discouraged, and stressed, of course! I kept praying and praying that God would bring a Christian roommate as well, but as I felt like I was running out of time, I decided I would be okay if a God wanted a homeless person to live with me, as long as I had a roommate. Well, little did I know what He had planned for me: Confirmation #3....
Back in Feb, my mom and I traveled to Mobile, AL for me to do an interview at the University of S Alabama for entrance into their OT program. While I was in my interview, my mom introduced herself to a cute girl who had just finished her interview (my mom would talk to a squirrel if it would talk back....). So, when I came out, I saw my mom chatting away w/this random girl and her brother who had apparently taken the road trip w/her. Ironically, Alicia was also applying to MUSC! What were the odds? She was from Ohio. So, we talked for about an hour and I found out she was a Believer! We decided that if we both got accepted to S Alabama that we would have to be roomies! We exchanged contact information and spoke a few times on Facebook. A month later, she told me she had been waitlisted at MUSC and would be going to S Alabama. I told her I was going to MUSC, we told each other good luck, and lost touch for a while, until a week ago......The same day I called my mom in tears wondering why I could not find a roommate despite my consistent prayer, I got a phone call from Alicia- "Laura Beth, MUSC called me a while ago and told me a spot had opened for me but I turned it down because I thought God wanted me to go to S Alabama. I woke up last night and I felt like God was leading me to call MUSC and ask if that  spot was still open. What should I do?" I told her to call them. The worst that could happen would be that the spot would no longer be available, and when she called, that happened to be the case. However, we kept praying about it because it was just too crazy that we had met and connected so easily...there are no coincidences; just God :) After 3 days of consistent prayer from both of us, MUSC called Alicia and told her a spot had opened up! In 2 weeks, I will be rooming with an amazing Christian girl and I am so thankful for that HUGE confirmation that I'm where He wants me to be. (I don't have a picture for this one either, but as soon as Alicia and I get to Charleston, I'll take a pic and post it!)

I'm sure there have been many other confirmations from God that I haven't realized, but the ones that have been obvious have also reminded me to always remain patient and trust His will and the path to reach it. I'll add one more picture, just to keep my post from being too boring. This handsome 6'2" hunk is my constant confirmation that God's plan is best and far better than we can imagine ;)

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lead not on your own understanding; in all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6

Listening to the "Voice of Truth"

"Oh,what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in and onto the crashing waves.
To step out of my comfort zone into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is, And he's holding out his hand.

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me;
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed.
The waves they keep on telling me time and time again,
"You'll never win..."

Once again, all too soon it seems, another chapter of my life is coming to a close, and a new, undoubtedly more challenging, chapter is going to be played out. Around the 3rd weekend in May, I will be moving to Charleston, SC to start my Masters in Occupational Therapy at the Medical University of SC - a school I honestly wasn't expecting to get into. However, after a month and a half of consistent prayer, I knew that's where God wanted me out of the 3 programs into which I was accepted. Even though the decision was hard, I couldn't be more ecstatic that God is taking me there! Charleston is absolutely beautiful, and right on the beach, of course!

God is bringing me out of my comfort zone again to a new place with all new people and a new way of life to get used to. However, this time around, I will be a little more comfortable and a LOT more trusting of God's plan. When I moved to Charlotte 2 years ago, I was still learning the importance of being outside of my comfort zone - God was showing me that the place we are most vulnerable to His plans and His voice is one that is unfamiliar and uncomfortable. As soon as I started getting used to living in Charlotte and being able to accept the hardships of the career world, God reached out and said, "It's time to go, Laura Beth. It's time to begin a new chapter. I have another purpose for you elsewhere and if you're comfortable, you won't experience it as I want you to."

As soon as I accepted my invitation to the MUSC OT program, I began to feel a little uncomfortable and the questions came flooding in - where will I live? Who will I live with? How will I afford school? Will I be able to obtain a part-time job and still have time to study? Do I remember how to study? Will the program be too hard? Is this what I really want to do? Will I find another church? Will I find a group of Christian friends (a vital part of my life that was missing while living in Charlotte)? When will the Navy stop taking their sweet time and let Adam know if he will be allowed to train in Charlotte for the 2012 Olympic Trials and defer from Flight School? (I had to throw that random one in there because we're still waiting for that answer; who knows? Someone from the Navy could stumble across my blog. People in Russia read my blog for goodness sake!). These unanswered questions made me feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable so I found myself praying more intently and digging a little deeper into the Word. Huh...funny how that works: Life feels a little too overwhelming, we open our hearts more to God as we pray for answers, and, as a result draw closer to Him. No wonder He loves to place us out of comfort zones....

The majority of the questions above have not been answered, and it's getting closer and closer to orientation/first day of classes on May 26th. A lot of things are up in the air and unclear, but I try to remind myself daily of the words from The Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns. God has it all under control; All I need to do is trust Him and the purpose He has for me during my next 2 years in Charleston. By just being still and listening for His voice, life can seem much less stressful and overwhelming. I'm so excited about moving to Charleston, and I know the last few weeks I have in Charlotte are going to fly by. It will be hard to leave my friends, my church, my cute little apartment, and most of all - my kids. The 2 years I spent in Charlotte brought stress, pain, hardship, and struggles, but in the midst of all that, God sent me 2 reminders of His purpose while I was here: 1)A unique group of kids who I'm certain taught me much more than I taught them, and 2) a Godly and amazing man who is everything and more I want in my mate when I was certain someone like that just didn't exist.

"But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth"
-Casting Crowns

Praying for the Confidence to be a Godly Leader

I have been feeling a little discouraged lately because the confidence I had in the fact that God was molding me into a Godly leader has been shaken. I know God placed me in my current work environment because the majority of my co-workers are searching for something more. I'm not referring to a better job, even though a few are searching for that too; I'm talking about an inherent happiness and a belief in something(someone) greater. Unfortunately, I have never been in an environment where I have felt so discouraged and unsure of my ability to share my Faith. I have been here with SWIMMAC for almost two years, I'm about to move away, and I don't feel like I've come anywhere close to fulfilling the purpose God had for bringing me here.

Four years ago if you had asked me if I felt like God had chosen me to fulfill His purpose of Godly leadership, I would have laughed nervously and solemnly declared that I was incapable of being molded into a Godly leader because of all the mistakes I had made and the countless times I had strayed from the path I was supposed to be following in my walk with God. However, near the end of my junior year of college, God was bound and determined to reveal His plans of reshaping my identity. It all started with the huge leap of faith I took when I told my rowing coach I was quitting because I wanted to focus on my relationship with God, and he informed me I would have to stand in front of the team and explain my reasoning to 45 college girls. I was literally "shaking in my boots" as I told my crew team that I was giving up rowing to grow closer to my Savior. Despite my immense fear and anxiety, God was right beside me during that process, and He held my hand for the next year and a half as He lead me through experience after experience where my faith and trust in Him were tested to the max. It was during this time that He was molding me into a Godly leader, but I kicked and screamed through the process because I was convinced there had to be some other person who was more qualified for the job. After all, I had recently spent an entire year of college rebelling against my almost non-existent faith because I had no idea who I was. Why in the world would God choose me after such a drastic rebellion? Of course, He answered that it was for that very reason He had chosen me.

My last year and a half of college, God placed me in situations where I began to gain the confidence and knowledge of what it means to be a Godly leader. Despite the peace He was trying to give me to assure me I was on the right track, I continued to question my ability to thrive in a summer-long discipleship program, but He lead me through that summer in Breckenridge and taught me how to share my faith on campus and lead a small group Bible study; I questioned my ability to start a Bible study for the girls on the crew team I was no longer a part of, but I did and He revealed Himself in a new way to each girl in that group; I questioned my ability to co-lead a group of 13 college students on a 3-month mission trip to Africa, but His hedge of protection encompassed us and countless Africans were introduced to His love while we were there; I didn't think I was ready to move to a place where I knew no one and live on my own, but God knew this was the next big step I needed to take in order to become a stronger person; I was convinced it wasn't the right timing for me to start a Bible study for the 11-12 year old girls I coach because my faith had been stagnant for several months, but I currently study the Word every Sunday afternoon with 14 of the 16 girls I coach. Who knew it could take something as simple as the faith of a 12-year-old to help me get back on track in my walk? God knew.

The reason I'm sharing all this is because I think a lot of us, as Believers, have trouble allowing God to mold us into His leaders because we are convinced there is someone out there who is more qualified for the position. I have caught myself questioning why God didn't want to pick the more qualified ministers, missionaries, Sunday school teachers, etc. for the leadership role He was asking me to fulfill. Now, if you think about it, that is a ridiculously dumb question; how do you think those ministers, missionaries, Sunday school teachers, etc. got into those positions of Godly leadership? Ultimately, they put their trust and confidence in Christ and believed He could mold them into leaders. I think we allow the fear of failure and the possibility of defeat creep in and fuel our disbelief in the abilities God has given us. I'll be the first to admit that as much as I try to fully place my trust in God, I still have trouble handing over complete control of my life to give Him free reign. Unfortunately, I always seem to forget that the only times I have experienced failure have been the times I controlled the outcome instead of allowing God to. What can we do to allow ourselves to become completely vulnerable to God's will and build confidence in the abilities He has given us?

To give you another example other than myself (and, I'm totally going out on a limb here because I know Adam's going to read this), let me share with you a little about my boyfriend...I want to preface what I'm going to say by reminding you that I believe God creates leaders by placing them in leadership roles without their knowledge. If you aren't aware that God has given you leadership capabilities, how can you strengthen them and gain confidence? The hardest part comes when you realize you've been placed into a position of leadership, and you have to make a choice: Utilize your Spiritual Gifts of leadership and lead by your trust in Him, or back down from the position because you allowed fear to creep in. Ok, back to Adam...I fully believe that God has amazing plans for him. Currently (and he may not realize this), God has placed him in several leadership roles: He's in his last year at the Naval Academy and has been accepted to Navy Flight School, he is the fastest swimmer on the Navy Men's Swim team (as a matter of fact, his coach's son wants to change his name to "Adam Meyer" when he grows up), he has competed in the Olympic Trials and World Champ Trials, he is currently ranked nationally in the Top 10 in his best events for collegiate swimming, he is the oldest of 4 kids, and if you ask anyone who knows Adam what they think of him, I'm certain they would express the great respect and admiration they have for him. I would say the same, plus more! I think Adam is one of those quiet leaders whom God has chosen to lead mostly by actions, not necessarily words. I don't think he is aware of how many lives he has touched through the positions in which God has placed him, and without knowing God has given you the ability to be a Spiritual leader, you can't gain the confidence you need to become one. There have been a handful of people God has placed in my life who helped me believe in the leadership abilities I had been given. If it had not been for those people and the power of prayer, the still-growing confidence I have in the gifts God has given me might be non-existent.

If God has put you in a leadership position and you're like me, you have trouble believing He has chosen the right person, pray for confidence and pray for God to bring someone in your life at just the right time to provide encouragement and open your eyes to the role that has been bestowed upon you.

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8

Well, it's about time....

OK...you know by now that I go through Blog phases, and obviously I just got out of a Blog drought. Now that I'm done filling out and paying an arm/leg for grad school apps, I'm hoping I'll have more time to update my blog. To be completely honest, I am constantly updating my blog in my head, but for some reason every time I sit down to put those thoughts to words, I get distracted doing something else. I'm going to have to be more disciplined.

If you were unaware or just didn't read the paragraph above, I'M GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!!! Yay! Well, I'm technically in school right now taking my last prerequisite at a local community college, but I just recently applied to 3 grad schools for Occupational Therapy! I'm so excited to go back to school, study, and gain the knowledge I need to do the occupation I'm truly passionate about: Occupational Therapy with Special Needs kids. It would have been nice to start directly after I graduated, but God had different plans, and I thought I did too. However, He knew that I would need to be in Charlotte, living on my own, and coaching at SWIMMAC for two years before I would be ready to go back to school. There was a lot I needed to learn, and I needed to gain some independence. Most recently, He wanted me to realize that the work environment can be extremely flawed: not all of your co-workers will share the positive, optimistic outlook on life that you possess; your boss may be intimidating, unhappy, and a workaholic, and you may be quite non-confrontational, but you CANNOT allow him/her to walk all over you - you need to have the confidence to tactfully stand up for yourself and what you believe; the behind the scenes aspect of the company may be incredibly chaotic and unorganized, but you MUST put on the facade that everything is "just peachy" :)

I'm praying that my work environment will be a little different and slightly better when I become an OT, but I have a feeling God wouldn't have exposed me to my current situation if I weren't going to encounter it again sometime down the road. Oh well...you live and you learn, right? So, now, I wait until March to find out whether or not I made it into any of the OT schools to which I applied. If you know me, you know waiting is VERY hard for me, but that is the #1 lesson God has been consistently trying to teach me. It has taken God 25 years so far (wow, that's the first time I've actually said my current age since my bday was last week; it sounds so old...) to teach me to wait, and ironically, I'm still waiting to learn that lesson.

Over the next few months, I will be making some HUGE decisions (de ja vue - senior year of college?) I have to move because there are no OT programs in Charlotte. So, I will be moving 1 of 3 places, and it will be a repeat of two years ago when I moved to Charlotte right after I returned from Africa and I knew no one. Thank you, God, for already bringing me through the process of moving to a brand new place and not knowing anyone. At least now I kind of know what to expect. So, where will it be? Charleston, SC; Richmond, VA; or Mobile, AL? Only God knows...