Thank goodness for the weekend!!

I don't know about you, but this has been one hectic week!! I have learned some lessons this week. Lessons that I have also learned many times before, but too quickly forgot. I had a very important meeting at work. I received a phone call that someone from CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) was coming to my little rural health clinic to learn from me!! I seriously thought I was being pranked. Not only was the person coming from CMS, but she was also inviting representatives from Pennsylvania State agencies to come along for the learning experience! The Pennsylvania State Department of Health, The Pennsylvania State Rural Health Office and also a representative from the office that determines the HPSA (Health Professional Shortage Area) designation for our state. To some of you, this might seem like a lot of mumbo jumbo, but to me, it was huge! CMS right the rules and regulations for Rural Health Clinics. The State Department of Health surveys Rural Health Clinics to make sure they are following all of the guidelines and rules and if not, fine or shut you down. I was a nervous wreck!

I kind of just taught myself everything I know about Rural Health since I had no previous training in this area and so I have been reading and studying and taking webinars and praying that God would give me the knowledge needed to be able to help all of the agencies with the information they needed from me. New guidelines are being written and they wanted to visit and see an actual Rural Health Clinic in normal, everyday action. They wanted input from me as far as what rules and regulations don't apply, don't work or need rewritten. They wanted my input regarding new rules or guidelines that I felt were needed. I don't even know if you can grasp the importance of this opportunity. My staff worked so hard in the weeks prior to this visit, helping to make sure we were a great representation for everyone visiting. We  boxed up old things and got rid of junk. cleaned, organized and made sure everything was in tip top shape.

The day arrived. I was so nervous and asked my sister to please be in prayer all day because I had a severe tension headache and felt so under qualified to be doing this visit at all. The visitors arrived, took a tour of our building, sat at asked me questions for a little over an hour and left! It was a piece of cake....I was so relieved and they were so impressed with how well we are running this little Rural Health Clinic in the middle of Pennsylvania in a small borough called Mount Union. I was so proud to be the leader of a terrific group of people who represented our practice in an amazing way! I think that our input will definitely be heard and used when the new regulations are being written and we can feel great knowing that we were a part of that. Also, I have made lifelong connections with people in the agencies that control my existence as a Rural Health Clinic. They are all willing to help me in anyway possible.

Back to the lesson I learned, Trust in the Lord and He will direct your paths....I got myself so worked up and gave myself a sick headache for days and the Lord was in control the who time! I knew He would be and yet I forgot to trust in Him!! I am sure this is not the last time I will learn this lesson, but hopefully every time it will be easier to do.

"...And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"    Esther 4:14

Well, it has been a busy week!! But it's Friday!! I have been thinking so much about all of the things I want to blog about. I have a rolling list in my head and I just need to get it on paper or somewhere before it's gone. Anyway,......Yesterday I had to go to Sam's Club and while I was driving there I was listening to the radio. Living in Pennsylvania, you can't listen to one station for very long before you have to switch because of the mountains and such. (My Ohio family wouldn't know about this because it is so flat there that you can listen to the same station for hours of drive time.) Every station that I turned to, mentioned the same theme that has been in my mind for days. It must be what God wants me to blog about. I can take a hint. :)

The idea is to "Fake it until you make it!"

There are many things I do in life that I totally don't feel qualified or equipped for, but I have been placed in these positions for a purpose. I need to appear confident and knowledgeable even when there are times I might be freaking out in my head thinking, "Lord, help me get through this until I can get home or to my desk and read up on this topic, or google this." I have had to teach myself a lot of the skills that I use daily just because of these types of situations. It doesn't help that most days, I have a very low self esteem. I am working really hard to overcome this. It doesn't honor God or anyone for that matter. One of the radio programs talked about a television show that is a spelling bee. These young students were asked how they prepare for these competitions, there answers were " Even when we feel unsure, we appear confident and fake it until we make it." They are smart beyond their years and I hope they remember to do this when they are my age! By then, they probably won't have to fake it anymore! Well, I have to go to work now, so ta ta for now....

Huuuuummmmmp Daaaaay!!!!!

I used to work with a doctor that would come in my office every Wednesday and pound on the file cabinet and yell Happy Hump Day!! Payday was also on Wednesday every other week. I loved hearing him coming up the hall and knowing that he would pound the cabinet and yell "Happy Hump Day with pay!!"

I wonder where Dr. Luciano is these days. 

Hump day hasn't been the same since my days at Oberlin Clinic. My payday never falls on a Wednesday. 

Now that I am selling Mary Kay, I can make Wednesday my payday again!! How awesome is that? I can choose when and how I get paid. If you have ever considered selling any product, please let me recommend Mary Kay. It is an awesome product that sells itself and the backing from the company is amazing! You are your own boss and you decide if it is going to be Hump Day with Pay!!!

Hit me up if you want more into!!!

Happy Tuesday!!

Today I had to pick my nephew Cole up from school. As I sat waiting for the walkers to be let go, I noticed a pretty white cat slinking along in the grass in a nearby yard. Watching this cat brought back so many memories of my own cat named "sugar".

Sugar has so many different things it can mean. Sugar is sweet. Sugar is a term of endearment. Sugar is a disease as in " sugar diabetes" as some of my older patients wild say. But when I think of my sugar, my face gets hot with embarrassment. She was such a pretty kitten. We got her when we lived at Circleville Bible College. She was in a litter that was abandoned my the momma cat and my sugar was the sweetest of the litter! 

She grew up on campus and lived a good Christian life. That was until she became a teenager!! We would be in the middle of class and hear a cat's meow. I would look out the window and sure enough, there was my sweet, little sugar kitty doing the nasty in the middle of the bible college campus!! There was also a time during chapel that we heard this all too familiar screeching and low and behold, my sweet, used-to-be innocent, now hussy cat sugar scrapping in a dirty way with not one, but two male cats in the front lawn of the chapel!! 

I don't know if she was crying out for attention or what was going on, but she sure caused me a lot of embarrassment during those very impressionable years. now that I am older, I am able to laugh as I see the pretty white cat near the high school and wonder if he or she has ever embarrassed their owner while they sat in class in the high school!!

Have a great day everyone!!

Clarification

By the way....When I said that people who know us....would agree that it is a miracle that we are still together, I totally meant that we are both equally driving each other crazy on a daily basis!! I love this man and don't want anyone to misunderstand my post. 

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day means so many things to many different people. It is a time to reflect on those who have served our country and fought for our freedom. Today, I remember both of my grandfathers. They are both gone now, but I live in a free land because of what they did for our country. Others are remembering loved ones who lost their lives in the midst of the battle. I am so sorry for those families and want to thank each of them for giving their loved ones permission and blessing to do what needed to be done for our great land. There are others who have loved ones still fighting the fight! Thank you also for your service as the one fighting and serving and the family left behind to carry on the battle of the home front ( which is not easy!!)

On a lighter note....

10 more things you might not know about me :)

1.  I am a student...Studying to become certified as a Medical Biller and Coder. I wish I would have done this years ago when my brain wasn't already atrophied!!!

2.  I used to live in Ohio. That is actually where I graduated from Circleville High School. I attended college there and met Myk there. I got married there and lived there for 15 years. I miss it there sometimes. I love my family there, but have family here too.

3.  My parents were dorm parents in the "Boys Dorm" when we lived at Circleville Bible College. Can you believe they would allow a family with 3 teenage girls to live in the boys dorm??? Me either!! But they did and I grew those few  years feeling like I had 40 big brothers!! Not 40 boyfriends...:(

4.  I have fibromyalgia. I know some of  you are probably rolling your eyes right now....but it's real!!

It is painful and I was told recently by the second rheumatologist that I might as well get used to living in pain and learn how to cope. He suggested that I need to eliminate as much stress as possible so there goes numbers 4, 5 & 6 from yesterday's post and number 1 from today's post!! Really, who can live with no stress? Which is also why he recommended that I might need counseling to learn  how to deal with stress. He said that I seem like a very unhappy person. WHAT!!!???  I AM THE HAPPIEST PERSON I KNOW!!!!

Just maybe I will take his advise. We will see. I am praying about what I need to give up on my part to eliminate stress because it does make the fibromyalgia worse!! 

5.  My St. Bernard has hurt me in more ways than I care to admit!! He broke my foot 1 month before going to Uganda!! He is such a big bully. I have fallen in his slobber!!! He sits on me and hits me with his tail. As I mentioned in number 4....I am in pain and he doesn't believe that fibromyalgia is a true diagnosis!!! But look at this face and tell me that you couldn't love him.

(by the way, Myk added the caption....not me!!!)

6.  I love reading. I love reading Francine Rivers specifically. I actually sponsored her as an author for my local library. I pay for every new book that is published by her so that my library will have a copy! I want everyone to read her books. I get to be the first person to read the newest copy since I pay for it. I am currently reading "Bridge to Haven". So good. Unfortunately, because I am so busy....I have an overdue, brand new library book!!! How embarrassing is that!!??? I had to ask the librarian when she was not at the library to please renew it for me. 

7.  I am reading through the entire Bible this year!! I have tried this in the past but never made it past Genesis or Exodus. My church did a challenge to read through the entire New Testament during lent. I did it!! I loved it. I feel like I know the characters in the Bible personally. So much so that I get  upset and cry when one of them dies or is hurt!!  I decided to get a new Bible because I needed large print.(No wise comments please!) But, because of number 4, once again it takes all of my strength to lift my new Bible!! It is heavy because it is so thick!! It is amazing how the size of the print changes the weight of the Bible!!

8.  I love to do dishes! It is the one household job that you can tell immediately that something was done and the whole room looks better because of it. (well, other than making the bed, which I don't like doing)

9.  I love the flylady. She is an organizing and life coach!! She gives you daily schedules for cleaning and doing things like cleaning out your car and your purse. She also tells you what days to return any borrowed library books!! Myk just asked me the other day, where flylady has been???? Whatevs!! I am looking for her!! 

10.  As I sit at my desk and look around to see what else that is interesting in my life that you might not know, I am reminded how completely blessed I am!! I might not have the best, or most expensive or nicest, or cleanest, or prettiest, or.....well anyway. I am blessed!!! I have more than many people and I recognize that without Christ in my life, none of this matters. All of this stuff....none of it matters if I don't have him!! If you don't have him, please find him. I will introduce you if you would like!! Message me....you won't regret it!!

Welcome to my blog!

I am really trying to keep up with myself!  As you may or may not know, I am a busy woman!! This first blog post will be a little bit about me. You might actually learn something you didn't know about me.  Hopefully, after reading my blog, you will come back again! My life is anything but boring so I hope that will show in my blog posts.

10 random facts about me:

1.  I am a Christian. I mean a real Christian. I don't use the term loosely. I love Jesus with all of my heart and choose to follow his will for my life daily. I am sure I disappoint him at times, but I am trying to grow in my faith and walk daily.

2.  I am married to my first boyfriend! We have been married for 26 years and I can't believe it has been that long! If you ask anyone who knows us, it is a miracle. I love that he loves Jesus too. Life is not fun in a house where both people don't.  :(

3.  I am the mother of Miranda and mother-in-law to Matt. They live 20 minutes from me and I miss seeing them all the time. Miranda is 25 years old and has made me so proud. She is a graduate of Penn State and is the physician recruiter at Geisinger in Lewistown hospital. I am also the mother of McKenzie. He will be 21 in June and is still my sugar baby!! He is so talented and loving. He is my music man! He has been through a tough year and is still smiling so I consider that a good thing.

4.  I run the Mount Union Zoo. (Just kidding) but, really... I have a St. Bernard named Max. I have one of the world's fattest beagles named Maggie. I have a cat named Dallas (after Dallas Green, McKenzie's favorite singer) and last but not least a 17 year old Senegal parrot named Jada. Wow!! I love animals, but this is a bit much!!

5.  I am Vice President of town council. Need I say more. :(

6.  I am the Administrator of the Mount Union Area Medical Center. I love my job on most days.

7.  I am a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant. I have sold just about everything under the sun, but I truly believe that God was preparing me for my real purpose as a Mary Kay lady!! I love everything about my Mary Kay business.

8.  My mom and dad are both pastors. My dad is still pastor at Fairview Evangelical Church in Three Springs, PA. (21 years and counting)

9.  I went to Uganda a year ago and it changed my life forever. I fell in love with the country and the people. I now sponsor a child from there. Someday I will go back.

10.  I love pizza! It's my favorite food and coffee is my favorite drink!!