New Year, New Changes

I'm sitting here trying to stay focused on the pile of books nearby, thinking to myself that I'll never get it. There's so much to learn and so little time. My vacation flew by so fast and I'm already flying through this trimester. At the end of this one, I will begin my first clinical. It will only be 3 weeks long (a teaser) but will give us a chance to give the things we have learned some context.

God was gracious enough to provide Tracy with a new job that she will begin this coming Wednesday. She is working hard to tie up the loose ends in her current role before moving forward in the next phase. She's excited about the change and is ready to start.

Texas gave us a good opportunity to step out of our routine and enjoy friends and family. We even got to see the rapidly growing Gabriel Catalano, who turned 1 right after we left. It's a different world in Texas. It's hard to pinpoint exactly way, but it was refreshing. Maybe it was the lack of traffic. Maybe it was all the nice people with their southern hospitality. Maybe it was being around people we love but rarely see. I don't know why, but it was nice.

God has been good to us and is teaching us how to rely on him each day. We're faced with many decisions and many opportunities to trust in him. Life is good right now. I'd better quit procrastinating from studying. First round of midterms hit Friday. Take care all!

Refreshment at last

Finals are finally over and Christmas is almost here! Man, this year has flown by. Finals lasted a couple of weeks sporadically with the final week consisting of the final 6 tests. I did well, overall (thank the Lord) and could not be happier to be done. The picture I attached was edited by my sister for one of my presentations on a patient who had suffered a CVA (stroke). The picture is depicting the proper positioning in bed with the involved (affected) side up. We leave in a few days for Texas to visit family and friends. We are very excited to get out of our routine for a few days and to get some time to have fun and relax. I get about three weeks off from school before having to go back. Most of my breaks will only be about a week long, but they extend it during Christmas for us. It'll be great to not have to spend quite so much time studying. Our community group also got to get together last week and enjoy looking at Christmas lights and getting to spend some time together. We have a great group of people in our group and are really enjoying getting to know them better. It's a weekly lesson for me in leading, as well. For you who I won't get to see over the next few weeks, I wish you a Merry Christmas and pray you have a wonderful time with your friends and family. May you too find refreshment during this season.

Red Cups already??

It’s November 8th with only two weeks till Thanksgiving – and yet all around me I’m already seeing (and sometimes hearing) Christmas. Where has 2007 gone? I saw my first Red Cup from Starbucks today and couldn’t help but smile, knowing that for the first time in over five years that I will not have to endure the retail torture of the holidays. With 2007 nearly gone, I can’t help but get slightly sentimental and retrospective about life. Today is Tracy’s 25th birthday and marks the five years to the day that we have been officially a couple. It’s startling to see how much change has happened in five years and how faithful God has been throughout the years. Tonight was also the first night of our Community Group meeting. Community groups within Church in the Valley (CIV) are small groups that meet weekly. The purpose of these groups is to encourage one another to love God and to love others. One of the ways that we do that is by meeting together weekly to talk about what is going on in our lives and how the Bible helps us to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to Him. Beyond group stating, Tracy and I are plugging away at life. I just went through some grueling midterms (welcome to grad school!) and Tracy is adjusting to new responsibilities at work. We are definitely looking forward to the holidays – a time we can spend with our families and take a quick break. In the meantime, I plan to enjoy the brisk weather and hopefully sneak over to Starbucks for a cup of coffee in my first Red Cup of the season.

Watching Him Come Through

It's been interesting lately. Time is flying, the weather is cooling, and life is moving along at a rapid pace. Tracy and I have been going through some interesting transitions lately as I entered school full time and have quit working. Living in Southern California on one income after living on two can take some careful planning and some adjustment to your regular budgeting habits. We have seen God provide for us time and time again over the past few years and He has again proven Himself faithful.

Not long after Tracy and I went down to one income, I was offered a part time position at school being an official note taker for my program, getting paid for every hour I spend in lecture just to take notes. Knowing what books, tuition, equipment, etc was going to cost, I've been praying for financial provision for some time. This was an amazing answer to prayer that I was very happy to accept.

In Tracy's last blog, she let you know about the stability of her income at work. She mentioned that this has given her a chance to again trust God. Well, a week and one day after she posted that blog, I was approached by one of my former employers who is currently one of my instructors. She offered me a part time position in her facility where I worked 4 years ago working a few hours a week on Saturdays. This will not only provide us with some money but give me a chance for a few hours a week to apply what I am learning in school. Being a kinesthetic learner, this is doubly beneficial for us! God is good and has once again proven that He will take care of us.

Trusting God

Most of our friends and family know that Jace stopped working back in August of this year. God has helped us to save enough money to supplement my income while he's in school. Recent circumstances have threatened the stability of my income. Normally, my first reaction would be to panic or to be upset with the people who are making the decisions that effect my pay. However, God has been teaching me over the past few years that He is involved in my life and He wants me to trust Him with every circumstance. It's tough when you can't see the whole picture and you don't know what the outcome will be. But God has proven faithful to us over the past couple of years as we prepared for this time and we have every reason to believe that He will continue to do so. Please pray that God will work in this circumstance to provide what we need and for us, that we will continue to trust Him and make a wise decision of what to do.

"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:19

Hawaii - 2007

Before I started my program, Tracy and I wanted a chance to get away and relax some before all the changes we were going to experience. Knowing how difficult of a transition it would be from going Starbucks to my DPT program, I was really hoping to get a chance to prepare mentally and emotionally before I started. We were hoping for some time off, but God provided us the financial means to spend a week in Oahu.

I've always wanted to go to Hawai'i but have never been. I was stunned at the beauty of the soft beaches, the turquoise water, the firery sunsets and the lush greenery. The mountains, the oceans, the weather was amazing. I would have never expected to have such a great time and a chance to prepare for school.

We had such an amazing time and got to do some incredible things - everything from swimming with sea turtles to hiking through rain forests to watching those famous Hawaiian sunsets every day on the beach. Not only that, but I got to experience the greatest cup of coffee I've ever had - courtesy of Honolulu Coffee Co.

When we returned I was relaxed and ready to face my program. I am still going through Hawaiian withdrawals (not to mention they have a big need for DPTs over there).

God is good. We not only had the opportunity to enjoy God's creation but each other as well. Spending time with Tracy, my best friend, is one of my favorite things to do. Between the beauty of Hawaii and the time with Tracy, I would have to say this was the best vacation I've had.

Why Blog?

Life is busy...we live far apart...so many people to keep up on. There are a lot of reasons why we wanted to create this blog. Originally we thought of making our own website, but to be honest, we probably don't have the cyber-smarts to do that and, of course, this is free. Our main purpose in creating a blog is that we want to be able to share what's going on in our lives, through pictures, stories, and maybe some random facts, with the people in our lives that are important to us. Personally, I was hesitant to get involved in this whole fad, but have since realized how useful on-line, always accessible information can be in keeping up with friends and family. Thankfully Jace is gifted with creativity and an understanding of all this computer stuff and then there's me...I just like the writing part. Hope you enjoy!