Changes

It is only at the point at which you believe your life can only slow down, that it speeds up at an inevitably fast pace.

I have finished one class.. after a minor mishap, I was able to turn in my final exam (I made a 96!!) and I have received an A in the course. One class down, one to go.

About two weeks ago my fellow Office Associate decided to quit. This has been my first week all alone, not to jinx it.. but it has been great. I told myself I would just have to work smarter not harder, and increase my efficiency. Until we hire a replacement I am working 6am-4pm. I am ready for school to be over, because then it won't be so draining.. but honestly.. I am still madly in love with how great my job is. My management team is the best, the way they value me, and how they relate to me. I appreciate them beyond words. My guys have been helpful too, and that is always nice. It hasn't always been this rosy, but we are back on the right track.

So that is me in a nutshell... I am working 50+ hours and trying to get out of school at an alarming rate. Like I said, just when you think things will slow down. HAH!

I am so thankful how well this is going, yet ready to be done with a few things. I need a few things in my life to move over to the complete pile. :)

Side note: If you are a regular reader and you are willing to pray, please pray for my friend Steph. She needs relief from the pain and healing if possible. Thank you.

Behind

I apologize for being really behind on posting a lot lately. There are so many things I wish to share however, my mood and my schedule keep me from doing that. In my busy life, when things get hectic... blogging is on the bottom of the list.. so, it goes first.

Anyways, today I am writing a quick post to ask my friends who read this to please pray for me. I posted a few weeks ago about a friend of mine who is very sick... and well, the severity of the issue is just bogging us all down.

This weekend I travelled home to spend time with my family, and she and I made plans to meet up Saturday afternoon for a chat.

When the weekend came, she was way too sick, and I didn't want to bother her, or be in the way. Naturally, it upsets her when she is unable to spend time with friends because she is so sick... So, I just took a little package and left it at her house for her while she was at the hospital and prayed, hard.

It greatly hurt me as well, I haven't been able to see her since around Thanksgiving... and I deeply miss our chats, her laugh and the wisdom we pass between each other as we share our struggles and discuss life as we know it...

It is the hardest part about coming to Tuscaloosa... knowing how truly far away I am from every one of my friends... It hurts me so much, to be needed, and be away...

Anyways, I will spare you the details.. I know we all have our various troubles. As you go through the week I ask you to be in prayer for me, as well as my friend. Thanks to each of you.

Hurting for a friend

My friend Stephanie is very sick... and has been for quite some time, since 2007 to be exact. Steph is a good faker, and has been able to keep quite about her troubles from most of the world.. until now.

Please pray for my friend Stephanie. She keeps a blog about her perseverance through the pain and now she is at the Mayo Clinic hoping the doctors there can give her answers.

A short background:
In March 2007, Stephanie began experiencing nausea - initially, we thought it was a stomach virus but the nausea has never gone away. She has had nausea 24 hours a day since. In March 2009, she began to throw up every day. She was diagnosed with mild gastroparesis but we were told it did not explain the severity of her symptoms. In 2010 we discovered Dr Thomas Abell at University Hospital in Jackson, MS. He was the first doctor that validated her symptoms and recommended installation of a gastric pace maker. We had that procedure in December 2010. Unfortunately, the pace maker did not work for Steph so in August of 2011 we had it removed. In the process we also learned that she has neuropathy in the nerves in her stomach. The surgeries seemed to escalate her condition and now she experiences intense pain almost on a daily basis. We began to seek additional insight into her situation by seeing as many different doctors as we could. We ultimately asked for a referral to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and are truly hopeful all the pieces of the puzzle will be assembled here.

For additional information on Stephanie's journey, you can go to her blog at steff-perseverance.blogspot.com/

Have you ever went to a friends house, just praying they were having a good day? Have you ever held a friend while their body was violently shaking, and she was crying out in pain.... These are things I never wish you have to experience, and I hope that with the help of the Doctors, my friend Stephanie can find relief from.

It is hard, as a high schooler and college student not to hang out with friends because you are in such great pain...

As I cry out to the Lord many times for my friend, begging Him to heal her, or to give her some relief... I have become weary. We are all weary for answers, and her illness is the worst that it has ever been. When I want to chat with my friend about her upcoming wedding, the pain looms in the background.

Lord, please heal my friend, if it be your will. If not, please give us comfort and answers.... Teach us to make the most of this. Strengthen us, guide us... lead us, help up to understand. Lord... help my friend.

Proverbs 3:5-6

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.