hotlanta

so this past weekend was spent in hotlanta! AKA crazy traffic-filled city. 9 of us from my new office traveled to atlanta for the hinman dental conference, which included all people from all of the dental profession- dentists, hygienists, and assistants. people go to learn basically...we went to 3 different courses over the span of 2 days. we got there thursday night and went to dinner at an awesome mexican place called no mas. if you are in hotlanta i recommend it!
then friday, we went to 2 courses one was about biofilm and the other about successful dental hygiene teams. friday night we went to a sportsbar and watched the basketball games and hung out! then saturday we walked around the massive exhibit hall and got a bunch of free stuff and different samples...let me tell you, a dental hygienist's DREAM! then saturday afternoon we had a course and then headed back to nashvegas. i am adding a few pics i took from the weekend. it was SUCh a fun time to get to know the great people in my office. it is funny how everything just clicks in this office and we all get along so well :) i was so grateful for today, though, with being able to relax, do some laundry, catch up on some school stuff, and clean. sundays are probably my favorite day. now for a busy week! filled with patients, learning new things every day, school work, and starting physical therapy for my back/hip. and excited to go to memphis this coming weekend. and it is almost april! AHHHH!

The weekend!

So it's almost the weekend.... And I am so ready for it! This week has been dragging it seems. This weekend I am headed home to Memphis... Hard to believe I have not been to Memphis since my bday weekend. If you know me, that is crazy and unheard of. I was supposed to run a half marathon this weekend in Germantown but that may not happen bc of my knees and I have pulled and strained a muscle in my back :( really frustrating and sad. But I am so looking forward to my weekend in memphis. I also have some school stuff to catch up on and work ahead. It's hard not bein able to run... I have had to make myself rest which is difficult for me to do. I feel like every time I get an injury or something causes pain in my exercise it's the Lord saying just rest and relax... Im pretty sure of he doesn't intervene than I would not actually ever rest. So thankful for a new day and new mercies from the Lord. I am encouraged daily by His grace that I see either in patients or people I work with or something I read or talk with a friend about. He is good! Happy Thursday!

BOSTON!

no...not the band...wait, there is a band called boston, right?
two words: full marathon----april 2012 here in nashvegas...
and another few words: i want to QUALIFY for the boston marathon and run it! and my time for this coming race would have to be 3:30....ridiculous? i think i can do it, but i'm nervous! and it means i have to speed up my time and be ready in less than 8 weeks.
in other news...today is my "friday"...i get to sleep in tomorrow...sortof be lazy, try to work in a long run, and STUDY for a midterm that i'm doing sunday. BOO.
this is crazy, but i have not been home in over a month- which is big news for me.
also, i'll keep you posted but my knees/legs have not been doing so great lately on my runs...i've had to take 2 days of rest, which is really hard for me to handle. it is very frustrating and discouraging for me mentally :(
other sidenotes/news in life...the new job is going great- had some challenges, but the people i work with are amazing and so helpful. my patients have been great. i had a WONDERFUL patient this morning and he said that he'd be happy to be on my schedule every time. i met a patient yesterday who is a runner and we talked about marathons and half marathon training and he has run 16 full marathons!!!!
he has run the boston and one in new york and one in london. it's fun everything i am learning and the people i am meeting...and as challenging and overwhelming it can be sometimes, i remember it is my job and also that the people in my chair, i am helping their health and ultimately i hope and pray i am touching their lives and God is touching their hearts through our conversations.
i am blessed.

productive day is an understatement

so today was maybe not a proud day for me...in fact, i am embarrassed to even say what i have been doing.
now, prepare yourself to be bored out of your mind with my story i'm about to tell, but this has been my friday (Day Off). well the meteorologists and news channels around this area have been talking about tornados/possibility of strong storms/etc...and if you know anything about me, you know i am really scared of storms. like i will avoid going outside or planning anything if i know a storm is going to come. well today was one of those days, and since i live on the third flood in my apartment, i figured i needed to find a "safer" place close to my apartment in case bad weather struck. well the entire day, they have been saying it will come this afternoon/evening, but did not specify a time to look for the strong storms. so my instinct was to get safe quickly sometime in the afternoon. well i took extra precaution and came to the closest hotel to my apt's lobby...i am embarrassed to say i have been sitting in the lobby since 11 am...i am CRAZY! but really, among the hustle and bustle in the lobby with people coming in and out, i have been productive with schoolwork and now am being productive with blogging. i think everyone's conversations have led to talking about tornado watches/warnings what are we under a watch or warning, etc? so i have been productive in reading for school and writing discussion question answers and studying for my midterm...all which is due after next week. i have made friends, chatted with the bellhop, haha. it has actually been a really funny day....and guess what, no significant weather event has happened in my area yet other than some rain...and as of 30 minutes ago we just now were put under a tornado WARNING until 6 pm. so as i was gathering my things from my spot i have been sitting in since 11 am, i thought i would glance at the news channel one last time before heading out less than 2 miles to my apt, and guess what- that warning was issued. so here i am, parking it one last time on a bench in the lobby @ 5:41...waiting until 6 pm. i think the cherry on top of the whole day is that it has been such a productive and boring day that now i am sitting here blogging about my crazy fear of storms and what my friday has looked like because of it! embarrassed is an understatement word for how i feel right now :)

running on empty

so this week started a change in life- a new job. yesterday was my first day :) it was great, and definitely going to be an adjustment. but it was fabulous. the work environment there is unable to describe...other than loving and compassionate and hard-working. the environment is calm and homey. i'm excited about simply LEARNING. it is a whole different world from what i am used to and comfortable with, but i am excited about all aspects of this job and new place. it's so funny, because i feel like as Christians we say the Lord had us at places or in situations for a reason...and usually we say that AFTER the fact, because during the hard/difficult times in those places or situations we doubt and wonder why we are there. but i know without any doubt that the Lord definitely had me at my first job for a reason...and i realized that during my time there...and now with this dream opportunity, i know He has placed me HERE for a reason and probably more than one reason. i am looking forward to working here and getting to know my patients and get a feel for how everything operates. i have gotten to see some patients and clean their teeth which has been great. i have loved every minute! this saturday we are volunteering at a ministry in downtown nashville through the office's non-profit called hope smiles. of course i am super excited about this adventure! lately, i feel like the Lord has caught my attention with His Word. i was telling a patient actually yesterday that i felt helpless without the Word of God...and that it had been so powerful in my life lately that i felt i couldn't live without it...that i wanted to read it and not put it down. and if you had asked me about the importance of the Bible in my life a few months ago, i probably would have said that it wasn't a priority. but lately the Lord is showing me things and making me physically feel and mentally know that He is holding me and holding me close when i have so much around me tempting me to fall and break loose of His grip. yesterday at work i was checking some things at the computer, and on the radio in the office they place Christian music (a plus), and the song "waiting here for you" came on by christy nockels. love this song, especially running...but we sang it at kairos tuesday night and then i heard it in the silence at work, and somehow God has used that song powerfully in my life lately...and it is such a moving and encouraging song. look it up! i'm looking forward to my weekend starting TOMORROW and relaxing and volunteering.
loving spring weather!