{exciting, fun, adventorous} week

This week has been a great week! Why? Because so many good things are happening!  First off, I got offered a job! Yay! {and I plan on taking it}  :)  It has been hard to be patient since graduating and passing boards, but I've tried to rest in the fact that I know God has a place and a plan for this phase of my life & career.  I'll be working as a nurse practitioner in a hospital and skilled nursing facility {which is an in-between place for people between hospital & home} in Blue Springs, Missouri.  I'm really excited and a little nervous about starting.  I don't have an exact start date yet but right now I'm celebrating in the fact I'm no longer looking for an NP position!

Yesterday, I told this news to my family while celebrating my mom's birthday.  I started off with "I have a little bit of news to share..." and I saw that initial look in my family's eyes when for a split second they thought maybe I would say I'm pregnant... but then it all dawned on them that it was probably just a job. They all still acted excited though for the job anyway! Ha! {One huge life change at a time, people!} :)
Dinner was great though!  Here's a picture of my mom and I after dinner.  I get told all the time I look like my mom.  I'm used to hearing people so much that I know it's true but sometimes it's hard to see it in yourself when people say you look like someone else.  Well... I see it in this picture...

It's like we have the exact same face! It's a compliment for me so, I'm blessed with that!

Another reason why this week is about to get even more awesome is because we are leaving shortly for Boston!  We are going with our friends, Tim & Melody.  Tim is a stud of a runner and he is running in the Boston Marathon.  I've never been to Boston so I'm excited to see some of the historical sites there, as well as experience {from the sidelines} the legendary Boston Marathon.  The weather is supposed to be nice and mild too!  Plus, who wouldn't want to travel with these guys...

They let me take pictures of them recently to try out a lens I rented to take on our Boston trip. :)

What a wonderful week, I'm truly blessed!  Can't wait to share Boston pictures and memories with you all soon!  East coast... here we come!

lovely spring things

I cannot wait for spring to truly show it's face!  If I see another snowflake I might cry!  Unfortunately that's very possible in our upcoming forecast... boo.  The weather never stops the stores from rolling out all the wonderful and brightly colored items though!  I have been loving a lot of spring items recently and thought I'd share some of those...
First is a wreath from Target... when I told Caleb I "loved this wreath!" his reaction was "really?!?"... soooo we don't always see eye to eye although he usually comes around to liking my style. :)  I really like the bay leaf wreath look, plus the anemones - my new fave!  When I snapped this pic at Target it was on sale for $35, not really a price I want to pay, but I love it no less.  Maybe I'll get lucky and find one on clearance in a couple of months.

Next, Rifle Paper Co.  I. Could. Die.  I love everything they have ever made and will ever make in the future!  Too much? Well it's true.  I really want to snag some of their beautiful journals.  I'm not one for journaling too much, but I have some other plans for these babies...

Rifle Paper Co. journals

I spotted this tote at Gap the other day and the bright colors caught my eye.  Another thing I really loved about this bag was the zipper at the top.  I've been keeping my eye out for a tote this shape & size with a zipper and have found they can be hard to come by.  We are going on a trip to Boston soon and I'd like a bag that I can keep my wallet and camera/lenes in, so it must have a zipper to be more secure.  Carrying around a purse and a bulky camera bag is definitely not ideal, so something like this could really help.  This bag is $49.95 - but Gap has 40% your purchase like every other day, so I think I could get this for a fairly good deal.

Gap Tote

I also have an Etsy giftcard that has been burning a hole in my pocket for quite some time now.  I love so much stuff on Etsy, but I really love these necklaces I found recently.  The colors are bright and springy and there are several color options!  The shop they come from is called JM Designs.

Color Delight Beaded Necklace

Another Etsy favorite is tea towels.  I have admired this one in particular for a long time.  What a great way to add color to the kitchen! Made by claudiagpearson's shop.  She has tons of other great items too, I love her style!

Spring Tea Towel

Now to enjoy some spring-like weather!

remembering...

I was recently telling a friend who blogs that I'm not one who normally puts much emotion into my blog posts... but I had forgotten that I had started to write this post.  So a little warning, this post does contain some emotion. :)

Caleb and I have experienced a few very hard losses since our marriage.  We both find it important to find ways to remember the people we love so dearly that are no longer a part of our lives here on this earth.  Right after our engagement, I lost my grandfather, "Papa" Kenneth Oyer and Caleb lost a grandfather, "Grandpa Bob."  Since we have been married, we have lost my father - Thomas "Tom" Gault Wilson, my grandmother - Elaine Adele Wilson, and most recently Caleb's grandmother, Virginia Burns or "Grandma Burns."
I had a fear of forgetting memories after the loss of my father, so I wrote down several memories in a notepad so that I could always go back and reflect on them.  I also wanted to implement other ways to remember... which can sometimes be emotional and I was unsure if I was okay to publicly display my personal memoirs or should I keep it all behind closed doors?  If I did publicly display anything, would I get asked a lot of questions? Would I get emotional if I was asked about it?  I finally decided that it was more important for me to have this symbol of remembrance than it was to save face if any of those emotions happen to surface.  For remembering my dad, I decided to have a special locket made.  I wanted to put a quote on the locket that reflected how I felt about the fact I couldn't call him up everyday, but rather that his spirit and genuine personality would never be forgotten because he was a part of who I had become.  I stumbled upon this quote on Pinterest one day, and it comes from the wisdom of mister Whinnie the Pooh himself...

I found a vintage locket on Etsy and my mom bought it for me for Christmas a few years ago.  The quote is long {to be engraved on a small locket} so it spills over onto both sides. It is a little hard to read unless you get pretty close to the locket, which was fine with me.

Inside the locket is a picture of us dancing from my wedding

I'm so glad I did go through with the locket and it definitely doesn't bother me if anyone asks about it or ask to see it.

Caleb's grandmother, Virginia {or "Grandma Burns"}, was so special to him.  She invested so much in his life and we had the pleasure of being near her for the last year or so of her life {she had previously lived in California}.  We were on vacation in Colorado when Virginia passed, but Caleb had been able to spend time with her the day before we left.  Virginia passed away at Caleb's parents' home while on hospice, so Caleb's mom was by her side during her last moments.  Caleb's mom is known for being a lover of the hymns and for never needing the hymnal during church services because she knew all the words of all the verses by heart.  She sang a hymn to Virginia to comfort and reassure her that is was okay to leave her suffering body and go be greeted by the Lord right before she passed away...

I made this using a photo I took of a small chapel on a college campus nearby.  We framed this and gave it to Caleb's mom for Christmas this year.  We also got ourselves a copy and framed it, it's currently hanging in our bedroom.

Of course I try to display the treasured pictures of our loved ones as well.  This is a perfect picture of my grandfather {better know to me as "Papa"} because of his expression!  He was quite the jokester and funny man so this is exactly how I remember him. {When I was little, he used to tell me every time he would get surgery that they were "taking his jokes out" or "putting them back in"} :)  Part of me is sad that Caleb never got to meet him {he passed away a few days before I was going to take Caleb out to meet my grandparents} but it's pictures like this and sharing memories that help Caleb get a glimpse of who he was.  The same goes for Caleb as well, he has grandparents I never got the pleasure of meeting.

And the same will also apply to my children and the fact they will never know my dad, "grandpa Tom."  We will share the photos and memories, just like my sister has done with my niece Lainey.  And I will share my notebook of memories of my dad with my children and explain all the little inside jokes and funny nicknames we all called each other.  It will be something that sparks lots of stories!  They will hear about the duct tape use, the bad boat driving, the 30 pairs of sunglasses, the dancing, the attempt to sing rap, and on and on... Lainey and every other child from my siblings and me will forever know how much grandpa Tom loved to be goofy and make people laugh, how he would do absolutely anything to help out his family, and how excited he will be to meet them in heaven someday.

And just in time for March Madness... a picture of a picture I have in my home of my dad dunking in his younger years...

Reminds me of a retro Nike ad :)

  

Also, the friend I mentioned at the very beginning of this post, Melody, also recently blogged about an emotional time in her life.  She and her husband, Tim, recorded an old David Crowder Band song that is AMAZING!  They both have incredible voices plus it's a great song... take a listen here. {My friends can sing better than your friends... just kidding :), but seriously...}