A get-away from the every-day

This last week, Chad and I were able to attend a Church Leadership Conference at Sandy Cove. It is a Christian convention/retreat center and camp on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. The conference was put on by IX Marks and to say the least we had the most wonderful time.

It was about a 6 hour drive away and worth every mile. Chad has been so loaded down with school work this semester, and I worked the 4 days leading up to it and the 2 immediately after, so we both enjoyed the time away, together. Plus, the location was so beautiful- we could see the Bay from our window and we both love being near water.

The sessions were so encouraging and informative. Chad was able to go for a 'Weekender' to Capitol Hill Baptist Church back in March to observe their leadership and church and although this was some of the same stuff, it was fun to get to share it together and get a bit more of the Biblical teaching and reasoning behind what they do.

We were able to meet a bunch of pators, including some other church planters. It was fun to hear about other churches- their joys and struggles. It was encouraging to be surrounded by so many humble servants.

We had some free time one afternoon and we 'hiked' to Turkey Point Lighthouse. Built in 1833! Apparently it had the most female lighthouse keepers of any lighthouse in the US... for whatever reason?!?!

Spring Seems to have Sprung!

Well, the daffodils are blooming, the birds are singing, we are running (outside) in shorts and T-shirts... it seems that after our long and dreadful winter 'down South' (there were at least a dozen nights below freezing), it appears that Spring has sprung.

Just wanted to let everyone know (especially those 'up North' who still have to shovel their sidewalks!) :)

Really late update

Goodness! I have been bad a Blogging...Sorry! We have been busy...Chad's semester at school is in full swing and he is super busy. His classes are intense although he is really loving them this semester (he is studying Greek, Jeremiah/Ezekiel, Ephesians, and Systematic Theology). He went to a conference in Washington, DC at the beginning of February and is still trying to catch up!

Work is going really well. I am working at the MICU (Medical Intensive Care Unit) at the Lynchburg General Hospital (see picture). I am still doing my orientation which is made up of classroom time and on-unit time (I decided not to take classes at Liberty this semester...was just going to be too much!). I have an awesome preceptor and I am starting to get a hang of the unit. I felt rusty at first, but most has come back quickly- like riding a bike, I guess!

The unit and hospital are really nice and modern. They are going to a paper-less charting system so we use our Computer-on-wheel (affectionately called COWs!) and scanner to check and give medications, record vital signs, check health histories, etc. It is a pretty cool system. Our unit is a 14 bed unit and the staff are great. Most of our patients are sick with respiratory problems (pneumonia, respiratory distress, pulmonary edema), GI problems (bleeds, cancer), diabetic complications (ketoacidosis), kidney and liver problems, alcohol/drug overdoses and withdrawl... Some of the patients are extremely sick and others are less ill. I'm starting to get the hang of central lines, arterial lines, ventilators, a million bags of meds infusing in all different lines, the monitors, etc.

Other than that, we had the threat of a really bad ice storm here this week. It mostly missed us- thankfully, as there are places in the state (and country) who were really hard hit and lots have been without power/water/etc... that would really not be cool! You should have seen Walmart the night before it was suppose to hit. It was like watching a bunch of crazy people in panic to buy food! All the schools shut down (some for several days even though by the next day the roads were dry!) It is a bit cool- around freezing- tough, we know. We are soft from these easy winters...

Celebrated Valentine's Day by going to DQ for a Valentine's Blizzard (though I fell asleep and almost missed it!)! We also celebrated our 4 year anniversary since we started dating! how crazy is that? We were reminiscing about that time last night and it feels like a million years ago! No doubt the best 4 years of my life! Love that boy more everyday! ahhhh....