expect the unexpected

I have great friends. Last Monday night during our class, a few of my friends (*ahem!* - Joyce, Helen, and Carlos) organized a little surprise consisting of delicious chocolate cake with chocolate dipped Oreos on top (mmm...), plus juice to hose it all down.(I didn't have my camera, so the pic below is the closest I could find.) My entire class including my professor got to enjoy the fun with me. I received a really thoughtful card from all my buddies in the SCAN program - with whom I have definitely have walked many, many hills and valleys. Thanks, everyone, for remind me what a gift my life is!

I have a great family. I was pretty bummed by the end of class because of a miscommunication mishap with a paper we submitted, so needless to say, I drove home nearly in tears until my mom called saying she cooked a little dinner. My family knows I'm at class until almost 9pm on Mondays, so I was shocked to see a full dinner spread on the table, not to mention Junior, who my mom apparently called and invited him to join us.

I thought I'd celebrate with my family next week when our schedules freed us up, so it was a nice surprise to see what mom and dad whipped up for us that night. Chicken with mushrooms, salmon, asparagus, rice, and of course, a strawberry-vanilla ice cream cake from Marble Slab! (Frankly, Marble Slab is WAY better than Coldstone.)

...And the celebration hasn't quite ended! I went to Mimi's Cafe yesterday morning with my awesome friend Malena, who treated me to a yummy breakfast that included a Pumpkin Spice Muffin. It's only available seasonally, so that was a birthday gift in itself. (Thanks, Malena!)

My birthday wish as I blew out the candles was just for the safety of our firefighters and the people whose lives and homes are threatened or have been taken away as a result of all the fires across So Cal. Something to keep on praying about!

Twenty-seven.

That's how old I am today. Ten years ago, I envisioned I would be completing my residency as a family practice doctor by this age (you know, finish college at 21, med school by 25, residency by 27). God has had way better plans for me!

• Went to Washington DC and fell in love with the idea of being a primary care provider (not necessarily a doctor!)
• Found a wonderful church family - Revolution Church!
• Started great friendships with awesome people through places I've worked: a health clinic and physical therapy offices
  
• Reconnected with old friends
• Got to move in with my family and live life with them
• Met an amazing man - my boyfriend Junior
• Became a nurse and now working on becoming a Nurse Practitioner

...and this is just a small portion of my thankfulness list! Life is always better with God in the driver's seat!

I'm not big on celebrating my birthday, but I suppose some people are. For example --

Junior brought over freshly brewed coffee and warm, yummy cinnamon rolls for me this morning for breakfast... which he made from scratch. He even made a banana cake last night after taking me out to dinner at Cosi. Cosi is huge on the east coast, so I was pleasantly surprised when they opened one in Costa Mesa. Bummer that Cosi ran out of fuel for their famous table-side do-it-yourself s'mores, but it freed us up to head out early so I could open my gifts, one of which I'm wearing right now.

They're super cozy. I got him a pair for Valentine's and have always coveted them. At least now I won't be tempted to steal his.

We'll see what the rest of today holds. For now, it's off to read, read, and read for class since I've got a midterm tomorrow.

fast forward

I can't believe it's been about 1.5 years since I visited my own blog. A lot has happened since, but a few highlights to get you caught up:

• Passed my board exam and I'm officially a registered nurse
• Working my first real job... with benefits and everything
• I've been in 2 different life groups, and just joined one this week (thank you Junior & Zane)... which reminds me of the next point...
• I have an amazing boyfriend - Junior!
  
• I absolutely LOVE serving in Kids Ministry at Revolution :)
  
• Went for an unexpected but great trip to the Philippines with my family!

There are lots of other things that have happened, some great and some not so great, but we can tell those stories another time!

It's a little frustrating for me to think that I have such a hard time keeping up with a blog! If you're reading this, I need some encouragement - so let me know what you think!