what next?

so i have finally reached my 25th year of existence...a quarter of a century you might say...halfway to thirty...mid-twenties...etc. i don't "feel" old but when i say i am that age, i think, wow that is old. i remember watching reality tv shows or shows like the bachelor/bachelorette and thinking---wow that contestant is 25/26 that is old!---and now, i have finally caught up to "that age".
this past weekend was very relaxing...but at the same time very busy. friday i rolled into memphis and whenever i travel to memphis for weekends, i wait to eat lunch when i get home...which ends up being 3/4 o clock. and at that point, i am starving, but not starving. you know that point where you are so hungry you aren't? plus factor in a boring 3 hour drive and your stomach and insides don't know what to tell you. haha. and friday night michael and i went to dinner with his family and went to visit his grandmother who was recently moved from the hospital to a rehab facility. she had open heart surgery. then saturday i did my long run, and wandered around germantown and saddle creek and of course made a trip to anthro and got to see wad. and saturday night michael took me to dinner, and the place he was taking me was going to be a surprise. we went to bonefish which was SO good. they are known for their bang bang shrimp and of course yummy seafood...but happy birthday to me, i got a steak. :) then we were going to go see a movie and ended up sitting in the malco cordova parking lot people-watching...where we saw the funniest of people and michael made voices for them as they walked to their cars and we watched. it was quite entertaining and VERY MUCH something we would find ourselves doing. then sunday was church and we went to lunch with my rents on my actual BDAY at owen brennan's. if you have not been to their new "sunday brunch" thing you MUST GO! it is buffet-style...and so good. then sunday afternoon we let out tummies rest and ate bday cake from oh my ginache! (haha don't ask, my mom found this bakery and loves it). and sunday night we went to eat at mortimer's with our friends which was yummy but at this point, michael and my stomach's were miserably full. i have never NOT wanted to see food in my entire life...and we were both miserable. then monday my mom had some surgery done in her mouth which i observed and i packed up to head back to nashvegas! i am still so full, but of course, i can always eat. food just is not as appealing as normal...
so what next? school. school. and more school. and staying in nashville this weekend, finally! and doing...school!
so thankful for great friends and a wonderful supportive and loving family. the best family someone could ask for. and i'm so thankful to be this age and looking forward to years ahead!

New beginnings

so, this past week started up a new group of studying the Word & encouragement. some of my kairos friends have gotten together to read the Bible together in a year (one of those reading plans from YouVersion) and share in life together. so far, it has been so encouraging and uplifting for me and a great accountability team in going through the Bible and discussing what we are reading through on our own. well last night marked our first official meeting, I guess. every week we are going to try and do dinner beforehand at steph's place...this week...cereal night (and smoothies). if you know me, you know i love cereal. if you know the "new" me, i also love smoothies. i have probably had 1 smoothie a day since i have gotten my blender. banana, milk, ice, and either peanut butter or honey= heaven.
last night we talked about genesis/job. it was refreshing to read through those with a new grown up perspective...i felt like i had different eyes while reading it than when i have read it before. stories like adam and eve, cain and abel, the flood, the tower of babel, etc. it was nice to read it with a fresh outlook and how those are applicable to my life now.
one thing i can't believe i have not blogged about...since i haven't been keeping well with this is my dog caesar died a couple of weeks ago!

words can't really express the sadness in my heart...and that i miss him :( he was MY dog that i got in 8th grade because i made straight A's. i will never forget that! he was a good dog...very sweet, solemn, and he was a playful little puppy! i remember going to the puppy corral and having my heart set on a yorkshire terrier...and then i saw these little maltese puppies and there was one that was so sweet and wanted to play with me! i thought- this is the perfect puppy for me!!! and we named him caesar because a maltese is a roman breed of dog...props to my over-analytical skills, right?
well this weekend is the auburn classic half marathon- which i am praying is not cancelled due to rain! & i'm visiting em & stephafletch in bham!!!
well, that's all the catching up for now- and btodd & jess are engaged!!!! YAY!!!! cannot be more excited for them. and excited to go home next weekend for my bday :) 25?!?!?! happy almost friday!!!

another week down of the new year

this week has been challenging, slow, tiring, etc. and i feel like each day brings new experiences i've never had to deal with before (at work). today, i had some very challenging patients and moments, but i also have very fun patients and kids i just love to laugh with (and at sometimes, mostly at what they say). like the other day the assistant was taking the x-rays for a 3 year old little African American child. SWEETEST boy ever, and very talkative and had sortof an attitude. well i came over to push the xray button so it would be easier for him, and after he took the pictures after MANY tries, the assistant amber and i went to develop and look at them and as we were walking off he said to his Mom, "my mouth is tired, she was cutting my brains off!!!" haha. it was quite amusing. then i had a patient today, a little 4 year old African American child who came in and was crying and i told her she could pick out a toothbrush. well she grabbed one from my drawer and she said, "i can open it myself and brush". and i said well i need to brush your teeth so they get all clean, can you lay back in my chair? to which she replied, "I don't want you to be my friend!" haha. i am not a sensitive person most of the time, aka, i like to portray that i am strong and never have problems or concerns...but when she said that i was offended! haha i don't even know the child but it hurt my feelings. oh what kids can say...and it brings out your most sensitive side. it was funny later and she came back to say "thank you" probably after her mom made her. it was interesting.
this week has also been a week of good things, though! our bible study was able to meet monday and have good discussion on the first chapters of john which we are going through. i started school today online, which i had the morning off so i was able to get some stuff done with that. it snowed today. tomorrow is friday. and last night i went to a friend's place and we are starting a bible study with a small group of girls meeting on wednesday nights---it is more of a prayer/encouragement time, but we are going to try and read through the "bible in a year" plan on the app- you version. if you don't have the youversion bible app, you need to get it. you can download different bible reading plans, not just the whole bible plans but there are topical ones, some based on certain books, etc. and it reminds you daily to read. it is awesome. i'm looking forward to this study and growing in faith with this group of new (and old) friends!
this weekend: memphis, of course...i know, the tires on my car are worn down...a dental appointment tomorrow, hanging with michael w & mom, one of my coworkers and her husband are taking a weekend vacation/trip to memphis, so i gave her a list of touristy-things they need to do, and probably working on some school stuff. ALSO it is sweet ashlyn's third birthday- her actual birthday was last wk, saturday is her party at pump it up. I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!
i'm still looking forward to this month & year and the challenges and good things that are to come!

Birthday travels?

So for some reason, I have an itch to travel. I want to go somewhere or take a road trip or relax at a beach! My thinking- why not travel for my birthday?! But where can you go and relax for a weekend?! Any ideas? I really would love to go to the beach...and read and relax. I am feeling very spontaneous! I need some suggestions! I also would love to take a trip in a hot air balloon or private jet. Any suggestions for those ideas? Feeling adventurous and this is very rare! Recap of my weekend: spent some quality time with my friend Catherine and her friend (who I also now consider a friend of mine since I have known her from first Evan and ecs-Amanda). Thursday night we went to the predators game- I'm so thankful they asked me! It was amazing we had all inclusive box seats which meant "free" food/drinks. Friday I had to work and had some great adult patients and one in particular I learned a lot from in such a short time. Friday was awesome because my friends Kari and Dan came through town and I got to hang w them that afternoon. That evening I met catherine Amanda and their friend Ben at mellow mushroom. Then Saturday I did my long run, puttered around and cleaned my apartment, and read some of a book I bought- love and war by John and Stasi Eldredge wrote which Kari recommended I read. Then met up w Catherine and Amanda downtown and went to burger up w some friends and then church today and lunch w a friend! And I bought the first book of the hunger games and have been reading that! A fun filled sort of busy weekend. And a not so crazy work week ahead which I'm thankful for :)

January is my favorite month

I love January... Not only is it a fresh start and year, but it is also the month in which my birthday falls- January 29th. I get so excited for birthdays. I love them. This year I am excited yet a little melancholy because of how old I'm going to turn...25??!! Halfway to 30? Wow. My life is flying by.
This month and next month there are several things I am anticipating... 1- well my birthday. 2- a new semester of school. 3- a trip to auburn and a half marathon there. 4- my mom is having dental implants (surgically placed) the day after my birthday...so I took a day off to observe and be with mom that day. 5- in February I am seeing needtobreathe at the Ryman. And that's all I can think of at the moment.
I'm still sad that my dog is gone. Caesar was such a good dog...and will be greatly missed from the Owen family! I don't know how it's going to be when I go home next weekend. I'm sure it will be a sad feeling.
Off to bed....I am loving the bible app of my iPad btw...it has daily reading plan reminders that remind me to read the devotion and portion of the Word every morning. Gotta love technology!

2011 is a wrap!

So is haven't blogged in quite a while. I decided it was about time to especially in light of a new year with new beginnings. I feel so refreshed at the beginning of a new year and I love reflecting on the year that is now behind me.
Last year entailed still living in Nashville and building on friendships, continuing in my running, weddings, work, first semester of grad school completed, Michael graduating college w an engineering degree and finding a job, vacationing in Florida and parasailing, Taylor swift concert, and more. I was looking at old pictures the other day thinking about how quickly my life is flying by! And it makes me consider and ask...how and to what capacity am i being kingdom-minded. How am I sharing my faith. How am I deepening my faith. Am I prioritizing Christ as the focus and drive of my life? So I look to this coming year with hope in being able to start with new beginnings and a fresh look at my faith and what it means to me and how I can share that with people around me...we ask God for opportunities for us to use us if he so chooses..and I have been thinking about this a lot at my job because it feels so monotonous yet I know God has me there for a reason and I have such an urge to share my testimony and my faith. Well today in my chair I had a Buddhist 16 year old and was asking him about why and what he believed. It was so interesting and i felt like it was a little window into sharing my own faith. It was really neat. God is such a good and loving God and gives us the words to say. So this year I am also hopeful for a big year of travels. I really want to go to Korea. 2 of my best of friends are going to Seoul south Korea for a year to teach English at a school. One of my other friends wants to visit them...and is serious about making this trip. What I am thinking is that if we go I would love to find my file through the adoption agency my parents went through and maybe be able to see where I lived for 3 months- the foster home I lived in. I have some other resolutions but those are my major ones. Share Christ and study the Word and walk closely with him...and travel to Korea to see my friends and my foster home.