Mr. Guillain Barre

One of my professors was talking about the things that nursing has taught her this past week in class. She said we may not always be thrilled with the assigned patients we get but instead of complaining she challenged us to find the purpose in the patient assignment. Either we will be a blessing to them or they will bless us. God has a funny way of doing that. In the little time I've spent at the hospital I've found this to be very true.

At the beginning of the semester I was assigned to a med-surg floor that I was not particularly fond of for my leadership hours. I had done clinicals there during junior year so I knew some of what I was up against. The floor smells awful; a mixture of stale urine and bad breath hits you as soon as you exit the elevator. The patients are mostly contact precaution patients, which means they have MRSA, VRE, or my all time favorite c.diff. and so I have to gown/glove up everytime I enter the room (total inconvenience). And the patients are fairly intense. Many are on ventilators, have PEG/feeding tubes, are incontinent, morbidly obese (I'm talking 300 hundred pounds and up), etc. Lets just say I may not have had the best attitude. Seeing as I knew I would be spending four weekends, a total of 96 hours, on this floor I immediately took it to the Lord. I was like "ok God I know you have me on this floor for a reason. While I may not like it I want to be the best nurse I can be. Maybe you're trying to teach me something, I don't know why you couldn't teach me it somewhere else! haha. Please help me have a good attitude and be your hands and feet to my patients."

Fast forward to my second weekend on the floor. I had two patients to care for by myself (don't worry a real nurse supervised my care). The first one we'll call Mr. I Don't Want to Stay in my Bed and the second was Mr. Guillain Barre. Mr. I Don't Want to Stay in my Bed is a older man who had an altered mental status secondary to a motorcycle accident. Severely confused he kept trying to get out of his bed. Normally this wouldn't be a problem except he was confused and couldn't really use the right side of his body. Somehow he had managed to sneak off the side of his bed the night before I got there and sustained a cut to his arm. That didn't deter this man from trying to get out of bed repeatedly during my shift. Oh add in his constant diarrhea for count 'em a straight 2 hours and I was very busy to say the least! 

Mr. Guillain Barre's wife was in the room with him and diligently was caring for his needs so I didn't do much for him except administer medications and monitor his status. Guillain Barre is an autoimmune disease that attacks your nervous system without warning. This poor man was driving his truck one day when he started to experience vision changes and numbness to his extremities. Hours later he was paralyzed and had to be placed on a ventilator to maintain his respiratory status. Because of the tracheostomy he was unable to speak but his wife had worked with him to mouth words. Although many times I could tell it was frustrating to communicate with me, lets just say I'm working on my reading mouthed words skills, he was very good at telling me what was wrong (he even knew when there were bubbles in his new IV line!). 

At the end of the second shift I went to check on Mr. Guillain Barre. His wife began to tear up as she shared with me that for the first time since her husband had been hospitalized I was the only one that actually talked to him. She was moved by the fact that someone actually took the time to talk and interact with her husband. I asked her what normally happened and she said the the nursing staff typically would come in the room do their necessary tasks and walk out. Side note I do not consider what I did those days to take care of Mr. Guillain Barre anything out of the ordinary but what a great testimony to Christ shining through me!

I'm not going to judge the other nursing staff but as she shared this with me my heart broke (we all know it doesn't take a lot to bring tears to my eyes!). See Mr. Guillain Barre has been in the hospital for a month. A MONTH! Patient care, the core of nursing, is well about ... patient care. I know I am not a nurse yet but the day I get so wrapped up with the things I have to do during the shift and forget about the patient laying in the bed is the day I should probably stop nursing.  

Anyways as I was driving home and talking with God this beautiful analogy came to mind.

As Christians we get so accustomed and comfortable with our relationship God. He is always there, right before our eyes, in our reach, but in the busyness of our lives we move about hardly acknowledging Him. Like those nurses we do what we "have" to but nothing more. We're satisfied with the dinner table prayer and the verse we read before we go to bed. We check those things off our to do list and carry on with other tasks. Communicating with Him takes time and effort on our part like it did with Mr. Gullain Barre. But if we take that time He will direct us in the right direction. Mr. Guillain Barre was able to tell me what was wrong and how to fix it if I just patiently worked with him. Too many of us just don't even bother communicating unless we NEED or want something.

I, like most Christians am guilty of putting God on the back-burner during the day because there is so much going on. BUT is that ok? Absolutely not. Just like there is a patient in the bed who is vying for the nurses attention God so desperately wants to spend time with us. Its necessary for the relationship to work. We shouldn't settle for the occasional interaction but rather work at making Him a priority. 

I want to challenge you to not allow life to get in the way of your relationship with Christ. Don't settle for the bare minimum. Isn't the reason we are on this earth to bring honor and glory to Christ? How can we do that if we don't spend time getting to know Him and allowing Him to transform us?

Just some things to think about. God amazes me how He uses my patients to teach me, and not just nursing skills. 

That day I believe He was sweetly saying:

Emily, I'm right here. I will not demand your time and love but I want it. 

Our God wants to spend time with us! How great is that? He has done so much for me the least I can do is slow down, take my time and enjoy being in His presence. And allow Him to teach and direct me. 

Catch Up

So I have come to realize that I am REALLY bad at this take a picture everyday deal. I have taken a lot more pictures since taking on the challenge but there are some days if I am being honest that I have forgotten so I have decided to change things up a bit; take a fair amount of pictures each week to capture what is going on in life. This takes the pressure off the stress of getting one EVERYDAY. So here are some from the last week and a half.

Playing on the jungle gym at the park with Morgan. And yes I am hanging on the monkey bar while holding her. I haven't gotten P90X back from a friend yet so I thought I would get some sort of arm workout in while playing!!

Friday nights are spent with the teens for a few hours doing a Bible study. The Bible study is great but I have so many laughs and get some extra quality time with the kids while driving them home. Mackenzie and Abby are two frequent riders and they sure know how to liven up a car ride! (Don't worry parents we were parked when this was taken, my full attention was on the road.)

Every so often I kidsit the Grundys so that Kim and Larry can have a date night. Friday night I spent time with the kids. My night consisted of making dinner, UNO, playing Wii, playing Rock Band (found out I am not so good at drums which squashed my dreams of being in a girl band), and sneaking behind a local hotel to find the perfect spot to watch the fireworks with the kids. Oh did I mention Cavan and I wrestled, a lot. I don't have brothers so wrestling is new to me but I held my own!

Morgan and I had our first sleepover. Even though we live together I have never had her alone for the evening. What did I learn? She is a bed hog and since I'm not used to having a child in my bed I did not sleep well. I woke up at every movement and sound haha. But it was a fun night and I look forward to when we can watch movies and have popcorn at our sleepovers!

Trouser went for a ride in the car. It had been a while since he has been in the car but I think he liked it. Unfortunately I had to wipe his slober off my window and I will have to vacuum his hair off the back seat. The joys of owning a pet.

Grandpa and Morgie. She's stylin' with her glasses. He likes to call her Miss Hollywood when she sports them.

These are my two girls. Rachel is on the left and Rajai is on the right. Rachel recently left the orphanage in Nepal so I have a new girl Ivona but I haven't recieved a picture of her yet. Rajai had me from the first moment I laid eyes on her beautiful blue eyes. She is deaf and lives in Burundi Africa. I would love to meet them someday. For now I love them from afar by praying and financially supporting them.

I went on my first mission trip as a leader. One of the highlights of the trip was to listen to Abby play worship songs on the guitar as the others sang along.

These were some of the inner city kids that were at my VBS table. 

Here's the gang in front of the church we helped at this past weekend.

Well there you have it. Hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into my world. More insight to come soon, I promise.

Project 365

So I came across Project 365 while reading someone's blog a while back. I decided that this was a fabulous idea (although I kinda wish I had found it for the beginning of the year, oh well). I find that as I've gotten older days just seem to blend into months and before I know it a whole year has past! So, when I found this project and I thought it would be really cool. You take one photo a day for a whole year. The photo can be of anything but should somehow represent your day or be significant to your life, that way a year from now you can flip back and see what you actually did, who you met, what was going on, etc!

I figured I rush through most days just looking for the end when I relax. Or my favorite is to rush through weeks just to get to the weekend, which is far too short if you ask me. Well, I DON'T want to rush through life anymore. I feel like I am not taking advantage of the precious time the Lord is giving me. And better yet I forget to appreciate the little things, the people and time right in front of me. No more! At least I'm hoping this project will help me appreciate life more.

The project seemed simple enough right? Yeah, I thought so. Except it is really hard to choose just ONE photo for some days because so much goes on. And then some days its hard to come up with a photo or I almost forgot to take a photo (and granted I've only done one week so far, haha) . Anyways, I started July 1, 2010. Here was my past week in photos.

JULY 1 - A girl at work called out so I spent the day on the phone instead of filing and occasionally answering the phone. A year ago I DESPISED the phone. I hated talking on it. At work I didn't feel confident enough to handle the calls. As far as my cell phone I just am not a phone person to begin with so add in awkward silences and that sets up a situation where I avoid talking on it. Funny how a year changes things. The phone at work doesn't scare me anymore. Bring it on patients, I can handle your "medical emergencies." As far as my cell phone, I'm getting better about answering phone calls and staying in touch with friends that way.

JULY 2 - I bought a pair of sneakers. This may not seems like a big deal but it is for me. I haven't bought a pair of sneakers in 9 years!!! I know, that's ridiculous. I love my old sneakers, Kathryn passed them down to me, they saw me through 4 Varsity USA/Summits and momentous occasions. Not until I was telling someone that I've had them since the 8th grade did I realize that it was probably time to give them up and get a new pair. Well I finally found a pair I like (I am very particular about my shoes so that is a HUGE deal) and they were on sale!

JULY 3 - We had Cami for the day so that Kim could get ready for their 4th of July party. I love Cami but large amounts of time with her can be draining because of her syndrome. There is a lot of repetition, frustration, and asking for food. It takes a lot of patience and love. With that being said, we had a good day and even took Morgan for a long walk to get some much needed exercise!

JULY 4 - My family was a party pooper this year and didn't do anything so Larry invited me over for a picnic. From being attacked with noodle squirt gun things, to spending time with the Grundys, Plungis', and Wallaces, to watching the small scale fireworks it was a good time. Here's Cody and Cavan loving on each other he.

JULY 5 - this is the day I almost forgot to take a photo! I didn't do much but these weird headaches/migraines have been plaguing me since I was in the car accident and sure enough I had one that day. I swear by Excedrin, knocks my migraines right out.

JULY 6 - I spent some time with Grams. She gets kinda sick of my Gramps sometime (I can't blame her, I love him but if I had to listen to him everyday I would not even put my hearing aids in in the morning!) and needs some girl company. So I went over after work and we had dinner and then played some Scrabble. I like to think its keep the Alzheimer's away by keeping the mind active!! Please don't hate on my scrub top, its not the most flattering thing!

JULY 7- Youth group at the beach. This picture was taken on a whim but I think it beautifully encapsulates what I want the kids to get out of youth group. First and foremost I want them to love God but then I want them to feel connected. To love each other. To strengthen each other. To lift each other up.

So there was my first week. I know this is not for everyone but I would challenge you to take a different approach to life and appreciate each day for the gift it is (yes, even those kick you while you're down bad days). 

I've Got My Running Shoes On...

now if only some guy would keep up!

In second grade Ritchie showed up on my front door to ask if I would be his girlfriend. I shut the door in his face out of utter embarrassment. Not my finest moment.

In the eighth grade I got asked out by Tommy who compared me to Osama Bin Laden (in reference to how sinful I was compared to Christ). Clever comparison, but not a winner with the ladies Tommy. I threw the letter away before anyone could read it and pretended it never happened.

In the ninth grade I had my first boyfriend, Alex. Dating was the thing to do and the relationship was exciting at first but I was not ready to be in a relationship. What 14 year old really is? So in my ever mature 14 year old way I thought if I ignored my boyfriend, who had gotten too clingy, he would just go away. Well he didn't. At least not at first. Eventually it ended.

My freshman year of college I started dating Evan. We lasted for close to a year and a half. Not knowing who we were, falling away from God, wanting different things, being selfish, etc. played a role in why it didn't work. For a year following the relationship we were off and on until I finally was honest with myself and him that God had laid it on my heart that this was not the best for our lives. It was a hard time for me because I thought I would marry this guy. In my mind I was saying goodbye to marriage, possibly permanently, and hello to trusting God completely.

This year has been kinda crazy relationship wise. My fifteen year old downstairs neighbor hit on me multiple times. He came upstairs one time to ask if I'd like his mom to pick me up some McDonalds on her way home because she was bringing him some. No, I am not making that up. He also invited to me to his apartment to help him make brownies because apparently the three steps on the back of the box were mind boggling and he needed someone to help him. Gutsy move on his part but in my mature 22 year old fashion I responded with two simple words; "I'm old" and relieved my second grade days by shutting the door in his face. I felt kinda bad for the poor kid.

A month or so later I was hit on by yet another fifteen year old at a youth event. He was part of the youth band and he so smoothly asked if he "could git my numba." With the kids in my own youth group laughing at the fact that this kid clearly didn't get that I was a leader (my leader shirt probably didn't give it away) I turned bright red. Just when I was starting to question how young I look or what kind of vibe I put out that attracts such young men I was hit on yet again at youth group this past week. A kid from a visiting youth group was using his high school boy charm to feel me out. Before I could cut to the chase one of the girls from my group cleared it up for him; "um, she's like done with college." Completely thrown off he was like "wow, you don't look that old. College huh? That's pretty sweet." Yes it is pretty sweet, but I have a feeling jail wouldn't be.

Throw in a blind date with someone I later found out was almost 9 years old than me. A random date with a kid who came up to me at Starbucks. Side note: my personal feeling is if you have the guts to walk up to me and tell me I am pretty and ask me on a date without knowing me than you at least deserve one date. Not loving Jesus as much as I do and looking like a Jonas brother unfortunately will not get you a second. Add an emotional roller coaster with a friend who was sending "I like you" messages for months and then dropped me all of a sudden for another girl leaving me crushed and you have my year. Can't say its been dull can I?

Why relive my "love life?" Well because as I have said a few times I am 22 and far from where I saw my life at this point. I always assumed I would be married or getting married and running off into the sunset to start our lives together by now.

God has been humbling me and teaching me to wait. I feel as though He is saying;


Emily, do you trust me?

Yes Lord. But...


No Emily, do you REALLY trust me?

Yes Lord. In my head I know that if I wait on your perfect timing you will bring me the BEST mate but getting my heart to truly believe that is tough sometimes.


I know sweet girl but if you wait on me I will bring you someone better than you could ever imagine.

Ok Lord, but this is really hard.


I am right here with you. Just trust me. 

Trusting the Lord to bring the right person at the right time should be easy, right? But its not. At least for me its not. I was emailing my older sister the other day and I was sharing with her what God was teaching me and I got real honest for a moment. It was hard to admit but I felt if I could just get it out and call it what it is then maybe I would be able to deal with it. Marriage has become an idol in my life. I think about it a lot. Thinking of marriage in and of itself is not wrong but when it consumes my thoughts more than God I have a problem.

My sister Kathryn is so full of wisdom and I thank the Lord for giving her to me all the time. She holds me accountable and always points me to Him. Can you tell I really miss having her around? Ha, anyways...she once told me that I should be running wholeheartedly after God and that one day when I least expect it I will look beside me and see a man worthy of my love because he too is running wholeheartedly after God. I didn't like it when she said that because that meant I had to wait. And lets face it I am not the best at having a quiet heart and waiting on the Lord. But as I sit here it is a beautiful picture that I remind myself of often.

I not only want to grow old with someone but I want to find a mate that I will be so complimentary to that others are drawn to Christ because of our relationship and someone I can serve the Lord with for life. Will it be worth the wait? Yes, I believe it will! Do I wish he would show up on my doorstep tomorrow? You bet. But for now I will pray and wait impatiently on my God who has my best interest at heart to bring a man I can only dream of into my life.

This is Kathryn and me last summer. For those who don't know Kathryn left in January for an 11 month mission trip where she travels with a team to a different country every month. Here is my plug for her...to read what she's been up to and what God has been teaching her head over here. And if you could support her with your prayers or financially that would be much appreciated.