stories of a real life wonder woman

So I have had a busy/exciting week. I got back from camp on Saturday. I knew that the job in Galesburg was interested in me because they had talked to my references. We had been trying to look at apartments to rent to prepare ahead of time in case they hired me but were having a hard time finding anything. Then on Monday we found a house for me to rent. I also got to see a dear friend on Monday and she was helping us with the search as well. I also had an extra blood test to check on a number that was irregular. I haven't heard anything back yet so I'm not sure what that means but I am going to assume it means I am fine. On Tuesday morning I got a call from HR at Carl Sandburg College and they offered me the job. I still had to get board approval and pass a background check but the job was mine if I wanted. Of course I accepted the position. Wednesday mom and I drove to Galesburg to look at the house and though one of my landlords is intimidating I am excited about havi...

Gosh I am worn out. So it's been a while since I posted but last Friday night I was still packing and trying to wrap my head around that camp was about to happen after a bit of a crazy week. I was distracted some days having to deal with all kinds of calls including ones from my doctors office. I do have to retake some blood tests tomorrow so be praying for me about that. I will post more when I find out more and will be less cryptic then as well. This week at camp was draining on me. I often times wish that I could change the hearts of the students who come to camp but only God can do that. Watching them do the opposite can be draining. But this week was also draining in good ways. I got to watch a girl I care so deeply about mature and grow even more making me proud of the woman she is becoming. I got to see my friends worship and do amazing things for God. And I just about lost my voice while finding my voice once again in worship of my King. And I got to counsel again...

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I spent pretty much all day with mom and dad - a lot of it at their house. I didn't get home till late and was so tired I went right to bed. Yesterday was one of my favorite days of the year - petunia fest. parade day. I've said it before and I am sure I will say it many times after this - I love parades. The parade was right after lunch and then fireworks at night. Between the two we got to spend some time with Kenny, his sister Heather, Heather's daughters Alex and Sam, and my Kerr brothers Matthew and Gar. That was a lot of fun and they added their hands prints to the tree at mom's house. One of the things we talked about is how camp is coming up. I am excited for camp and I am so glad I am co-counseling with Anna again. She already has reminded me to get a few different things ready for camp and I love having her to bounce ideas off of. I am also glad I have her because currently I am preoccupied with other things and I am gl...

First I wanted to give a little update on what I talked about last week. I have had some different realizations this week that have made my questions easier to deal with even if they aren't answers to my question. But the realizations have made me less emotional about things which is always good in my opinion. This week I was thinking how funny it is that I have been going into the society for quite some time now to volunteer but I still get nervous going in there sometimes. I don't know why but I do. They really just like having any kind of volunteers and they know that I am still learning different things. I really have no reason to still be nervous about going in there but I am and I am not sure why. All I know is that sometimes my fear prevents me from going in and that is never a good thing. In other news my first friend, Daniel, got married yesterday. Gosh it was a beautiful wedding and I am so glad I got to be there. Also his new wife, Caitlyn, looked like a babe in ...

Friday was my two year anniversary of my second transplant and tomorrow will be the seventeenth anniversary of my first one as well as the anniversary of the day I first got sick. This anniversary I got some really thoughtful gifts from my mom and it has me thinking of my favorite gifts. This years transplant-iversary gift will forever be among my favorite. A favorite drink (Hippo Huckleberry) special ordered and a beloved book (The Princess Bride) are always a good gift for me. Other gifts I thought of were my quilt from my grandma that took her two years to complete after I got to help pick out my fabric. Something else that came to mind was the year I wanted 4-6 of the Star Wars movies and a dictionary and then got just that. There is nothing really extravagant about these gifts but to me they are memorable. There is something to be said about the way a thoughtful gift makes you feel. For me there is no better feeling not just of being loved but of being known. Then I think of...

Today's appointment was really no big deal but since a few people have asked about it I thought maybe I should post something. Mom went with me to my appointment and it was an interesting day.  Cool thing that happened at today's appointment - I saw one of the doctor's nurse who used to work on 2400 (the kidney floor) and was my nurse. When she saw me she was so excited about how good I look. She hasn't seen me in a year so she definitely notices changes in me. Negative things that happened at today's appointment - We waited two hours before seeing the doctor which has never happened to me at OSF. Also we were not really impressed with this new doctor we met today but I may only see him once a year if even that. Did I mention we waited two hours - for a 15 minute appointment where absolutely nothing happened. But there were so many things that made up for having to wait so long. We went to the Peoria Zoo and got to see all the animals before it rained. We ...

Little health type update - I have an appointment tomorrow. It's no big deal. It is my two year post transplant follow up appointment. It has not been two years quite yet but they get you in when they can. Usually you go and see the surgeon who performed the surgery but in my case I will be seeing a new doctor because m surgeon moved to New York. Mostly it will just a be a fun day with mom. This week and weekend I spent a lot of time at my parents house. That tends to happen friends from out of town come to visit. I got to see my brother Cory and his baby - Houston. Then Krystle and her little guy Carter came to stay for the weekend. Mom and I also went with some friends at the beginning of the week to visit Lisa and Dustin and their little girl Emma. It has been a week filled with little kids. Yesterday while Krystle and Carter were at the house my nephews Matthew and Jeremiah were there in the morning and then after super Jess brought Malachi and Ian over. It was so fun to se...