...practicing on amelia raymer.

pretty cool pictures that are probably copywrited somewhere.


Create Your Own!

so, for those of you who don't know already, i have decided that i am going to nursing school. a lot of prayer, thought, and conversation has gone into this. believe me, it wasn't a quick decision, although it may seem like it. if all goes according to plan, i will begin school in january to get my pre-requisites for applying to the nursing program. once that happens, i'll only need 35 hours to get my RN (well, the diploma in order to take the certification test).

there are a lot of emotions going on in me about this new venture. i'm terrified to go back to school: i am by no means a student! but i am absolutely ecstatic about this whole prospect. i fell like for the first time in a long time i am actually moving forward in A direction rather than just standing still. and being a RN provides so many possibilities for a lot of what i want to do with my life. the demand for nurses is so high - that provides job security. the hours (shifts) make for a great environment to raise children. and the pay is not so bad either!

i have never thought of myself as a nurse - quite the opposite, in fact. but i see so much potential in this new journey and more than that, i see a great opportunity for ministry. i am excited about that!!!

oh, and by the way, my goal right now is to work either in the NICU or in Labor & Delivery.

now, on to the new adventure!!!!

yeah...somehow, i think not!!

alright. so it's been a while since i last posted. SO MUCH has happened...and is happening. let's see what i can fill you in on with the few minutes i have to myself.

i went to baltimore to keep my cousins for officers' councils. that week was quite challenging, but it was good to be with them. the last night of my stay there, i got a call from robert saying that his dad was back in ICU. i made new flight arrangements to get to augusta asap, which was a good thing b/c as soon as i got here, i had to help my mother-in-law make the decision to put my father-in-law on DNR (do not resusititate) status. he is home now under hospice care and will stay that way. we have a bed in the living room and i have spent the last week caring for my father-in-law as a nurse. i have been stretched to limits that i didn't even know i could be stretched to. i have done things that i never thought i would. but in the middle of all this i have seen myself learn to do new things and have begun to think about a new direction for my life. i have never thought about myself as a nurse. but with this week and all the things that i have had to do, nursing may be an option for me to look into. i really enjoy what i am doing here and i dont' know if it's because of the fact that i'm taking care of my family or if it is what i am doing. i have been praying for direction if this is what God wants for me. so we'll see....

on top of that, my dog got hit by a car and died today. that was really hard to go through - especially since i am not with him. he was staying with erin and he ran out into the road. she took him to a vet and there wasn't much they could do so they had to put him to sleep. that was so hard for me.

so, all this to say, if you are reading this, pray for our family. we've had stuff going on that has been so tough to deal with in such a short amount of time.

in the middle of all this, we have been blessed to have some family time. today we carved pumpkins with jonah, which was awesome!! i am particularly impressed with our "snelson" pumpkin!

also, CONGRATULATIONS to sarah and jeff!!! i hate that i missed the wedding, but i'm so glad that you finally get to be together!!!!!

before i sign off, i thought i'd add some pictures to show you all what we've been up to. enjoy!

alright, on to more nursing.....

one year ago today!!!!!

(and for the record, i still fit in my dress!!!)

"Congratulations! Today is your day! You're off to great places! You're off and away! And will you succeed? Yes! You will indeed! 98 3/4% guaranteed!"

from Dr. Suess's "Oh, The Places You'll Go!"

so i am still in the "no work" phase of my life. that is for various reasons that i won't get into completely, but it leaves the snelson family with challenges to face. which of course makes me feel guilty and somewhat responsible for hardships that we are facing, but i won't get into that either.

on to the meat of this blog! this past week has been eventful to say the least. lots of things happening.

amber's 3rd birthday was yesterday. i can't believe she's 3! i can't believe it was 3 years ago....WOW!!!

we also had some other things going on the presented challenges of their own. i never thought that this would happen to me, or if it did i would be absolutley devastated. but it didn't turn out that way. yes, i have my disappointments, but i've walked away from this experience with more of a hope than anything else.

going back to the beginning of this entry, having no job leaves me at home all day. at first, this left me feeling somewhat lost and without any kind of purpose. i stayed in bed until noon or after and ended up laying around all day. but this past week i've been getting up early...before robert leaves for work - those of you who know me well, don't freak out! and in doing this, and a few other things new to me, i've found that i'm not as lost as i once thought.

in short, it seems that the lord is teaching me brand new things that i never thought i would learn. the difference? allowing yourself to be taught makes all the difference. if you keep yourself so closed up and not open to what you could be learning from the lord, you're not going to learn it. but as soon as you allow yourself to open up, "oh, the places you'll go!"

well, it's the end of an era. after 2 years, 2 moves, 2 TMI's....Fred has finally moved to that fishbowl in the sky. yesterday i cleaned his tank, like normal, b ut about 2 hours later, found him floating, lifeless, at the top of his tank. (i think i got the wrong kind of water conditioner.)

let's take a moment to pay tribute to him:

- he was a great fish, even though he killed all his tankmates
- he was a resilient fish: he lasted this long with me!
- he was a friendly fish: everytime i went to feed him, he came straight to the top of the tank for his food!
- he was a smart fish: refer to the previous line
- he was a pretty fish

well, so long, fred. i'll miss you.


Fred. (ca 2004 - 2006)

and the new name is MAX! cliched, yes. but appropriate, nonetheless. we were also thinking about hershey, wesley, chester, zach, and nestle.

enjoy!

alright. so we are going one more time! here is the newest addition to the snelson household. we haven't come up with a name for him yet. still working on that. any ideas??

oh yeah, i forgot. he's a dachshund/chihuahua mix. so he's small, but silly.

robert went to russia and paris for the past 2 weeks. he's back now (yay!) and here are pictures of him with my favorite place in the whole world! and yes, i'm am very jealous that he was there without me! :-)

i will bless the lord forever
i will trust him at all times
he will deliver me from all fear
he has set me feet upon the rock

and i will not be moved
i'll say of the lord

you are my shield, my strength,
my portion, deliverer, my shelter,
strong tower, my very present help in time of need

whom have i in heaven but you
there is none i desire beside you
you have made me glad
i'll say of the lord

you are my shield, my strength,
my portion, deliverer, my shelter,
strong tower, my very present help in time of need

Well, sometimes my life
Just don't make sense at all
When the mountains look so big
And my faith just seems so small

CHORUS:
So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace

And I wake up in the night and feel the dark
It's so hot inside my soul
I swear there must be blisters on my heart

CHORUS

Surrender don't come natural to me
I'd rather fight You for something
I don't really want
Than to take what You give that I need
And I've beat my head against so many walls
Now I'm falling down, I'm falling on my knees

And this Salvation Army band
Is playing this hymn
And Your grace rings out so deep
It makes my resistance seem so thin

CHORUS

You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace

-rich mullins-

so i am the new sunbeam leader at the corps (thank you elizabeth!) and i had "all my training" today. it was somewhat overwhelming at first, but having taken all the stuff home and re-organizing it a bit, it made so much more sense! it's kind of exciting, actually.

i never thought i'd say that, but there ya go!

don't worry about anything;
instead, pray about everything.

tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. if you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. his peace will guard your hearts and mind as you live in Christ Jesus.

philippians 4:6-7

i got a call from my mother-in-law last night about 10:30 saying that my father-in-law is in the hospital, again, with congestive heart failure, again. this is bad enough, but to add to it, robert is in russia until next wednesday.

apparently, he'll be in the hospital until he is stabalized...however long that takes. pray for him.

so...pluto isn't a planet anymore. apparently. check it out.

read about pluto's fate here

kinda makes you question everything else you learned in school...

good day.

spent the day with sheri. it was nice to just hang out and talk. we put her new bed together -- great fun! two smart women working with power tools. can't beat it!!!

i met the infamous ryan. seems like a nice guy! [you hurt her = i kill you! :-)] just kidding....halfway. i had the same discussion with jeff. ask him about it. it was funny!!!

anyway, it was a good day. now i'm off to spend the evening with my husband. one of the last few before the dreaded russia trip....i'm freaking out!!!! but video games always make the evening fun!!!!!!



good day.

so i'm home. vacation was great...except my husband wasn't with me. there are pros and cons to not having a job. taking vacation without your husband is a definite con. it did, however, provide some much needed rest and relaxation. just for clarification: not having a job does not automatically equal rest and relaxation. quite the contrary, actually. the past few months have been such a roller coaster of emotions. it's been so nice traveling with robert. but at the same time, i've lost a sense of who i am and where i belong. my life is so wonderful: i have an incredible husband whom i love dearly and who loves me, i have a thousand blessings all around me and yet in the middle of all that, i find myself somewhat overwhelmed with life. i get frustrated with myself for not being able to see and accept the wonderful things god has for me. i keep asking myself why i can't just be content. but that's the thing: i am content. in some aspects. but there are some where i want to scream!

maybe i want to be something i'm not. maybe i'm expecting too much. but then again...

do you ever feel like you're trying to grasp something that is just out of your reach and every time you get close enough to touch it, it moves again? that's how i feel right now. the problem is, i'm not 100% sure of what it is i'm trying to grasp.

i know this doesn't make much sense, but there's something about sending this out to the void. so goodnight, void. your presence has been helpful.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
after i posted, i found this on jamie's site.

Hearing Gods Music
by Max Lucado

Let's imagine that you want to learn to dance. Being the rational, cerebral person you are, you go to a bookstore and buy a book on dancing. You take the book home and get to work. Finally, you think youve got it, and you invite your wife to come in and watch. You hold the book open and follow the instructions step by step. You even read the words aloud so shell know that youve done your homework. Lean with your right shoulder, and so you lean. Now step with your right foot, and so you step. Turn slowly to the left, and so you do.

You continue to read, then dance, read, then dance, until the dance is completed. You plop exhausted on the couch, look at your wife, and proclaim, I executed it perfectly.

She extends her hand and the music begins. The next thing you know, you are dancing and you dont even have the book.We Christians are prone to follow the book while ignoring the music. We master the doctrine, outline the chapters, memorize the dispensations, debate the rules, and stiffly step down the dance floor of life with no music in our hearts. We measure each step, calibrate each turn, and flop into bed each night exhausted from another day of dancing by the book.Dancing with no music is tough stuff.

Let God have you, and let God love you and dont be surprised if your heart begins to hear music youve never heard and your feet learn to dance as never before.

~ Max Lucado ~

Vacation in New York

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