Sadie at our new casa 
My audiometer FINALLY came!! 
YAY6.27.2009
June: transitions
This month I have officially begun my transition into adulthood (despite living in a college house on Baylor's campus). This month I traded in my EMT license for an Audiologist license, started my job at Waco ENT, got business cards, got my own audiometer, applied for my C's and got my first real pay check. I think I am still in denial about being 26. I don't feel quite that old and often wonder why I haven't settled down and started a family. Then I remember that I spent 8 years in college. Yikes. At least I am finally finished and beginning the next part of the journey. I am in Waco indefinitely, not knowing what all the future holds. For now it's just life 1 day at a time.
6.25.2009
nancy
Many of you know about my hiking experiences last year. Some of my teammates have kept on hiking & kept on fundraising during the past year. If you can help at all, please go to Nancy's page and donate to the cause! Thank you.
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntx/BigBhke09/nkohlman
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ntx/BigBhke09/nkohlman
6.18.2009
Word of the day: portmanteau
Seeing as tomorrow is Juneteenth, I have stumbled upon a strange and new (to me) word. The term "portmanteau word" is used to describe a linguistic blend, namely "a word formed by blending sounds from two or more distinct words and combining their meanings" (source: wikipedia). Here are some examples:
Motown
brunch
Tanzania
spork
permaculture
wikipedia!
gerrymandering
chocoholic
Spanglish
Billary... and of course, Speidi.
6.11.2009
PF sucks...
...but God is good. I stumbled upon a passage in Job tonight that caught me. After Job has lost his entire family, all of his belongings, his health and wellbeing, he is still clinging to God and even arguing with his friends about God's goodness and sovereignty. Even though he hates his life and curses the day he was born, he continues to proclaim God as king. Even as he wonders why God has allowed all of this pain, he tells his friends:
Probably everyone who reads my blog knows about the recent death of my uncle Dan, which came all too quickly after Aunt Peggy's last March. These two have been added to a long list of people in our extended family who have died as a result of pulmonary fibrosis - a progressive, fatal lung disease with no known treatment at this time.
Over these past couple years I have felt that my family has been stricken... with a terrible disease, as well as with pain and suffering and loss. And through all of it I have struggled to cling to God. My faith has been shaken; I have doubted God and questioned Him... His authority, His perfect love, His very being. And here is Job, having lost everything, holding fast to his belief -- claiming it as undeniable truth -- that God reigns, that He is alive, and that He is coming back to rule the earth. And he knows that he will be alive to see it. Everlasting life... that is the promise we have in Jesus Christ. Praise him!
"I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has een destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him with my own eyes -
I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!"
Probably everyone who reads my blog knows about the recent death of my uncle Dan, which came all too quickly after Aunt Peggy's last March. These two have been added to a long list of people in our extended family who have died as a result of pulmonary fibrosis - a progressive, fatal lung disease with no known treatment at this time.
Over these past couple years I have felt that my family has been stricken... with a terrible disease, as well as with pain and suffering and loss. And through all of it I have struggled to cling to God. My faith has been shaken; I have doubted God and questioned Him... His authority, His perfect love, His very being. And here is Job, having lost everything, holding fast to his belief -- claiming it as undeniable truth -- that God reigns, that He is alive, and that He is coming back to rule the earth. And he knows that he will be alive to see it. Everlasting life... that is the promise we have in Jesus Christ. Praise him!
6.03.2009
Waco
I have really enjoyed my 1st week in Waco. I really do like the small town feel. I just can't get over how nice everybody is here. I have lived in a small town before, and in Texas my whole life, but the people here are so friendly. Rich people, poor people, old people, young people, white people, brown people... everyone is so kind and always speaks to one another. It is so different from the fast pace of being in Dallas where everyone is in a hurry and in pursuit of their own interests. I think I might stay awhile....
6.01.2009
5.30.2009
the month of may
This past month has been very busy and fun.
Here's a look at what I've done. (I do enjoy rhymes.)
Finished work at the Callier Center...even had my employment "terminated" -harsh.
GRADUATED... 3 days of thrills!
Saw Lady Antebellum & Kenny Chesney - one in the rain and one in the sun.
Outran dangerous weather on foot...twice.
Enjoyed 3 weeks of "retirement" - probably about all I could handle.
Went to camp with Miss Ashley to see Liz and Emily...and everyone else.
Had a little bit of deja vu as I moved BACK to Waco - this time without 12 flights of stairs.
Took a road trip to Colorado for Air Force Academy graduation. Awesome.
Discovered somewhere along the way that the state of Kansas has 1/2 the population of Houston.
Returned to Texas to find that summer has definitely arrived.
I start work June 1st... will have to let you know how the 1st week goes :)
Here's a look at what I've done. (I do enjoy rhymes.)
Finished work at the Callier Center...even had my employment "terminated" -harsh.
GRADUATED... 3 days of thrills!
Saw Lady Antebellum & Kenny Chesney - one in the rain and one in the sun.
Outran dangerous weather on foot...twice.
Enjoyed 3 weeks of "retirement" - probably about all I could handle.
Went to camp with Miss Ashley to see Liz and Emily...and everyone else.
Had a little bit of deja vu as I moved BACK to Waco - this time without 12 flights of stairs.
Took a road trip to Colorado for Air Force Academy graduation. Awesome.
Discovered somewhere along the way that the state of Kansas has 1/2 the population of Houston.
Returned to Texas to find that summer has definitely arrived.
I start work June 1st... will have to let you know how the 1st week goes :)
5.08.2009
What a great week!
This has been an excellent last week in Dallas. Technically, I'll be here next week.. but this is my last week of working and living in Dallas before I start packing like crazy.
Monday we celebrated eCast's 25th birthday with a delicious home-cooked meal and fabulous black bottom cupcakes.
Tuesday... Cinco de Mayo celebration at Chuy's. Mmm, free queso.
Wednesday I got to meet Abby. What a sweet pea.
Thursday... Beckley BrewHouse.
Friday: LAST DAY OF WORK. Got to wear jeans and go home at 12!
What a great week!
Monday we celebrated eCast's 25th birthday with a delicious home-cooked meal and fabulous black bottom cupcakes.
Tuesday... Cinco de Mayo celebration at Chuy's. Mmm, free queso.
Wednesday I got to meet Abby. What a sweet pea.
Thursday... Beckley BrewHouse.
Friday: LAST DAY OF WORK. Got to wear jeans and go home at 12!
What a great week!
5.05.2009
And baby makes 6!
...little Martin girls, that is.
Introducing Abigail Hope, born on Cinco de Mayo at 5:29 a.m.!
Introducing Abigail Hope, born on Cinco de Mayo at 5:29 a.m.!
She is 6 lbs and 19 inches. Here are her lucky sisters/cousins...
Cinco de Mayo
In case you were wondering (as I was)...Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The outnumbered Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army that had known no defeat for almost 50 years.
While Cinco de Mayo has limited significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. A common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day, which actually is September 16th, the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.
adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_mayo
5.01.2009
MAY 2009
I can't believe it is finally, really, actually MAY 2009. My classmates and I have been waiting for this for the better part of 4 years, thinking it may never come. And here it is. Everything is starting to fall into place for graduation...
Haircut: Check.
New fun dress: Check.
Regalia: Check.
Hooding tickets: Check.
Graduation tickets: Check.
So now I'm just waiting for the next week to come and go so my mom can come up and help me get ready for the big day, followed by the big move to Waco. I'm ready for Mothers' Day, too, so if we could just fast forward this next week that would be super!
4.22.2009
Love these girls!
These pictures were taken at Thanksgiving and Easter... I just noticed the girls are sitting in the same order. We have the best swingset ever!
Becca (2 1/2),Ramona (3 1/2), Rachel (4 1/2), Hannah (5 1/2)
4.21.2009
storytime!
This was written by my mom, but I wanted to share it...
If you’ve joined the Butler family at Easter, you know that we are big fans of gathering together to celebrate. I’m positive the kids in our family would surely call Easter our family’s biggest tradition. We love gathering family and friends and having a big day of food, fun and fellowship.
This year, as I’m putting away the plastic eggs and continuing to clean colorful confetti out of the house and sidewalks, I find myself wanting to acknowledge the inspiration for this annual family holiday. Her name was Shirley Butler, my mother in law. Ed and I both have fond memories of family Easters as children; however, neither celebrated Easter as grandly as we do now. We wouldn’t miss it. I’ve often said that sometimes two plus two equals five . . . it’s momentum that often blossoms something normal into something much larger.
Granny’s first granddaughter, Lauren, was born on Thursday, March 31st. That year, in 1983, Lauren’s first full day on earth was Good Friday and we came home from the hospital just in time for Easter Sunday lunch. Thanks to a capable, loving husband and excited brand new father, who could then, and 26 years later still can enlist the troops, our first family Easter lunch came off as a big hit. Grandparents, aunts and uncles arrived that Easter morning to be on the “Welcome Home” and “Happy Easter” fun committee. Each Easter just grew from that big day forward in our lives.
Grandma Moore, Aunt Peggy, and Aunt Linda particularly jumped right in and helped us celebrate. The next year, Lauren was just old enough to venture out to the backyard and proclaim with each and every colorful egg: “UH OH!” - and now years later our family has another set of little girls to share the excitement.
My favorite moment of this Easter actually came the morning after the big egg hunt in our front yard. I was tipped off that the Easter bunny might have visited our mailbox and there might be something hidden there still. I ventured out with Olivia, the youngest of the great granddaughters, to investigate the mailbox. We pulled open the door together and both looked inside. Olivia looked at me with surprise on her face and reaching in she pulled out not one but two confetti eggs! Giving me one and keeping the other for herself, Olivia knew just what to do. She deliberately poked one of her tiny little fingers into the pastel tissue and turned the egg upside down. She and I left a thin trail of confetti all the way back up the driveway. And, I thought, mission accomplished. My family loves Easter just like this little girl’s great grandmother did. Shirley hadn’t been with us on Easter for eleven years now. She died in March 1999 just before Easter.
And now, instead of letting Easter take a back seat to other holidays, I cherish the tradition that my husband, Shirley’s youngest son, and she began.
If you’ve joined the Butler family at Easter, you know that we are big fans of gathering together to celebrate. I’m positive the kids in our family would surely call Easter our family’s biggest tradition. We love gathering family and friends and having a big day of food, fun and fellowship.
This year, as I’m putting away the plastic eggs and continuing to clean colorful confetti out of the house and sidewalks, I find myself wanting to acknowledge the inspiration for this annual family holiday. Her name was Shirley Butler, my mother in law. Ed and I both have fond memories of family Easters as children; however, neither celebrated Easter as grandly as we do now. We wouldn’t miss it. I’ve often said that sometimes two plus two equals five . . . it’s momentum that often blossoms something normal into something much larger.
Granny’s first granddaughter, Lauren, was born on Thursday, March 31st. That year, in 1983, Lauren’s first full day on earth was Good Friday and we came home from the hospital just in time for Easter Sunday lunch. Thanks to a capable, loving husband and excited brand new father, who could then, and 26 years later still can enlist the troops, our first family Easter lunch came off as a big hit. Grandparents, aunts and uncles arrived that Easter morning to be on the “Welcome Home” and “Happy Easter” fun committee. Each Easter just grew from that big day forward in our lives.
Grandma Moore, Aunt Peggy, and Aunt Linda particularly jumped right in and helped us celebrate. The next year, Lauren was just old enough to venture out to the backyard and proclaim with each and every colorful egg: “UH OH!” - and now years later our family has another set of little girls to share the excitement.
My favorite moment of this Easter actually came the morning after the big egg hunt in our front yard. I was tipped off that the Easter bunny might have visited our mailbox and there might be something hidden there still. I ventured out with Olivia, the youngest of the great granddaughters, to investigate the mailbox. We pulled open the door together and both looked inside. Olivia looked at me with surprise on her face and reaching in she pulled out not one but two confetti eggs! Giving me one and keeping the other for herself, Olivia knew just what to do. She deliberately poked one of her tiny little fingers into the pastel tissue and turned the egg upside down. She and I left a thin trail of confetti all the way back up the driveway. And, I thought, mission accomplished. My family loves Easter just like this little girl’s great grandmother did. Shirley hadn’t been with us on Easter for eleven years now. She died in March 1999 just before Easter.
And now, instead of letting Easter take a back seat to other holidays, I cherish the tradition that my husband, Shirley’s youngest son, and she began.
4.15.2009
Why I love Easter
Celebration of new life in Christ. He has conquered the grave!
Lots of family!
Lots of food!
Lots of family!
Lots of food!
Confetti Eggs!
Little people and big people having an absolute blast with the same activity!
4.14.2009
3.27.2009
The amazing YOU
"The sound we hear is being played on a perfect little musical instrument inside our ear. The sound waves go down the auditory canal and are carried by the bones of the middle ear to the cochlea, which is rolled up like a tiny sea shell. The outer ear operates in air. But the cochlea is filled with liquid, and transferring sound waves from air to liquid is one of the most difficult problems known to science. Three tiny bones called the ossicles are just right to do the job that enables us to hear properly. Interestingly, the size of these little bones does not change from the time we are born."
Just another example of how amazing the human body is. I am always trying to explain to my patients that hearing aids just can't do what our brain does. Unfortunately, they probably never will.
Just another example of how amazing the human body is. I am always trying to explain to my patients that hearing aids just can't do what our brain does. Unfortunately, they probably never will.
3.22.2009
I must be shrinking.
3.12.2009
That's a first...
I decided to stop by McDonald's this morning to check out their new fancy coffee selections. I ordered a small hazelnut latte, to which the employee responded, "Would you like regular or diet milk?"
I have to admit, I froze. Diet milk? I've never heard of that. Now I know there are lots of kinds of milk. I am usually a bit overwhelmed at the grocery store by all the different types and colors, but diet milk I am sure I've never run across. I decided to go for it, and tried to spit out "diet" before the long pause got too awkward. The latte was definitely tasty, and cheaper than Starbucks. I just may be a new McCafe fan.
I have to admit, I froze. Diet milk? I've never heard of that. Now I know there are lots of kinds of milk. I am usually a bit overwhelmed at the grocery store by all the different types and colors, but diet milk I am sure I've never run across. I decided to go for it, and tried to spit out "diet" before the long pause got too awkward. The latte was definitely tasty, and cheaper than Starbucks. I just may be a new McCafe fan.
3.06.2009
7:45 am
My little sister just landed solo in Buenos Aires Argentina. Good thing she speaks enough Spanish to (probably) find her way to her hotel without too much trouble. The rest of her group arrives tomorrow for the TOMS shoe drop. I am quite envious that she gets to visit Argentina without me. Not so envious of the overnight flight to get there. Apparently, it's a little further away than Panama or Mexico! Can't wait to see pics when she returns.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)