Annual Update

Once a year I like to pretend that I am a blogger. So, in this year's annual update I'm mostly going to focus on school. Why? Well, that's pretty much all I have to talk about. First and foremost, I love it. Second, it is an honor and a privilege to get to pursue my dreams and make a difference in people's lives. Third, I'm tired.

Currently I am set to graduate in 5 months. That feels like next week and 10 years from now at the same time. I am about half way through my clinical work and I see clients at Denton County Friends of the Family. This non-profit organization provides free services (counseling, legal advocacy, shelter, etc.) to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Yep, FREE. If you know anyone needing help for those reasons, please send them our way. You can't beat free counseling. Along with seeing individual clients, I also lead a domestic violence group (one of our many groups) as well as one of our Violence Intervention and Prevention Program (VIPP) groups for batterers (their services are not free, though). I do about 20 hours a week there, work part time interpreting, and am taking a full course load of grad school classes. Hence, the tired.

Although I still feel a little like Pinocchio must have felt when he was pretending to be a "real boy", some of the jangly awkwardness is wearing off and I am starting to find more confidence in my skills as a professional. Or rather, the Lord's presence coming out through my training. It is ridiculous how humbling and exciting it is to partner with the great Counselor in His work with the poor and broken in the world. Just tonight in my women's group I was profoundly moved as they emphasized to each other, "You are not alone." His sentiments exactly.

Anyway, my next big hurdle on this educational sprint is my National Counselor Exam (NCE). This is the licensing exam I have to pass in order to be able to practice. I take that test at the end of April, so I have to fit studying in, too. I'm already nervous about passing it. (Insert prayers here.) I'm believing that if He's called me to it, He'll equip me for it. Still nervous, though.

So there's the latest. Although it seems like this grad school thing has kind of flown by, it has been one of the most transformational experiences of my life. I have been shaped, molded, challenged, encouraged, and propelled beyond my wildest expectations and I can't wait to see what He has in store on the other side of this education. Stay tuned!!!

Xanga Flashback

So, I was reading through some of the blogs I follow, feeling inspired, and suddenly I remembered..."Hey, didn't I used to have a Xanga account?" What's a Xanga, you might be asking. Well, it's pre-blog, pre-facebook, social networking at its finest. I found this beauty from when I was still interpreting at McNair. I'd like to call it "A Day in the Life of an Interpreter (circa 2006)". Enjoy.


Once and a while a day comes along, a shining,
shimmering gift of day--wholly unexpected--and you just gotta
roll around in it. I had one of those days today at
work. At work! (of all places). I came in this
morning expecting to have an as-usual kind of day.
BUT...first thing this morning, the kids watched a movie for
about 2 hours, then they went to see the talent show,
then outside to play, then lunch, then back outside for
the rest of the day!!! Are you kidding me? Where did
this schedule come from!?! It happened because the
talent show threw the schedule off to begin with, then
one of the 5th grade teachers was absent and they had
no sub show up. So, everything was canceled, I guess.
Nice.
The only work I've had to do, if you can call it
that, is to interpret the talent show *smirk*, and sit
here in the computer lab just in case my kiddo has any
questions while taking her test. Let me segue into
the talent show for a minute. "Talent" is a loose term
here. (I don't mean to be harsh, it's just that they are like 10.)
You just don't even know what an adventure it is
to try to interpret elementary school kids squawking
into a hot mic. I have to say, there were a few bright
stars, but overall...not so much. The whole basis of
my job as an interpreter is to LISTEN to what is going
on, to be the EARS for someone who can not HEAR. Do
you see the emphasized words? Listen, ears, hear. All
based on my ability to hear, and I should also add
UNDERSTAND what is being said...or sung. So, mostly it
was me (or Holly or Stephanie) trying to put English
signs to singing that sounded like the teacher on the
Peanuts cartoon singing karaoke. Umm...right. You try
to sign songs like, "SHMOW MOW CHECOM, YEAH YEAH,
SHMOW MOW CHECOM, OH BABY, YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE
FFHRRHFOEL AVERHUNM KA FFHHEEESSHHH, OH YEAH,
FOOORRREVERRRRRRRR. OH YEAH, SHEMMERFULVEVERLAK, BAKKERSHMRFFFFAAANA
FOOOOREVERRRRR!" So as an interpreter we sit there
staring at some kid with a mic and sign like 5% of the
words we can understand. So take that "song" above. We
would be signing: " .............yes, yes...*look
around to see if any other interpreter gets
it*............oh, baby.....*puzzled look*...........you make me
feel like....................oh yes...forever...oh
yes...................................forever" . All the dot-dot-dots are when our arms are just suspended motionless in the air in hopes
that we'll pick up a recognizable word.
So as you can probably imagine, our deaf ed. kids don't
enjoy the talent show very much. Not to mention the
assortment of piano/other instrument players
players. How do you interpret that? Um, you don't. Unless
you are Stephanie and you poke the air as the notes go
up and down. Valiant attempt my friend. What are the
odds we'll get some of the Higher Ups to buy us some
sound-sensitive flashing lights?
Anyway....there's my day. My kid has finished
her test, gone back outside and it's 30 minutes until
school's out. Life is good!!!!!!!!!


(P.S. You should have seen the spell check on this entry.)


End Xanga post. Actual date: May 12, 2006. Love you, Berlinn

Sharpening my pencils!

Yep, it's back-to-school time for me! My financial aid has finally gone through and I am OFFICIALLY headed back to school in 4 days! I am actually starting to get excited.

Today I found out about a huge blessing. The Lord Himself must have reached his sovereign hand down into the TWU financial aid department and processed my forms Himself. I turned the forms in Tuesday and as of today, 4 days later, my loans have been processed, classes paid for and extra money disbursed so I can get books, supplies, parking pass, etc. What in the Sam Hill is going on??? I don't even care. I'll take it! Aaaannnndddd, TWU even saved me a step. I knew my financial aid processing was going to be down to the wire because of the timing of my application process. When I went in Tuesday to turn in my loan forms, I was told that unpaid classes were being dropped that night and that there was not time for my loan money to come in before that, so I needed to get an emergency loan. No big deal. I've done that before. You just get a partial short-term loan to cover a percentage of the cost and that saves your classes from being dropped, and gives you time for your real financial aid to come in. So I filled out those forms and was told to keep an eye out online for my acceptance. So, from Tuesday to today, I have been checking and checking for my emergency loan confirmation. Well, it never came through. But, my classes were never dropped, so something had to be happening. Finally, this afternoon, I called up there to see what was going on and found out that my real loans had already been processed. TWU just canceled my emergency loan request and expedited the real financial aid. They even saved me a step!!! (Whew, I'm getting faint just thinking about it!) The lady I talked to said I had a zero balance, everything was taken care of, and to keep an eye out for the disbursement of the rest of the loan money (the part not needed for tuition). She said it could be as soon as today, or as late as next week some time. I went and checked online and it was already there! (Do you hear the angels singing???) That may be WAY more than you ever wanted to know about my grad school financial aid, but considering the experiences I have had in the past, this is a monumental victory in my epic battle of educational funding. Thank you, Jesus. You are truly my Provider in all things.

In other news, I also start back to work next week. With the starting of college classes comes the need for college interpreters. Financially, I already have enough work scheduled to cover our home expenses, so anything extra I work from now on will be bonus. Plus, the classes I have are on-going through May. Hooray! I don't have to worry about being dropped mid-semester and scrambling for work. (Aside: It is always a bit tense being an independent contractor because you never know if there is going to be enough work. It is glorious to be able to set my own schedule and pick and choose my jobs, but it is scary when the work thins out. But, I know the Lord will continue to give us exactly what we need. So, when I tend toward worry, I just have to hand it over to Him and know He will not let us down.) So for now, it looks good through this whole semester. Thanks again, Lord! Today has been a great day for getting to actually see His provision in my life. I love those moments. Faith tells me that provision is always there, but sometimes it is really nice to see it play out in front of me.

So, three cheers for the TWU financial aid department, and Snoopy-dance to the Lord for his fantastic, much-appreciated and constant faithfulness in my life.

Blessings,
Heather

Lots of Changes: School

I am going back to school! I have been accepted to in TWU's Counseling and Development program and will be starting classes in January. The program is designed to be about 5 semesters long, but that depends on how many classes you take. Currently I am registered for 9 hours in the spring, and I plan to continue to take as many classes as I can manage while also working part time. I met with my advisor on Friday and was totally freaked out to learn that after the first semester, I will have clinical hours every semester after that. That means that in less than a year, I'll be meeting with clients. Yikes! I mean, I know that's the point, but still, it's a bit intimidating to think about! Anyway, this first semester will be heavily content based with a lot of papers and projects (oh joy). But as the program progresses, it shifts to a more counseling, hands-on focus. My advisor said that the demand shifts from work-load to time requirements as I progress through the program. Toward the end, the difficult part will be getting all of my hours in around actually having a life.

So, for those of you who felt I fell off the planet when I was in school before, well, I'm diving back off the edge. :) I am nervous, but I am also really excited. I really do feel like this is the direction God has called me and there's no better place to be than smack in the middle of His will, even when its scary.

Lots of Changes: Jobs

Hi Friend! Hope you are doing well...

For a long time I have felt that there hasn't been much to blog about. Now I feel like there's too much! So, I'll start with just one area: new jobs! That's right, Jason and I both have new jobs.

Jason:

He has left Hilton and is now working full-time at our church (Cross Timbers Community Church), as of the beginning of August. Hooray! His official title is Volunteer Team Media Specialist. You may ask, what does that mean??? Common question. :) He is now working within the children/youth department of our church. He is on the volunteer team branch of student ministry, which means he schedules, trains and generally takes care of all of the children and youth volunteers for our CT Denton campus. The "media specialist" part of his job title has not fully come into play yet, but he will be building that up over time. This part of his job entails researching, testing and implementing various forms of technology that will help the student ministries team run more efficiently. So he gets to mix his love of kids and youth with his complete nerdiness about technology. The perfect job!!! So far he is LOVING it. It is exactly what the Lord has equipped him for and the people he works with are amazing! We already feel more cared for and invested in within one month of his working there that we did during his entire time at Hilton. Not that I am bashing Hilton. It was the place the Lord provided and it was where he needed to be for that 2 1/2 years. Without that job he wouldn't have been prepared or equipped for this one. But, Hilton is smack in the middle of corporate America and there are draw-backs to that environment. We will always be grateful for how the Lord took care of us through Hilton, but we are also VERY glad to be with Cross Timbers now. It is going to be exciting to see all that the Lord has in store for us both through this new opportunity.

Heather:

I recently started working with Texas Interpreting Service (TXIS). This is an interpreting agency based out of Ft. Worth that covers all sorts of interpreting jobs all over the metroplex. My pal Stephanie has been working with them for 5 years and per her recommendation, I finally decided to check them out. After a brief interview, they deemed me worthy of the status of interpreter and I started working about 2 weeks ago. Since they have contracts with many of the colleges in the area, I was able to get some classes that provide steady, weekly work. I am also able to pick up various one-time gigs as the opportunities arise. For instance, I filled in as a sub earlier this week for a UNT class, and next week I have a meeting and a training seminar I am covering. It has felt really good to be back in the work-force, to be able to contribute to our family's income, and to bust out my rusty old interpreter skills (and hopefully get them polished up all shiny and new again). I have started out pretty shaky. I haven't interpreted since I left McNair 4 years ago. Just like any language, if you don't use it, you lose it. But I can already feel myself smoothing out and the vocab is slowly building back up. My fingerspelling is glitchy and I've got some major vocabulary gaps, but I'll get there. The Lord has been sweet in the sense that He has gifted me with a talent and ability in this area and the roots of that are still solid.

It is also cool to get to have such a variety of experiences. I get to learn new things in the various classes, travel to interesting places and meet lots of new people. For example, one of my classes is an organic gardening class. Part of my interpreting is done outside in the garden while the class builds a landscape. We also get to travel around on field trips and do cool stuff like make earthworm compost in the lab portion of the class. So, if you need any gardening tips, I may have some for you! :)

Also, since I am trying to go back to grad school in the spring (more to blog on that later), this job will enable me to pick and choose my work hours around my own classes. Perfect!

So, that's the general update on the job stuff. I am so thankful for how the Lord consistently provides for us, and gives us unique opportunities perfectly suited for our unique skills. I am excited for this new season in our life and am looking forward to all He has in store.

There's a bunch of other stuff going on, too, but I'll have to get into that some other time. Until then, love and blessings to you and yours!!!

Heather

Deep Thoughts: Love

My pastor, Toby, always talks about how Jesus transformed the world in profound ways with extremely simple concepts. One of those concepts that has me contemplating the entire structure of my existence is love. That is the “greatest commandment”, He called it. The most important. Numero uno. Just to love. To quote one of my favorite movies, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return” (Moulin Rouge).

And, not only does He prioritize it above everything else He’s called us to, he staples a profound promise to it. “Love never fails” (1 Cor. 13:8). The Creator of the universe promises us that if we will just love like He loves, we will never fail. This is the answer. The answer to every relationship, every fight, every misunderstanding, every injury…just love.

I know, I know, easier said than done. But luckily for us, we serve a gracious God who honors our smallest, fumbled attempts to mimic the eternal floodwaters of His love. (“If his love is the ocean, we’re all sinking.”) So attempt it. Sure, clumsily, awkwardly we stumble along with our pitiful paper flowers of love, but I imagine that when you look at those construction paper flowers in someone else’s hands, they will have been transformed into a bouquet of eternal ramifications and heavenly fragrance.

Update

So, I haven't posted in a while, but there's not that much to post about. I graduated in December (HOORAY!) and just chilled out through the holidays. Mid-January I took the GRE and did ok on it. It wasn't spectacular, but it was good enough that I feel comfortable not taking it again. Next is the start of the grad school application process. I have been procrastinating on that because it feels overwhelming, if you want the honest truth about it. So yeah, other than that, I'm in the process of cleaning the house. I've cleaned out the laundry room, our closet, the kitchen, and am planning on hitting the office area next. Jason and I are getting some much needed time together, which is awesome. After two years of dealing with my nose in a book, I think he deserves it. So there you have it. There's a small update so that I don't miss another entire month without posting. :)

Winter Forecast

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!! Somewhere in the academic madness I am still finding the energy to be ridiculously excited about the Christmas season. Oh, there's plenty to be Eeyore about, but I'm just not doin' it. I refuse!!! There's just too much amazing in the world to get so wrapped around negative stuff. This is pretty new for me, especially considering the road I have taken to get here, but I am so thankful. I love when the long, hard, underground work of the Lord begins to surface and changes everything. So, this holiday season, for me, carries with it optimism, Christmas spirit, and SNOW!

I did finish one of my group projects (the paper), only to have the professor replace it with another one! Pfft. Whatever. It's a smaller project and I'm just gonna knock it out and be done. There's no final in that class, so once it's done...The. End. Next week are my two monstrous presentations (one more so than the other), so from now until then = major prep time. Then come the finals. But, my diligence in mapping out the semester early is paying off here at the end. And I haven't procrastinated, so things are still flowing smoothly, despite the amount of work it has taken and still needs to be done.

So, less than three weeks to go, lots of work ahead of me, but hey, FA LA LA LA LA!!! I will not forget to revel in the most amazing season of the year. This is the celebration of my Jesus stepping out of eternity and into humanity to save the people He loves so much from overwhelming darkness and hopelessness. How can that not fill me with light and love? It just does. I hope you will be reminded of His love for you over and over this holiday season. Merry Christmas indeed!!!

Love to you,

Heather

I see the light!!!

Four weeks, and counting...I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It still seems like a speck compared to the work-load I have in front of me, but at this point, I'll take the speck. This week is only two days, and I am busting my rear so that I have NO (zero, zip, zilch, nada) homework over the Thanksgiving break. I am not touching anything having to do with academics for 5 days straight. Oh my gosh, even saying it is delicious. But, that means I have to work extra hard for these next two days to get to that point. I have three major projects due after the break and two of them are nearly done. The third is a group paper (yes, a paper that has to be written as a group--talk about a heinous assignment--makes me need to punch something). I am still waiting on two delinquent group members to send me their sections (due yesterday) so I can compile everyone's writing. Have I mentioned I hate group projects? The two that are almost done are also group projects, but fortunately (thank you Jesus), I have an awesome partner for both. One project is just the two of us in the group. For the other we have a third member who makes me need to scream, of course, but between the two of us, we've managed to knock most of it out.

So, there's my life. One assignment after the other. Most of my social life looks like group meetings and study dates. Sad, sad. I haven't seen anyone socially in the emotional equivalent of 16 years.

BUT...FOUR WEEKS! Four weeks until graduation, the end of all undergrad work forever, and hopefully I will be allowed to have friends again! Hooray! So, not that there are very many of you reading this, but for those that are, my apologies for going AWOL this semester. I plan to resurface some time around mid-January. :)

Well, I gotta get after the pre-Thanksgiving work-load. This Little Engine That Can is gonna keep chug-chug-chugging along. The top of that mountain is within reach!

Much love,

Heather

Random Update

I've officially decided I love being 30. And, so far Kristie Dawn, I haven't had to check any older age boxes on any forms. :) One of the things that cracks me up is how I have apparently matured our entire family unit by turning 30. By that I mean that now, whenever Jason references his age, he is also 30 (he actually turns 29 in about a month). I think he is jealous of my new decade and the seriousness of life that supposedly comes with it. Poor youngster, still has a year+ to go. Anyway, I feel like I do take myself a little more seriously, in a good way, now that I'm in my third decade. It makes me feel legit. :)

School is trucking along. This semester has started out ROUGH and I found myself floundering much more so than any of the other semesters. I am taking the hardest class I've had so far with a HUGE workload and multiple group projects. I've felt very scattery and unorganized, and that freaks me out. Jason thinks that it's also due to some burnout after pretty much two straight years of school without much of a break. He's probably right. BUT, I am feeling better about things now. It's still a lot, but I think I'm finally finding my rhythm.

What else? Our life group is going great. We are finishing up our rounds of testimonies this week and are going to move into direct leadership training in the next couple of weeks. I am excited to dig into the guts of what makes a leader. Our church has stuff in the works, too, to help out life group leaders and I am excited to see where that goes.

So, overall, things are pretty good. I am just trying to find balance in all things, but I've settled into the belief that the process is just going to be a life-long one. It's kind of like balancing a broomstick on one finger. It takes a lot of constant, little adjustments, but it's doable.

My recommended reading: Psalm 91. It's delicious.

P.S. Happy birthday to my little brother!!!

So...

So I was thinking of maybe blogging about some of my musings on a new decade. People keep asking me, "Do you feel different?" Usually when I pass through the threshold of a birthday, I feel nothing. But this birthday I actually have felt different. It's kind of exciting. So, I am in the process of processing. For now I have a book, a mug of tea and a bed calling my name.

Love to all,

Heather

John Doe Letter to My 30's

A friend of mine sent me this blog link with a John Doe letter to My 30's. I thought it was so great and so true, that I decided to just post an excerpt from it. It is from the blog Elements of Style (www.elementsofstyleblog.com) if you want to read the whole thing.

"Dearest Twenties,

It’s official. The time has come for us to finally part ways. Our years together have been ones of self-discovery and self-destruction, good times and bad, filled with belly aching laughter and tears aplenty. But it’s time to move on. I’ve outgrown you and need to pursue things that only my Thirties can fully support. In other words, Twenties- It’s not you, it’s me. You’ve been fantastic and I’ll always remember you, but really... I’m just not that into you anymore.

One very important thing you’ve taught me Twenties, is that life is messy. It’s never the way you pictured it would be and it never will be. It might be better...or perhaps just totally, unexpectedly different. You can’t predict how you’ll feel or what will happen tomorrow. I think the most important lesson you showed me...is that trying to mold my life using the strict rules and assumptions I set out with will never work and will only create hostility and unhappiness. I learned from you that the “not knowing” is what makes it beautiful and exciting. But with that said, I think the thirties will be the most profound time for me and I think it’s about time I got on with it. Big changes, or maybe just small ones, await and I’m kind of psyched to see where they take me. Even if it does mean I have to pony up for some extra strength anti-wrinkle cream (after all, we did enjoy baking in the sun quite a bit during our time).

But don’t be sad, Twenties. I see girls every day who are looking forward to their time with you. I love seeing the twinkles in their eyes when they think about how you will be the best time of their life. And you might be, but as for me, I think the best is yet to come."

Love,

Heather

One week, and counting

I just have to say, I can't believe I turn 30 in a week. It's weird. I'm not sure what I think about that, but honestly, it's not all bad. I may have more musings to follow, but for now that's all I wanted to say. G'night!

Adventures in Dog Washing: A Mundane, Yet Noteworthy Occurance

Today we washed our dogs.  I just need to blog about it because it is always such an epic adventure.  Usually we go to Dirty Dawgz, which is a wash-your-own-dog place.  It's great because they provide big raised tubs, a water/shampoo/conditioner dispenser on the wall and a high-powered blow dryer thingy to super dry them when you're done.  It's great.  And no tub clean up afterwards.  Anyway, the closest one, which was in Coppell, closed.  The next closest ones would be in either North Dallas or Plano.  So, Jason and I decided to just do it ourselves.

We were supposed to get up at 8:00 this morning, and be at my parents' by 8:30.  Well, 10:00 rolls around and we finally start working on the dogs.  My parents have a big back porch so we planned to just wash them out there with the water hose.  But, before we started washing, we brushed, trimmed, cleaned out ears, etc.  That took a good while.  Remember that everything is times 2.  Finally time to wash.

My parents have 2 hoses (bonus!), but one of them is from around the front and barely reaches the porch.  So, we have to sit straight in the sun to wash the fellas.  About the time we start spraying down Big Red (Cody), I think to myself, "I probably should have worn sunblock."  I have to say, though, that Jason and I double-teaming worked pretty well, except for the several times I accidentally sprayed him (and the one time on purpose).  We had to sit with the dog between us, facing each other, so we ended up pretty drenched, but they sure didn't have a chance to get away.  Plus, considering the volcanic temperatures, drenched was not really a bad thing.  After getting Cody completely soapy, Jason proceeds to give him a full-body mohawk, from his neck all the way to his tail.  It was pretty awesome.  Mohawk completed, we rinse and repeat.

Kadin is less of an escape artist and more of a layer-downer.  So keeping him vertical is the challenge rather than keeping him immobile.  His fur is ridiculous.  He sheds like a woolly mammoth (assuming they shed) and just getting him completely wet takes almost as long as the entire bathing process for Cody.  Not to mention the fact that it takes almost an entire bottle of dog shampoo to clean him.  So, about halfway through the Great Soaping of 2009, I look over and there is this HUGE black spider on Jason's leg.  In the 1/2 a millisecond before he notices, I try to swat it off him, but as I start to swing, he sees it.  Insert hilarity.  He launches into the world's fastest heeby-jeeby dance-while-sitting I have ever seen.  It really only takes one large full-body spasm to knock the spider off, but as you well know, your body never really quits after just one.  So while still reeling from aftershocks of the creepies, he promptly switches the hose nozzle to "death ray" and proceeds to thoroughly punish that little arachnid for temporarily turning him into a 6 year old girl.  It was great.  With his manhood restored, and the spider drowned with epic ferocity, we proceed to finish washing Kadin.

You would think that after all of that, we would be done, but you would be wrong.  Next comes the clipping of the nails.  I chicken out and go inside at this point.  But my parents have a glass back door and I can see Jason out there using piledrivers and the sleeper hold to try and get Cody to hold still long enough to get his nails trimmed.  Needless to say, they both hate it.  Once again, Kadin is a much more willing participant.  Pretty much, if you're touching him, he's happy about it.

By this point, we have clean, albeit very wet dogs.  Ta-dah!!!  Kadin looks like he has a jerry-curl, though.  It's great.  Jason and I are another story.  We are dripping with nasty dog water and sweat, and covered in clumps of wet fur.  There is also fur floating in the air.  And since we are wet, it sticks to us like glue.  I think I have a slight inclination of what it feels like to be tarred and feathered.  Every surface of me is covered in either wet or dry dog hair.  It's stuck in my eyelashes, inside my mouth and coating all of my clothes.  At this point we literally throw in the towel, clean up the back porch (which looks like a Pomeranian exploded on it), and pack up all of our primping paraphernalia.  My sweet mom, who has been bringing us water, random needed items, and generally popping her head out to enjoy the spectacle, offers to make us some lunch.  But, we are too hot and gross to touch anything so we head home.  (Oh, and did I mention sunburned?)  After three hours of cleaning our dogs, I think we maybe should have driven to Dallas.  I guess, sometimes, that's just what love looks like.  I've never met a shower I loved more than the one I had this afternoon.  

Summer School

Well, Spring semester is over and summer school has started up.  I'm only two days in and already slightly overwhelmed.  Mostly due to the fact that I have to read Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, and Kant all within about 4 weeks.  I'm taking ethics, which is basically an advanced philosophy class.  So Plato and I are hanging out for the next 2 weeks.

My internship training starts next week, and I am excited to get rolling on that.  I am going to be working with Friends of the Family on their Survivor Advocacy Team (SAT).  With the SAT I am going to be on-call to go to the emergency rooms as an advocate for victims of sexual assault.  Intense, right?  I have to have 60 hours over the course of the summer, but fortunately my training counts for 30 of those hours.  So, I'll complete the training hours over the course of the next two weeks.  Then I should be shadowing someone who has been a part of the program for a while.  After that, I will be on my own.  I do get some credit for being on-call.  For every 8 hours that I am on-call, I get one credit hour for the class.  If I do get called, then I get real time.

It is overwhelming to think of being in such an intense situation, but I know the Lord has big things to teach me.  And He is always faithful to equip me for the situations He calls me to.  Feel free to be praying, for the next three months especially.

Jason is doing well.  He is headed for youth camp in a few days.  I can't even tell you how excited he is.  He gets a break from work and tons of time with the youth kids--his perfect vacation.

We are taking a break from many of our regular commitments.  Our life group is taking a break, my women's group has ended, the weekly youth stuff is done for the summer, etc.  Jason and I have learned the hard way about the importance of rest, so now we try to use the summer to embrace that principle.  It's nice to have some time to breathe and evenings to relax.  Anyway, there's an update.  Hope you are enjoying your summer so far.  Take care!

Not so great at blogging

Well, turns out I'm not so consistent with blogging, but it feels like I mostly have the same old song to sing.  School, school, tra-la-la, school.  I'm taking 15 hours this semester and honestly, I am struggling with burn-out.  But, I still love it even when I'm burned out.  Things are going well and I think I am getting all A's, so far.  I've got about 5 weeks left and then a break before I start summer school.

Jason is doing well.  We had a bit of a scare with his job recently.  Not a scare, really, but reason to be concerned.  His office (Hilton) is going through "restructuring", as are a lot of companies, and we were left wondering if he would be able to keep his job.  But we found out at the end of March that he is going to keep it.  So that was a huge answer to prayer.

Outside of work and school, things are still busy.  Jason is part of a praise team that practices on Monday nights.  On Wednesdays, I have women's Bible study and he goes and works with the youth.  Every other Thursday we meet with our precious life group, and weekends are a mish-mash of down time and social obligations.

Since this weekend is Easter, Cross Timbers is doing the big Easter hoopla, as usual.  I think it's going to be amazing.  Jason and I are serving at the 5:00 Saturday evening service, and then attending one on Sunday.  After that will be family time--probably lunch.  Too bad all the grandkids are too old for Easter egg hunts.  I'd thoroughly enjoy one.  We should have to hunt for eggs stuffed with cash and gift cards instead of jellybeans and chocolate.  A big-kid Easter!  (Hint, hint family!)  :)  Seriously, though, I do miss dying eggs and the anticipation of looking for the loot.  I'm sure I'll get to relive it all again, though, when we have kids.

Bigger than all of that is the fact that Easter is an amazing holiday!  It is the celebration of the greatest victory of all time.  The ferocious love of our God overcame torture, hatred and death to bring us freedom, grace, abundance and eternity.  Oh that I would be reminded of the eternity that awaits me, even though I only glimpse it in a foggy mirror.  The hazy shadows of what He promises are enough to thrill me to my soul and I pray that this Easter, for all of us, will simply take our breath away.

Sending love,

Heather

Funny

In an effort to figure out all the settings and junk on this blog site, I have now officially become a follower of my own page.  And, I can't figure out how to get it off.  I was trying to start following Jamie's site, but apparently that is not how you do it.

The Obligatory First-of the-Year Blog

Well, it’s 2009…isn’t that how it’s supposed to start? A new year—onwards and upwards—etc., etc. My main thoughts on this year are “So far, so good.” I had a delightfully long winter break from school, lasting from mid-December until January 20^th (about 6 weeks). I spent plenty of time relaxing and watching tons of movies. I also managed to be productive by washing the dogs (yep, both of them, in our tub—yikes!—but not at the same time), sorting through clothes to be thrown out, donated, etc., some seriously cleaning and finally cleaning and organizing “my office”—dusted, reorganized, papers filed, old docs shredded, etc. Not to mention all the baking I did around the holidays (and for Dad’s birthday). I did a double-batch of chocolate chip cookies and a triple-batch of Oreo balls right before Christmas. I don’t think any of them lived to see the new year. I had to make another batch of Oreo balls for the New Year’s party. And just recently dad got red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing. Yum! Happy Birthday, Dad.

For two weeks of my break I pretty much hung out with Jason on our couch as much as I could. He was working from home the week of Christmas and the week of New Year’s. That was a huge blessing and we soaked up as much time together as we could in between holiday activities. I hosted a shower the first weekend and we were both in a wedding the second weekend. During said wedding, my darling husband had his first opportunity to be Santa Claus. (He made an appearance at the reception since it was a Christmas wedding.) Oh my, what a spectacle he was (and loved every second). You get the gist from the pictures, but let me assure you that Santa shaking his rear to the Macarena for all of the wedding guests was a much greater event witnessed live and in action. For me, the highlight was when he actually danced his hat, hair, glasses and beard right off his face. I hope none of the kids saw.

As of this past Tuesday, I am officially back in school. This is my last year of undergrad and I am already super excited to graduate in December. I am taking 15 hours this semester: Tests & Measurements, Logic & Critical Thinking, Global Perspectives in Art, Counseling Theory & Practice, and History and Systems of Psychology. I think I am going to have my hands full. The art class makes a great break from all the other psych classes, though, and we get to do cool hands-on projects like making masks, Aboriginal painting techniques, hand-made paper, print making, Shibori (a Japanese printing technique on cloth), and other stuff like that. It’s therapeutic and stress relieving for me to have a class where I can plug in my iPod and get to be creative for 3 hours. And this is the last class I need to fulfill the requirements for my art minor.

I am going to have to take classes in the summer and then the fall semester will be my last full semester of undergrad. Then I will graduate with my BS in Psychology and a minor in Art. I also believe that I will be doing my clinical hours this summer. I’m not sure where I’ll be doing those, as I have several places to choose from.

As for Jason, he is continuing to work hard to put me through school. I am so blessed to have a husband who is willing to stick by me and not only work hard to provide for our family, but also to be a constant streaming source of encouragement and uplifting. I constantly hear him saying, “I believe in you! You can do this!” I don’t think I could make it without him. He led a group of sixth grade boys in a Disciple Now retreat last weekend and had a blast. Jesus and wrestling—what more could a group of teenage boys ask for? Feel free to join with us in praying that he will be able to start working from home full-time soon. The drive back and forth to Dallas is killer, especially when he could do the same exact work from our living room.

Well, that’s most of what’s going on with us in 2009, so far. Oh yeah, one of our dogs got in a big ol’ dogfight today. Way scary. I’ll post more about that later.

Jason and I hope that your New Year is going well and that God is filling your life with His presence and His blessing. Until next time…

Sending our love,

Heather & Jason

Christmas Pictures

As promised, here are a few recent Christmas pictures of us.