Justison Christmas :)

So, Andy is at work today and I'm busy finding that one last item...and wrapping lots of stuff. We decided to have "our Christmas" last night. Tonight we're traveling to Anderson so we can see each of our families for the holiday -the Justisons on Saturday and the Woodrings on Sunday. So, we're keeping busy....but it's been fun. I decided that I wanted to have a party last night...so, I made "party" food and waited for my husband to arrive. He was excited (and surprised) when he came home...after looking at the food, he was convinced I'd invited other people and had them hiding in the basement. But no, it was just us. And we had fun. Here are just a few pictures of our first Christmas together :)

Busy....but Happy :)

So, it's been nearly a week since I posted last. That's probably got a lot to do with the fact that I've been working a lot more recently. I tried to fit in most of my hours at the beginning of the schedule so that I could have a nice break for Christmas. So, I've seen a lot of Deaconess lately.

If you've kept up with Andy's blog at all you probably know what I've been up to. Friday night we stayed up for a little while trying to work on some of the video stuff for the kid's Christmas play at church (and by "we" I mean, andy worked while I watched). Then we got up the next morning to try and take cookies to our neighbors -unsuccessful. We then headed on a 1 1/2 hour road trip to watch a basketball game -a family from church (that we love) invited us. It was an awesome game, went into overtime. Unfortunately, our team lost.

Then, we headed back to Evansville to do the Christmas play practice...it went okay, just a little long. Then Sunday morning services went fine....Sunday night was the big play though :) The kids did wonderful...but I doubt that anyone was able to record the entire play....because it lasted TWO HOURS LONG!!!

So, in essence that's what I've been doing for the past few days....we did finally mail some Christmas cards and Christmas presents. I'm finally done with work until 2006....and I'm quite happy with everything right now. I'm excited to see family (and friends) and slightly sad that I know it's going to pass by so incredibly quickly.

Christmas Cookies...

So, I worked last night and my legs aren't letting me forget it. I came home...very cold rain, but no snow or freezing rain. I slept for a little bit, until Andy woke me up to tell me he was leaving for work- just a little early today because they called him in. So, I got up waved good-bye and ate some cereal. Since then I've been trying to create Christmas cookies...and I thought maybe I'd share some pictures of the end results...it was fun and I feel good about making them because I can see that I've done something (not just sleeping the day away) and I don't feel too tired. All in all, that's very happy.

SNOW!!!

so, this morning we had a few flurries of snow. But, just a little while ago the snow started falling big. The ground is already covered and the roads are getting a little messy. Andy just left for work -I hope that he has fun...but I'm staying inside the warm, cozy house. Here are some pics that I just ran outside and took of our first snow in our new home!!!

Tree Hunting...

Well today was the day. The day that we went tree shopping. I've been looking forward to this day for quite some time, and I was really excited when I knew that today would be the day we would find our tree. Andy -excited about the project and my excitement, was not however excited about waking up this morning. But, out of love for me he slowly crept out of bed (after a little push :) We ate a little breakfast, and then we were on our way. We pulled up to the boyscout tree sale -and it was packed. We looked at each other and started walking to the large selection...and realizing at this point that we didn't really know how to pick out a tree. But we walked up to the rows of trees and started looking. *I think we looked like experts. Well, we met this kid -a boyscout, trying to make a sale- and I kept saying "Hey Andy! What about this one?" Andy would barely have finished looking at the last one I'd pointed out before he started walking towards me again. Finally, there it was. The best tree ever...and we got it. We had a little help tying it to the top of the car...but we made it just fine. The tree's set up, lights are on, and eventually you'll be able to see a picture of our beautiful -first Christmas together Christmas tree. I'm so excited!!!

Bored?

okay, I got interested in trying to figure out how to change "the look" of the blog...I saw Gwyn's new site and thought..."awww, it's so bright and pretty" and then I've been reading for entirely too many hours about how all this stuff is supposed to work -and honestly, I don't think I know any more now than I did before. However, I did find a couple of quizes online...that were strange -but fun. So, I thought I'd share the results. The Disney Princess that I am?
You're BELLE from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!Warm, kind and caring, you always bring out the best in others, but tend to keep to yourself and a few close friends who you love dearly. You love books and dream of fairytale adventures. You know that beauty lies within and don't depend on looks alone. You think it's good to be individual and different to others, but don't go out of your way to be rebellious - you just naturall stand out. You're a strong person, but also ladylike and intelligent. You look forward to change. You'd definitely break the Beast's spell.

And then, of course I had to try another. So, what kind of candy am I?



You're Bubble Gum! You are sweet and fun and always love to have a good time!








So, I successfully wasted some time...it's definitely true that there are many other things that I should be doing...like laundry, dishes, shopping...maybe even think about making supper. :)

The Day After Thanksgiving

I heard this weekend that the first Thanksgiving lasted for three days -three days of eating, celebrating, and being with friends/family. I think that I learned that in 3rd grade or something...but I'm glad I was reminded. I'm glad to know that they took time to be thankful -and I wonder if they were really in a hurry about it all.

The thing that I love about the holidays is being around people and just the happiness that seems to be everywhere. The lights are happy, the food is happy, and knowing there are people that love you is happy. The thing that I hate is all the busyness...the people running everywhere trying to see how much we can cram into one day -it's an obvious equation for stress. On Wednesday morning I heard a 'Focus on the Family' broadcast that spoke about how busy everyone was. It talked about how most churches used to have Sunday and Wednesday evening services, but now even some of the more conservative churches don't have night services. Reason why? Our lives are just too busy -and in essence, that must mean we are too busy for God if we can't take time to attend a church service, read His word, or pray. To me, it was convicting. It's so easy to get caught up in the busy lifestyle...and I don't want to be one of those people who gets so busy I don't take time for God -putting my own desires, plans, and such above making time to visit with the One who created me and gave everything He had to me.

That said...I must say, I was quite distraught about not being able to see my parents or either of my brothers for Thanksgiving. I did get to go to Bloomfield to visit with all of Andy's family, but of course going to Anderson afterwards would have meant leaving Andy and a crazy, hectic weekend. I really miss being around people, but especially my family...laughing so hard at the table I can't breathe, and dad making fun of me, and Timothy making jokes about me, and mom hugging me while she's in the kitchen, and Jonathan sleeping so late that he doesn't know why he missed the parade...and eating together, and loving each other, and knowing that we're all just looking for God's path for our lives. Things are so different now than they were even just a few months ago. And, I don't want to change them...but's it's really nice to remember what we have, cherish it, and hold on to it -because the thing that really lasts is love.

The Weather, The Work, The Word

Well, things have been incredibly exciting around here with all the talk of severe thunder storms, tornadoes, flooding, and such. I've been busy trying to work night shift at the hospital. Andy (on the other hand) is working random hours at all times of the day in order to cover the news :) I haven't seen him since Monday morning, but I think he saw me while I was sleeping yesterday. It seems really odd that we could actually live in the same place and not see each other.

Anyway, work has been really busy also. I'm a "float" nurse. I float to whatever floor is in most desperate need of me...and last night, I worked on two different units. That was busy. One of the float nurses has gone to three units in one shift though. Oh well. All I know is that I'm really glad I don't have to go back for a couple of days.

And finally, it's Wednesday. We're doing an indepth study of evolution versus creation at church on Wednesday nights. I have the booklet and everything and I'm ready to go. Last Sunday night we went out to eat with a family after church and that was fun ...so, I think I'm mostly excited just to be able to fellowship with believers. I never realized how much I would miss that. No wonder there's a verse that says we should "not forsake the assembling of ourselves together"...we need each other.

okay, the end of my very long entry. Sorry...but I guess I just had a lot to say.

Friday :)

whew. (long, exaggerated sigh) I feel like this has been an incredibly long week. I'm not sure if it's because I worked only Monday and Thursday...or if it's the tornado news and such that makes it seem so long....or if it is just because things at work are so hectic. Whatever the reason, I am incredibly thankful that it's Friday -finally. That's probably the most exciting thing that I have to report. I'm supposed to be practicing a song for a couple of ladies at church to sing -it's a challenge, but it'd be a lot easier if I had a piano at home to practice.

I did find out that Andy and I both have Thanksgiving off...so, that means we'll be heading to Dinah's for a big huge lunch and turkey cookies :)

Evansville

Thanks everyone for all the phone calls and emails. Thankfully, Andy and I are fine...with absolutely no damage to anything we own. I want to say that God was watching over us -which I totally believe is true - but I know that all the people that were caught in the devastation were also being watched. I don't think that just because people lost their home or family that God was not watching or caring for them. He is totally in control. I'm definitely convinced that God wants our attention with all these natural disasters that keep occurring.
There are people in the hospital on my unit with "bruised hearts" because something crashed into their chest so hard...and there are children down the hall who now have no parents, and there are parents in the ICU that no longer have any children. One of the girls at church was in trailor that was hit, but for whatever reason their trailor is the only one in that particular park left undamaged. Two of the girls on 3500 lost their homes...it's crazy. But of course, the community is coming together and as always life goes on.

Andy has been really busy with work this week...and if needed they may call me into work. So, we're busy...but we're fine. Today was an unusually warm day *broke records* and another cold front is headed our way...so, everyone's watching to see what the weather is going to do. We'll keep you posted :)
Much Love!!!

p.s. I'm really glad we bought a house with a basement :)

We're Back!!!

So we left, and we've returned. We saw a lot of people, ate a lot of food, and we had a lot of fun. Here's a few pictures from last week :)

Amanda Needs...

(i suppose this is popular now, but as everyone knows I like to fit in... :)

Amanda Needs...

• amanda needs to be loved
• amanda needs a break
• amanda needs to relax
• amanda needs psychiatric help
• amanda needs a mom in her corner with lots of time and attention given to her
• amanda needs more cofffee
• amanda needs some sweet lovin'
• amanda needs her local food bank
• amanda needs to create a file for college work
• amanda needs wisdom and strength to do what is right
• amanda needs an absolutely huge filter
• amanda needs a diaper change
• amanda needs a lot of sleep
• amanda needs help
• amanda needs to move to dallas
• amanda needs to learn to drive

and that's what google says that "amanda needs"

tomorrow Andy and I are off...ROADTRIP! :)

Road Trip?!?

so, Andy and I are off again. I think that last weekend is the first weekend in 2 months that I haven't traveled out of town. But, that's what makes life fun...right? This upcoming trip is longer, funner, and quite possibly the most fun we'll have from now until December....maybe. We're visiting family. What could be better than that. I'm dreaming of hugs while Andy dreams of good cooking. The best part...it's about 2,000 miles of us together in the car. Sheer bliss -a long road, good songs, and my husband. I'm pretty sure that there will be food in the picture too.

I'm really very excited to see everyone...and (slighly off the subject) I'm getting very excited about Thanksgiving and Christmas coming soon.

So, for this trip I'm praying for good music and conversation to create an even stronger bond between Andy and me....praying for good weather, safe travel, and fun times.

Andy

andy tried to talk to a spanish speaking woman today at a restaurant. He told her he could speak only a little "english". She got confused, but kept trying to talk to him....all in all a very funny time.

oh, we know her name and that she has one child -6 years old. I think. :)

MAD Day, Hiking, and Love

Well, first off I met Mary and Doris in Clarksville, IN last weekend. Then, we spent the evening and night in Louisville. Lots of fun with the hot tub, play, shopping...and the random circles I made going through downtown Louisville. It's exciting to hear how everyone is doing, and really just to see how far we've come since that first time we took someone's blood pressure...or the first careplan at Rawlin's House. I think the profs would be incredibly proud -in fact, that's probably why they teach us.

Andy has to work today (Saturday) but in exchange he had Monday off. So what did we do? We went hiking and camping. The best part (besides just having time hanging out together) was that up on this big rock we met this group of Christians...they were part of AIM -they were all going through training to do a missions trip for 14 months. They had a devotional on top of the big rocks overlooking everything, and we sang to our Creator. It was the most awesome accidental meeting. They have our pictures and email address...so, I hope that we hear from them soon.

And yes, I'm still enjoying married life! Next week my husbaño and I are heading out and yet another road trip. This one will be much longer, final destination -Austin, TX.

Curve Balls & Marriage

I'm glad that God has control over everything because honestly, there's a lot of stuff that goes on. I can't imagine having to keep track of it all. I once saw this movie called Extreme Days. The final message was, "When God throws a curve ball...don't duck, you just might miss something."

Everyone keeps asking me about married life. I love it. I love having Andy with me, knowing that he loves me bigger than I could have ever dreamed. I love having that one person that isn't just your closest friend ever to share all the happiness and sad...and to make decisions with...but that you know isn't going to move away -because if he moves, so do I. I love him...but the thing that I think is the best is that when God throws a curve ball, we're in it together. We share the hit, jolt, or whatever comes. And the one thing that we both know always is that God loves us both and we love each other - everything else, we'll have to work with. That's what I really love.

This weekend we're traveling once again. Last time to see the family for the reunion, but this time to help support and hold everyone up...and say good-bye to Lily.

Thought to Ponder

something I read that Kevin wrote that really hit me. I'm not sure if he got it from a book, his dad, or a past sermon but it was a cool thing to think on.

"God doesn't use people who are able, He uses people who are available."

Reunion

Rowden Reunion this weekend...here's a few pictures. I'm sure Andy will post several more in a day or so :)

Mill Road News :)

So, last night was my second night to work with AWANA at Mill Road. Very interesting experience. My only real experience dealing with AWANA is from Landmark, so just the small little differences seem strange to me. The biggest change is of course using the T&T book instead of the old school scout-like concept. I like the old way better, for multiple reasons. Either way, I believe that things are going well.

Other Exciting news from MRBC is that the church seems to be growing quite a bit. Yesterday I turned around just to see who all was behind me and it seemed that nearly every pew was filled with people. I didn't realize we had been growing so much. Another new family joined yesterday morning and last night there were three people baptized. One was the pastor's daughter :)

Pictures!

Finally, after much anticipation the pictures are here, for my eyes to see! :) Mom and Dad came down not too far from here to "get away" from everything, and they brought the proofs with them for us to see. I was frustrated thinking it would be quite a while still before I ever got the CD with all the pictures on it, but incredibly enough it came the next day :) So, now I have lots of pictures and for the most part I'm pleased with them.

So, today is supposed to be a cleaning day...trying to reorganize the house. Actually not REorganize...just organize it. Hopefully it goes well, and hopefully the weekend doesn't fly by too fast.

Standing on Tiptoes :)

I have slept, eaten, and been hugged by my husband --and everything always seems better after that. I've been playing with the pictures on the computer with an editing program. Oh, and speaking of pictures, I finally got to see our wedding pictures. Still though, we don't have the cd and the rights to them yet...I can't wait though to make copies and mail them out to everyone. I don't have to work tonight, and I just had a class yesterday. I work tomorrow for four hours and then just 3 days next week. I feel way more free already. Now, if we could just get the house put together :)

I was putting stamps on all the thank you cards that I'm getting ready to mail out, when I noticed the US postal service website. The coolest thing I learned? There's a muppet stamp coming out this month!!! (I can hardly wait to find it and mail stuff) I think that Andy was slightly surprised with my stamp enthusiasm, but I think everyone should love stamps and stickers. Plus, everyone should love getting a card in the mail --makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing someone cares and writes to you :)

Okay, so that's it for now.

Work...

Well, I started with the DSS last night. The experience of being on another unit and learning lots of cool stuff was good. But the issues with classes, orientation, and my new manager weren't very exciting. I'm sure that things will work out. I'm obviously going to be working far less. It's kind of exciting.

Last night I worked in cardiac short stay...much, much different. It was so slow I was bored...amazingly enough, I really wished for something else to do. I was orienting so I didn't have any patients...but the nurse I was working with only had 2 -and they were stable!

Anyway, interesting experience. I read Ruth's blog. She has recently lost some fish too. Maybe there's something in the water. Maybe we could get together and have a mass funeral. (We'll talk about that later.)

"I will sing mercies unto the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me."
Ps 13:6

Frustration, fatigue

so, it's once again the beginning of a new week. I had yesterday off but I stayed up all day to go to church in the morning and then we had the AWANA kick-off last night. I'm excited to be able to work with the kids again. I'm used to having 5-6th grade girls, but Mill Rd combines 3-6th grade. I'll think they'll divide when the class grows. We had ten last night. So, anyway I slept some last night but I woke up early and decided to head to Wal-Mart early before lots of people got there. I finally got some food!!! :)

So, that's that. I'm tired now, I think. I mostly feel frustrated. I think about the house still needing so much to get put back in place, and all the thank you cards that are piled on the kitchen table -most are written, some addressed...I just need to sit down finish writing them all and get it done. I'm kind of sad because I have to go to work tonight. I feel like I've been at the hospital every single day here lately, and I'm just tired. Anyway, this isn't a very exciting blog, is it? Okay, so the exciting news? Mary, Doris, and I have finally found a day that we can meet...

OCTOBER 8TH!!!

(okay, so it's not really close to aug 26...but at least we found a day to meet)

Alright. So that's enough now. I'm going to go eat something...and then I'm not sure what I want to do. Sleep is sounding awfully good though. :)

Home from work again

Wow...work was incredibly busy last night. And to be quite honest, I'm not sure why. But my feet are crazy tired (although my mind is still fairly awake). And my tummy was very hungry (thus the short trip I made at Hardee's) Anyway, just two more nights of my normal crazy schedule and then I get to switch. Which leads me to my next, more exciting thought.

MAD DAY!!!

(Mary, Amanda, Doris) We planned to meet at least once a year, just to keep up with each other and be able to have a girl's day. We planned for it to be Aug 26th. Now, we knew that we wouldn't actually meet on the 26th of the month every year -if ever. But we declared it MAD day and promised to search for a date close to it to get together. We're trying. Phone calls are being made...but I think that because we're all nurses with all incredibly insane schedules, and with none of us off on the same weekends it's become a simi-hard task. I'm totally excited though because whenever my new schedule starts I won't have to work Saturdays again, and I think it will make things much, much better.

I miss the girls. I really want to get together. Oh, and Andy and I get vacation again in October...and the plans are kind of exciting. I would say something about them, but I need to talk to him first and make sure they're not top secret.

Okay, I love you all...but I'm going to finish my sandwich and head to bed. I've got a 12 to work tonight...and I'm in charge. Good night -or morning for all you daytime people :)

A husband and a home

So, yeah. It's been about forever since I've actually blogged on my own site, huh? I should have been more diligent, but I guess I can't do anything about it now. It should be much easier now that the internet is so much more accessible. I really miss being about to write about my life -even if I'm really the only one that cares.

Tomorrow I'll have been married for one month :)

Amanda Justison. I've found it's quite a pain to have to switch everything over and change my name. There's so much stuff that has to be changed. I thought maybe I could get some of it done today, but I forgot it was Labor Day. Andy and I don't really have any plans. He's at work right now and I'm working just 4 hours. We should meet up again about 11p.m. Maybe then we can bake some cookies, move some more boxes and then be excited about sleeping and waking up for tomorrow. Although grilled chicken or a big, juicy hamburger with mom's yummy french fries sounds really good right now. I really miss family and mostly the feeling that I belong somewhere. Jonathan and Kristine are in Indiana, but there's really no way for me to see them. Sad. Kristine's birthday is tomorrow. Happy birthday!!! :)

Okay, so I'm sure that's enough for now. I'm hungry and I'm going to find food.

Love you!!!

humm....

I know. everyone -or at least anyone who ever read this- continues to remind me that I'm not keeping up with it very well. I'm sorry...I think I just don't have the convience of the computer at my apartment and I'm not making a great effort to find one to blog. So, I'm living in evansville. Less than 150 days until my wedding...I feel crazy sad and don't know why or how to fix it. I know that I used to be stressed when I was in school, but at least I was happy. Something happened and all the smiles inside of me seem to have sucked themselves out of me. Some people would just say it's part of growing up...and maybe that's true. But I don't think that growing up includes losing all the happy feelings you ever had and replacing them with hopelessness and dispair. I decided it might have something to do with the fact that not only do I have to work all the time at a job that I don't like...but when I'm not working I'm alone. I'm actually pretty certain that it's all about that. My schedule is so different from everyone else's...but even when I'm awake during the day I have no one to see or talk to. Anyway, it's a miniscule detail of my life that seems to be consuming my entire being. I want to be who I was...life lessons are okay to learn and have, but I want my happiness that somehow disappeared back. I want to be happy to be alive again. I know that I have so much to be thankful for and that it's completely selfish of me to think or say these things, but oh well. It's my thoughts as of now...so, honestly there it is. And to all my faithful viewers I'm sorry for the delay in my response. I love you all....prayers to you!!! :)