second semester is beginning

Well, I was thrilled to learn that I have finally regained my Sophomore status, only to realize that I, in fact, am only a sophomore by credit hours, and will still have to stay 3.5 years in order to finish the nursing program. Awesome. In addition, my current life plans include (but not limited to): becoming a nurse practitioner! (2 yrs+3.5 yrs=5.5 years) (thank you gvsu for teaching me math)

In other news, Christmas break did not go as planned, but I daresay it was better (yes, I did watch Pride and Prejudice over break). My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and my sister was recovering from an unfortunate second ACL tear. So, family was at the center of my break, as well as some other stuff that I didn't previously have time for (yes I did turn 21, no I did not go crazy).

My mom's been a champion throughout her diagnosis, surgery, and soon-coming [6 week] radiation. She went to the doctor for other reasons (such as fatigue) but after blood work revealed that her counts were low, the search for a reason began. Obviously, it's no secret what they found, but I just see God's mercy in the situation because her tiredness had nothing to do with the cancer, but I believe it was placed there by God so that we would discover it. Come to find out, her cancer would have soon spread to other areas, so the timing was Divine.

Academically, this past semester was far from fun. It was somewhat of a shock going from Bible classes to Science and Math exclusively; but, through TONS of studying and prayer, I ended up with A's (praise God). GVSU is extremely competitive in their nursing program (80 students are accepted per semester), and so I now find grades much more "inspiring." This coming semester I hope to keep things in a healthier perspective by not thinking that my value as a person could be defined by a letter.

Today I received an exciting offer to work as a nurse at my in-home healthcare job [in addition to my position as a nurse's assistant]. This would mean taking care of Carrie by myself, for 8 hour shifts (instead of an accompanied 4hrs) and getting paid double! I'm pretty geeked at the opportunity. I felt like this was a little blessing from God, confirming that I'm in the right place, as I see him continue opening doors for me.

Another encouragement from this week, was making my first Christian friend at school! Totally orchestrated by God, I sat down beside her while waiting for a class, turns out we're the same major and have 3 of the same classes. I'm really excited -if not only for her friendship, but the rekindled hope that I can make new friends. (In addition to the tough classes last semester, I was rather lonely since I left my friends in Chicago. Accepting the reality that those friendships will change has been hard as well, but I'm trusting the Lord to provide...and look, he did!)

Futuristically, if you happen to wonder what I'm up to, it will either be: Anatomy, Organic & Biochemistry, Developmental Psychology, Daniel & Revelations, or work...for the next 15 weeks. But I appreciate you asking.

Thanks for taking the time to read this! Maybe I'll update again next semester ;]

^"4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4