Where I come from

I would be remiss if I didn’t explain, at least in brief, how I got to this point in my life. A little over a year ago, I was consumed by my third year of vet school - cardiology, radiology,respiratory systems - more than half way to Doctor Ellis. I loved school. I loved learning and solving puzzles “House” style. I even wanted to tack on four more years to complete a residency and PhD.

God changed me. I’m not sure that I ever really asked God whether I should become a vet. After my first James Herriot novel, I was hooked. With all of the motivation I could muster (which is quite substantial), I fought for my dream of a hooding ceremony in May 2010. Looking back, I wonder if the Lord let me carry on for so long because He knows how determined I am.

A friend of mine wrote a name on my hand, “Voddie Bauchum,” telling me to download his podcast. This friend is particularly good at deeply convicting me, so I procrastinated for months. Finally, someone gave one of his sermons to my husband Tim. Being reminded of what my friend said, I synced his podcast to my iPod and headed to class. On my way home, riding the city bus, I listened to the sermon that would totally change the course of my life.

Confronted with my selfish pursuit of my career goals, I began to cry, sob actually. Tim and I took a week to pray through the decision then sent in my resignation letter. I was done. My deepest longing was to love the Lord from home, to support my husband and to become a Godly mom. The Lord blessed us with Gwennan exactly a year later.

I can confidently say that was the best decision I have ever made. It was the first time I ever gave up something I wanted to keep in order to pursue God’s will.

However, I had a new challenge before me. For seven years, I lived with the single-minded pursuit of a very difficult degree. My brain functions best in overdrive - I’ve trained it that way. The first few weeks home resembled a vacation. I completed all of those little things on my “to do” list - painting the living room, continued training with the dog, handmade Christmas presents. Eventually I ran out of things to do, just as we found out that Gwennan was on her way.

I lived a few months in preparation mode - just wait until the baby gets here, then I’ll have something to occupy all my time. However, when she arrived, I realize that, yes, she does take a lot of time and energy, but I still have time and energy on my hands. Afterall, she goes to bed at 6 pm. So, I started tackling less convenient, less expensive but significantly more fun projects.

A few months of being at home have changed how I spend my time. I’m no longer short of things to do - I just get to do new things that I love, and I do a lot by hand and from scratch. If a penny saved is a penny earned, I double our income. My favorites will most certainly be included in this blog, as well as my favorite sources of inspiration.