Well, as some of you know, about 6 months ago I was diagnosed with gluten intolerance/celiac disease. This is a genetic and autoimmune disorder that does not allow my body to digest wheat, rye, barley and some other grains. (More info here: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/celiac-disease/celiac-disease-topic-overview) This has eliminated about 90% of all food that I used to consume and has made cooking and eating quite an adjustment. It is difficult for me to eat a lot of "casserole type" foods due to the fillers. One of those things that is now a no-no for me is turkey's greatest companion: dressing! So.... in order for me not to miss out on one of the critical elements of this day of giving thanks, my precious mother (who hates to cook) stayed up all night last night making dressing with NO wheat/gluten! She made sure to include only ingredients that I could eat. Thanks Mama! It wouldn't have been Thanksgiving without the dressing! It turned out GREAT and I had to get a picture of her with her prized recipe! Isn't she adorable?
Life in College Station is…..sweet, beautiful, gorgeous, awesome.
I am loving being in this town. Work is busy and challenging at times, but overall it is really great. I am so blessed to not only have found my calling, but that God has given me the strength to pursue it. We have established a routine which is nice. I have been cooking pretty much every night and we haven’t had fast food in months. It feels good. I have been taking a jazz class which has been very fun. I was really missing dance, so it’s nice to be able to go for an hour and a half each week. There is a great park right by our house with tennis courts, a pool and a walking track, so we have been spending a lot of time there. Mark is making some big changes as far as further education and career and we are looking forward to what unfolds in that area. My family is here and I get to see my nephew all the time which is truly one of the best things about being here. I love hanging out with the little guy. His sweet spirit refreshes me.
We have been here for six months and still have not found a church. But we haven’t really been looking. And to be really honest; it doesn’t bother me one bit that we don’t have a “church home”. There are people that say we should, and there are plenty of people who have invited us, but how do I tell them that I am not interested!?! I am not sure why we have not been in a hurry to find a church. Maybe it’s because we loved our last church so much that we don’t think anything else can compare. Maybe it’s because we are afraid of getting sucked into “serving” way more than we want to. Maybe I like spending Sunday mornings with my man. Whatever it is, I haven’t figured it out. But…I think it’s ok. I know that it will come in time. I think God understands. He knows my heart is still His.
In other news: my Christmas shopping is done and my tree is UP! :-)
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Yesterday Mark and I celebrated our three year anniversary. It is hard to believe that three years have already passed. Sometimes it seems like it's been forever, and other times it feels like just yesterday we were at the altar making that sacred promise to each other. We had a great night last night on our anniversary date, reminiscing about our life together thus far and dreaming of what's to come (no babies yet :-). There is nothing better than going through life with my love and very best friend by my side, and I am so honored to share my life with such an incredible man.
Thank you Mark for always being so amazingly supportive of me, for choosing to love me every day (even though some days are easier than others :-), for always letting me know that you love me, for desiring to honor your Lord with your life and through our marriage, for serving me continuously and wholeheartedly always, for being my best friend, for putting our marriage first, and for being selfless no matter what. I am grateful for the last three years and am looking forward to many more anniversaries with you. I love you forever.
Falling asleep in the arms of my love
The perfect cup of coffee
Breakfast with my dad
A phone call from an old friend
Helping and loving people every day
A long relaxing bath
A new hair cut and color
Sitting on the front porch in the rocking chairs with my grandparents at their house
Not having anything to do on a weekend afternoon
Gifts left in my room by my mom when I come home
Being in the same town as my family
What a sweet life. Thank you Jesus.
We have breakfast for dinner on Sunday nights. Tonight we had link sausage and eggs and I made pancakes for Mark. He told me to make them "reeeally reeeally light brown." That's how he likes them. I am not really sure how this tradition started, but we have been doing it since we first got married.
We also have hamburgers every Saturday night. This tradition goes all the way back to when Mark's dad was growing up. They had them every Saturday when he was little, and then he continued the tradition on to his family and then Mark and I have continued it also. I know it's kind of weird to have your weekend meals planned out like that, but it really does make for a more relaxing weekend.
Another tradition we have is that we have date night every Friday (that is when we are in town). I wonder if this will continue when we have kids? I hope!
One fun Schinzler tradition is that on the first or second weekend in August a whole bunch of us go down to Rockport for the weekend. We fish and go to the beach and swim and EAT. Tons of fun. The first time I went Mark and I had been married for three weeks and we slept in a twin bed together!
A fun tradition that we had when I was growing up is that the night before Easter, my brother and I would go in the backyard and pick a whole bunch of grass and bring it in to make a nest for the Easter bunny. Mark and I still do this too!
And alas, Mrs. Hinojosa, if you read this, you will be happy to know that we have followed in y'alls footsteps and make sure to keep our tradition of Sunday "naps" :-)
What are your traditions?
And those 3 or 4 of you, (you know who you are) who tell me all the time that you read my blog, time for you to give some input! I want to hear your traditions too :-)
A solid two months since I have blogged...I feel as though that some sort of indication of how my life has been lately. I have had no time. No time to journal, or gather my thoughts. No time to do what I want to do. No time to just sit. I am truly not trying to be a complainer but I feel very overwhelmed lately by the feeling that my life is being dictated by a clock and a calendar. There is always some where to be or something that needs to be done. I am struggling to be a good student, good wife, good church member, good servant, good family member, and good friend. And I feel like between all of these, I am being pulled in so many directions. My weekdays start at 5a.m. and my weeknights and even weekends are completely devoted to studying. Mark and I have tried to reserve Fridays for date night, which has worked pretty well up until we had to be out of town every weekend in March. And my inability to say No has turned my Saturdays into major chaos because on top of having to study, I commit myself to other things whether it be friends, church or family. Then my Saturdays end up being non-stop because I am squeezing so much into one day. And Sundays....well of course are church, then lunch, then nap then study. So those days are pretty much routinely full. All of this and I don't even have kids! Jesus help me! What will I do when those little munchkins come along? I know that I am in a season right now and that in 22 days when school is over, that will be a major time constraint that will be lifted. But for now, I'm tired. Drained. In every way. These past two months have been quite a whirlwind. I have had a Grandfather have major back surgery, a Grandmother in ICU, a mother have two hospital visits, a step-aunt commit suicide and a family dealing with the effects of it, a husband have a "scare" with some health issues, and did I mention that I am trying to make it through 4 more weeks of nursing school? I guess I just feel like I have a lot on me right now, and maybe a little frustrated because I feel like some people in my life don't understand the load I am carrying. It might not sound like a lot to some people, and maybe I'm a whiner. Maybe I am just a big fat wimp. Maybe I am being selfish. Maybe I just need to seek my Lord and the greater purpose in all of this. Life has been crazy, scary, hard, heavy, tricky, challenging, demanding, testy, tough. Help me Lord to find joy in the journey.
On a positive note, there was some fun in the month of March. My beautiful, dear, red-headed, life long friend Brooke got married and I was honored to stand with her on that day. Then two weeks later I got to go to Indiana to see my precious and sweet and pregnant friend Barbie. We shared in her baby shower with her and I am so grateful that we got to do that. It was nice to be able to get away for the weekend and to spend some much needed time with her.
Thank you Lord that even though I don't always see it, you have given me an abundant life!
What does it truly mean to be in this world and not of it?
I mean yeah, I guess you could say I’m different… People know that I go to church on Sundays, and that I don’t curse, and that I have an awesome relationship with my husband. But do they know that all of these are an amazing result of my relationship with my beautiful Savior? Do they know that it is because of what he has done in my life? Do they know it’s because of my desire to serve Him and be a good reflection of Him? Just because I don’t participate in all of the things that other people do, does that mean that I am truly being righteous? Because right now, to me, I am just different. I am constantly surrounded by people who care about all the “stuff.” People who don’t care so much about going to church as much as they do about what they are going to wear to church. Instead of clothing themselves with humility, they are clothing themselves with Abercrombie, Gap, and Express. People who pay thousands of dollars to try to look like the girl on the cover of the magazine. Since when is being a beautiful child of the King not enough? People who find it necessary to let everyone know their financial status. Store up your treasures in Heaven.
The problem is, is that it is so easy to get sucked into. And I have to admit; at times I have been guilty of all of these things. So what do I do? Where do I draw the line? Is it ok to want something nice every now and then? Is it ok to go and get a new hair cut and want to look nice because it makes me feel good? Is it ok to bless someone financially even if it means people will know how much you gave? This is a tough issue for me lately. I feel like I have been drowning in people who desire the things of the world. And although sometimes I crave those things, I don’t want to be pulled in to this greedy existance. I want to influence the world, not let it influence me. What I really desire are the things of God. I want to invest in the things of Eternity. So what does this look like? I don’t think I really need straight answers. I think the bottom line is that I need to continue to seek to be like my Lord. When people look at me, I want them to see HIM.
Lord teach me what it means to be righteous. Teach me what it means to be like you even when I feel like I am in a world where it is so hard not to be.
wow....it's been a while, but i have been really sick with green stuff coming out of my mouth, nose, and even my eyes...so my new years consisted of a date with my husband and couch, a bunless boca burger, a toast with crystal light in a plastic champagne glass and in bed by 10:30!
but...happy new year everyone!
So I am actually really enjoying the cold weather.EXCEPT when I get up with the morning. Because our house is on pier and beam foundation (blocks), that cold air likes to come right up through the floor. We only have a heater in our bedroom and living room, and we keep the one in the living room off at night. In the mornings, it has been so cold in the rest of the house that it literally hurts to walk on the floor barefoot. Good thing I have some old lady house slippers! Our bathroom gets especially cold also. Can you imagine getting out of the shower, and stepping into a freezing room? So what did I do? I bought a space heater. I love my space heater. Not only because of the warmth it gives me, but because of the memories it brings also....
When I was little my Mimi lived in the same kind of house we did, except for hers was about 4 times bigger. I used to love to stay with her when it was cold because it meant that we got to use the space heater when we took a bath. She would go upstairs and turn it on a few minutes before I got in there, and by the time it was time for me to take a bath, the bathroom was nice and toasty. I LOVED IT. The best part was, when I got out of the tub, I did not even have to think about being cold. I would just stand there in front of that heater and let it dry me off. And then I would sit in that bathroom and be warm until she forced me out! I loved the way standing in front of that heater felt...
I kind of do the same thing now. When I get out of the shower, I love to stand in front of my space heater and just be warm. Oh the little things in life that bring me pleasure. Thank you Lord that I have a way to get warm when it is cold.
Finals are this week.......2 tomorrow, 2 Thursday, and 1 Friday....I can make it....then what?!
Dinner and drinks at Saltgrass!
I know that Thanksgiving in still two days away, but as the holiday approaches, I am reminded of all the things I have for which to give thanks....
I am thankful for:
-My two precious, cute, sweet but needy puppies who love to cuddle.
-My more awesome than words could describe husband who truly knows how to love not only me, but everyone unconditionally.
-Getting notes from him that say:
-My amazing family who continues to love and support me in every way.
-My 100% adorable nephew who is healthy and full of life and brings so much joy to our family.
-Stellar friends who continue to encourage, challenge, and build me up.
-The person who created flip flops.
-The unique opportunity that the Lord has given me to serve others through becoming a nurse and the way He has increased my faith in the process.
-A place to rest my head each night that I can call my home.
-Food on my table every day.
-A life of abundance that I do not deserve but receive because of God's mercy and grace.
-His faithfulness in my faithlessness, His strength in my weakness and His joy in my sorrow.
-Being called a Child of God!
"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." -1 Thessalonians 5:18
Dear Friends-
I pray that you will have a blessed thanksgiving. May we all always remember all the great things the Father has done for us.
What are you thankful for?
Well if you do, then just take these two crazy, hyper, a.d.d, anxious jack russell terriers out for a "walk". It is insane. For the past few weeks we have been walking and taking them with us. Mark usually walks one, and I usually walk one, so it is pretty easy. Well the past 3 days, Mark has had to work late, so I have had to take both of them by myself. I thought about just taking one, but I just couldn't do it. I felt bad leaving one behind. You would have thought that I learned my lesson after the first day of the madness, but I guess I thought it would get better. My "walk" quickly turns into a run most of the time. So hey, at least I am getting some good cardio in?!
They sure are cute though aren't they?!
Along this road that they call life, I have encountered a violent storm. Not only does its thunder shake the windows of my heart, but its winds stir up every deepest part of my being. Last Tuesday marked the year anniversary that my dear cousin lost her life in a very tragic car accident. And no, there was not even a drunk driver involved. Just an eighteen wheeler and lots of rain.
24 years is all we got before the Lord decided to take her home.
I remember Mark coming to my office to tell me the news. I remember my amazing friend coming to my house to help me pack and then leave her four kids at home to drive me to College Station. I remember getting there and going to my aunt and uncle's house where my whole family was gathered and in shock. I mostly remember the next morning going to the funeral home with my family and watching my aunt and uncle make arrangements to bury their 24 year old daughter. I remember them asking us questions and all of us trying to keep it together enough to plan a funeral. I remember picking out a casket. I remember thinking that no one should ever have to do this.
Her real name was Kathleen but to us, she was and has always been just Katie. And that is exactly what she was…just Katie. And that is what I loved about her. One of the most simplistic people you could ever know. What you saw is what you got. She didn’t try to be something she wasn’t, and she definitely never sugar coated anything. She said it like it was. If you wanted to know the truth, you just asked Katie! And it didn’t matter what you thought, because she didn’t care. She was full of life and enthusiasm. She traveled lightly through this world because money and material things were not important to her. What was important to her though was people. She loved people, especially kids and her family. She was an awesome example of a true servant. She was always the first to want to help others. She loved to laugh. Her dream was to become a nurse; that is something she wanted so badly. It is actually something we have both dreamed of. We used to joke about who would finish first since we were both taking an abnormally long time to get through school.
I got accepted to nursing school two months after she died.
An extra special blessing for me because I feel privileged to finish the race that was set out for us both. This is what we both wanted, and I get to do it. But there are some days when I want to just pick up the phone and call her. And I almost did. I want to tell her how we were supposed to do this together and how I don’t want to do this without her. I want to tell her how I think of her every day when I am caring for my patients and how her memory lives on inside of me because of the example she set for me that I get to imitate daily.
Precious Katie, how I long for you to still be here, how I cry for you to come and sit with me, and come talk with me, and come laugh that hearty laugh with me. My heart aches because I want you here, but my soul rejoices for you because you are now face to face with our beautiful Savior. I think about how much I miss you and I start to feel sorry for myself. But then I think about everyone who never got a chance to meet you, and I feel sorry for them. My wonderful, exuberant, larger than life cousin who graced this earth with her presence for 24 beautiful years. I love you and miss you every day.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. –Psalm 139:16
Though yours came sooner than anyone expected or hoped, I will not ask why. I will cling to the promise and privilege of being part of a greater plan. I look forward to seeing you again someday.
Katie V. Young
You are always in my heart…
100% chance of rain today. it's gonna be a long yucky day. i wish i could stay at home curled up under a blanket with my husband drinking our homeade hot chocolate and then sleeping...
It all started on Wednesday night when I woke up vomiting. I'm not sure if it was a virus, or the taco salad I had for lunch, but whatever it was, it kept me in bed and away from clinical all day Thursday. Then on Friday when I went back to class, I got accused of doing something on Thursday that I didn't do because I WASN'T THERE. And the chick who did do it totally didn't fess up. Then this morning I woke up with a lengthy list of things to do. One of them being driving all around Sugar Land to get stuff together for a basket that our Sunday school class is putting together to auction off. How am I always the one to get put in charge of these things? Anyway, I didn't want this project to be an all day affair, but wouldn't you know it was. One of my last stops was good ole' Wal Mart. I had been in there for about 45 minutes and went up to the front to pay. Yep, you guessed it. I forgot something! So after I spent way more than I needed to, I walked all the way to the back of the store to get what I came for in the first place. Then on my way out, with a cart full of stuff I stopped by the vision center to get some more contacts. "Please sit down." They say. I can handle it I guess. Hopefully my milk and hamburger meat can too. Then I give them my name and they tell me they don't have me in their system. Of course you don't! Then I remembered that I ordered them from Sam's, right next door. So after contemplating whether or not I should bring the cold stuff home and come back, I decide that the groceries can make it for an extra five minutes. I race out to the car and apparently the cart decided to stop at the car before I did because I stubbed my toe big time. In major pain, I proceed to make it to Sam's and I give them my name and they tell me that they don't have my kind in. Well why would you??? They tell me they can order them and it will be 6-7 days. I am on my last pair of contacts, one which has a scratch (hence me coming to get more). I don't have 6-7 days! So, I opt for the "step up" from the ones I wear and spend 40 bucks on contacts that I don't even like! Then when I am half way out the door, the chick standing there tells me "Ma'am this is the entrance. The exit is over there and you have to go out that way." Since when have people been that adament about which door to go in?! I had no idea it was that serious, but today just happens to be the day that it would be.
Maybe God just wants me to slow down a bit.
Moral of the story, don't mix up the entrance and exit, don't forget to actually look at your list when you are at Wal Mart, and I think my toe is broken.
God is still Good. All the time.
my man. he is in the living room listening to the ipod, playing the piano and belting out some tunes. it's so funny when he gets so into it because he forgets that anyone else is around. he thinks i am in the computer room studying, but i am listening to his awesome voice. i used to wish i could sing like him, but then i realized that if i could, i would be able to enjoy hearing him. what a blessing.
Clinicals: That time in nursing school where you become the bottom of the food chain, the last on the totem pole; the time where you have to wake up way before anyone should have to wake up so that you can get your "hands on" training. You hope that someone will be so gracious as to let you follow them around without losing all of their insanity because of all of the questions you have. But I completely love it.
Let me tell you, the worst part of clinicals is having to get up at 4:30. That's right. 4:30A.M.. If you know me, you probably don't believe that I get up that early. But it's true. I do. On my first day when that alarm clock went off, I sat up in bed and my first thought was, "O.K. I am pretty sure that there are only two other people awake at this hour: God, and my PawPaw." And out of the two, I really needed one of them to give me a push. So, I said "God if you could just give me a little extra strenth to stay awake today that would be great." In spite of my serious lack of sleep, I got out of bed, put on my scrubs and managed to make it to clinical.
But, when I got to that clinical site, the fact that i am not a morning person and that I was awake before the sun, and that I needed about 4 cups of coffee just to stay awake totally disappears. What becomes more important are the people who need care. And not just physical care; Emotional care too. These are people who have no one. They may have gone months without anyone coming to see them, or they might not even have anyone left to come and see them. Health care is quite an interesting thing, because it goes far beyond just treating someone for an illness. It is about ensuring people's all around well being. It is being there to talk to them, or giving them a hug or smile when what they are really there for is dementia, or inability to care for themselves, or a severe wound. Because even though on paper, what they need is medication, or therapy, or a dressing change, what they really want is to be loved by someone and to know that someone cares. You see, nursing truly is a ministry. And I really beg to differ with anyone who disagrees. There are many who try to separate nursing from Christianity, but it is my simple opinion that it is just not possible. I love that you can make someone's day by smiling that them, or taking two seconds to sit with them at a meal, or make their whole week just by bringing them a cup of coffee to their room. I love that I get to love people.
"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." - 1 John 4:11-12
Dear Jesus, thank you for the absolute privilege of getting to make a career out of showing people your perfect love. I pray that everyday I will be able to put my desires aside to be able to give to those who need love the most. And I pray that each day that they would get to see You, not because of me, but because of what You have done through me.
well round one of tests came and went. and they all came on THE SAME DAY. i kept thinking to myself: who in the world gives three tests on the dame day? and then i thought to myself...oh duh, nursing school professors. the worst part about it is that anything below an 80 is considered failing in this program, SO, you must do well. this is why we lost nine people last semester. they all "failed" with 70 somethings. yikes. scary.
well, i was pleased because i got high Bs on all three tests. not great, but not horrible consiserding there were no more than 3 As on each of them. I'll take it!
time to get back to studying for monday's test. nope. they never end. i'm definitely back in full swing. and i know how to give injections now too.
well i got to study all day while mark worked on the kitchen. he took a rather long break though. he came and laid on the couch with his head in my lap. i studied and he watched maury povich and laughed hysterically at it and then fell asleep. i continued to study while he used my leg as a pillow.
i love my life.
