A life long dream coming true

Wow, let me start this post by saying GOD IS AMAZING!!
With that said, let me elaborate on all of the awesomeness that has happened as of late.

1.) I had my interview with the behavioral health department *at the hospital I work for* I basically yacked for an hour about how awesome Art Therapy is and my studies / experiences with patients / gave examples of exercises for expressive drawing *amongst other things*
Needless to say the department mangagers were like, "So Amy, when do you wanna start?!" Amy says: "AS SOON AS POSSIBLE".
My position will still technically be Nurse Intern I, but I will be developing and teaching the Art Therapy program for the entire department!
**Special Props to God for blessing me with this opportunity, especially since I don't have a degree in art therapy yet.**

2.) I took my second pediatrics exam yesterday and got a B+ !! The class average was a C, which sounds kind of bad but this is a very hard class. You've never taken a test unless you have taken one from Nursing school. You can study and study and study the material, but unless you can use those good ole' "Critical Thinking Skills" you are basically S.O.L.
**For further perspective, my original class of 90 has dropped to 65 in just one semester**


Needless to say, life is good because God is good!!

I will now leave you with an awesome song by one of my favorite Christian artists, Jeremy Camp. *This song and the Bible verse it is based on, are what I live by everyday** Enjoy!

2 Corinthians 5:7 "for we walk by faith not by sight"

Party time!

For quite a few years, my oldst brother has been battling alcoholism. As of yesterday, October 8th, my brother has been sober for 1 year! *WAY TO GO G!!*
Anyways, we threw him a surprise party which TOTALLY took him by surprise!
I thank God everyday for my brother's sobriety. It got kind of scary for awhile last year when he had dropped so much weight and couldn't fuction at all.
WOW...a lot has gone on in just one year! Here are some pics from the party:


George all surprised


Hillary, Sandy and Ashley


Cadence being all cute


This child cannot possibly get any cuter!!


Thanks for the camera strap Aunt Amy!


Aunt Amy and Cadence



Uncle Geoff with Cadence


Papaw Szabo with his 'Stinky Cadence'



Mama Sza, Papa Sza and George *awwww*

Lord let me shine...

Through inspiration from my buddy Rebekah
I decided to share a very dear song with you all.



Lyrics:

I woke up to another day
Another day to celebrate
Your beauty and your mystery
Is more than any eye can see
I'm not the man I was before
With you my life is so much more
Break the chains and open doors
To a world I can't ignore

Chorus:
Lord let me shine
Shine like the moon
A reflection of you
All that I do
Lord let me be
A light for your truth
Light of the world
I want to be used
To shine for you

As simple as a passing smile
Or listening a little while
To someone that's convinced that
They are in this all alone
Well, here's my chance to share the news
To introduce the good that's you
Here you go again,
You never cease to blow my mind

Chorus

You're the love that we all need
You lift us up to our feet,
Hold the key to eternity
The King of Kings alive in me

Being a kid in the fall

glitter-graphics.com
I started my pediatrics rotation today at a local elementary school clinic. This elementary school just happens to be one I went to as a kid. I felt like I was in a time warp! Everything looked exactly the same! I signed in at the front desk, got my visitor's pass and headed to the school's nurse. The nurse there was absolutely awesome! You know when you see people at work and they're happy / content / and actually enjoy what they do?? Well she happens to be one of those rare people and you can tell that she is EXACTLY where God wants her to be *AND IT SHOWS*

We started our day by going over the list of various children that had to take medicines during the day ie: asthma inhaler / insulin etc.
Slowly, a trickle of children came in for things such as sore throats, headaches and the theme of the day: hurty tummies. We must have seen at least 12 kids with some type of stomach bug, 4 in which ended up going home. Some came in for a bandaid for a boo-boo and others ice packs for bruises.
It was amazing to me the many walks of life of children that crossed our path today. One girl came in and we had a discussion about clothes. She said that due to her religion she could not cut her hair nor wear anything but skirts and long sleeve shirts. She told me how badly she wanted to wear a pair of blue jeans.
Another child came in who was 7 years old and actually diagnosed with Schizophrenia. Okay, first of all you are not technically suppose to diagnose a child with psychotic disorders until the age of 10 or 11 for developmental purposes. This child had been sexually abuse by a family member and had a parent in jail.
Situations like these make me all the more thankful for those who work with children on a daily basis. Special education kids, ADD/ADHD kids, boys & girls club kids etc.
If I was faced with a child's parents who did not care about their kid in any way...let's just say that quite a few non-Christian words would come out of my mouth. One thing in the medical field that hurts so much is seeing a child hurt.

On a lighter note, God allowed me to Ace my first Psych Nursing exam!!
I've got some mid-terms coming up very soon in both O.B. and Peds. *Prayers needed please!*

The weather is trying to cool off up here in Tennessee. It's suppose to be in the mid-80's for the rest of the week and then taper off into the 70's next week. *WAHOO*
If you cannot tell by my layout and photos...I LOVE FALL!! Memories of bundling up in hooded jackets running in my backyard and diving into a huge pile of leaves crosses my mind. The scent of fall in the air is like a smokie crisp aroma that fills your lungs with energy. Apple cider and pumpkin carving...
My mom would sing the 'Leaves' song to my brother and I in the car:
"Leaves are falling down, falling to the ground.
Leaves are falling, leaves are falling to the ground"

*happy sigh as I regress to memories of fall*

I just got this in an E-mail

Look at the world as your Father's house. Think of all people you meet as guests in your Father's house, to be treated with love and consideration. Look at yourself as a servant in your Father's house, as a servant of all. Think of no work as beneath you. Be ever ready to do all you can for others who need your help. There is gladness in God's service. There is much satisfaction in serving the highest that you know. Express your love for God in service to all who are living with you in your Father's house.

I pray that I may serve others out of gratitude to God. I pray that my work may be a small repayment for His grace so freely given me.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P.S. By the grace of God, I got a B+ on my first Pediatrics exam!!

Update with photos

Just a quick update for my faithful readers. *hahaha*
This past week was CRAZY. We are already in our 5th week of school!! This is my last week in psych rotation at the local V.A. I've actually had a great time in the psych rotation. I was actually offered a job *affiliated with the company I already work for* to teach art therapy sessions! For those of you who do not know, art therapy is my life-long dream, it is the perfect blend of healthcare, art and teaching. Of course I have no degree art therapy, but I have had a few years of intense study, research and practice on friends, family and myself.
Starting next week I will start my pediatrics rotation for a local hospital. I'm all excited because I love kids. Kids are honest, creative, loving and just flat out hilarious!
Well everyone, hate to cut it short but I am tired! I've got to wake up at 5:30am for psych.
I will leave you now with some awesome pictures I took tonight of our new animal friends: "The Kooky Koonies". Enjoy!

Inspiration at 3 a.m.

Inspiration is a funny thing because it fuels the energy we need to step out in faith... even at random hours of the morning... *grins*
For a good portion of my life, art has been a driving force for my inspiration. Various artists such as Van Gogh, Degas, Kandinsky and Monet held a particular place in my heart for many MANY years. The richness of colors and the personal aspects of life being depicted through paint and pastel basically 'sealed the deal' that art was and always will be an important part of my life.

Nursing was never a field of interest for me, even though my best friend in the world *Mom* has been one for over 14 years. I told her many times while growing up, "Mom, I appreciate what you do...but I will NEVER be a Nurse."
About three years ago, the Lord stepped in and spoke to my heart as I worked a random secretary job in an E.R. I have NEVER felt more peace about anything in my life as I had at that moment. Of course my mind said something like, "HA! Yeah..sure..me a Nurse??! I'm horrible at science and sick people and death are not two things I wanna be around 24/7."
Needless to say, after LOTS of praying, and a few required classes later, I applied to ETSU's college of Nursing program *with only a 3.2 GPA*. For those of you who do not know, this program is very hard to get into. The average GPA to get in is between 3.4-3.7, not to mention that there are various people on waiting lists to be accepted. So you can imagine my surprise when I got accepted for the graduating class of 2008, along with my twin brother Geoff. Ever since that fateful day when the Lord spoke to my heart, I have lived from day to day in complete awe that he would ordain me to do such a noble and complex job for a career!

Well, I'm currently in my third semester of Nursing school *with only 2 left to go* and now more than ever I feel the strength of the Lord pushing me through. Here is a basic overview of my week for this semester:

Monday: School from 8a-4pm
Tuesday: Clinical 6am-4pm *a month each of Psych/Pediatrics/O.B.*
Wednesday: Clinical *same as above*
Thursday: Clinical *same as above*
Friday: School from 8am-1pm
Saturday/Sunday: Work 7a-7p in the hospital

Yeah... I'm taking 18 credit hours plus working 24 hours on the weekend not to mention the never ending process of studying.

Seem overwhelming?? It is, but God has blessed me ABUNDANTLY each and everyday with renewed peace, patience, love, joy, understanding and strength.

So in a nutshell, the reason for this 3 a.m. post is my Heavenly Father. He is my reason for reason, my reason for being. He is what has created us individually to do things beyond what we ever thought possible. God is my inspiration.