Kate's Birthday!

Yesterday was my birthday and it was an amazingly wonderful day! Andrew woke me up with breakfast in bed, yummy! When I walked into the living room, Andrew had decorated it with green streamers and balloons. It was so fun! One rule that we have in our home for birthdays is to wait to open up birthday cards until the day of your birthday, so I opened up a few of my cards and my present from Mom and Dad Dodd (which ended up being perfect timing, since they called right when I was about to open it!). We got ready for the day and headed to church. We were greeters for the month of May, I absolutely love serving in this area. I just love making people smile as they walk into the worship service.

After a great morning at church, we went to Red Robin for a birthday lunch. The waiters sang to me and gave me two balloons and an ice cream sundae! It was really fun and it is always a treat to eat out. I spent the afternoon getting sung to multiple times from my family :) and getting many fun birthday wishes. I opened up the rest of my birthday prizes and cards. Andrew surprised me with a new purse and the movie "Marley and Me". Because of the apartment we live in, we are not able to get a dog. So this movie about a funny Lab and his owner is a great alternative until we live somewhere else.

Afterwards, we headed to Tunnel Park in Holland. It was a beautiful and warm day; so we decided to spend it at the beach. We had fun playing card games, walking down the beach, running down the sand dunes, and just enjoying the warm sunny day at the beach. We did not venture into the water but had fun watching the little kids run in and run out shaking from the freezing water! When we got back home, we had birthday pie (Double Chocolate Peanut Butter pie!) and ended the night with watching my new movie. It was a GREAT day! I am so thankful to all of my family and especially to Andrew for making my day so special! Looking forward to what God will do during the next year of my life!

Quote of the Day

This evening Kate slammed her elbow into the kitchen counter behind her, by the sound of the impact, think explosion, I knew it was going to be very painful. What I wasn't ready for was the next words that came out of her mouth. She cried, "OH, MY CHIN!" Mind you she just whacked her elbow against the kitchen counter. This quickly relieved all tension and a little bit of the pain as I could hardly ask her with a straight face if she was okay.
If you are not doubled over laughing at this point maybe it's one of those instances that you had to be here for. Trust me Kate is okay, well recovering and what she insists she really said was, "OH, MY BONES!"

Thanks Kate for the quote of the day and all your smiles :)

Retirement Party

It was a long day today. After working from 1A-9A at the Holland Rescue Mission I had a quick turnaround and headed to the Finish Line for one final shift from noon to four. After two and a half years of working at FL I'm able to quit with Kate beginning her new job at Spectrum later in the month. Kate and I recently figured out that I have been working two jobs since the fall of 2005. So glad to be transitioning out of this phase of life!
Much to my surprise when I got home from Finish Line this afternoon Kate had made a sign to greet me that read Happy Finish Line Retirement Day. I smiled and thanked her for the kind and fun gesture. Oh, but the party was just getting started. Kate had prepared a wonderful dinner, Chicken Rissoto, and had a double chocolate strawberry two layer cake as well. I was so out of it tired that Kate counted that I passed by the cake three times before realizing that this wonderful masterpiece was sitting there on the counter! It was such a wonderfully magnificent dinner and dessert. All I wanted to do in "retirement" was to take a nap since I was so sleep deprived and due to the fact that I am getting up there in years being retired. All in all a faboulously tremendous day with my Bright Eyes!
Here's a picture to prove it :)

Yahweh Yireh (The Lord WILL Provide)

The months of March and April have flown by in the Dodd home. I can hardly believe that my last winter semester is done (except for my last two finals next week). I have learned SO much this semester, and I really feel much more confident about my nursing skills. Just 2 semesters, or less than 240 days, left until I am a nurse. One thing, I have really learned that God wants me to be content with where He has me RIGHT NOW. Andrew and I have huge plans for what we believe that God wants us to do in the future, but I’ve learned that I need to be focused on making a difference in the world I am right here in Grandville and nursing school and that this will help prepare us both for His future plans for us.

All this became really REAL a few weeks ago when one of my classmates died. She was a healthy, vibrant 21-year-old who wanted to be a nurse so much, and she is just gone now. There are only 60 of us in our class, so we all know each other, we are together every day. Those 59 other people really understand and know what the struggles and trials of nursing school are...we are experiencing them together...its a little family. God has shown me that I need to stand up and not be quiet about my faith. It breaks my heart that I cannot say that I know where Linzy is spending eternity, and I do not want to say that about my other classmates. I really want them all to see the difference in my life and know what the source of my hope and faith is! I need to be willing and ready to ‘walk across the room’ (book by Bill Hybels that our Pointe Group-church small group- is doing).

I left all of you blog readers last month with the possible externship opportunity that I had at Metro Health Hospital. The externship did not work out with my summer class schedule, but Metro offered me a nursing technician position on their Assisted Breathing Floor. The unit requires that I promise to work for them for at least one year (so after I graduate, I would hire on as an RN on this floor) and I cannot switch to a different floor. Honestly, when I applied and interviewed for the position I thought that this would be a temporary thing until graduation and then I could work on a different floor with different kinds of patients. These patients really are not an area I feel called to care for and they don't really fit me (they are all on ventilators and most of them cannot even talk). I am not passionate about providing that type of care, and they really deserve and need health care providers who are. So, I made the tough decision of turning down the job offer and trusting that God has a different job that would fit me better.

Passion is another area that God has been teaching me about (in my Merea Bible Study). Passion is a gift from God and “it is waking up in the morning, whoever you are, wherever you are, and bounding out of bed because there’s something out there that you love to do, that you believe in, that you’re good at-something that’s bigger than you are and you can hardly wait to go at it again today. It is what you do so well that you’d enjoy doing it without pay. Passion is the spark that needs only a little breeze to ignite into a raging fire” (Pathway to Purpose, by Katie Brazelton). I am passionate about a lot of things: my relationship and faith in my Lord and Savior, my husband, my family, church family, HIV/AIDS kids in Africa, nursing, and taking care of people (specifically children) who are sick. I need to pursue and run after these passions that God has blessed me and gifted me with. You should’ve heard me, at the end of my pediatric clinical days, I wouldn’t stop talking about the things I learned, did, and saw. I said to Andrew multiple times: I could do this job every day for free…I loved it and I am passionate about it! That is why I turned down that job, I was not passionate about taking care of ventilator patients, and I know that God will provide another nurse tech that is to that floor.

Four days after I turned down the position at Metro, I got a call from Spectrum Health Hospital. I have persistently applied at this hospital for the past 2 ½ years, probably every other week I sent in my application. I had a phone interview two days later and I was told that I would get a call back within a week if I were to have a second interview with the floor manager. I hung up and 30 minutes later, I got a call from the manager! She wanted to interview me that night!! I felt the interview went well that night, and then I had to wait a week while they interviewed other applicants. I prayed so much this past week, and thank you to all my friends and family who also supported me with prayer! The floor is a great fit for me—it’s the Emergency Room—and I really wanted to work at Spectrum before I graduate so that I can possibly be a nurse there in the future. It is part-time, so it will work with school and it is a nurse technician so it will help prepare me to be a nurse in 8 months. Also, I really feel that ER would help me, more than any other unit, for our future plans of working at Bethesda. I want to sharpen my nursing skills so that I know what to do/ am prepared to nurse in an emergency situation. I have been trusting in God that if Spectrum is where He wants me to be that He will open the doors wide open, but if He doesn’t want me there that He would slam the doors shut.

It has been neat, Andrew and I have been doing a Bible study together called “Praying the Names of God”, by Ann Spangler, and really learning other names (in Hebrew) that God has been called for generations. I completely believe that it is a God Thing that this week’s name was Yahweh Yireh: The Lord WILL Provide. I have really been praying that the Yahweh Yireh will provide this job or provide another opportunity if this job is not the right one for me. Well, I got the call from Spectrum today…The Lord provided me with the job!!! Praise the Lord!! I start May 18th. I am super excited about this opportunity to work with acutely ill patients and refine my nursing skills. Thank you all for praying for me; please continue to pray as I begin the new position!

February and A Little of March 2009

At the beginning of February, we headed over to Detroit for a day (actually less than 24 hours) for Cornerstone's missions fest. They had a seminar called Track 2 for those interested in pursuing what God might have for them in full time missions. Throughout the day we heard from several missionaries and learned many valuable things from their experience. It was great to reconnect with familiar faces and friends, many with similar passions and life goals. It was a short and snappy trip because Andrew left the next morning for the Biblical Counseling Conference in Lafayette, IN.

Before he took off for the conference, we had a romantic brunch at a little restaurant in Holland. Did I mention that was the most we've ever paid for breakfast? It was worth every penny. Good thing we had Holland Bucks (gift certificate for many stores in Holland). At the conference, Andrew really enjoyed learning and being in a class type setting for 12 hours a day. The biggest thing that emphasized at the conference was that God's Word has all the answers for life's problems. By far though, the highlight had little to do with the content being taught at the conference. After the first break on the first full day, Andrew came around the corner and much to my surprise was Chip Dean (his best man in our wedding, who he hadn't seen since that day since he lives in Alabama). It was good to hang out and reconnect with a good friend. By the end of the week, he was ready to get home to his beautiful bride :)

Meanwhile, back in Grandville, Kate was plugging away at her clinicals. She finished up her med/surg clinicals. It was really neat to see how much she grew in confidence from the begining of the clinical until the end. By the last week, she was asking to have two patients! In the week between finishing med/surg and begining pediatrics, Kate had her second nursing theory exam and got an A (finally) on the test! The next week, Kate started her pediatric rotation. She has been waiting since the begining of nursing school for this clinical! She hopes that God will allow her to be a peds nurse when she graduates.

Kate realized this month that she is half way through the actual nursing program and so she went to a health career job fair here in Grand Rapids. She was going more for the experience for when she will graduate and have to be interviewed. She talked with a number of different people from hospitals across Michigan, including a recruiter from Metro Health Hospital here in Grand Rapids. He told her about a summer nursing externship (basically she would follow around a nurse for 24 hours a week and not get paid...but it would look good on the resume for the future) and she went home and applied for it that night. Got a call the next morning for an interview and sat down the following week with someone from the hospital. The interview went really well, but still uncertain if she could sacrifice that many hours a week on top of the class load she is already carrying for the summer. We are waiting to see what her class and clinical schedule will be to determine if she can do it.

January 09

We can't believe that this month is practically over, and February is almost here. The time has flown by. Andrew has had a change in his work schedule which has made our schedules pretty much the opposite of each other (Kate has classes/clinicals during the day and Andrew is working afternoon shift usually). The new schedule allows two ES supervisors to be working at the same time, so it is nice that they can interact and hang out with the men more then they were able to before. Kate is enjoying her new semester. It is keeping her super busy! She is in her Med/Surg clinicals at the hospital, taking care of progressive care patients (its a step down from ICU and a step above a regular adult medical/surgical floor). They are really sick patients, but she is learning SO much from them and able to do so many more things than before. This week she had her own patient for the first time this semester and really enjoyed helping the patient and meeting their needs. Andrew has also been preparing for the Biblical Counseling Confrence (in Lafeyette, IN) that is coming up February 8-13. He is reading a book called How People Change, by Paul Tripp, to help get ready for the confrence. Please pray for him that week as he learns and is challenged to grow. This conference is something we can be doing now to help us with present and FUTURE ministry opportunities.

Hope you have had a GREAT January and not too much snow :)

Journeying Into 2009

We finished off 2008 with a Sunday School class party at Zach and Anne Gembis's house. We had a fun time playing games, eating, and fellowshipping with our friends from church. Kate had an allergic reaction to something she ate, and her bottom lip was pretty swollen. She took some Benadryl and it went down though the next morning. On Sunday afternoon, we went to the Stauch's house, ate lunch, and the same thing happened…but this time it was the top lip and her fingers and it was a lot worse. So we spent the afternoon at the doctor's office. They don't know what caused it, and we can't seem to find the correlation between New Years Eve and Sunday (had completely different foods). So now we have steroids and two other meds to help Kate get better. Please pray that we and the doctor can figure out the cause…it is unsettling not to know the source of the reaction.

Closing the door on 2008, we want to remember many of the GOOD things God blessed us with this year.

· Kate got into Nursing School, started it, and has already passed 2 semesters. She really loves school and learning how to care for people.

· Andrew has been able to reach and impact many men's lives at the Holland Rescue Mission.

· We have loved becoming involved with our church family, Sunday School class, and small group.

· We celebrated our 2^nd year of marriage in July.

· We were able to take a vision trip to Bethesda Outreach Ministry in South Africa this past August. We loved learning more about this ministry and being able to serve the kids, houseparents, and missionaries.

· Dad Dodd's surgery, in June, went well. The doctors got all the cancer out, he lost 40+ pounds, and he got to spend a week here in Grandville with us as he recovered.

· Grandma Galloway was promoted to heaven in February after a battle with ALS. We miss you Grandma and can't wait till we see you again.

· We welcomed our first niece, Elizabeth, into the Schneider and celebrated the 1^st birthday of our first Dodd niece, Natalie.

As we journey into 2009, we are eagerly anticipating how God will use us at work, school, church, and the relationships we are able to have with the people around us. We are looking forward to Kate's graduation (12/12/09), the Eagles winning the Super Bowl J, the Biblical Counseling training Andrew will do in February, Kyle's graduation from high school, Kate graduating (we are just a tiny bit excited to graduate! Can you tell?), and whatever is next in the journey that we may not even know about yet. Happy 2009!

Christmas Celebrations 2008

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind for the Dodds. We left on December 23 after Andrew got off work and headed up to Lake Ann through a snowstorm. It took us 4 hours to make a normally 2 to 2 1/2 hour trip. It was snowing and really windy and so we just took our time getting up north. We made it safely in and our new car was such a blessing, not sure if we would have made it up some of the hills and around some of the turns if we had been in the 99 Ford Escort. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Mom and Dad Dodd's home. It was so wonderful to relax and have fun with them. On Christmas Eve, we played games, watched the old version of the Christmas Carol, ate beef stick and cheese, and made Andrew's new favorite pizza "Buffalo Chicken Pizza". It was so great to celebrate old traditions and enjoy time together. We had Monkey Bread and Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Muffins on Christmas morning when we woke up. We had a wonderful time of giving and receiving gifts (we had been saving some of their gifts since our trip to Africa). Later on, we all bundled up and went and took pictures out in the snow! It was SO fun and crazy!! They had at least 3 1/2 or 4 feet of snow. It was taller than me in some of the piles. Made snow angels and had a great time laughing and playing in the snow. After warming up and hot cocoa, we had an amazingly yummy Christmas dinner and played some more games together. Our time with them went by too fast! It was a blessing to celebrate and remember the birth of Christ together.

Friday morning, the 26th, we packed up our car Roxy and headed diagonally across the state to Clinton Township. The weather was much better for this traveling day. We arrived at the Schneider home and spent the evening playing a new game we got from Andrew's parents called Balderdash. The next morning, we woke up early and headed to Grandma M's house to take her out to breakfast and celebrate Christmas with her. Grandma can no longer see, so we got her a carved ebony elephant from South Africa as a gift. It was so neat to see her face light up when she recognized the shape of the animal and she was so appreciative of us thinking of the perfect gift for her. We we got home, later that morning, Kevin and Angela and Elizabeth arrived. We spent the afternoon with them and the rest of Kate's family (and G as well) talking, playing with the baby, and playing a new game Kevin had gotten (we sure do like to play games huh?). Mom made lasagna for dinner, and afterward we all exchanged gifts and had the annual Christmas stocking game (you have to guess what the wrapped gifts in your stocking are, whoever has the most points wins). Fun times, lots of laughter and smiles, and memories made. We headed home to Granville the next afternoon after church. It was great to be back home and back into the routine of life here.

Our families are such an important part of our lives, and we are so blessed to have such wonderful, loving, encouraging people who care about us. We thank the Lord for each of you for the impact you make in our lives!