Mountains and Valleys

Hello beautiful people!

Sorry I missed my weekly blog last week! It has been a bit of a whirl wind. To make up for it I will make this blog twice as long ;)

From graduating college after four grueling years to going to the ER with my boyfriend, Nathan, it's been a crazy ride. First off let's start at the beginning of the chaos with graduating. The week before was filled with stressful finals and deadlines. I actually failed an exam after studying for over 8 hours for it. I have this ability to know exactly how an interview, test, exam, or meeting has gone as soon as I leave it and I knew when I was taking this exam that I had failed it. I came out devastated and frantic that I wouldn't graduate. I called my mom, who acted as a God sent that day and told me to go back in and confront the teacher. I was so nervous to speak to him because it had been a difficult situation all semester. I walked in palms sweaty and about to cry. I told him I needed to know my grade and asked if he would please grade it for me so I'd know if I was going to pass and graduated. He began marking red all over the exam, along with making remarks to why each question was obviously wrong. Water filled me eyes as I choked the tears back. He finished writing a big 52 over the test and looked up with an unhelpful glare. I asked him if this grade along with my other tests was failing and he said yes. There was only one extra credit that would give 10 pts and if that didn't help then he couldn't help me. We calculated it and it came out to a 70, which is the lowest point of a C, and meant passing! I wouldn't believe God's grace with this circumstance. I spend four hours to write the most elaborate extra credit paper of my life and passed!

So from there I had only to sail through the wonderful time of my sweet family traveling from Memphis to my graduation and my 7 amazing roommates throwing me a graduation party. We made these awesome chocolate dessert in the shape of graduation caps out of Hersey bars, Reeses as the hat and mini m&m's, and sour straws as the tassels. After that memorable party we woke up to head to Destin, FL for a spectacular graduation trip with the family and Nathan. We got there and spent hours on the beach, tanning, making sand castles (that were imploded by Nathan digging to deep of a moat), snorkeling, seadooing and seeing 1 dolphins and two baby dolphins, and more! My extended family even threw me and Nathan a party while we were there, with more food than we could look at and sweet cards filled with love.

The graduation and trip were certainly a mountain high, but there was another valley to pass through. The night before we were to fly back at 7am Nathan got really sick. So much so that we had to go to the ER. The doctor was of no help and treated us with no respect. We had waited four hours to come and it was midnight. I knew Nathan wasn't faking this pain and yet this doctor thought he was. We left with some prescribed Advil, but after it was four in the morning and nothing had changed we went back. The doctor was so rude with his comments of unbelief. I felt my heart race and my blood curdle. I wanted to scream at him that as a doctor this was his responsibility to care and help the sick. He didn't look at Nathan or my mom, but at me. Asking me all these questions and saying if he gave anymore medicine then it would be my job to help Nathan the airport and my responsibility if anything happened. I agreed. The shot was given and Nathan finally seemed more at peace, but still in pain. Finally we left, and after many more hours, made it through the airports and planes to home.

All of this seems awful I know, but the part that stands out to me is that when Nathan was in pain and hurting he prayed. As I sat next to him I could hear him say that He knew God could heal him and if He could at least take the heat away he would be grateful. Then Nathan asked me to check if the fever was gone and it was! God is good. Even in the valleys He hears our prayers. We might not understand it, but He always answers. It might be a yes or a no or a wait, but he always answers. This world is fallen and things happen that God does not will, but He is always there with us and above all He loves us.