Thursday, June 19, 2008 Burninating the countryside
11:46 AM
As most of you have already heard by now, Dan's van burned to the ground while he was headed out west for a summer missions tour. He and his band were in Nevada when the vehicle ignited. They have since been able to secure a new vehicle, but it's pretty crazy how it all went down. If you haven't already, check out this video footage of the wreckage.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008 No more drama, you don't want no drama
9:13 PM
I've come to the realization this year that I miss drama like I miss the plague. I just get so frustrated, annoyed, and utterly disgusted when people come to me with their seemingly worthless problems. I don't know why my patience has grown so thin for things of this nature, but it has. And I don't know if it's really a good thing that I get so frustrated by all of this. Most likely, however, given my future profession, I'm going to have to learn some serious patience, as I'll more than likely be surrounded by drama-filled people on a regular basis.
Random rant aside, life is good here in GR. I'm enjoying my work more and more every day, and I'm learning A LOT about life in the minsitry. Dan got a job recently at the Amway Grand as a valet, and while I do miss him frequently (he worked the night shift Friday through Sunday this week), I've started to enjoy some of the "me-time" I've been able to have for a change. Plus, I've gotten the chance to hang out with Jessie a lot more, which is super cool as well. I've also come to the realization that sometime soon, I just need a night with the girls. Watching cheesy love movies and eating ice cream. I haven't had one of those nights in a long time.
In other news, Dan and I have been looking at engagement rings over the past few months. :o) I'm smirking really big right now. I guess you could say things are going well between us. We're really good at taking care of each other, spiritually, emotionally, physically (don't let your minds wander here people, I'm talking about helping each other when we're sick and making dinner for one another), financially, and he's someone that I have always felt like I can be 100% myself around. I don't feel like I have to hide anything from him and I know he feels the same way about me.
It's crazy to think that in a year or so I could end up being Mrs. Elizabeth Reitmeyer. I can't even explain all of the thoughts and emotions I'm feeling about all this talk about marriage. For the most part though, I can't help but feel completely and utterly ecstatic knowing that Dan's the one. The one that I'm ready to devote my life to. The one who I know will always be there, respecting me and loving me fully.
I know one day, all our scars will disappear, like the stars at dawn and all of our pain, will fade away when morning comes and on that day when we look backwards we will see, that everything is changed and all of our trials, will be as milestones on the way
and as long as we live, every scar is a bridge to someone's broken heart and there's no greater love, than that one shed his blood for his friends
on that day all of the scales will swing to set all the wrongs to right all of our tears, and all of our fears will take to flight but until then all of our scars will still remain, but we've learned that if we'll open the wounds and share them then soon they start to heal
as long as we live, every scar is a bridge to someone's broken heart and there's no greater love, than that one shed his blood for his friends
we must see that every scar is a bridge, and as long as we live we must open up these wounds when some one stands in your shoes and will shed his own blood there's no greater love. we must open up our wounds
Well, it's been about 3 years since I first starting experiencing chest pains and yet I am still having them. The first two times I went in to the emergency room, concerned about heart attacks or blood clots or something. But, apparently, my heart looked and acted normal when I had a chest x-ray and when I was hooked up to the EKG. So, I decided to stop going to the doctor whenever they happened from that point on, because it seeemed useless to spend all that time and effort going through tests that weren't going to show anything.
Well, it has been a week now since the chest pains started again and they have yet to subside. I finally caved and went to see my doctor up here in Grand Rapids. I really like this doctor. He sits down and tells you every single possible thing it could be and then tells you why he thinks it either is or isn't those things. So, after ruling out muscle strain, stess, and heart attack (the first two which were determined by the emergency room doctors to, in fact, be the reason for my chest pains) he told me that it could either be acid reflux disease or a heart murmur. I was told to take some antacids and see if they help any and he was going to schedule me for an echocardiogram sometime this week. I'm calling tomorrow to find out when. It should be pretty sweet getting an ultrasound of my heart! I hope I get to see a misbehaving mitral valve!
I guess you'd think I'd be a little more freaked out knowing it could be as "Serious" as a heart murmur...but I think I'm more relieved to know that there may actually be something wrong with me and that I'm not just crazy. I hate the feeling that doctors give you sometimes when they don't actully care about you. They just assume that every person that walks in there in pain is overreacting and really shouldn't be hurting as much as they are.
Like in Italy when I went in for adhesions. They ran very few tests only to tell me that I was CONSTIPATED and needed to take a laxative. Yeah, too bad my entire lower bowel was closed off and nothing could escape except through my throat! How doctors can confuse constipation with complete and total digestive system backup/failure just plain confuses me.
But, then again, I'm not a doctor and I probably never could be. I can't even tell when I have a fever. My observation skills regarding my body are somewhat limited. I guess I'm just not very self-aware when it comes to my physical being.
Well, my attempts to talk to Dan on my now officially defunct phone have all failed miserably. So, as I wait to have my first AIM conversation with him in about a year and a half, I choose to update.
My lack of working phone communication has seriously crippled my social life. And, as much as I enjoy my own personal time, I more greatly enjoy having the ability to speak to people right at my fingertips. Being able to share my day with someone the moment it happens is crucial to my ability to fully enjoy that day, and as I have no working home phone (besides a non-working mobile) I feel completely and utterly crippled.
In other news I recently had a sinus infection. I'm currently on some ginormous antibiotics and look forward to being done with this.
Work is AWESOME and so is my ministry involvement. I'm almost done with my first class fo my credentials...and will be completing my final exam by the end of April. Super sweetness in a can!