Merry Christmas!

I've been a bit quiet...I'm out of town celebrating with my family, but I want to wish each and every one of you a very

Merry Christmas!

Processing...

God is moving in amazing ways. He always does. Why would I expect anything less? I'm still processing some of what He 's doing. I hope to write a post on it soon.

Shopping ideas???

I'm spending today finishing up my Christmas shopping. I have one problem. I don't know what to get. I don't even have an inkling of an idea. I need help. Any suggestions?

I'm laying down the law.

Gray and/or white hairs are no longer allowed to grow on my head. There it is. Now that it's written down, maybe they'll listen.

The highlight of my day

I studied while I received a pedicure. It was wonderful.

Study Back

I'm bringing study back.

They put cocoa powder where?

As I was making dinner tonight, I began reading the ingredients on the back of the taco seasoning packet. One of the ingredients is cocoa powder. I can't say that I expected that.

Prayers are being answered.

People are here to fix my apartment. They are removing drywall and plaster and everything. Then they're going to replace it and paint. My apartment is actually being fixed. It's actually being fixed correctly.

The saga continues...

I have a bad habit. Well, actually, I have many, but I'm only going to put one out in the open right now.

I go to Whataburger for breakfast before every exam. I always order the same thing...an egg sandwich and a medium diet coke. And every time, they get my order wrong.

An egg sandwich is on the menu. It's listed as egg and cheese on a 4" bun. Often they either put only egg or only cheese. Today the problem was the drink. The kind lady at the drive through handed me my drink and my orange and white striped sack. I checked the sandwich...wow, it was correct. I put my straw in my drink and drove off thinking, "wow, maybe they actually got my order right this time." Then I took a big swig...nope, Dr. Pepper. Now, Dr. Pepper isn't the worst thing in the world, but it definitely isn't diet coke.

Yeah, I think I might have to bail on the Dr. Pepper and stop in at Starbucks for a peppermint latte.

Saying "thank you" to the troops.

Go to this website to say thanks to the troops.

Say thanks

My gift to you...

For the past several hours, I've been singing this song...both in my head and out loud. I now present it as a gift to you, my readers.

My Favorite Things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

Question to Ponder

I was recently asked the following question:

What do you struggle with the most: knowing who you are, knowing what to do with your life, or depending on God to guide you?

I have to admit that it took me a while to answer. I, mean, I know what I'm doing with my life. I'm becoming a doctor, right??? Or is it something more than that. I'm becoming a doctor so that I can serve God by serving His children...hmmm...that sounds a bit 'churchy'. Ahhh...

Alright then, so do I struggle with depending on God to guide me? Definitely. When I was a child, I had two favorite phrases: why? and I can do it myself. Being inquisitive will definitely be a plus as a physician. I won't want to stop looking until I have an answer. But then there's my independence. In today's culture, women are supposed to be independent. Society tells us that we aren't supposed to need anybody...that we can be full and complete all on our own. But can I? I don't think so. As much as I can take care of my own bills and my car and whatever else happens to come my way, I am called to be dependent...I am called to be in dependence on God. I can't be full and complete without Him, and I would definitely take wrong turns if I didn't look to Him for guidance. I already take enough of them...I, mean, sometimes the left turn appears so much prettier that then right turn He's calling me to.

The last one is knowing who I am. My identity. This is something I definitely struggle with. I've heard people talk of "going to find themselves." That sounds great, but what are they really going to find? That would scare me, but too, I know that apart from God, I am nothing. I can't separate knowing who I am from knowing whose I am. I am His child.

For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother's womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance , being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of hem.
-- Psalm 139:13-16

So as I continue to ponder my identity, my activity, and my dependence on God, I'm content in knowing whose I am. I am HIS!

And magically...it's working again!

Blogger has once again decided to let me upload pictures. Here's a picture of me with Owen (closest to me) and Josiah. They're my cousins and look so handsome in their tuxes. They are both complete hams, but they were absolutely perfect during my brother's wedding.

Mmmmm.....

hot chocolate...with marshmallows!

God's love -- it's a gift!

So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of he love he had for her. -- Genesis 29:20

This is one of my favorite verses. Actually, the story of Jacob and Rachel is one of my favorite stories in the bible. No, it's not because it's a "love story." Actually, Rachel reminds me of who I am.

Rachel is intensely loyal but also envious, competitive and even dishonest. However, one of her biggest weaknesses was failing to realize Jacob's love for her. Jacob served a total of 14 years for her and loved her more than Leah. Jacob's love for Rachel wasn't dependent on her giving him children or actually on any "work" she did for him. His love for her was based on God's will, commitment, and patience. Somehow though, Rachel lost sight of that and began competing for Jacob's love...something he had already given her.

How often do I forget that God doesn't love me because of what I can do for Him but simply because I am His child? God's love for me doesn't stop if I fall asleep while I'm praying or if I slip up and act like a jerk. I cannot earn His love. He has already given it to me freely.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. -- Romans 5:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. -- Ephesians 2:8-9

"God loves us! His love had no beginning and is incredibly patient. All we need to do is respond, not try to earn what is freely offered. God has said in many ways, 'I love you. I have demonstrated that love to you by all I've done for you. I have even sacrificed my Son, Jesus, to pay the price for what is unacceptable about you -- your sin. Now, live because of my love. Respond to me; love me with your whole being; give yourself to me in thanksgiving, not as payment.' Live life fully, in the freedom of knowing you are loved." -- Life Application

You are loved!

Why won't it work???!!

So I have this adorable picture of two of my little cousins that I want to post, but blogger won't let me post it. I've gone to the help site, and it's really not helpful. It's a really cute picture, and yes, they are still young enough that I can refer to them as cute.

Change...

Have you ever realized something about yourself that you truly want to change, but you don't really know how?

Yeah...I'm so there right now.

A different time...a different place...

Have you ever wished that you were born in a different era? I know it's kind of random, but really, there are so many great periods in history.

Sometimes I imagine myself in a mobster family. I have closets full of pretty twenties-style dresses complete with shoes, hats, and jewelry. There are tommy guns and just the whole excitement of the prohibition era and doing something illegal.

Other times I think back to the Medieval times. Bathing wasn't too frequent, but castles were plentiful...or at least in my imagination they were. There were grand feasts and dungeons and jousting to win the heart of a fair maiden.

Or maybe I'm Anne Oakley or a Southern belle living on a plantation during the Civil War or a nurse on the front lines during WWI or...so many others.

Adventure...adventure is what I want.

What time period do you dream about?

Topic-less

Hmmm...so I really have nothing to post today. I've thought about a lot of things today, but none of the topics are interesting enough to blog about.

Topic anyone????

100 things about me

One of my friends inspired me by making a list of 100 things about herself. So...here's my attempt.

1. I love my iPOD.
2. I didn't change out of my pajamas on Saturday.
3. I TP'd my 7th grade history teacher's house.
4. I want to be a great doctor.
5. I like to teach.
6. I love medicine.
7. I really want to teach clinical medicine.
8. I cry very easily...especially if I feel comfortable with you.
9. I feel strong when I run.
10. I secretly hate my freckles.
11. I like my eyes.
12. I never wanted a cat, but now I can't imagine life without Miss Kitty.
13. I don't like brussel sprouts.
14. My favorite meal is breakfast.
15. I love tea...cold and hot.
16. I love coffee (good coffee), too.
17. I crave creamy jalapeno sauce from Chuy's.
18. This year feels weird since I'm not working the holidays.
19. My couch is one of the best investments I ever made.
20. I don't feel 27.
21. I can't believe I already have a 401K.
22. I couldn't handle not working, so I have a work study job.
23. I missed the babies, so I volunteer in two nurseries.
24. I try to be funny...most of the time I'm not.
25. I like to encourage others, but I don't know if I'm good at it.
26. I want someone to tell me I'm beautiful.
27. I want to go back to Romania.
28. I miss London.
29. Sometimes I wish I could do the whole college experience again.
30. I love shoes.
31. I'm beginning to love shopping for clothes.
32. I spend a lot of time day-dreaming in Jeanine-land.
33. I should probably spend more time in Realitopia.
34. I still miss my papa. He passed away when I was 12.
35. I find it difficult to stand up for myself but easy to stand up for others.
36. I should be studying right now.
37. I was the starting catcher on the 1st place little league softball team for 3 years in a row.
38. I have never dyed my hair.
39. I have had my jaw surgically broken and wired shut.
40. I have been told that I might have cancer, twice. Fortunately, I didn't either time.
41. I don't have my gallbladder.
42. I love to dance.
43. I love to sing in my car with my cell phone earpiece in. It makes me feel like a rockstar.
44. Sometimes I need to be alone.
45. Sometimes I don't.
46. I'd like to be married some day.
47. Writing in multiple colors makes me happy.
48. I like to make my own cards...birthday, Christmas, etc.
49. I fall more in love with Jesus every day.
50. My last speeding ticket was for going 24 mph over.
51. My friend Keri has known me since I was 6 and loves me anyway.
52. I hate "fakeness."
53. I love real flowers.
54. I often buy myself flowers.
55. I like barbeque sauce.
56. I like ketchup more.
57. I ran cross country in high school. I wasn't good at it.
58. I was on the math team in middle school.
59. I cried when I got my first B.
60. I did a cartwheel when I got a C+ in college.
61. I talk too much.
62. I am not perfect.
63. I miss my cousin, Sharon. She passed away when I was 20.
64. Fort William, Scotland is the most beautiful place I've ever been.
65. Self-centeredness is something I struggle with...a lot.
66. Sometimes I act like jerk.
67. I love to journal.
68. Refinishing furniture is therapeutic.
69. I prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate.
70. I like berries...blueberries, gooseberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries.
71. Fun socks make me happy.
72. I feel naked when my toenails aren't painted.
73. I love random voicemail messages from friends.
74. I like making new friends who feel like you've known them forever.
75. I like "Friends" reruns. There is an episode for every situation.
76. I am training for my first marathon.
77. I am a vegetarian.
78. I don't know that I want to be.
79. Trains are a fabulous way to travel
80. Lipgloss is the best thing ever.
81. Shopping for electronics is a lot more fun than actually using them.
82. I want to save the world.
83. I don't know how.
84. Museums fascinate me.
85. Parks are a little piece of heaven on earth.
86. I really didn't mind working nights.
87. People think I'm smarter than I am.
88. That scares me because one day they might realize the truth.
89. My plants are still alive.
90. I have never gone sky-diving, but I want to.
91. I like wearing fancy shirts with jeans.
92. Wearing pearls with jeans makes me feel fancy.
93. Wearing heels with jeans makes me feel sassy...err...another word.
94. I pay $14 to get my haircut.
95. Ann Taylor is my favorite store.
96. Target comes in a close second.
97. I love my apartment, even with it's problems.
98. I am thankful for my friends who aren't afraid to be real.
99. I wish I could play the guitar.
100. I firmly believe that God knows what He's doing far better than I do.

If you made it all the way to the end...congratulations!