Encouraging Thoughts

Psalm 91: 1-2

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'"

This picture is from Rock City, TN. When I saw it, I was reminded of these verses in Psalms talking about God's protection of His children. These rocks would provide shelter from a storm, but my God provides a shelter from so much more than just the weather! Just a happy thought to share with you on this Wednesday!

Spring has Sprung . . .

What a beautiful day! I noticed this tree blooming as I left for church this morning, so I decided to get a picture of it to share with you. I'm not sure what kind of tree it is, but the blossoms are pink & white. They almost look like little tullips all over the tree!! (My FAVORITE!!) I don't remember the words to the rest of the poem about spring, so I just used the few that I did remember. The weather has been gorgeous here the last few days (aside from the occasional thunder storm). I've decided that I'm going to need some cooler clothes sooner than later. :) I love spring, as it symbolizes new life. It makes me want to go to a park to look at baby ducks following their mom around the pond! It's a reminder to renew old relationships that may have fallen to the wayside over the past year. It's also a time to grow closer in the most important relationship you will ever have - with your Creator & Savior. Have a beautiful day!

Tennessee Rocks

Well, since I had 5 days off in a row, I decided it was time for my first Birmingham Road Trip! :) A girl at work told me about Lookout Mountain, which borders Georgia & Tennessee. So, Friday morning, I loaded up Roony and headed out. It's only a 2 - 2 1/2 hour drive. I had planned to ride the train up the side of the mountain, but I found out when I arrived that it was closed for routine maintenance through March. Bummer! I wound my way around the mountain to get to Rock City & Ruby Falls. I was VERY impressed with Rock City. It reminded me of Garden of the Gods in Colorado. The first picture is of a partially frozen waterfall there on the mountain. There's some beautiful scenery up there. When I finished, I drove down to Ruby Falls. It's a nice sized waterfall located in a large cave inside of a mountain. The cave was pretty fun - and bat free (which was a must!). No one knows where the water comes from to fuel this waterfall. They've done numerous studies with all the streams along the mountain to no avail. It's just a miracle waterfall. :) After Ruby Falls, I hit the highway and headed towards Nashville. I had wanted to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and an art museum I'd seen on their tourism website. Saturday morning, I headed out on my Nashville adventure only to find that the CMHF Museum was closed for "spring cleaning"! How's that for timing?!? :) That's why I only have a picture of the outside. I walked around downtown and found the art museum that I had wanted to visit. There was some beautiful, weird, and interesting pieces there. It was fun to see the creativity of people. I walked around downtown for a while after leaving the art museum, but since the temperature was barely 30 degrees around lunchtime, I decided I'd had enough. I ate lunch at the Big River Brewery & Grill - which has DELICIOUS burgers!! - and headed back to Birmingham. It was a lot of fun, and I plan to go back while I'm here to see the CMHF Museum!

TONS 'o' Babies!

Well, orientation week is over - THANK GOD!! :) Actually, it wasn't that bad. Aside from getting lost in the hospital a few times (it covers several city blocks, so it's not as bad as it sounds), I had a great week. I met some really nice people. I think I'm going to like working here. I worked in one of the nurseries yesterday, so that was fun. I think the census in our unit, last I heard, was around 115!! That just amazes me, being surrounded by so many little miracles. :) Getting around in this area is SO MUCH EASIER than in DC! It's nice to not be lost most of the day when I need to run to the grocery store. I've also enjoyed living "in the mountains". It's kinda fun since I've never lived in an area like this. I plan to explore the area more this next week. Rumor has it that there's tons of good shopping all over the area! (fun for me - not so much for the bank account!!)