Tampa Vacation: My new love...

..our convertible! Kathy and I spent

a lot of time just enjoying the wind

in our hair, driving our PT Cruiser

convertible! It was fabulous! I'm

not a particular fan of a PT

Cruiser...but, I am a fan of any car

that is a convertible!! Here are some

pictures of our fun with our PT cruiser!

Please meet Mr. Gnome. This little character Kathy brings on every trip with her. He has been to the Bahamas, Aspen, Italy, Finland, and so many more places! Sadly, we didn't find Mr. Gnome until the day we left so we have only a few precious pictures of him!

STOPLIGHT!!

No time for a Chinese Fire Drill,

but QUICK! Snap a picture!

Tampa Vacation: Our Arrival

Here is stage one of my vacation pictures...don't worry, many more stages to come!! I haven't quite figured out how to best get my cropped/edited pictures into blogger so bear with me!

When we arrived to get our car, all the convertibles were MIA.

Never fear, we got our convertible PT Cruiser!
I highly recommend convertibles! It was so fun
to drive around Tampa with the top down! It
always made for interesting hair-dos but fun
none the less!!

Our condo was located on the second floor, the balconies
closest to the beach. We couldn't have had a better view!

This was the view off our condo balcony!

Here are Kathy and I, enjoying the fact that we are
finally on our vacation and don't have to think about
work for an entire week!!

Vacation & Cameras

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Kathy and I went to Indian Rocks Beach, Florida for a week vacation! (That's located in the Tampa area, on the gulf between St. Petersburg and Clearwater.) We had a condo that overlooked the gulf. It was beautiful and relaxing. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to take a vacation like this...to have the means to be able to go to the beach for a week of relaxation is such a blessing from the Lord!

Over the next several posts, I'll be sharing pictures and stories of our adventures in Florida. Until then, I will be working to understand this new digital camera I own. Yes, yes, I have finally joined the ranks of those with digital cameras (I understand I'm a bit behind the times!) and will finally be able to share with you pictures from what's going on in my life. This will certainly aid in sprucing up my blog in the weeks to come! But, for now, I'm just trying to learn how to edit and crop my pictures on my computer so if anyone has any great ideas on how to accomplish this somewhat easily, feel free to enlighten this ignorant digital camera user!!

Psalm 46

My heart is downtrodden today. In fact, I'm sitting in my office (actually, it's more like a closet!) at work trying to get myself composed enough to get back to work. It's been a very hard week in so many ways. My only comfort is that the Lord is my "refuge and my strength, a very present help in trouble..." So, if any of you are feeling discouraged, here's a Psalm to bring you comfort.


Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Let us not fear. God is our refuge and strength. Let us behold the works of the Lord today and remember His faithfulness throughout the generations.

Psalm 62

My soul, wait silently for God alone,

for my expectation is from Him.

He only is my rock and my salvation;

He is my defense;

I shall not be moved.

In God is my salvation and my glory;

The rock of my strength,

and my refuge, is in God.

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us. Selah

Psalm 62:5-8

The Lord's Faithfulness

I was recently reviewing some of my past posts and came across an entry from January discussing the fact that I was having to work some extra hours at work because of staffing shortages. Well, 6 months later the staffing shortage continues and I continue to put in a lot of hours but there is good news in the midst of it all.

It's been a time of growth for me, both spiritually and professionally. I've seen, again, the Lord's faithfulness in providing the strength I need to get through each day. Some days I have my doubts about my survival, but He hasn't let me down a single time! He is always faithful to provide the resources I need to get through the day.

Over the past months, as I've gone about the search for a new nurse, I've been reminded of how important it is to include the Lord in that decision making process. It can be so easy to be consumed with work and the secular modes of making decisions and recruiting staff. That process is soooo frustrating and after having hired and trained 2 nurses in the last 2 years, I was concerned about making sure the new hire would be an appropriate fit for our department, a fit that will result in a successful working relationship for all parties involved.

I've spent a lot of time praying for wisdom as I've interviewed various candidates. I prayed that I would find someone whose personality would fit with the team, who possesses an admirable work ethic, a team player, etc. I'm looking for a good employee. I prayed that the Lord would give me wisdom and discernment throughout the process.

He has been so faithful throughout the months of this process. There have been many wonderful candidates that have come along and for various reasons none of them have been able to accept the position. I've clung to the fact that the Lord is in control of this and when the time is right, He will bring someone along, the right someone that He wants me to work alongside.

And, He has answered my prayers. He has brought someone along that will be starting on Tuesday! I am so thankful to the Lord for providing and excited to begin to nurture this new working relationship! I am reminded that the Lord does not bring anyone along our path by accident and so I look forward to seeing what other exciting things He has in store in the months ahead!

Garage Sales--A New Perspective

A few weeks ago my mom, Tanya, and I had a garage sale in my little single car garage/driveway. It was a great opportunity to clear things out, to get rid of the "junk" I no longer needed so an unsuspecting stranger could find their very own "treasure"!

My dad watched as we all scrambled to get our items ready, to price them and set things up. He thought we were a bit insane to be going to so much trouble for what appeared to be so little reward in his eyes. But, we were having a great time!

Then, the garage sale bug caught my dad, although it was in a way I never suspected! He wandered to a neighbor's garage sale and saw a ten speed bike that was at least 20 years old. It was dirty, the handle bars were worn, the seat was hard as a rock (no kidding!) and the tires weren't even functional!! He bought it! Full price! Didn't even try to barter the guy down!! I watched in awe!!

And then my awe turned to complete disbelief! He walked the bike to my driveway and put it back up for sale, 3 houses down from where he just bought it!! He got one offer...for 15 dollars more than what he paid for it!!

Thanks to my dad, I now have a whole new perspective on garage sales!!