The Big Chair

It's been a really great week. It started with the birth of Emily Constance Yohn (my niece). She is just precious! Bekah and Jacob are so proud of their little girl. I don't think she could be any more perfect! She also has the most adorable pouting face. ;-) 

So that's how our week started . The next morning I woke up to the phone ringing. I then realized that Jacob was at home with his wife and baby girl...then I realized that the phone wasn't going to stop ringing until I either unplugged it or answered the call. I figured answering the call would be the best way to go. ;) Jacob will be out of the office for another week or so which means I get the "big chair" all to myself! I don't have to share. YAY! Well actually, I am really just enjoying getting to know our new customers. They are more like friends than customers (the chair is just like a bonus). My mother says "99% of our customers are the best people America has to offer. The other 1% are people that make us better." It is really true! Lucky for me, I haven't ran into any of that 1%! Everyone has been so happy for Jacob (they kind of like talking to him so I had to explain why he was gone) and really friendly to me. I have even been able to set some of our customers up with new drops. It is always a good day when I can call a customer with good news and let them know their drop was approved! 

I am not sure if I will let Jacob back into the office. He might have to fight for his chair back... and his desk. I really like his desk! ;-) 

My work is calling me back to...well...work.

To God be the Glory. 

Bethany Joy

Dog training, Horse training, and everything else

Since coming home I have gotten back in my routine of training the horses and my playful pup. So, I thought I'd update you on what I've been up to. 

Miracle- Really surprised me and has mellowed out a ton. My feisty Arabian is finally growing up. It is good to see that the work I have put into him has paid off. He does not tolerate my playful pup well so I will be working with him on that but I plan to ride later today! :-)

Promise- ah, where to start... She is a sassy little thing! She has a good heart but that only goes so far. I will be working with her on showing more respect and preparing her for the saddle work I plan to do with her when the spring rolls around. 

Chloe- Still as much a puppy as ever. She is now 65 lbs! The ladies at the vet office love watching her grow but couldn't believe she had grown so much since we were last in there. 

Yesterday, I took her to obedience training. She is totally A.D.D but that's okay.  She knew everything because I had already taught her those basic rules but she was to distracted to actually do what I was asking. So, I will be working on getting her to focus a little more before our class next week. I am super excited to see where this goes! 

Chloe checking out the trainer's supplies while she isn't looking. Smart dog! ;-) 

Yesterday we also found Elisha the border collie he has been looking for! It is so sweet to watch them together. It is a little girl who is currently nameless. He is working on finding her the perfect name. This morning "nameless" helped Elisha do his morning chores and followed him everywhere he went. She is not a fan of Chloe but that is fine because nameless is going to be a working dog and really just needs to bond with Elisha. 

Elisha has started his sheep business and will be selling to Azure. We are all pretty excited for him! I am hoping this dog will be a good help to Elisha as he cares for his flocks. He is a wonderful shepherd!

Elisha and Nameless

Christmas with Family and Our Travels

Hey all!

So, I’ll catch you up on our travels.

First we drove two days straight…no stopping! That was a LONG trip… We arrived at our grandparent’s home late at night, they greeted us on the porch. Their house was decorated in tons of Christmas lights, Santa decor, and everything Christmas. It was beautiful! We all decided to save the tour of the house for later and to instead snuggle up in our beds.

The next morning us ladies cooked breakfast with grandma, but not until we had slept in until an unreasonable hour. ;-) The rest of the day was spent catching up and relaxing.

A few days later grandma, momma, Sarah, and I woke up early to set up for Bekah’s surprise baby shower. It was so much fun! Bekah left with Jacob and momma that morning and by noon the party was set up at Victoria Rose tea house. Many friends and family attended the party so that they could congratulate Bekah and Jacob. Bekah and Jacob were completely clueless to what was going on so we had to explain a little bit. We all laughed about their surprise. It was such a beautiful afternoon!

Under a week to Christmas, we completed our last minute shopping and purchase all the goods needed for our Christmas Dinner. It has become a tradition to celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve. We started doing this because my father (who used to work for various trucking companies) could never get Christmas day off. Plus, my sister’s birthday is on Christmas eve and we wanted him to be there for it. We now own our own trucking company so his schedule is a little more flexible but we have kept the tradition because I am quite sure all the children would start a revolt if they were made to wait a whole 24 hours longer! ;-)

My brother, sister-in-law, and their baby –Gunner, arrived just in time to open gifts. Jed had just finished his route (he drives truck for our company and we didn't have a driver to take his place) and was able to pack and drive to California just in time. We were so glad when they all arrived!

We completed dinner, set the table, and enjoyed a wonderful time sitting together and chatting as we ate the delicious food prepared by our entire family. After we finished we all gathered in the living room. Before opening gifts we sang carols and read the Christmas story. Then my grandpa and brothers handed out gifts.  I loved seeing the surprise on my family member’s faces as they opened their gifts. We are all so blessed!

Just yesterday we visited my auntie Carol. I just love her! I had a little bit of a cold so I stayed in the house while my brothers and sisters ran all over their property. I think after the three hours of driving they had just a wee bit of energy to run off.  We spent and hour or so visiting with her before us children headed to the beach where we would later meet them all for dinner. The beach was great! I was so happy to see that there was not too many people (usually it is VERY crowded). There was a light breeze blowing and the light was reflecting off the coral blue water in the most glorious way! My first response was my goodness this is beautiful!!! Our God has created the most beautiful things for us to enjoy. 

I did not intend on getting wet. Maybe splash my feet in the water but I wanted to stay warm and dry. My brother-in-law decided it would be more fun to push me in though so my plans changed quickly. ;-) I then proceeded to splash through the water and race the waves with my brothers and sisters. By the time we packed in the car to head to dinner I was thoroughly soaked and we had a nice collection of sea shells.

 This evening finds me with a stuffy nose and a merry heart. The playing in the ocean was worth the stuffy nose though.

 Looking over the past couple of weeks I find myself saying “Thank you”. The Lord truly has blessed our trip! We still have a few more days before heading back to Kansas so I look forward to the memories we will make with my grandparents before heading home.

Have a blessed evening!

To God be the Glory.

Bethany Joy 

NICU Journey

My mother and I drove to the hospital to visit a dear friend who had recently given birth to two of the most darling little girls. They were SO small! I loved visiting with my momma's friend and holding those sweet babies. It was that visit that made me want to visit the NICU again. I realized how many babies were in there that had no one to pray for them. It might seem silly but that is really the reason I wanted to work in the NICU. I wanted to hold the babies, love on them and tell them how much God loved them too. So I set my dream before the Lord and told Him that if it was His will I would LOVE to work in the NICU and pray for those little babies.
When my momma and papa announced that for our Christmas project this year each of us children would be given 100 dollars to donate to any organization of company of our choice. We also had to donate our time and then at Christmas time share about what we learned. My grandma doubled the amount and donated some of her money too so that gave me 200 dollars to give.
With my first $100 I got two gift cards and wrote a note to the mothers. I told the director of the unit that she could give them to who ever she wanted but I suggested two people that I thought could use it.
The first mother- I had seen her every single day I came in. I loved seeing her love for her child. It was so sweet.
The second mother- looked rather rough and maybe even a little unfriendly but as I was cuddling another baby I learned more about her. She LOVED her baby for starters and she was doing everything she could to give her baby a better life than the one she previously lived. It was so special to witness that.
The other $100 went to the director to spend on any supplies that the unit might need.

What did I learn?
Lots of things! I learned that there is always work to be done so set clear goals for yourself and take one bite at a time.
I learned that the people who work on that unit have formed a sort of family and it is amazing to be a part of that.
I learned that the hospital has a lot of code words for things...It was really neat to learn those! I will never hear a hospital speaker and think the same. Everything has a meaning and purpose! Haha..even if it sounds silly..
I learned that my grandma has a very hard job but she is one of the most loved people at the hospital.
I learned the importance of working as a team. Something we do as a family but I never realized how important it is to do in a work place too. When people were working as a team things just seemed to glide along smoothly but when people got grumpy or selfish it is all stop and go. Luckily, I didn't see to much of that though. Like I said, the people in that unit love each other! ;-)

So here are some pictures! I was allowed to take pictures of anything I wanted as long as it did not show anything confidential...made taking pictures of the babies hard (you can't clearly see any of their faces) but I still had a lot of fun!

I learned how the hospital warms the baby's milk too!

The nurses are constantly caring for these babies. They make sure each baby is as comfortable as possible.

I LOVED it when the babies would hold my hand...it was so sweet.

This baby is getting some "photo" therapy...no it still means I can't take photos of it's face. haha!

I would sit and watch this screen each day I worked. I never was able to figure out what all of the different ones meant!

Baby!!!

Time to eat! No body mess with these babies when they are hungry..not if you value your life anyways...they don't mess around when it come to food! haha..

Toes! So so so small! The smallest baby I held was roughly 3 lbs. She felt like a feather!

What does a cupcake have to do with the hospital? Well a lot! I found out that some of the world's best chefs reside in that hospital...well I don't know if they are the best but they sure now how to make good food! If I get sick, I am totally going to that hospital. ;-) I think this is a gingerbread cupcake.

So that's everything. I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the NICU.
Have a beautiful day!

To God be the glory.
Bethany Joy

The End of California Visit 2012

How did this happen? Time has surely flown by quicker than usual. I can hardly believe that my time visiting my grandparents is over. It has been such a blessed trip and I cannot thank God enough for everything He has done for me on this trip.
So, do you want me to brake down this trip for you? I think I shall!

I first flew into California with my mother and two of my little brothers, Samuel, and Daniel. Daniel was ADORABLE! He loved looking out the window and clapping his hands. I do believe he is the cutest 1 year old ever.

I don't know how anyone could look out the window of a plane to a view like this and say there isn't a God. He must exist. After all, a view like this couldn't have created itself ;-)

We celebrated my little brother, Samuel's, birthday while in California. It was a ton of fun and he even bought a fish named "Mr. Purpy". He really loves his fish.

While I was in California we visited several organic farmers to interview them. That was quite a bit of fun! We even went to a farmers market. I really enjoyed watching all the people search for their favorite goodies.

I also had the opportunity to visit with my cousins and go to Yosemite. Yosemite was just breath taking. Nearly all of the falls were dried up but it was still AMAZING! My favorite view of Yosemite is from the very bottom of the valley looking up at the majestic mountains. Ah, yep...thats the best view ever. And, I also got to take a bunch of pictures of a little fawn and a herd of deer grazing near the road. The fawn was just adorable! I have never gotten so close to a deer before so that was quite a treat! To see the rest of the photos from my trip to Yosemite (including that cute little fawn), go to: Rejoicing In Life Photography  

I also had the opportunity to volunteer in the NICU. I had an amazing time. I learned a ton and really enjoyed learning more about the people that worked there. I loved holding the babies while singing softly to them, praying for them, and thanking God for them. The time I spent in the NICU was so blessed. I really can't say thank you enough to God for that opportunity.
It is really my hope that I left there leaving hope and a lot of joy. Each of those people in there are unique and precious to Christ and I learned that they really loved working together and form a sort of work family. It was sweet to see.

I'll post more details about my time volunteering in the NICU later. It will have to wait for another post. It's a rather long story. ;-)

So, now I'll be heading home in just four short days. You can imagine the packing I had better do! Haha... I honestly have never been more excited to get packed into a car with a fish and my grandparents.

Be Still My Soul

There is this lovely little song that my baby brother, Daniel, loves to listen to. It is part of an albumn called "Lullaby Scriptures, Hidden in my Heart". It has actually become one of my favorite things to listen to. Often this song comes to mind as I am taking a walk through the garden or holding one of the precious babies in the NICU.
"Be still, my soul. Be still and know that He is God." I just love that. It always calms my soul to listen to this song and be reminded of the wondeful promises of the Lord. 

Nature has a way of bringing that song to mind... Maybe its the peaceful sound of the breeze, or the songs softly singing their song.

The babies living in the NICU have a way of reminding me who God is. Maybe it is that as I sit and watch them slowly drift off to sleep, I watch their eyelashes flutter, I watch their chest gently rise and fall, and I feel their tiny hand holding my finger, I have slowed down enough to let myself be reminded. I love those kids. I love that God has brought them into my life and that He is teaching me more about Himself through them.

A Warm Cup of Tea

It was a chilly morning with fog resting on the hills and a light rain coming down. I decided that this called for a warm cup of raspberry tea. It's one of my favorite ways to spend a rainy day.