Favorite Quotes

Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in a love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings, what you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.

 - Pedro Arrupe

My job... I believe, is to first just love people and gain that trust with people where they know that I really do love them and care about their well-being, so that when they are running into problems, they will hopefully, at some point, come to me and ask me, 'What is your peace all about? What is your comfort all about? Where do you get your love? Where do you get your talents?' And I can turn to them and say without blinking, 'Jesus Christ' 

- Zachary Levi

It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.

 - Leonardo da Vinci

I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles. 

- Audrey Hepburn

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:14-21

20 Things About Me

1. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I do not have music in my life, which breaks my heart a little.  When I say that I do not have music in my life, I mean that I am playing the piano or in a band. I miss playing piano more than I can say.  Sometimes, I will look at Craigslist and see all of the used pianos that people are just giving away and I dream about owning one.
2.  For the longest time, I thought that when I get a dog someday I would get a Golden Retriever.  They have been my love ever since we got our sweet Buddy.  However, at my church there is a chocolate lab puppy that the pastor's family is training for the Wounded Warrior program.  The eyes on that dog have me considering a chocolate lab.
3.  Tomorrow, I start a training clinic for the Tinman Triathlon.  I am simultaneously excited and so very nervous.  I think that the people in my training group are going to take one look at me and say, "Who let the novice in this group?"
4.  When I was in college we did a Meyers Briggs personality profile.  I so desperately wanted to be an extrovert that I chose the answers that I thought would make me an "E" on the profile type.  Even with doing that, I was a 50/50 split, making me an introvert.  Now that I am older and wiser, I know that the only way I can recharge is alone or in small groups.
5.  Recently, I have been having very vivid dreams... most of them involving submarines.
6.  The thing I dislike the most about living in Hawaii is the distance that it is from the mainland and my family.
7.  That being said, living in Hawaii has been a complete adventure, and I realize that I am being spoiled rotten with beautiful blue beaches and velvet green mountains.
8.  Furthermore, being so far away from family grew my relationship with A in wonderful ways.  No we are not engaged or married... but we are learning what it means to rely on each other fully.
9.  I could not be more proud of A as he serves our country.  He sacrifices so much which I take for granted - day light, personal space, fresh air, free time, being with friends and family to protect our country and liberty throughout the world.  He amazes me.  (and he's ridiculously smart)
10.  Yes, I am completely biased... but my family is amazing.  God blessed me beyond measure when he gave me my family.
11.  God used the love of my family to teach me about the beauty of living in community.  In the last 6 years I have lived in Houston, Connecticut, Kenya, and Honolulu.  In each place I have been given communities of wonderful friends, who become family.
12.  One of the best parts of being a grown up is drinking wine.  Especially red wines, from South America.
13.  God shows me over and over again that his plans are bigger than mine.
14. I hate that I constantly struggle with my weight.
15.  After the Honolulu marathon, I lost my big toe nail.  That was over 5 months ago.  My toe nail still doesn't look normal.
16.  I desperately want to have a clean, organized house.  Alas, I have yet to even remotely accomplish that goal
17.  Have you see the picture of otters holding hands?  I think it's precious.
18.  Although I am 28 years old, I still sleep with a teddy bear.  It's a Navy Bear that A gave me a couple of months after we started dating.
19.  Every night I tell myself that I'm going to bed early... every night I end up stay up late.
20.  I am an unabashed Apple fan.

31 Day Blog Challenge

For a while, I debated as to whether or not I should keep this blog going.  Primarily, I wondered if it was ego centric for me to write.  Blogs are by their very nature, an online public diary. I also wondered how much about my life I wanted posted on the blog (I saw that someone had found my blog by searching for my name and my job title... and to be completely honest, I don't really want my patients' to know this much about my life.  Thus, I pulled down just about everything with my name.  Although, if you still search for me by name and job title, you will get a hit for the blog)

Recently (aka yesterday) I decided to maintain this blog, to challenge myself as a writer.  I will never have the graceful poise of my sister in law, but I would like to be able to find the words to adequately describe a time or place or emotion without it sounding like a stumbling mess with too many ellipses.

To begin my adventure into writing, I will take on this 31 day blog challenge.

Source: fabfindsbynovembergirlxoxo.com via Anna on Pinterest

Without further to do, I bring you Day 1.

These two photos are a little over a month old.  Yes, I have some more recent photos, but these two make me the happiest.  They were taken in Japan, Yokosuka and Tokyo respectively.  The first was taken after the USS Columbus pulled into Yokosuka Naval Base for a port call on their Western Pacific Deployment.

The second, was taken the following night, at the New Sanno Hotel in Tokyo, Japan at the 112th Submarine Birthday Ball.

To introduce myself, I am:

A 28 year old physician assistant at a community healthy center.

An aspiring runner, triathlete, chef, baker, and seamstress.

Passionate about friendships and living in community

Daughter and sister.

Girlfriend to the most amazing man.

A redeemed and loved child of the King, with a burning fire to share His love.

Anniversaries

It's been 1 year.

1 year since I started working as a physician assistant.

Feeling completely terrified.

The change came without me noticing it...

But now when I walk into the patient's room, I am confident and generally speaking have an answer (or know where to look or who to ask for that answer).

It's been a year with ups and downs.

Too many cold and ear infections to count.

(and truthfully, a little too much chronic pain - my comment the other day was, "give me hypertension, diabetes, or a nice strep throat.  Anything but pain."

When I was in school, they told us that the first year would be the hardest.  

I certainly hope that is true.

 It's also been a year filled with commuting... I spend at least an hour and a half in the car every day.

Needless to say, I look for ways to pass the time.  In the mornings I try to call people on the mainland (typically my parents).  But the other times are filled with books on tape.  Over the year, I've listened to the entire Harry Potter series, Pride and Prejudice, and the Lord of the Rings Series.  I started with Harry Potter, and when the series ended, I felt like I was loosing a friend who had journeyed with me to work everyday.  If anyone had recommendations as to what to tackle next, they'd be greatly appreciated.

Yesterday was also the 112th Birthday of the Submarine Force in the US Navy.

Thought I'd take a minute to say happy birthday to the submarine force, and mention how proud I am of the men that protect us.

(especially my handsome sailor - yes, I am biased.)

Deployment Goals

After the boat left, and my tears stopped flowing quite so freely, I realized that I needed to find a way to make the deployment more manageable.  In my usual style, I decided that manageability would come more easily if I made a list of goals.  Truth be told, I've been making these goals for quite a while.  I'd think of something that I want to do and I'd look at Andrew and say, "I'm going to put that on my deployment goal list."  Eventually, Andrew looked at me and said, "Anna, you do realized that this is only one deployment, right?"  I've cut somethings off of the list, but as it stands, these are my deployment goals:

Spiritual

1.  Pray through the Psalms (and I think once the Psalms are over, I'm going to be working on the Pauline epistles)

2.  Restart and FINISH Beth Moore's "Believing God" Bible study.  I started this one over a year ago with some close friends, but never finished it.  

Work

1.  Get into the habit of finishing all my charts before I leave work.

2.  Read for work or CME at least 1 hour per week.

Physical

1.  Lose 38 pounds by the time the Columbus returns to port

2.  Run a 5K in < 30 minutes (this kinda goes along with it - but I really want to be a runner - I don't know how that involves this - but you get the picture)

3.  Complete the Whole 30 paleo program once

Hawaii

1.  Learn how to stand up paddle

2.  Hike crouching Lion

3.  Go surfing again - learn how to catch a wave on my own

Crafts

1.  Finish cross stitching 2 bibs

2.  Make Christmas stockings for myself and Andrew

3.  Learn how to make something on my sewing machine - I'm thinking an apron - definitely something without a zipper

Knowledge 

1.  Finish the "Coffee Break Espanol" podcast series to help brush up my spanish

2.  Read 6 classic novels 

Aloha Love

USS Columbus, SSN - 762

Departed for a Western Pacific Deployment

Click here for details from ComSubPac

OETERNAL Lord God, who alone spreadest out the heavens, and rulest the raging of the sea; Vouchsafe to take into thy almighty and most gracious protection our country’s Navy, and all who serve therein. Preserve them from the dangers of the sea, and from the violence of the enemy; that they may be a safeguard unto the United States of America, and a security for such as pass on the seas upon their lawful occasions; that the inhabitants of our land may in peace and quietness serve thee our God, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Lord God, our power evermore,

Whose arm doth reach the ocean floor,

Dive with our men beneath the sea;

Traverse the depths protectively.

O hear us when we pray, and keep

Them safe from peril in the deep.

28 before 28: Join a Church

When I moved to Hawaii at the end of March, I began to attend Good Shepherd Church with my cousins Karl & Ashley.

This past Sunday, I had the honor of joining the Good Shepherd ohana.

In Hawiian, ohana means family.  There's a Disney movie called Lilo and Stitch with the line, "Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind."  I have found that to be true at Good Shepherd.  They are all so welcoming and open.  It has blessed me more than I can say to grow closer to Christ in this community.    

The part of joining the church that made me feel the most welcome immediately followed the new member welcome.  The members of the church came to the front and welcomed us to the family with leis.  It blessed my heart more than I can say.