Hello to everyone! I wanted to give you a quick update. I am in the states. This is my 6th day home and it is going WAY TOO FAST. JT and I are having blast. We have done so many fun things. We went running in Riverfront Park in Louisville, went to Derby Dinner Playhouse with his family, visited his mamaw, and so much more. We are at my mom's house in Crossville, TN right now. Well, I am sitting here updateing my blog and watching ER while JT sleeps. We are meetng my mom at her office for lunch. We are taking her French exchange student, Gaelle, with us today so she can get her ears pierced. Gretchen and Kayla are coming down tonight. Ashley does not get to come because they had to put her husband, Jimmy, in the hospital so keep them in your prayers.

Saturday night or Sunday morning we are going to head back to KY to have Christmas with my dad. I am excited about that because I have not seen him yet!

HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I would like to say one day but it is really today. Here is what happened. Last night I thought, "Maybe I should call Liat and confirm my flight." Well, I did and they had canceled my flight and moved me to a different flight. Not a problem except I was going to miss all of my connections. So I am leaving on a 4:45 flight to St. Lucia (but I have to go through Antigua to get there). I am spending the night in St. Lucia and leaving for San Juan on American Airlines tomorrow morning. And by God's grace I will be in Cincinnati at 7:00 pm tomorrow night.

Thank goodness! Anyways. I hope it all goes okay. See you all in the States!

2 Days!!

After today and tomorrow, I will be home. Today is going to be a day spent studying and a lot of it. Tomorrow morning I take my final and that is it. I will spend tomorrow sleeping (because I leave for the airport at 2am) and packing and cleaning my room (because we all know how neat and tidy I am). I am so excited that I can not wait. I know that God will get me through this long day of studying and my test in the morning. It is so hard to focus at this point because home is so close that I can taste it.

I am excited because not only do Jt and I get to stay in a cool bed and breakfast in Cincinnati, we also get to see my cousins Brandie and Tammy and their children for lunch on Sunday. I really do not know the last time I have seen them because my mom's family has not had family function (until this year when I am gone). Thus, I am very excited. I am also excited about seeing so many people and my family and JT and Asia and everyone, oh and the Christmas lights! Don't forget the food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I must go! I have A LOT of microbiology and pharmacology to study today. Have a great day and hopefully I will see you very soon!

~nat

4 Days!

I can not wait to come home. It is so close that I can alsmost taste it. I have two days of studying A LOT and one final exam left. Tonight we are taking my friend Lisa to dinner. Her birthday was on Thursday, but because of last week's exams, we are going out tonight. We have never been to this restaurant, but Kim said they have real milkshakes, apple crisp, and shrimp. I better be careful, though, because I don't want to gain the weight I have lost.

Don't you just think my baby is the cutest? JT said she was asleep but woke up to pose for the picture. He said that she will sleep here with her grandpa, Jimmy, every night. I can not wait to see her and everyone else. Well I am going to go study! Talk to you later.

~nat

Today I went the memorial service for Dr. Arthur Schipul. He was a clinical medicine professor here at Ross that died Wednesday morning in his sleep. He was such a caring and exciting professor. Gretch actually saw him in action during a blood pressure clinic when she visited. His service really made me think about who I am and how I would be remembered. Dr. Schipul and his wife had such a strong relationship. Today a student told a story of Dr. Schipul saying that despite 49 years of marriage, he still wants to spend every free minute with his wife. That really made me think about the kind of marriage I want. Also, hearing students and faculty telling stories of who he was as a teacher, a man, a friend, a Christian....I actually teared up. It really made think I am lucky to have JT. But I also thought about people really think of me. I try to be good, loving, sincere person but sometimes (especially as of late) I have felt like anything but. I just really want to use this experience to rethink how I live to make sure that when I am gone, people will look back and think highly of me. Moreover, I want them to think of me as a Christian woman, wife, doctor, and mother (someday).

Anyways, I am going back to studying. Have a good weekend everyone!

8 DAYS

Two more tests and eight more days and I will be home! I can not wait. Granted, I have a lot of studying left to do for my final but home is so close I can almost taste it. I can't wait for the cold weather and Christmas lights and my dad's fudge and mom's sausage balls and veggie pizza and Sharon's sweet potatoes and Mamaw's potato salad. Hopefully it will snow so Gretch and I can make snow cream. I really can not wait to get off the airplane and run to JT and hug him and kiss him. I can't wait to feel the cold and walk outside and start sweating.

To all of you who read and don't post, you know who you are..... I would like to know you are out there every now and then. It lets me know that you really do exist and are not a figment of my imagination.....(also Brandie or Tammy.....email me so we can get together on the 17th in Cincinnati.)

I love you guys!

~nat

“I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses.”
Taylor Caldwell

!!!!!!!!!!!10 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!

There are only 10 days left until I come home. The picture on the right was one that Kim took somewhere here. They were the closest thing to Christmas I could find. I took my first of four tests today. I am not real sure how it went. We will see in a few days. I hope that everything is going well for everyone at home. Do all kinds of fun Christmas things and think of me. The other day I posted some of favorite things about Christmas. What are your all's favorite things about this time of year? I look forward to your comments so let me know!

4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:4-7

Isn't this an awesome picture I found? It is a painting of the birth of Christ. I just found it to be very beautiful and worthy of sharing. I must get back to studying but I wanted for each of you to enjoy this picture as well...

~nat

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JT!

13 DAYS!

His birthday was yesterday but I could not get my blog to work. I was so good this year too. I kept two secrets. First, his mom had a mini surprise party for him by having over his entire team without him knowing. Secondly, my mom and Bob drove to Louisville to watch him coach last night on his birthday as a surprise and I did not tell. I like to tell secrets like that so it was hard to keep those as secrets. But I did!!!!!! And he was so surprised so I was glad that I did.

Please continue to pray for me. We have our third Mini exam on Wednesday, a pathology lab final on Friday, a behavioral shelf the 12 and the final on the 15th. I want to do very well on these exams so that I can home free and clear and not worry too much about school. I know that God can help get me through and pass but I am not sure about my own abilities.

I miss you guys and I can't wait to come home. I hope to hear from you soon. (and Heather, the answer is YES. I would definitely come over for a night of Love Actually!)

"She asked me when the season of joy was supposed to end & I said I didn't really think there was an exact date, so we left the tree up till June that year. " from www.storypeople.com ( The pictures are from the Thanksgiving we had at our house. The others are from Dad's Thanksgiving at my Aunt Carol and Uncle Dean's house. The ESPN one is from our football game.)

15 DAYS

I hope that everyone is having a good holiday season. It really stinks being here because for those of you that know me, know that I absolutely love everything about Christmas. I love the tacky crazy blow up Santas and reindeer that light up. I love the endless movies like the Grinch (both versions), Christmas Vacation, Love Actually (a new favorite), Rudolph movie, and believe it or not, I have never seen Miracle on 34th St or A Christmas Story. I love the annoying Christmas carols that everyone hates. I have over 50 in my itunes right now and could have more if JT would let me buy them online. I love the endless snowmen that my mom decorates with (it would not be Christmas without it). Or the bells we put around Asia's neck and feet..... I love waiting for the snow that normally does not come and the Christmas tree and the nativity scene and the fact that God actually thought enough of me to have his only son lie in barn full of animals only to die thirty two years later. That is quite a lovely thing that is often lost. However, being here away from everything that I love about Christmas at home, I can actually reflect on what God actually gave me, the best gift that I can not get at Old Navy or Aveda or Lerner or anywhere else. It is hard to remember the real reason sometimes, especially for a Christmas-aholic like myself....

Just a thought. Love you guys!

~nat