How Time Flies...

6-21-10

  Well, last weekend was Father's day. I drove to my parents Friday night and had some really good time with them. The next morning we chatted some more and my dad showed me the coffee machine my mom got him for Father's Day...such a cool little thing! Then my sister and I went roller blading for a little while...until I was tired, which didn't take long :P Next we played a little baseball in the field across from our house...my mom pitched while my sister and I took turns batting and fetching the ball. After that we did your facebooking :P then we headed for the Y to help supervise my nephews pool party. We had  lots of fun. It is amazing how fast kids grow up! I remember when my nephew was just a little toddling around...and now he is 8 years old!!! How time flies! 

  After swimming my sister and I rushed back to my parents home where I got dressed and then she did my hair up in a rolled fashion, fairly common in the World War II era.  After getting a few pointers on Era appropriate make-up my sister snapped a few pictures and I was off to McMinnville for the ECD World War II Ball. I met my friend there and we had a lovely evening of talking and dancing.  Since moving to Washington I haven't been able to attend any of the dances due to my schedule with my new job, but thankfully I was able to arrange to attend this one! After the clock struck midnight(well, acutally only 9:30) and the last dance was over, I hopped in my carriage and was off again, back to my parents house and present day america :P

  It is amazing what happens in a day! On Father's day we went to church and my youngest brother and the family he lives with showed up too! After church we went to lunch and then hung out for a little while. I got to stay at my parents until the were getting ready to leave for evening church and then I headed back to Portland to do some shopping before I went back to work :) I am very much still enjoying my job, but it seems that the highlights to life anymore are the days I have off to spend with my friends and family. 

  I'm sort of excited for Independence Day as I will have the 4th and 5th off and possibly the 3rd as well....but the sad part is I don't have any plans to go anywhere yet...But I'm sure something will come up :D So many exciting things to look forward to.

  Recently I read a book called "Before You Meet Prince Charming" and was very encouraged and challenged with what I read.  It was just what I was needing to hear at that time and was glad to have gotten the recommendation to read it!

Lord Willing...

6-14-10
  This past weekend I spent at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Vancouver. It has been so very nice to get to know them better now that I am older. I don't remember much of them when I was younger...not really sure why...I guess they were just busy people, and we didn't really go visiting relatives.  Anyhow, it has been fun to hang out with them and learn family history and hear their stories. Saturday night we went to their neighbors to sit around a fire and talk. It was fun...very smoky, but fun. We finally got out of there and returned to their house to go to bed. I didn't sleep terribly well as I had alot on my mind with several different things that have been happening, and not happening, in my life. The next morning we got up bright and early for church and were joined by an old friend of theirs that I'd met once before.
  The service was wonderful and really hit home for me. It wasn't so much a new concept for me either, but a timely reminder. As soon as the pastor announced the passage he would be preaching from I found the place in my bible and realized that the first part of the passage was underlined...which means I either memorized it at one time or it held great importance to me...this didn't seem very strange since one of my favorite books is James...but after starting to read the passage I realized that the napkin in the back of the bible held the same passage along with a treasured note from a very dear friend of mine that had felt led to give me such cherished guidance over a year and a half ago while we were in San Miguel, Mexico. And once again these were the words I once again needed to hear. Who am I to make plans for myself without seeking God's guidance!? God will bring the right thing at the right time and I just have to trust Him and follow Him.
  I sometimes wonder why God has put me where I am. Everything has turned out so differently then I had originally imagined and nothing seems to happen or go the way I think it should. But the continual comfort to me is that He knows what He is doing and He has a plan for me that is far better than anything I could ever imagine! I only pray my step does not falter, but that I will carry on and seek Him in all things.

James 4:13-17
"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."

Support our Troops!

4-24-10
   Well, my brother is back from Iraq. We are so glad to have him home. My mom commented that because he had come home twice during his 10 months and did alot of video chat, it didn't really seem like he was gone for long. I do agree with this, but it is still nice to know he is no longer in a battle zone and is back taking care of all those lovely life issues here at home. He is indeed VERY glad to be home and in familiar territory with friends and family.

   It is so amazing to see God's working in the people's lives around you and all the things in one's own life too! I have some friends preparing for missions in Uganda. They are a family of 8 and have been so encouraged by what God is doing in their lives and how He is providing for each and every thing at just the right time. They just found a buyer for their house, they have been trying to sell it for a couple of years now. It is wonderful to see all of God's wonderful blessings and see people talk about the peace God has given them with the direction they are going and the steps they feel God leading them to take in their life.
  God has been taking my family through alot of trials lately, but we all are encouraged that He gives us no more than we are able to handle and that through these fires He is refining and strengthening us! What a blessing! Even though it is hard, the outcome is what we look forward to.
  God bless to all!

Officially A "Responsible Adult"

4-16-10

Okay, so alot has been happening in the last month. I have moved and pretty well settled here in Battle Ground, WA.  I started renting a storage unit here to store any of my "excess" stuff. I bought my first car...doesn't seem much different though because it is the same car I've been driving for over two years now. Yesterday I went and purchased auto insurance for the car and am rather pleased with what I got! :-)  I've gotten to know my Aunt and Uncle living in Vancouver better. (alot of fun knowing them more). I had the worst Crohns "flare-up" I've ever had in the 2-3 years I've been diagnosed. It lasted a total of 7 days. Not at all fun and, God willing, I will be able to avoid such an attack in the future. I was given my first fishing rod and hope to go fishing in the near future, but have yet experience the pleasure with my own pole :-D  I got to visit my best friend in Salem on my way back to BG on Wednesday. We got talking and before I knew it I was 30+mins overdue to head up to BG. We went out to the car and were saying our good-byes when her husband pulled in from being at work and so I got to say good-bye to him too and then vamoosed :-P I was so glad to see and spend time with them though! What a blessing it was to see their wonderfully happy faces! God has blessed me so much with my wonderful friends and family. How thankful I am for them all!!!

The Ultimate Update...

3-9-10

Well, That is what this is, "The Ultimat Update". I've put it off for so long because there has been so much going on, but now I shall fill you all in :-)

I'll start with January, the most trying month of them all. On January 4th, my second oldest brother, Michael James Davis passed away in his sleep of a MayoCardial Bridging of the Coronary Artery. We've all been checked since then, it is hereditary, and none of us appear to have it. We are at peace knowing he is with our Heavenly Father. No longer in pain, physically or emotionally. It happened very suddenly. He was a happy, vivacious, healthy young man of 27 years. We all miss him very dearly.

February started out slow as we were still dealing with the aftermath of my brother's death, but soon it was my younger sister's birthday and we had a quiet celebration between the four of us living at home. It seemed I was working my hind end off when all the sudden it was my birthday and we had another quiet celebration of my 20 years of existence. The rest of the month flew by without much happening. My best friend found out she is pregnant! Due in September...I'll be an Aunty all over again! We are all so happy and excited for her.

March has been the most interesting by far and has pivoted my life at a 90 degree angle. Everything I'd been wanting to do for so long, but hadn't been actively pursuing happened in a matter of only weeks. On February 21st my pastor's wife approached me after our Sunday School class and asked if I'd be interested in moving to Battle Ground, WA to be a live-in Care worker for a 94 year old Christian lady that used to attend the church. I said I was as I'd been wanting to ultimately be a live-in care worker since I began Caregiving, but had not yet found such a job. True I was working full time as a Secretary and had TWO part time Home Care clients, but I knew in my heart none of that mattered if God really wanted me to move to Washington to take care of this lady. I discussed the few details I knew with my parents that afternoon over lunch and knowing that this is what I'd been wanting, told me to pray about it and find out more details. The following Tuesday I got the information to call the people and learned that they were still interested in finding a caregiver and were excited to talk to me and see if it would work. That evening I called them and talked with the daughter, who is a nurse and lives next door to her mother. We talked about details and answered eachother's questions as best we could. We both pretty well knew by the end of the conversation that it was definitely going to work out just fine, but there were still some things that needed to be figured out and we both said we'd continue to pray about it.

I had planned a trip with my sister to Yakima that following weekend and decided to try to stop by and meet my prospective clients on the way home on Sunday. I made it there safe and sound and all week had been thinking about what this kind of change meant for me. I would have to quit the three stable jobs I had while still unsure if this prospective job was going to work out. After visiting with the mother and daughter and getting a tour of the lovely old house we determined that my employment was dependent on the agreement of terms of pay, which we were both going to investigate to figure out a reasonable rate for us both.

After talking to a friend in the Home Care business I figured out my asking price and e-mailed the daughter. I didn't hear back from her as we planned to meet at the hospital she worked at on Wednesday when my sister and I were there for our doctor appointments. She arrived a few minutes before my appointment and we confirmed a price and determined the date I'd be moving in. I'd given my two weeks notice to my boss and both my clients on Monday. I continued praying about it and half expected a door to slam shut and find myself completely jobless. In all this though I realized that for any of it to go forward I had to either turn and run scared or jump in feet first and put ALL my trust in God, not just lean on Him, but fully trust Him.  So I have 4 days left of my two weeks and 7 days until I move up to Battle Ground. So much has changed in such a short amount of time and I've made the quickest and most life-changing decision I've ever made in my entire life. I try to answer the questions people have presented the best I can, but some things are just hard to explain and others I just don't know the answers to yet. I'm very excited for this opportunity and glad that, being this is my first time moving away from home, it is so close to home. Come to find out I'll only be 20 minutes from my Aunt's house, so I'll get to see her more often! It is closer to my dear second family in Salem and surrounding area. An hour closer to my "home away from home"- Yakima. And closer to some of my HSA friends in the valley! How fun is that?!

Well, I suppose that is it for now...as I will have more time on my hands I imagine my updates will become a bit more regular :D

The Season of Love....Christmas is here!

12-19-09

Listening to Christmas music almost ALL the time...Christmas decorating complete....sister arriving home in 2+ hours....presents wrapped...bedroom clean...well, the last isn't done quite yet... xP

Turning on the Christmas music each year there is one album I'm always excited to listen to and never get tired of. This album is titled "THe Season of Love" by 4Him...I grew up listening to the CD and have always loved it. In the last few years I have grown even more fond of it was I grow evermore aware of the meaning of Christmas...not just a time to gather as a family and bless others with thoughtful gifts, but to dwell on Christ's birth and spread that joy it brings to us to those around us.

I now have 3 clients with my Home Care work! I'm so excited to see how God has been providing in my and my family's lives this past year! God is soo faithful to provide...in ways that are hardly noticed sometimes. He has answered our prayers in ways I'd not imagined and at times not exactly how we wanted them answered, but nevertheless according to His will. 

So many lessons to learn and it seems like I have to learn them over and over and over again. Other things I didn't think seemed so important to understand God keeps bringing up and hammering into my small, inadequate mind. I'm continually in awe of how He works and know that no matter how inconsequential I think something may be God might have such wonderful ideas for them...

Last week I had a really good conversation with a friend of mine and after some updates and lite chat he asked some deeper questions and was able to give me some really wonderful encouragement that I was really needing to hear. God has truly blessed me with some wonderful friends and family that continually are blessing me. 

Praise be to God this Christmas season and the whole year through!!!

Merry Christmas and God bless dear friends!    

and so life continues...

11-25-09
  Well, life has continued on unabated. My life has been rather hectic and chaotic. I'm still working fulltime as a secretary, I now have three clients in Home Care and am in the process of filling out the paperwork to be a sub for a third client. I'm really excited to have the blessing of such a wonderful ministry. My only clients at this point are Christians, but I am grateful for that because I feel like part of my ministry is being able to bring comfort to the saints. The worked so tirelessly for God for so many years and now it is someone elses turn to minister to them :-)
  Thanksgiving is tomorrow. My brother was home from Iraq for two weeks last month and my sister came down from WA so that we could have an early Thanksgiving with the majority of the family. We went to dinner with my Grandma S last weekend and we'll take my Grandma D out tomorrow and then have pie and games at our house that evening for any of the family that wants to hang out. Christmas is also going to be pretty simple. We will have dinner and games and some presents for the grandkids. I'll be most happy when my wonderful sister gets home though. I never realized how much I'd miss her being gone for four months. At first it wasn't so bad because I got to see her once a month for the first three months, but now it has been about three weeks since I saw her last and there are another four weeks left for her and she is in Mexico now so I can't just drive 5 hours to see her or call her on the phone. She does text me for about 5 minutes each week...and let me tell you, it is definitely a highlight for my week! I always wish it could be longer, but I'm just glad to get to chat for a little bit. :-D
  Christmas music has been playing in my car speakers for about a week now and today I decorated my office with Christmas decorations so that it will be all festive when we arrive back to work after Thanksgiving.  I have no idea why I'm in such a festive mood so early in the season, but I'm enjoying it :-P
  Happy Holidays all!!!!