Favorites :)

Pictures, as promised!

such cuties :)

Benjamin always claims he will win, but C always takes him. haha

<3 my dad :)

not too shabby, eh?  Just missing Emily :(

It took me SIX times to get them to make a face!  I knew they had it in them.

Love him :)

love.

I can't decide if this needs an explanation or not...would it make it any better if I told you my Dad was santa?

Thankful beyond words.  Love her.

Christmas Update!

Wow.  Even though I love journaling, I have obviously fallen out of it.  Instead, it has been replaced by meaningless tv shows that I can't seem to stop watching!  having 5 seasons on netflix is dangerous...I can use the excuse that I'm still exhausted when I get home from work sometimes, but that only goes so far.  anyways, I'm praying and trying to cut waaay back on that so that I can blog and read and do things that matter, you know?

Let me rewind to about a month ago.  Christmas break.  *sigh*. It was so incredibly restful and sweet.  I knew I needed a break, but I didn't realized how stinking much i needed it!  The first 3 days, I went to bed early, slept in, and took a nap.  My poor little body had been working overtime, and when I got home I just crashed.  I am SO thankful for that rest.

Being with my family was food for my soul.  It's almost beyond words how wonderful it was.  It was a blessing just to be.  I am grateful for the incredible, wonderful and loving family that the Lord has given me.  Each moment that I spend time with them grows my affection for them.  The week and a half that I was has in Raleigh was not enough.  I wanted to stay on and on.
  It was wonderful to talk with them, read near them, and play games in front of the fire.  Mom faithfully prepared meals that were delicious and nutritious as always.  The fact that I didn't have to worry about food relieved me of an incredible amount of stress.  Thanks mom :)

I know this sounds nostalgic, but I guess that's because it is...even though it was a week and a half ago.  I got to go on a coffee/movie date with my dad, always such fun and an encouragement.  It is so neat to be able to share our lives with each other.  I am so thankful for my parents - they are 2 of the most loving, committed, hardworking people I know.  Thank you for loving me through it all, and most importantly, thank you for teaching me about Christ.  As I get older, I am aware of the unimaginable blessing of having godly parents.

Getting to spend time with Carolyn was just...wow.  It's hard to live 7 hours apart and hardly ever get to see her.  In her words, she is the friend that I am just lucky enough to share parents with.  Sharing her bed, chatting and catching up, watching netflix together, sitting in front of the fire together...I just couldn't get enough of it :) One morning we made lattes with her new espresso machine and took them up to her bed, pretending that it was a cafe.  She is, without a doubt, one of my dearest friends.

I got to see the Shingler's as well!  It was so good to spend a few afternoons with them and get to catch up.  Spending time with them is just so natural, and I love it.  The girls are cuter and crazier than ever, so spunky and lovable.

I'll add some pictures when I get home! (I got to work and found out there was a winter delay until 11...so I'm blogging instead :) 

November whaaaaat?

If I sneak a post in today, then I only missed a month :)  Ideally, I would write much more often...I'm trying to get back into it.  There's something so happy and calming in writing out my thoughts and sharing them.

I got some good news today!  I had an appointment with the Lyme doctor today, and she said in 2-3 months they are going to start tapering me off antibiotics...completely!  Praise God that he has brought me this far.  I have learned to trust his faithfulness through all of this, and although this trial is not yet over, I have no fear.  Whatever happens, he will be glorified...and I will me made more like him as he molds me.

I have started feeling better while i'm on the antibiotics, which is a good sign.  I've had more energy and less nausea - the goal is for me to feel just as good on the meds as I do off.  I think the end may be in sight! :)

Things continue as normal here in the big city.  It's time for fires, fleeces, coffee (ok ok) and christmas music!  I'm tailoring my pandora station at the moment :)  I just love this time of year, but I absolutely cannot believe that tomorrow is December!!  AHHHHHH!

I love my roommates.  a LOT.  Li (my actual roommate) is moving to China in mid-January. I am excited for her, but I am so sad to see her go that I almost can't stand it.  She has become such a dear friend to me, and it has been an undeserved blessing to share a room with her.  I don't want her to go!!!

Speaking of not deserving things, I am still amazed that God gave me this beautiful house with the greatest roommates ever!  I am so thankful :) :)

A few weeks ago, an intern took our pictures together!  It was like a photo-shoot - we walked all over and posed for 2 hours.  It was lots of fun :)  You're gonna love the photos...

Reeeeally happy :)

Love this one!

They tried to push me off...it worked.

I love jumping pictures!  please look at our faces!

sleepy grey saturday..

Today my arm hurts.  and my arm, i mean my shoulder. should blade, rotator, neck muscle connected to it, etc.  I flipping FELL on wednesday night.  I was coming home from bible study, and not in the greatest mood.  It was dark, and a bit rainy,  and the lord has really been showing me what an idol I’ve made of friendships...I’ve come to rely on them so much for happiness that I don’t find my satisfaction in the Lord.  

anyways, this is the mood i was in as I walked up my street and through my gate.  As I grabbed my keys, I noticed a guy walking by on the sidewalk.  Next thing I know, I am laid out on my front steps, and he has passed right on by.  As far as I can tell, this is what happened:  When I was looking for the right key, I put my foot out, and instead of stepping ON the step, I stepped on the edge of it and my foot slipped off.  Of course, since my body was already moving forward, this resulted in me landing on my left hip and shoulder, scraping my shins and knee, and going down.  Ow.

What really sucks is that I totally re-injured my shoulder!  It was just starting to feel better after 5 weeks, and it feels just as bad as it did back at the beginning.  I know that God is sovereign over everything, but I feel so bruised and battered!  Today I am just coming off two weeks of meds (stronger antibiotics than I’ve had in all 10 months of treatment), so I am sitting here with a burning shoulder, bruises, a popped vein from getting blood drawn and very unhappy stomach.  All I want is a home-cooked meal from my mom...and maybe some nursing-back-to-health.  

I’ve got to say...for that book I keep talking about writing, this is just another interesting chapter.  I wonder what God has in store for me next...

gahhh!!! the last time i wrote was june?  holy freaking cow.  lots has happened since then.  lots and lots.  Ok let's see...

July was really hot.  August was really hot.   wait, back up.  July 4th was really hot, but really good.  I was reflecting on my previous one (just 5 days after I moved here), and what a difference a year makes!  How fun to start the day by waking up at my good friend samantha's, then going home to take a nap (haha)?
Then i had some time to journal (and drink coffee of course), and thank God for his many blessings.

In the evening, I went to a cookout at the Bullmoose (the house across the street from the church where 13 guys live...i know i know, how was i invited?).  I walked over to the church to check out the (somewhat exclusive) picnic, and somehow ended up on the 4th floor roof with everyone else to see the fireworks.  It was pretty neat to see them from up there and have a 360 view!  There were actually fireworks all around us, but most of them were illegal.

Beginning of August was family beach week.  I never knew how sweet a week-long vacation could be!  I felt like life was closing in all around me, and then suddenly I was sleeping in, drinking coffee, reading, having meals made for me, laying on the beach, swimming....I just love the beach :)  It was so refreshing to not have a schedule and to be with people I love.

The end of August saw Abby leaving for grad-school.  I drove a packed second car down with her to Williamsburg.  I was glad to be there and see where she would be living, but it was hard to drive away!  I miss having her at work...when we were together we were usually laughing :)

That's all for now :)

<3,
J

Things on my mind and heart

I'm home sick for the second day in a row, so I figured I'd do something useful...instead of laying on the couch watching movies (which is all I've done up to this point.  How can you blame me with my library 10 feet away?).  I hate the feeling of sitting around all day though (even if I'm sick), so here I am.

Life has been busy.  There are so many things I want to do and people I want to spend time with that I never have time for everything!  As I get more involved in church, there are more and more opportunities...small group, bible study, friends, helping cook meals, childcare, etc.  I've had to remind myself to slow down.  It is really easy for me to spread myself thin, because I still want to do everything I did before Lyme, before this treatment.  It's hard for me to accept this, and it's easy for me to get frustrated with myself.

Lately, I've been having more and more side effects.  I'm on month 7 of the treatment (which is supposed to last 12-18 months), and I keep feeling worse.  I thought I would feel better by this point, but, like many things, it has to get worse before it gets better.  As this disease lingers and I feel progressively worse, I am learning to trust God more.  Each time I feel like I can't go on, each time I feel my hope slipping away, I am reminded that He is all I need.  He is enough.

Last week was really difficult.  Each day, something happened push me closer to the edge.  When I emailed my PA to ask her about my new side effects, she said that as I continue my treatment and the medicine and dying off gets "deeper", my symptoms will most likely intensify.  Boy, that was hard to swallow.  Praise God his faithfulness in providing friends who support, love, encourage and pray for me.  I couldn't do it without them.

<3

May - the new beginning of blogging!

I was just about to go to bed, but I had the sudden urge to visit my blog.  how is it possible that I haven't written since March?!?!  I have wanted to write so many times, but I just never had the energy to sit down and actually do it.  I've missed it though...it's an awesome way to kind of process things, while at the same time giving me the opportunity to share what's been going down in the life of Joyce.

Let me tell you, God has just given me blessing after blessing!! I'll start with this weekend, since it was just amazing.  I have a TON to catch you up on, but I better take it slow...or else I'll get overwhelmed and not end up writing for 2 months!  Or, I'll just write such a long novella that you will get bored and go to hulu instead.

This was a sweet weekend of fellowship.  Friday night after work, I drove out to Harper's Ferry for a girls getaway.  The ride was a blast!  It may or may not have had something to do that I was sitting next to Samantha (one of my favorite people!).  When we are together, it is absolute craziness.  It's like we had 50 pixie sticks and 4 venti starbucks....you can imagine the level of hyperactivity.  So fun :)  We lately discovered our mutual love of disney's robin hood..between the two of us, I think we quoted the whole movie!

Lunch date with Samantha!

Anyways, back to the weekend.  I was so thankful for the chance to get away, spend time with good friends, meet new girls, watch movies and sleep in.  On Saturday morning after a leisurely breakfast, we walked down to the river...we were on the AT!  pretty cool stuff.

This was on our way to the trail...somehow the trip ended with us having the nicknames
butter buns, bun bun and honey buns...

The day was cloudy and windy, but it felt good to be out in nature.  I was on a picture taking kick...

Love these ladies :)

We hiked the AT!  and by hiked, i mean we walked about 1/2 a mile...

We had a sweet time of singing hymns down by the water.  It was beautiful :)

We were only away for one night, but it was so refreshing and relaxing.  I absolutely love DC, but it is nice to get out in nature sometimes.  I also really appreciate having the opportunity to get to know girls from church on a deeper level...all of these blessings that I don't deserve!

xoxo