A weekend without water

This past weekend we were alerted that there was bacteria in our tap water and it was no longer safe to use. Which made it perfect because it was also the hottest weekend we have had all summer (so far). Awesome.

Do you ever stop and think, even for just a second, how lucky you are to have running water? I know it was one thing I took for granted. You don't realize how much you use water through out the day. Brushing your teeth, washing hands, baby formula, washing bottles and other dishes, cooking, drinking, cleaning messy faces, and showering. None of this could be done without boiling the water or drinking bottled water. What a process it was to wash dishes or give Madison a bath.

Strangely enough, I think it was just what I needed. Sometimes this very forgetful girl needs a smack upside the head to remind herself how blessed she is. These moments seem to be happening often, which in itself I am thankful for. Being grateful for the small daily things helps put me in a better mood and more willing to help those around me. When I was younger I wrote in a journal almost daily. The one thing I would remember to include is something that my friend and I came up with that we like to call "Our Simple Pleasures". At the end of each entry we write 3 things for that day that we are thankful for. They can be anything, seriously anything. I remember one time writing that I was thankful for a Popsicle on a hot day. So that being said, I think I will re-start that tradition and close every post with 3 things I am thankful for.

1. Thankful that my family didn't get sick after the bacteria in the water.
2. Air conditioning keeping me sane in this triple digit weather.
3. The sun setting so late and giving more time to be outside.

So even if you don't write them down, every night before you go to sleep, think of just 3 little things that made you happy today.

Madison Months 1-9

Time is going by so fast!

Gratitude.

Tonight as I'm sitting on my bed, playing on my iPad, and window shopping my wish list for my birthday, a commercial for Operation Smile comes on.

I watched for a few moments and became so overwhelmed that I began to cry. What is it about motherhood that directly ties your tear ducts to your heart strings? I seem to cry so easily these days. 

These sweet children of God live in such poverty. They face much more difficult trials in their lives. Their families do not have enough money to feed them, let alone get them this life changing surgery. I think it was the faces of the mothers that touched me the most. The look of disappointment when their children's names weren't called and the smile in the eyes of the parents whose children were lucky enough to be called. They don't speak English but their faces said it all. One woman had to sit outside (as all other parents did) while waiting for her 18 month old son to have the surgery. When the nurses took her by the hand to let her see the "new face" of her only child, my heart instantly melted. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she just kept saying "Thank you, thank you" over and over. Her gratitude for what had been done was overwhelming. You truly never understand just how much your parents love you until, you become a mother. The love I have for Madison runs so deep and is never ending. From the moment she came into this world and I held her in my arms, I knew I would give up my own life for her if I had to.

Again I reflect as I sit here with a full stomach and a perfectly healthy little girl and my heart is full. Sometimes we have to take a step outside ourselves to realize just how lucky we are. How random that it took a commercial for me to realize that. 

There are so many great quotes on the subject but I think my two favorite are 

"We often take for granted the very things that deserve our gratitude" - Cynthia Ozick

And 

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough" - unknown 

I wish I had a ton of money to help those sweet kids. I wish I could go on a mission with Operation Smile. But all I can do is help and serve those around be until one day the opportunity arises for us to go. 

The application process... Say A Little Prayer

Its that time of year when the birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and we are ripping our hair out trying to decide where to go.

That's right, medical school applications are happening now. What a long and expensive process. Don't get your hopes up though, we wont know where we are going to end up until sometime around Christmas.

These are the schools we are applying to:

A.T. Still University- Missouri
Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
Campbell University  - North Carolina
Lincoln Memorial University  - Tennessee
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine-  Pennsylvania
Rocky Vista University - COLORADO
Western University of Health Sciences - Pomona - California

Phoenix AZ

University of Utah

UCSD - California

Loma Linda - California

Loyola - Chicago

Oregon

quite the list, huh? 13. The unlucky number. Maybe we should apply to one more just in case

And it does not end there. You send in your first applications, which is different for every school. Then if they like you they send a second application to find out more information (which also cost more money). After that they can set you up with an interview if they are interested. Then he has to fly out to where ever the school is, pay for a hotel and rental car, and we still won't even know if he got it. The dollar signs just keep adding up. Yikes!

So pray for us.

Pray that we make it to medical school.

Pray we win the lotto.

Pray we end up somewhere WEST coast.

Woof.------

On a side note. My nephew Max was baptized on June 1st. Great Grandma and Grandpa Dodger were able to come from California to be here for it. It was a very fun weekend. 

 We love Grandma and Grandpa Dodger. 

 My darling nieces with Madison.

 This is pretty much where we spend every day this summer. 

. We don't mind.