switch shoes

Compassion.

This word has been on my mind heart this week.

Please, allow me to throw a definition from the trusty ol' Merriam-Webster at ya:

Compassion:
- Sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it


Being compassionate is something that I feel comes rather naturally to me personally.  At a young age, I can remember recognizing that I was very in tune to the feelings of the people around me.  I would notice things about people that others wouldn't.  I seemed to almost absorb the feelings of those around me.  I could tell when something was wrong or different.

It is not always easy to be compassionate.  In my job, it is difficult at times to be compassionate to mothers of newborns who are sick or born early due to their mom's drug abuse while pregnant.  It is difficult to be compassionate...to be sympathetic...to the mother, of a baby born at 24 weeks, who tested positive for drugs and has five other children that she does not have custody of.  I struggle with compassion when it comes to these situations.  I have overwhelming compassion for the baby but not always for the parents.  It has been even more difficult for me to have compassion in these situations since I lost a baby I wanted so badly and would have taken very good care of.  It is a blatant smack in the face which says, "This isn't fair."  I have to force myself to be polite and kind and to take time to involve these parents in the care of their baby.  It takes effort sometimes.  All this to say, I am not perfect when it comes to being compassionate by ANY means.  It does not ALWAYS come naturally and it is not always easy.

In most situations, but especially those I can relate to, I find it almost automatic to put myself in the other person's shoes.  I think this is vital to being compassionate.  Think about what the situation would be like for you.  When you do, you may find it easier to be compassionate.  You may find yourself hesitating to make accusatory remarks.  I hope you do.  If it doesn't come naturally for you, make a conscious effort to do so.  Wouldn't it be better to place yourself in someone else's shoes before automatically passing judgement?  After a few times of consciously challenging yourself to walk in the shoes of someone else for a minute, I think you will find that you might start doing it automatically.

My heart hurts when the hearts of others are hurting.  It doesn't have to be someone I know well.  It can be someone I've never even met, but seen on television, or read about.  I feel for them so much that I often feel compelled to do things like leave a blog comment or encourage them because I just want to help their hurt a little or at least let them know that someone is praying for them or on their side.  This is just something that I have noticed about myself....and frankly, I like it.  I don't mean to sound conceited or cocky....but more often than not, I recognize the negative in myself....so to recognize something I like about myself is a good feeling.

The next time you are in a situation where you find yourself quickly passing judgement, take a second and "switch shoes."  That's my challenge for you.  In being compassionate, I know you will bless others tremendously...and you will be blessed as well.

I don't mean to preach.  Well, maybe I do.  Please forgive me.  ;)

Here are some quotes on compassion that I found and particularly like:

A religious man is a person who holds God and man in one thought at one time, at all times, who suffers harm done to others, whose greatest passion is compassion, whose greatest strength is love and defiance of despair. - Abraham Joshua Heschel 


But my experience is that people who have been through painful, difficult times are filled with compassion. - Amy Grant 


Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too. - Frederick Buechner


If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. - Dalai Lama


And last but definitely not least, here are a few bible verses on compassion:

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." - Romans 12:25


"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."- 1 Peter 3:8


"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."


- Galatians 6:2

Five Question Friday...

1. If you had $1,000 to donate to a charity, which would you choose?

Hmmm....off the top of my head...probably JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) to help find a cure for Type I Juvenile Diabetes.  We have an awesome, smart, and tough nephew, Logan, who has Type I diabetes....and we would all love a cure for this horrible disease! 

2. Snow days: Do you welcome them happily or are they a pain in your butt?

Well, snow days do not = no work when you work in the healthcare field.  So, they aren't fun in that respect.  I'm really not a snow/cold weather fan.  I prefer to stay in where it is warm.  I do think it is pretty right after it snows....but then it is just a dirty, slushy mess.  Definitely a pain in my butt if the roads I have to travel on to or from work are icy.  

3. What talent do you wish you had and why?

I just wish I had a talent!  I don't consider myself really talented at anything. I think it would be neat to be able to play a musical instrument.  I took piano lessons as a child but did not stick with it.  Probably a mistake.  Sorry, mom.  ;)  (My mom plays the piano.)

4. Are you a news, politics or celebrity gossip junkie?

None of the above.  Definitely not news or politics.  I find both to be depressing most of the time.  Politics just gets too heated and I feel like it ends up splitting people into sides instead of uniting them.  It just turns me off.  I keep waiting for the day when I will be interested in politics like a "real grown-up."  Not sure it's going to happen.  I do find some celebrity gossip entertaining...but I don't make a habit out of watching the celeb dish shows or buying the gossip mags.  

5. What is your favorite "cocktail"? 

Does shrimp cocktail count? ;)

Top 2 Tuesday: Healthy Snacks

This is my first time linking up for Top 2 Tuesday!  Visit The Undomestic Momma to see other links to this post!

I very recently (a.k.a. YESTERDAY *!* started doing Weight Watchers on my own.  So, I am very interested in healthy snack ideas.  Here are my top 2 for now. ;)


1.) Whole grain cinnamon burst cheerios:

One serving = 1 cup of ceral + 1/2 cup of milk.  According to my calculations, it is 4 "WW points plus points" for a serving and 150 calories per serving.  It is a very tasty and quite filling snack!

2.)  Weight Watchers Dark Chocolate Raspberry ice cream bars:

These are sooooooo yummy!  They really work in helping out with my late-night sweets craving.  They are 2 "WW points plus points" and 80 calories per bar.  The downside is that they are pretty expensive...but there are 12 in a box.

My beautiful mommy-to-be BFF :)

Just wanted to share a few pictures of my beautiful friend, Megan, with you from her recent maternity shoot.  She was about 35 weeks in these pictures I believe.  She is now 36 weeks...Lola will be here very SOON!  We are all so excited to meet her!


The photos are by Sara Harth Photography- which you can find on facebook: 


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sara-Harth-Photography/116327778398491


Anyway, get ready to marvel at the cuteness...

Amazing photos, right?  Cutest pregnant woman ever, right?  Cutest little family ever, right?  Right.

I have had so much fun helping Megan prepare for Lola's arrival.  I can't wait to meet her!  She is going to be SO cute and SO rotten! ;)

chicago

A few weeks ago, the hubby and I went to Chicago!  Neither of us had been before...so we were excited!  We were actually there for a test Shon had to take for med school....and it was the beginning of a week long trip to Chicago and then 2 residency interviews for Shon in Michigan.  We only had one full day to do as we pleased in Chicago, but we made the most of it!

I had a horrible, as in worst-ever-in-my-life, cold when we first arrived in Chicago.  Luckily, I spent the evening in bed (after drugging myself up with benedryl and robitussin which we spent an insane amount of money on in a desperate purchase at the hotel gift shop)  while Shon was testing and awoke the next morning feeling quite a bit better...but still not great.  I was very thankful to at least have my sense of taste back because it would have been a big bummer to not get to taste the yummy food we ate while there! ;)

We started out the day by eating at a cute little restaurant called "Yolk."

Can you say, "YUM!?!?!"  It was seriously the.best.breakfast.EVER.

Then...we did a little shopping on the famous Michigan Avenue.

I was not in an overwhelming mood to shop because A.) my head hurt due to my cold, B.) it was cold outside, and C.) if we bought anything we then had to carry it all around and on our walk back to our hotel.  I was excited to go in a Crate & Barrel store because I had never been in one before!  (I get the catalog and shop there online.)  We also made sure to stop in The American Girl Store to get a little something for my little sister, Sophia, who loves the American Girl dolls.  Besides our purchase there, our only other purchases were a scarf (for me) and a pair of gloves (for Shon) from H&M.  I would love to go back to Chicago in the spring or summer and shop until I drop.  It would make a great "girls' trip" destination!

Someone who lives in Chicago told me that I just HAD to try a sea salt hot chocolate from Ghirardelli- so I obliged.  It was so decadent!  Sinfully delicious!

After Michigan Avenue, we went back to our hotel to warm up for a bit.  Then, we took a cab to The Museum of Industry & Science.  Much to our pleasant surprise, it was "free day" at the museum so we got in free!  Score!  It was a really neat museum.  Our favorite exhibit was the german U-boat- the U-505 Submarine.    We got to go on a tour of the inside of it.  It was pretty amazing.  It is the only German submarine in the United States and now serves as a national memorial to the 55,000 Americans who gave their lives at sea in WWI and WWII.  We weren't allowed to take any pictures of the inside.  Here is the only one I got of the outside.  It is so massive that it's impossible to get all of it into a photo.

Click HERE if you would like to read and learn more about the U-505 exhibit.

Next stop: The Sears Tower!!!  (Now called Willis Tower).  We went to the tower around 4 or 5 p.m.  This ended up being a perfect time to go because we got to see the views in daylight and at night.  Yes, we went to the top!  103 floors up...1,353 feet off the ground!!!  I am not a fan of heights...so it was a bit of a conquered fear for me.  It was amazing!!!  The views were unbelievable.  We couldn't stop taking pictures!

Shon on the Skydeck Ledge- basically a glass box jetting out from the side of the building!

We were shaky...it was freaky!

Looking at the floor of the Skydeck Ledge

Us 1,353 feet above the city :)

And the city at night.......

Once back on the ground, we had one last goal for Chicago: eat deep dish pizza.

The pizza was UH...MAZE...ING.  My mouth is watering just looking at this picture.  Oh what I wouldn't do to have some RIGHT NOW!!!  Look at all that cheese oozing out!  Mmmmmm...........

It was a delicious wonderful day in Chicago.  I hope we will go back for a longer trip someday.

* Just in case you "Doug fans" were wondering...he stayed with my parents.  He was a bad boy but he had a good time.  He got to sleep in bed with my mom and sister (kicked my dad out of bed!).  He just doesn't know how to behave properly at other peoples' houses as far as "going potty" goes.  But we were very thankful that we did not have to take him to the kennel.  He does not like it there and I can't bare the thought of leaving my baby in a kennel for a week! 

Here's a sneak peak of Doug at (at my parents' house) that my little sister, Sophia, sent me while we were away:

Yes, he was much happier there than he would have been at the kennel!

an article

I found this article tonight and wanted to pass it along for those of you who read my blog and may be going through the same situation as we are- waiting to become pregnant. It can be an emotional rollercoaster with many ups and many downs. I found this article to be helpful, interesting, inspiring, comforting, convicting, and thought-provoking. I hope it might help you or someone you know in some way.

Here's the link:

http://www.crosswalk.com/marriage/11608040/

The Great Save Event!

Have you been to Target lately?

They are in the midst of their "Great Save Event!"  A huge section of my local Target store was dedicated to the sales.  There were many bulk items that they usually don't have.  It was kind of a mini Sam's club in Target.  (I'm not a Sam's Club member...so maybe it was especially fun for me!)  I had a lot of fun shopping around and throwing some bulk items in my cart.  I'm not a big buy-in-bulk shopper...but I loved some of the things they had packaged in bulk for good prices!  More for your money!  Here's what I got:

Not everything shown was part of the sale, but everything shown was reasonably priced.  

Here's a rundown of my "good deal bulk items" which were part of the sales event.

- Method 3 pk hand soap sweetwater scent: $5.99 (basically pay for 2 bottles and get 1 free in this pack) {They sell big refill bags of soap for these bottles, too.}

- Diet Snapple Peach Tea (2 qt) - $1.99

- Crest 4 pk 6 oz. tubes toothpaste- $5.99 {could have taken advantage of the buy 2 get 2 free which is a          GREAT deal but i get tired of the same toothpaste and probably would get sick of it}

- Fruit Snacks- $5.49 for 50 pouches

- Lysol 3 pack of 35 ct. wipes- $4.99

- 2 pack large jars JIF peanut butter- $6.99

- 3 pk Suave Rosemary Mint shampoo/conditioner/shampoo- $5.00 (18.1 oz. bonus size bottles) {this smells and lathers amazing- comparable to Aveda's Rosemary Mint}

- Cottonelle 30 double rolls- $14.99

- Del Monte 12 ct. peach cups- $7.69 (these things are expensive- usually close to $4 for a 4 pk)

Oh, and I love Method products. To the left (green) is Method Antimicrobial kitchen cleaner- lemon verbena scent. Next to it is Method dish soap in clementine scent.  They were $2.99 each. (Not a part of the sale.) They are natural products and smell soooo good.  They come in cute bottles/fun colors...and they last a long time.  I'm slowly but surely attempting to change all of my household cleaning products over to greener, more natural options.  It's lovely to be cleaning and enjoying the pleasant scents of your cleaners instead of inhaling strong chemicals and feeling like you're losing brain cells by the second.

Now go stock up!  I believe the "Great Save Event" ends 2/19.

WILW!

Joining up with Jamie once again for WILW. :)

I'm Loving all of the time I got to spend with my hubby while he was off a few weeks for "Christmas Break."  This was the first year of medical school that he got such a long break for Christmas (it's his last year!)...and unfortunately, I am sure it will be his last Christmas break for a looooooooooooong time.  (Think: retirement.)  He truly is my best friend (and the best person I know) and I am often dumbfounded as to how I got so lucky.

I'm Loving my pug-son named Doug.  I should probably add that his full name is Douglas Sweet Pea Smoochie Poochie, since I'm not sure if I've blogged his full name before. ;)  Douglas S.P. for short.  However, we more commonly call him "bud," "buds," or "poop scoop"....the latter of which is a fairly recent nickname addition which can be attributed to my dear husband.  I like it though...makes me giggle.  Anyway, we just love Doug so much!  I know he's a dog...but he is also our baby!  He loves nothing more than to be right next to us.  He's a cuddler.  As I type this, he is sitting on my lap at the desk in our office.  He pawed at my legs until I picked him up.  (He's been doing that a lot lately.)  His head is currently resting on my left hand...while I type. So sweet!

{Douglas sitting on my lap in front of the computer a few days ago}

{aaaannndd.... resting his head on my arm at this very moment} ;)

I think I'm going to leave it at that today.  I just love my boys!

{The three of us cuddling on the couch.}

{Flashback of my boys <3 }

{A flashback (waaay back!) of us in highschool...he was the QB and I was a cheerleader <3 }

I guess this Wednesday, I'm especially Loving LOVE.  

Blog Award :)

Thank you to Randi @ A Modern Day Fairytale for giving me this blog award!  I have gotten one blog award before, but I was very new to blogging then and did not have enough followers/blogs that I followed to pass the award along to.  I'm happy to have been chosen by Randi for this sweet award.  Randi and I are from the same hometown originally.  She is a great wife, mommy, cook, and very sweet person.  Check out her blog!

Here's how this Blogger Award works:

Rules

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award
2. Answer 10 questions
3. Pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy
4. Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award

The Q's & A's:

1.Why did you create this blog?

I created it on a whim one night at home when my husband was working at the hospital and I was bored!  Ha!  I thought it might be fun to share recipes and just whatever I wanted to share.  I have always enjoyed writing, but had not really written for fun since high school.  (The APA format college papers you are required to write for Nursing school are NOT fun!)  I wasn't sure what the blog would turn into, but it has become a great creative outlet for me...and much to my amusement, many people tell me that they love reading my posts!  It has been very cathartic for me to write about my feelings and emotions related to the miscarriage we experienced as well as sharing my thoughts about God's love and the difference He makes in my life.  I hope that something I blog about might inspire someone or be a comfort to someone.

2. What kinds of blogs do you follow?

I tend to gravitate toward bloggers who inspire me in some way.  I love reading blogs of Christian women - they are inspiring to me and help me to stay on path in my own life as a Christian.  A few blogs I follow belong to bloggers I know in real life...but most of them I don't.  I also tend to gravitate toward blogs belonging to women who have experienced miscarriage, infertility, or loss of a child.  I can identify with them and their faith and strength is such an inspiration to me.  Oh- and I love me some home decor/design ideas themed blogs!

3. Favorite make-up brand?

Clinique - but I don't use it exclusively.  I have a smorgasbord of make-up - Clinique, Jane Iredale, Aveda, Mary Kay, Bare Minerals, and some cheap-o's.  Maybe one day I'll have an exclusive collection of one brand.  Yeah, probably not.

4. Favorite clothing brand?

I'm really not picky about brand-names.  I just buy what I like.  I really like Lauren Conrad's line for Kohl's at the moment.  I do like Gap and Banana Republic...but again, definitely not exclusive to those.  I also like Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe - but sometimes they can get a little to young wild for me. ;)

5. Indispensable make-up product?

Strawberry Fudge eye shadow from Clinique.  I love it.  I hope they never quit selling it!!!

6. Favorite color?

I think it might be green...all different shades of it...

7. Favorite perfume?

Burberry Classic, hands down.

8. Favorite Film?

Just Married.  Lame?  Maybe.  But it makes me laugh and laugh and I just think it's so darn cute.  [RIP Brittany Murphy :*( ]

9. What country would you like to visit and why?

Italy.

10. Would you rather put mascara on one eye or forget to put blush on one side of your face?

Probably mascara.  Maybe no one would notice?  I love my blush...can't go without it!

And now for the 7 blogs I would like to pass this award on to (in no particular order):  

1. - Heather @ Greer's Gossip

2. Nicole @ Living.Learning.Loving

3. Amanda @ The Shepard Life

4. Lindsay @ Sweet American Honey

5. Megan @ Mackey Madness

6. Amanda @ The Little Yellow House Blog

7. Sarah @ Life Sweet Life

I enjoy reading all of your blogs and hope others will find your blogs through this post!  

Thanks again, Randi. :)

transcending love

Recently, I happened to catch some of Oprah when she was interviewing J.K. Rowling (author of the Harry Potter series).  Now, I don't watch a lot of Oprah....and I'm not a huge H.P. fan...but I can't stop thinking about something they were talking about in the interview.  "Transcending love."  I cannot remember the context, but I believe that perhaps Oprah asked J.K. Rowling what she thinks is the most powerful thing in the world- and she replied, "Love."  She then went on to talk about how love is transcending- knows no limits.  Oprah agreed.  Since hearing that, I can't get the phrase "transcending love" out of my mind.  I guess that maybe I just hadn't thought about love in this specific way before.


Merriam-Webster defines the word transcend as this:


1.

a : to rise above or go beyond the limits ofb : to triumph over the negative or restrictive aspects of :overcomec : to be prior to, beyond, and above (the universe or material existence)

2

: to outstrip or outdo in some attribute, quality, or power

intransitive verb

: to rise above or extend notably beyond ordinary limits

At some point between seeing the show and now, I have thought about how transcending love is present in my life.  Two examples came to mind quickly.  


1.) The love I have for a baby that I never got to meet.  A tiny baby whose existence I knew of for only a couple of months.  If that isn't love that knows no limits, I don't know what is.  The baby we lost did not do anything to "earn" my love.  Love was just there from the start.  My love for that baby just was...and is...and always will be.


2.) Probably due to the recent 1 year anniversary of my sweet pappaw's passing, I thought of him.  I thought of how I love him even though he is no longer here on earth with us.  I love him just as much as I did when he was here.  Not even death can end love.  It transcends life...and death.  That's powerful.  I'm sure many of you who have lost loved ones can relate to this kind of transcending love.


Love- it transcends life, death, and time.  It stays after our loved ones leave us.  It goes on.  True love knows no barriers and no boundaries.  It truly is the most powerful thing I can think of.  Transcending love- what a beautiful thought.

WILW!

It's been a while since I linked up for WILW...glad to get back to it this Wednesday. :)  

Link up with Jamie to play along!

A few things I'm Loving...

I'm Loving this lemonade drink mix:

You can find it at Kroger with the other powdered drink mixes. ( I haven't looked for it in other stores.)  I have been trying to drink less caffeine and more water, and this is helping.  I usually use 1 packet for my 24 oz. tervis tumbler.  It's pretty strong stuff in my opinion...and I think one packet is plenty of flavor- even for that much water.

I'm Loving this tervis tumbler I got for Christmas:

:)

I'm Loving this hot green tea.  It's called Zen and you can get it from Starbucks...or at Kroger, etc.  A hot cup of it really helps if you have a bad cold like I did recently!  (I add a little sweetener to mine.)

I'm Loving these bookends I just got from Z Gallerie:

Please tell me how I could have passed those up...especially since they were just $15!  

I'm Loving all of the quality time I've gotten to spend with my husband over the past few weeks.  He was very lucky to get a few weeks off for Christmas Break...which hasn't happened since he's been in med school!  (And most definitely will never happen again...okay, well maybe one day after he retires...)