Spectacular Vacation!

I had a long blog written about how parents don't really like their kids, but instead of being stoned to death by the masses who all the sudden want to change their tune, I'll stick to a non-controversial blog.

(Except for you Joy, I never hear you complain about your kids. Although you do seem to have unnaturally good kids, so maybe that's your problem)

I finished 2 Samuel yesterday. Today I started on 1 Kings. Since 12/29 I've read my Bible almost every day and walked/jogged consistently. I'm still working on praying. I don't consider myself good at it. But I'm not real sure how it's supposed to be done. I'm going to work on that.

Jordan has spent every extra waking minute planning our June trip. We decided to stay at the Bellagio instead of TI because the Bellagio is 5 star and it'll probably be one of our only chances to stay at a 5 star. The Bellagio is the hotel with the cool fountain show in the front.




We're going to go on a desert ATV tour, either Death Valley or Valley of Fire.

We're going to Manzanar National Historic Site, where the US had Japanese detainee camps during WWII.

We are going to Bristlecone Pine Forest to see the worlds oldest tree. It's 2500 years old!



We're going to Bodie Ghost Town.




We are going to Mono Lake, which has to be one of the coolest things I've ever seen.




We're going to Ubehebu Crater, which is exactly what it sounds like, a massive crater sitting in the middle of the desert. It's a half mile wide and 770 feet deep.




And lots more that I'll post later! Jordan's already looking at cameras so we will be fully armed for this trip. Yellowstone really got us in the mood for nature vacations.

I Heart Animals

This made me laugh so hard.



And I still want one.

June Vacation: Part 1

Jordan and I decided we are taking a trip out west this summer. We will be going from the Grand Canyon to Lake Tahoe. It'll take us about two weeks. These will be our first stops.

We will fly into Flagstaff Arizona and stay the night, June 1st. On June 2nd we will drive to the Grand Canyon for sunrise. Jordan wants to take a helicopter ride through the canyon, but I'm not sold on that yet.

Grand Canyon



On the 2nd we will drive to Las Vegas. The trip will take us across the Hoover Dam.



Once we are in Vegas we will probably be staying at Treasure Island. We want to see Cirque Du Soleil shows "O" and "Ka", possibly "Zumanity" but that's third on the list. During the day we will see the regular sites of Las Vegas, like the Bellagio Fountains, Valley of Fire State Park, and Red Rock Canyon.

Treasure Island



Valley Of Fire



Red Rock Canyon



These are our plans from the 1st to the 5th of June. Next blog entry will take us into California.

Movies

Movies I've never seen

The Incredible Hulk
The Goonies
Friday the 13
Saturday Night Fever
Lord of The Rings
Harry Potter
The Godfather
Rocky


Movies I wish I hadn't seen

Hannibal
Vanilla Sky
Madagascar 2
40 Year Old Virgin
Scary Movie
Sweet Home Alabama
Million Dollar Baby
Titanic

Last night Jordan and I saw Revolutionary Road. We didn't go expecting too much. The last 3 or 4 movies we saw weren't nearly as much as we had hoped for. This one was phenomenal though! It was raw, real, and honest. If Leo hadn't died in Titanic, we said this would be it's sequel. This movie had so much emotion. Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio are absolutely amazing together. I read a review on Rotten Tomatoes that said "This is a film that hurts so good" and that is exactly how I would describe it. Michael Shannon plays the insane guy and he his performance was definitely Oscar worthy. He took brutal honesty to a whole new level. If you like happy ending movies, don't go see this one. But, for Jordan and I, we will be buying it on DVD.

Girlfriend Fail

I don't think mom has to worry about anyone getting pregnant. I only wish I could have seen the answers to this question.


more fail, owned and pwned pics and videos

All In A Days Work

These are some of the more shocking stories I've gathered over the years. If you have a weak stomach or you're eating, don't read. It's amazing how much this stuff doesn't bother me (except for the toenail story!) . Even though it's good money, it's barely worth it!

1. I've seen multiple babies born, though I've blocked all of it out.

2. I walked in a room and the patient, who had dementia, said "I'm wet". I thought nothing of it until I turned on the light and found him laying in a bed full of blood. Huge puddle on the floor. Everything was covered in blood.

3. I had an elderly lady who had fallen between her tub and toilet at home. She came into the hospital with a pressure ulcer big enough to fit my fist in. She ended up dying.

4. I had a paraplegic who snagged his big toenail on the elevator door and it was sticking straight up! I had to push it back down into place. Still gives me shivers!

5. I've had multiple patients with narcotizing fasciitis

6. I had 2 dementia patients fall out of their bed in the same night, the night they decided to wax the floors (which is both loud and stinky)

7. I had a patient with testicles the size of basketball, not naturally occurring

8. I had a suicide watch patient who said he swallowed a spoon. He swore he was about to pass it any moment.

9. My friend had a homeless guy who had maggots in his wounds

10. I had a patient whose foot had rotted away on the top. You could see the ligaments perfectly

11. I had a patient who had to have a tumor taken off her cheek. Her cheek bone was left visible

12. I had a patient whose eye popped out. Oh wait, that was House.

13. I had an HIV+, gay man who came in to get a penis pump implanted. We won't even start on that one.

14. I walked into a room to see my patient for the first time only to find him dead. It was expected and he was a DNR.

15. I've had a patient who came in for a hysterectomy and left with a colostomy bag. (law suit!)

16. The first plastic surgery patient I saw, I thought she had gone through the windshield of a car. No, she just had her eyes, nose and chin done!

17. I saw the x-ray of a patient who came in with a screwdriver shoved up his rear, pointed end first. A permanent colostomy was needed.

18. I had a young girl who needed a colostomy after her boyfriend convinced her anal sex would be fun. Exit only people!

19. I had a patient who had more surgeries than birthdays. 8 to 1. And she was still smiling!

That's all I can think of for now. I left out all the sad and depressing stories. Those would be much harder to write.

Mourn For The Trees!

This is the funniest video I've seen in a long time.

Change

I guess it really is a season of change for the Pitts family. Jordan and I officially made the switch to Grace Fellowship. Our online tithing now goes to Grace instead of Summit. I could write a whole blog about why we left Summit, but I don't want to focus on the negative and I don't want to discourage anyone that does go there. But it's time for Jordan and I to change.

We also quit our bible study. We will be starting a new study at Grace with a friend of mine, Emily. I don't know what to expect at all. It's a church wide study (on what, I don't know) and I like that Grace doesn't do the free-for-all method. If it works, great, if it doesn't, that's ok too.

Also, I permanently took my nose ring out. Craziness, I tell ya!

Lions vs Jelly

Mighty Dog hired Jelly to do a commercial.





See the similarities here?

And just to prove my dog isn't abnormal



Search YouTube for "Jack Russell Tree" and a lot of Jack Russells seem to take issues with trees.

My Light Bulb

I was listening to a podcast recently, I have no idea which one, they all get jumbled up in my head. The pastor said something I've heard before. Many times before. But this time it clicked! He said "God has given you everything you need to get through today", paraphrasing.

I don't remember if it was the pastor or God who then sorted it out in my head for what this means for me and my life. No matter what the day throws at me, he has already given me what will be required to deal with it. Whatever comes my way, God knows in advance, and he has prepared me for it. There is no temptation that is too strong for me to resist. God knows my breaking point, and if I rely on him, I will not be broken.


2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.


If I believe these verses, there is no room for fear, doubt, anxiety, self-condemnation, and so on. Today I am exactly who God has made me to be.

Angry God

I don't get it. I don't understand Angry God in the Old Testament.

I'm reading 2 Samuel and they are transporting the ark of the covenant. This is how it reads:

"When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God." 2 Samuel 6:6-7

To me, the ark was about to fall, or at least Uzzah perceived it that way. He, out of reflex, went to grab it to prevent it from falling. God got mad and killed the well meaning Uzzah.

Now maybe Uzzah didn't mean well and God knew his heart. But I still don't understand angry God. And then He sends Jesus all of the sudden who is LOVE. And God no longer smacks people down. So why did the Old Testment get the short end of the stick?

I've always struggled with this and this story just hammered it in more. At least most of the time in the OT deserving people fell over dead. Is there some other book out there that would shed some light on this for me? I don't like reading the OT because of this, but I will get through the story of David this year.

Apparently There Are Only 89

76. I am terrified of the eye doctor and eye drops
77. I don’t drink caffeine
78. I don’t know how to drive a 5 speed
79. I like doing things on my own
80. I don’t like using dish rags or sponges
81. I do not like chick flicks
82. I rarely get colds
83. I don’t eat spicy food
84. I flew for the first time when I was 16
85. I bought my first brand new car when I was 19
86. I paid for it by myself
87. I won’t buy new again
88. Jordan and I met online
89. I like being alone

I couldn't think of any more

We're On A Witch Hunt!

-- The most dramatic title to a blog ever, and a little less serious than the rest of this entry --

Now this is interesting. From the previous post, you are aware that I was prompted by God through a book on intercessory prayer to inquire about a co-workers faith. She thinks she's a witch (if you think you are, does that mean you really are?). This is not what I was expecting, but I guess that's how God likes to work. That's cool with me, it's His will not mine.

Tonight I continue to read this book, that I'm now really addicted to! Neat stuff happens when I read it! After a couple more pages from where I get God's prompting there is a story about a girl who is paralyzed from the neck down. Doctors were unable to pin point the cause. A man prayed this prayer for her, "Satan, I break your hold over this young lady in the name of Jesus. I command you to loose your hold over her and let her go."

To me, this is powerful stuff you don't take lightly. I believe in spiritual warfare and it's presence around us all the time. For us to be able to use Jesus' name to rebuke the devil is just flipping fantastic, in my humble opinion of course.

Back to the story. After a month, the girl was healed. She was able to walk and talk again. She told the man who had prayed for her that before her paralysis she had been approached by a teacher who wanted to have sex with her. She refused and this made him angry. He was a witch doctor and put a curse on her. The girl didn't think much about it but slowly the paralysis took over her body and she wasn't able to communicate what happened to her with anyone.

I don't know what to make of all this, but I can tell you one thing. If I had ignored God and read about the witch doctor, I probably never would have worked up the nerve to say anything to this girl. Or if I had read about the witch doctor then found out she was a witch, who knows what would have happened. Maybe God is teaching me about his perfect timing and my willing heart. Maybe not, but I feel like it means more than nothing.

Oh, God!

Last night I worked. It was a quiet night, for me. I had some time to read a little from a book on intercessory prayer.

I'm sitting in the nurses station, just me and one other girl, minding my own business when words from the book start popping out at me. Share. Bold. Witness. You have got to be kidding.

I keep reading and blame it on my 3 am groggy head. And then I start thinking about this other book I read, Just Walk Across the Room. And then I read something about the lost, dying and going to hell. Ok. I/God put down my book.

I don't even think twice. I dive in. I ask the girl if she was raised in church. She talks about her family all the time, so asking about her childhood is close to her heart. She's a big talker, so she was more than happy to share. She was saying stuff about being raised Methodist/catholic, and my brain is screaming what have I gotten myself into? And then she says she's Wiccan.

Jesus....are you serious? I have this crazy, God-given urge to witness to someone and they are a Wiccan?! This has to be a joke. The girl thinks she's a witch! She says she has powers and she casts spells!!! And she "knows things".

So she gives me the whole Wiccan shpeal. I ask another question, I have no idea what it was. My brain is literally screaming "Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God" and that is the depth of prayer I could muster. I really don't remember much else. She talked. I asked questions when she took a breath. And I did get to tell her what "non-denominational" is. (Have you ever noticed none Christians are VERY interested in what denomination you are?)

Was God prompting me? Yes, cause I did not want to put down my book. Did He plant a seed? I pray. Will I continue to pursue a relationship with this girl? Absolutely. What did I learn? Witnessing has so much more to do with YOU than with the other person. Will you listen to God or hide in fear? Give me a chance to bite fear in the butt and I'll do it every time.

Mostly....

Oh, and if I die a sudden, mysterious death, keep in mind a recently tried witnessing Jesus to a witch.

51 through 75

51. I like reading
52. I’m always a click away from email and the internet
53. My parents left 3 week old me with a 14 year old babysitter
54. I’m still friends with that babysitter
55. I’ve known a lot of my friends since pre-k
56. I threw a pair of scissors at a girl in school
57. I got detention once – not for throwing the scissors
58. I was in 12th grade when both of those happened….
59. I don’t like it when girls are called “princess”
60. My favorite color is green
61. I saw my cat kill my bird when I was little
62. I saw Peanut kill my hamster when I was big
63. I’ve always driven a Galant
64. I don’t think Tim Tebow is cute
65. I’d rather be cold than hot
66. Juicey Juice is my favorite juice
67. I like always knowing what time it is
68. I love eating just about any carb
69. I have a phobia about excluding people
70. I like hip hop music
71. If I’m laying on the sofa I'm probably hunkered down in a blanket
72. I like meeting new people
73. I’m really good at keeping secrets
74. I have a very small bladder
75. I flew for the first time when I was 16

26 through 50 Things About Me

26. My dogs are my kids
27. I always forget to buy one thing, even with a list
28. I have been a Christian since forever
29. My parents taught me to tithe off my $1 allowance
30. I love giving presents
31. I like getting snail mail
32. I like photography
33. I have seasonal allergies
34. I still have all my wisdom teeth
35. I never ever ever answer my phone
36. I love National Geographic
37. I can’t even make myself watch sitcoms
38. I work night shift
39. Night shift kills my body
40. Jordan and I dated 5.5 years before getting married
41. We have no desire for kids
42. We will probably have kids one day
43. My mom is partially to blame for me not wanting kids
44. I appreciate just about any style of design except eclectic
45. I’m not a morning person
46. I got my first real job when I was 15
47. I don’t like throw pillows
48. I have had a cell phone since I was 16
49. I worked really hard to get to a job I don’t really like
50. Once and a while I think I would like to have a lot of kids

Mysterious God

My Aunt Fanny died yesterday. She's the one with stage 4 bone, brain and lung cancer. On New Year's Eve she wasn't able to talk anymore and all she did was sleep. She was in a lot of pain and on a lot of pain killers. I'm sad that she died at such a young age -60- but she is in heaven with a completely healed body.

What's really sad is I got her son's wedding invitation in the mail the same day she died. Now he will get married without his parents there to celebrate such a great time in his life. I'm happy for them though. They have been together a long time and I look forward to seeing them tie the knot.

And as God takes away his beloved, he also gives back to us: My cousin Michael and his wife Kory just announced they are pregnant. I'm so happy for them. They've been married for quite a while now and I can't imagine how happy they are. Michael is the only reason my mom decided to have kids, so I quite literally owe him my life.

25 of 100 Things About Me

1. My hell would be watching football
2. I’ve never broken a bone, had a cavity, or needed stitches
3. I love black olives
4. I love animals more than people, easily
5. I can’t lay facing Jordan when I sleep
6. I’ve never not had a dog
7. The Appalachian mountains hate me and I hate them
8. My feet are exceptionally small
9. I was 25 when I had my first “real snow” experience
10. I don’t drink beer or wine
11. Everyone should have a full length mirror and should use it before leaving the house
12. I rarely watch movies more than once
13. My hair is naturally curly and gray
14. I don’t like eating food that looks like it once was alive
15. I have a thing for shoes
16. I got my driving skills from Mario Kart
17. I was homeschooled from kindergarten to 11th grade
18. I have over 30 cousins
19. I’ve always lived in florida
20. My mom and dad had to wait 4 long years for me
21. I dressed my brother up as a little girl when we were kids
22. I didn’t get my license until I was 17
23. I was born with dark brown hair and was completely blond by age 1
24. I have an obsession with purses
25. I have to have noise to sleep

Mary Does Not Like:

The dogs next door

Oil based paint

Lizards

"Automatic" hose winder

Skinned knuckle

Some of the things that have made me want to scream today.

More Paint?

You would think we have a big house or something with the amount of area I've managed to paint. Good thing I don't mind painting *that* much.

I'm very happy with the way this turned out. But we will be highering someone to paint the rest of the exterior!



I glazed the niche above the fireplace with a dark brown. It's amazing how much more the niche stands out now. It's much more dramatic.

Productivity At Its Greatest

Jordan had the week off and we took great advantage of it! We got so much done this week. It felt great to get things done and not just sit around having a week of lazy days. Every day we got up by 11 (this is big for us, we're night people). Every day I read my Bible. Five times this week I went for a 30 minute walk. Jordan and the dogs joined me on today's walk. I got two major projects done that I had been wanting to do since we moved in.

The first project was painting the front door. I've never done this heavy of a paint project. And I had to paint with oil based paint, something else I've never done. First we started off with flamingo pink primer. I had to let it dry for a day, so I'm sure the neighbors were wondering what was up. Then I put three coats of red paint on the door. THREE coats! I thought primer was supposed to help with this? And it was really tedious to paint of those stupid panels. Not to mention the door is in bad shape to start with. I finished coat number 3 today, so we will see tomorrow if the door requires a 4th. This has turned into a 3 day process, and I still have the interior portion of the doors to do.




The second major project was making a valance for the breakfast nook. I've never sewn this big of a project before and I've never sewn with silk before. I wanted the valance to be one continuous piece across all 4 windows. This was hard to accomplish because they are all angled. But we rigged it up, and I think I might actually like it. I'm notorious for doing something "homemade" and hating it. So this could have turned into a really expensive project that was thrown in the trash at the end. Oh, and Jordan hung the chandelier, which is probably one of my favorite things in the whole house.


I did a french pleat in the corners to give it definition, although you can't see it in this picture.


Beading along the bottom hem.


I love these bird pictures.


My chandelier that I got at an absolute steal.



Besides working on house stuff we went to the movies twice this week. We ran a lot of errands. I cooked dinner for three nights. And tomorrow we will be going to a new church. A successful week indeed.