Saturday, March 26, 2011

40 Days and 40 Nights

Lent is a forty-day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday. We skip Sundays when we count the forty days, because Sundays commemorate the Resurrection. Lent begins on 9 March 2011 and ends on 23 April 2011, which is the day before Easter. -http://www.kencollins.com/holy-04.htm

One of my biggest weaknesses (and something I LOVE love love) in life is chocolate.  I am pretty sure that I loved chocolate from the day I was born.  I blame my dad.  I love it so much that I have an entire drawer in my kitchen devoted to my sweet tooth.  


Every year for lent, I give up chocolate.  My family and friends make fun of me for it.  They say I should give up something else, I tell them they have no idea how hard this is for me.  I crave chocolate.  I crave it in the morning, I crave it after lunch, I crave it when I get home from a stressful day at work, and I crave it after dinner.  Mmm...chocolate....There really is no better taste than a warm chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven or fresh brownie mix straight from the bowl.  Talk about delicious!  To you, giving up chocolate may seem like no feat, but to me...it's like climbing a mountain...backwards. 

When we "give something up" for Lent, we are embracing a form of fasting, an excellent spiritual discipline. -http://www.churchyear.net/lent.html

It is hard to give stuff up that you love.  But completing 40 days and 40 nights of being disciplined and determined to stick to your goal is a great feeling!  Dontcha think?  Along with giving up chocolate (& soda pop) for lent, I have tried to do something to better myself as well.  That thing that I have chosen is to have a better attitude and think more positively...hence this post.  I will tell you, I have failed miserably. 

While Lent is about giving something up, it is also about putting something positive in its place. -http://www.churchyear.net/lent.html

I need to get better at having a more positive outlook on things.  I tend to always think the worst about things and very commonly forget that I live a very blessed life full of wonderful family, friends, and dogs.  I am healthy.  I have a house and a car.  I love my husband more than anything in the world.  And I get to take care of kids and get paid for it.  I am very very blessed!  So, why is it so easy to get caught up in the negativity that life can bring with it at times and why is it even easier to forget about all the positive things that life has blessed us with?  I really have no idea.  I do know that I have every intention to have a more positive outlook on life and count my blessings every day that I am able to live in this wonderful life, even beyond these 40 days and 40 nights.  

We all need to approach the season of Lent asking ourselves what needs to change in our lives if we are to live the gospel values that Jesus taught us. Our journey through these forty days should be a movement ever closer to Christ and to the way of life he has exemplified for us. -http://www.catholic.org/clife/lent/faq.php#giving

Lent is about giving and receiving.  I am giving up an "unhealthy" lifestyle and getting a healthier and happier me in return!  It's pretty awesome that God puts things like lent in our lives each year to challenge us to become a "whole" better person, whole meaning physically, emotionally, mentally, and especially spiritually.  God is pretty ridiculously awesome, if I do say so myself!  

Lent is about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life. That always involves giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of Lent but to root sin out of our lives forever. Conversion means leaving behind an old way of living and acting in order to embrace new life in Christ. 

What are you giving up for lent?  Better yet, what are you putting positive in its place?

Monday, March 21, 2011

A Faithful Dog

A Faithful Dog


A Faithful Dog Will Play With You

And Laugh With You -Or Cry- 



He'll Gladly Starve To Stay With You

Nor Ever Reason Why, 



And When You're Feeling Out Of Sorts

Somehow He'll Understand 


He'll Watch You With His Shining Eyes

And Try To Lick Your Hand. 



His Blind, Implicit Faith In You

Is Matched By His Great Love - 


The Kind That All Of Us Should Have

In The Master, Up Above. 



When Everything Is Said And Done

I Guess This Isn't Odd 


For When You Spell "Dog" Backwards

You Get The Name Of God.


Author Unknown

*Photos courtesy of my talented, dog-loving husband.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Meaningful Purpose

The purpose of life is a life of purpose.  ~Robert Byrne

I have got to get better at blogging, but I am just so exhausted right now.  Winter is a very busy time of the year for pediatrics and this winter has not even seemed to come close to letting up yet.  I have taken care of so so many sick kiddos this winter, I would bet that its way more than last year, but it's probably not.  I love my job, I promise you I do.  I think I have the best job in the whole entire world.  I think children are just the most amazing little humans I have ever seen.  However, like I have mentioned in many previous posts, I am worn the plum smooth pickens out!  I think I have come to a sleep deprived point in my life where I will never catch up, at least it feels like that some all the time.  I wish so very badly I could figure out how to not be so tired all the time.  But I can't and life must go on...

I have found that I love to blog, so much more than I ever imagined I would.  This blog is like an online scrapbook for me to remember so many wonderful memories that seem to fly by.  It is also an outlet for me to blab on and on about whatever I want to.  I find, that if I take the time to actually sit down and write type, that blogging is such a great stress reliever to help me get things off my mind and let me actually enjoy the time I have at home with my husband and children dogs. 

I wish I would have started this blog earlier in my pursuit to become a doctor.  It would be so interesting and probably hilarious now to go back and read about all of my thoughts, worries, sadness, and extreme happiness that I endured during continue to encounter day in and day out on this long wonderful journey that I have God most definitely chose for me.  I would be lying to you if I told you that I didn't have times where I wonder, "WHAT IN THE HECK WAS I THINKING?  WHY IN THE WORLD DID I DO THIS TO MYSELF?  WHY CANT I JUST STAY HOME AND TAKE CARE OF BABIES MY DOGS?" 

A journey of a thousand milesbegins with a single step. ~unknown  

I'll tell you why...

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. - Soren Kierkegaard 

It is because we all have a purpose in life.  God knows from the day we are born what kind of life he wishes us to live and what kind of path he wants us to take.  He knew before I was born that I was going to live my life to help children.  For some reason, unbeknown to be, God called me to become a pediatrician.  I actually find it quite strange the profession that I ended up choosing chose me.  I do not come from a medical background even in the least bit.  My father is a self-made genius and engineer and my mother works in accounting and is most definitely the hardest working woman I know. 

Nonetheless, I feel that I have the best job ever.  I not only get to help sick children get better, I also get to counsel young children and be a role model for them as they grow up.  I am so blessed in this life to be able to be given this opportunity.  Yes, I am exhausted and cranky some most of the time, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, not even for a whole bunch of Swedish chocolate! 

He who loves his work never labors. - Jim Stovall 

Residency, in and of itself, is exhausting!  BUT, I get to work with some of the most amazing people, some of whom have become some of my very best friends, others of whom I have come to respect and look up to more than I can even begin to tell you.  I feel so very fortunate to be able to be in a residency program like the one that I am a part of.  I know I couldn't do what I do if it weren't for the people that I work with, and of course my extremely supportive husband, that's for sure!  But, it is definitely no walk in the park.  My plate is way too full sure seems like its piled on with way more than it should be at times.       

What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.
- Louis Nizer 

This is where faith comes in to play.  God never ever gives us more than we can handle.  I truly believe that He handpicks each of our paths in life.  He puts just enough on our plate to make our life completely whole and satisfy us beyond measure, but stresses us out just a little bit to keep life interesting per se.

God is looking for ordinary people empowered by Him to do extraordinary things! - unknown

God has a purpose that is perfect for each and every one of us.  A purpose that is meant only for us.  He never tries us beyond our means and never ever puts more on our plate than He knows we can deal with.  I am so very blessed to be able to have found my purpose in this life.  It goes so much deeper than just taking care of children.  It also involves a life full of lots of love, family, and friends that make my life complete. 

Ultimately you are doing what you do for one of two reasons: to serve oneself or to serve God.
 - Unknown 

I hope you too, my dear friends, live a life full of meaningful purpose, whatever that may be.  God does nothing by mistake...

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me."  ~Erma Bombeck

 

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Foxy Run

I can't help it.  I can't sit still or relax for the life of me.  I must train for something. 

I came to this conclusion a couple of weeks ago when I was out running in the neighborhood.  I was frustrated with myself for taking so long off from running, for being lazy and not working out as much as I should, and for feeling blah and tired all the freakin time.  Having something to train for will make me run and exercise.  I need this in my life almost as much as I need chocolate cake my wonderful supportive husband...Actually, when I really think about why I am needing to train for another race, I think it's more because my ADD brain needs something to focus on.  Oh what I would give to tweak some things in this here head of mine...

By using my motto, running does a body good, I have almost convinced my mom, already convinced my friend Sarah, and am working on convincing my husband to train for the half marathon in OKC on May 1st.  Would you like to join us??

This weekend I decided to run on the river after work.  I started out aiming for a 5 mile run, however, since the weather was so gorgeous and perfect and I felt great, I ended up running 6.  It felt so good to run a semi long run!  I haven't done that since the marathon.  And to make it even better, half way through my run I spotted a fox sunbathing in the grass.  That's right, you read it correctly, a FOX!  So thankful that I run with my phone, of course I had to stop and take pictures of the gorgeous creature.


Enjoy...I sure did! 

Happy Daylight Savings Time!

Monday, March 7, 2011

The Animal Whisperer?

As some of you may or may not know by now, my husband has developed this obsession love for photography that involves taking really great pictures and tweaking editing them a little bit, then making incredible pieces of art.  He has gotten pretty good at this new found interest of his and I couldn't be more excited!  All of you who know me, know that I LOOOOVE pictures.  I really love pictures and the memories they capture, so much so that my entire house is covered in pictures of wonderful memories made with our friends and family.  

Yesterday we spent the day at my parents.  My mom made her famous delicious chicken and a brownie chocolate dessert, yuuuummmmm.  It was so good.  Andrew then spent the remainder of the day taking pictures of just a couple out of the eight some of the Mayes Family animals that live outside.  Or course Roxy just had to be in the pictures too, she's quite the attention hog these days.  The pictures came out great.  Andrew seems to have a way with all animals.  I think I may nickname him the Animal Whisperer.  See for yourself...









Just an average day around the Mayes Family household.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

New Addition...

Meet Grover.  Isn't he the cutest little thing you have ever seen?!?


I wish he was mine and I could carry him around in my pouch all day long.  But he is my mothers new little guy.  Andrew found him on some classifieds ad, I called my dad and told him it would be the perfect valentines day present, and wahlah, meet Grover!  My mom, even though she will not admit it, loves him.  Who wouldn't?  Now, if only I could convince my husband to buy me a little girl just like him....

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

February

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.  ~Margaret Meade

 

February.  Man, it sure flew by!  What a crazy busy month!  Hence the lack of posts I have been able to put up.  My goodness gracious where did the month go?!?!  I worked at the childrens hospital all month.  It was very, how should I put it...hmmm... time consuming!   During our pediatric residency, we spend the majority of our residency working at the childrens hospital, or so it seems.  We run a very busy service over there taking care of very sick, and sometimes not so sick, kiddos.

Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it.  ~Bill Bradley

I have a very strong love hate relationship with that place.  I love it over there, I love the children, I love the medicine, I love our awesome attendings, and I love the amazing residents/friends that I get to work with day in and day out.  BUT....I hate how exhausted that place makes me!  I feel like I am grumpy and exhausted the whole entire month, but then when it is all said and done, I miss it so much!  So strange, dontcha think!?!?!

Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard. ~ Colin Powell

This past month I got to work with two of my most favorite people.  Ann was the senior senior resident and Cerissa and I were the junior senior residents, haha....totally just made that up.  Anyhow, we worked our little tails off all month, we learned a ton, and took care of some really sick, medium sick, and not so sick children.  We went nonstop for 13 hours, sometimes 25 hours, a day to make sure all of our little patients were taken care of.  However, we also made sure to make a little bit of time for some fun and games, we laughed so hard at times we peed our pants, bonded here and there, and, thanks to Cerissa, we became professionals at scaring people, ie each other and our attendings.  Looking back now, it was such a great month!  We made so many fun memories and I love those girls more now than I ever have.


Do what you love. When you love your work, you become the best worker in the world!
~ Uri Geller

I am so lucky to work with such awesome people and I feel even more lucky to be able to call them some of my very best friends.  It's such a great feeling to work with someone and to be friends with someone that you know will be your friend for life!  


  "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe unto him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up." ~ The Bible: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10.