Fashion vs. Keeping All My Fingers&Toes.

It's 1:15 am Wednesday morning and I'm packing..err...was packing for my trip to NEEEWWW YORK concrete jungle WHERE DREAMS ARE MADE OF(who doesn't do that eveytime they say "new york" now?)...but I decided to take a break from the headache to blog. Blogging wasn't my first thought. I really just wanted my nightly chocolate ice cream but when I sat to eat it I thought maybe this was a good time to share my situation(to all two of my friends who read this--whom I've already texted about my situation).

So, here's my delimma: I want to attempt to dress cute in NYC, I want to fit it all in one suitcase, but I want to stay WARM, ergo, I want to take all my jackets. The problem is the number of jackets I feel I need for each outfit don't want to fit in the suitcase. So, I guess it comes down to do I want to blend in with the fashiony ppl or do I want to keep all my appendages? Although, Southwest bags DO fly FREE so I could have more than one bag....but who really wants to be that girl that has to go to baggage pick up when all her friends don't? Hmm....so you see why I have a headache. 

Anyway, good news: I got called off work on Christmas! yea! I got to spend the night with my family, then see my lifetime(not the tv network) girl friends, then hang with Miss Kara and MH! It was a fun, unexpected Christmas present from the PCICU. However, I was soon back to work. I spent the last two nights with my sweet little patient, "Bubba". Now, I'm off for one day and then head to the great state of New York!

While packing for NYC I couldn't help but think about the next time I'll be packing for a trip. Weird, I know. If the packing is stressing me out so much why would I even want to think about the next time I have to pack? Well, it was more like I wondered where I may be going next, for how long, how far, and if I need to get a larger suitcase. I didn't have to wonder long cuz I actually have an idea of where it will be, when it will be, who it will be with, and what size suitcase I'll need. I suppose I'll fill you in on my next adventure (although, I do hope there's more in between). 

In July I hope to go to Africa. Pshyea, I know. When I was a freshman in college I started hearing about the Invisible Children. I remember some people came to host a convocation about the Invisible Children in northern Uganda and I bought the documentary to check it out. It opened my eyes to hate in this world I never knew existed. I'd heard about poverty, war, and genocide but this really brought it to me. Three guys from Cali risked their lives to document the conflict b/t the government officials and the rebel army. They spent nights with the very children that were hiding from the rebels so they wouldn't abduct them and train them to to do evil. Ever since then my desire for mission work with children has grown-- Especially missions in Africa. Is it weird to say that much hatred has inspired me? I think you know what I mean. I've always prayed for the opportunity to present itself when God felt I was most ready. James 1:27  says " Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the word". If you say so, God! I am in a place in my life that I can do this. It will take time, it will take money, it will take a giant leap of faith but I know God will provide.  Like I said in my first post, this blog is meant to hold me accountable. I've been too comfortable in my bubble and I'm making strides to get out of this comfort zone. I'm pretty sure Africa falls under the umbrella of "outside my bubble". 

The deets, you may ask....this all came together one night when my good friend Kara and I were discussing our faith and how we have so much room to grow. We talked about needing a radical change and wanting to experience something drastically different from our day-to-day life. Turns out, Kara had been praying a lot about mission work as well and she discovered a non-profit organization called Visiting Orphans through a friend of hers. So, God willing, July14-27 we are planning on going to Uganda and Ghana. I'm continuing to pray for the courage, wisdom, time from work, and the finances among many other things to make this possible. Please pray, too! and if you feel a calling to go then holler at me! The more the merrier!

Now that I've shared with you what my next big move is I should probably finish packing cuz my plane leaves in like 8 hours. Thanks for listening, praying, encouraging!

Merry Christmas from the PCICU!

As much as I'd love to be home with my family for the holidays I can't help but be happy that I'm here, at work, too. I was super bummed and being all mopey like "pity me I have to work on xmas eve"...but then, I heard Santa coming. I knew it was him b/c I heard his sleigh bells. They weren't on his sleigh, he'd taken them off to come inside the PCICU. He claimed it was a health violation to bring the reindeer on the unit but I don't know if I buy it. There's a reason Santa is so fat and it's not just cuz he eats billions of cookies on christmas--he's lazy. Anyway, Santa lifted my spirits about 25%. There was still 75% to account for.

Santa made his rounds through the unit giving presents to all the boys and girls spending the evening here. Then, Santa made his final stop. My patients room. We'll call him Bubba for HIPPA purposes. I was so excited for Bubba to meet Santa! I couldn't help but think Man, he actually gets to SEE Saint Nick! what other kids can grow up to say that? awesomesauce!  

As Santa walks up to his room a crowd of co-workers gathers behind him to catch Bubba's reaction when the two see eachother. So, I draw back the curtains and there is Bubba!....asleep. Juuust snoozzzing. Now, if you know this child, you know he NEVER sleeps!! What are the odds? So the pressure was on. I had to do something! Now, this might've been a little rude but I had Santa jingle his sleigh bells real loud and within a second Bubba's eyes SHOT OPEN and scanned the room! Then he caught a glimpse of the big red man in the door and starred at him contently as if thinking "I don't see many men with white hair on their faces and red caps on their head but IIII LIKE it!!" Bub then raised his hand up slowly and waved at Santa Claus with his chubby, warm, pink hands. Santa waved back with a grin and gave him his gifts. Then, as a thank you, sweet Bubba smacked his lips together to blow the Santy Man a big fat kiss. My heart just melted. Unfortunately, S.C. missed it. So, I said "can you blow another kiss!!??". Welp, apparently not. He shook his head no and cried. You see, Bubba only has so many kisses he can give away on certain days. Today he only had one kiss reserved and it was for Santa. Sorry, man in the sleigh, but maybe next year...

Needless to say, the other 75% was not only fufilled but exceeded. I'm so blessed to know and love this miracle child. The patients here, this one in particular, are a reminder to us all to keep fighting, keep smiling, keep playing, keep loving. It's almost a new year so we can all strive to be as awesome as these little babes for 2011!

It's time to watch Frosty the Snowman. Catch you on the flipside. Merry Christmas and don't forget: Jesus is the Reason for the Season! God Bless!

The Virgin Blogger

I'm not gonna lie to you, b/c that's a terrible first impression, but I've never been a fan of blogging....until I started working night shift and am up at unhuman-like hours and get real bored. First, I gave in to Twitter. I was probably the first person to ever say "I refuse to get that tweeter thang it's the dumbest idea I've ever heard of"....and then, as you can see, I folded on the blogging trend. So, here I am. 2:41am. I just finished putting together a Christmas gift to a dear friend who's changed my life a lot in recent months. Very cool how that happens. I'll get into that later.

So, now that you understand I'm really good at giving into the latest internet trends(yes, I realize blogging is a more 'old school' trend but new to me?) I guess I'll start with who I am and what I want to accomplish with this blog. Then I'll just talk about my family and friends b/c quite frankly I'm probably the least entertaining blogger you'll ever encounter. Please excuse my grammatical grammers. My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Pitts, tried so hard with those sentence diagrams but I just couldn't wrap my head around it. 

My names Anna. You can call me....Anna. It works well. My parents called me that when I was born and it stuck? If you can think of anything better that's not crude, rude, or just dumb feel free to do that. The present day I am a nurse at Vanderbilt Children's hospital in the Cardiac ICU. I've been there for almost a year now and, still, every time I say it I feel so blessed to not only have a job but to have the job of my dreams. You know, the funny thing about my last statement is I really never dreamt about being a nurse in the PCICU but alas, I am. It wasn't 'til I got there that I realized this was what I'd been searching for all along. I guess God thought it would be more fun to surprise me than give me a heads up. Side note: I'm really glad there's spell check on here. Nonetheless, I'm very lucky and couldn't imagine not working with my little heart babies. I'll tell you more about my life later...

My mission for this blog is for you to hold me accountable. For so long I've had thoughts, ideas, interests, etc. and kept them to myself, or maybe even told my mom once or twice, but they never came to fruition. No more straddle the fence on this stuff anymore. So, here it is: My number ONE mission is to be a servant for Jesus Christ. Mission number two is figuring out how I can do that. Mission number three is, welp, doing it. Mission number four is sharing it. Enter scene: blogspot. yea! 

As ppl get to know me they find that I am a very habitual human being. I like my comfort zones. I like where I am and I absolutely do not like change. I think growing up in the same house, city, school system, friend network my whole life instilled that in me. I realize God has called me to serve in Nashville at Vanderbilt but I also feel a calling for even more...even further. In order to break my cycle of comfort I'm stepping outside my bubble...one small step at a time...It started when I switched churches. I LOVED the church I used to attend and thought the pastor was an amazing person but my heart was uneasy. I didn't feel like I fit in and even more importantly I didn't have the desire to. I pretty much went to church by myself for 2 years. I invited ppl and some would come, others decided not to, but I didn't pursue them as I should've. After much prayer and talking with close friends I decided to look for a new church home. I was almost embarrassed to admit that for awhile. I mean, I've lived her my entire life and I'm looking for a church family? Shouldn't that be established by now? Well, not necessarily. I need something different. I've grown; I've changed.

I'm now attending Brentwood Baptist church on Sundays and Tuesdays(Kairos). Just this past Tuesday I talked to a girl about her "20 somethings" sunday school class. Well, alright! I do believe I'll give it a go. Making this switch has been so awesome. I've got a core group of friends that attend with me and I feel like I'm where God was telling me I should be. I love my old church but I had to move on. All this to say, I'm listening and I'm trying to make changes to further my spiritual walk with Christ. I find the more I pray, the more I hear, the more I desire to do, and it becomes this fun cycle of living out God's will. Paul says to the Jews and Gentiles of Rome in Romans 12:1-2:


"¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Has anyone ever told you Paul knows what's up? Ok, well, I am. He's baller. God speaks so much truth through paul. Everytime I read it it's like a pep talk. Ok so anyway. Thanks for listening to me ramble. This is just the start...


Over-n-out