I Have a Blog?

Yes, I'm a slacker. No, I haven't completely forgotten that I have a blog, I just remember it at inopportune times.

At some point I'll do my Pennsylvania entry. It should hopefully be a little more exciting than my Virginia entry, but I'm not making any promises. Spoiler alert - It won't include Hershey Park; I've never been.

Since my last update my adorable and incredibly smart nephew turned two! Last weekend at his birthday party I found out that he will be a big brother in August and I am overjoyed. My favorite role in life right now is the one of aunt. It's probably because I love my aunts so much. I love the special bond that I'm making with Owen and I love watching him grow. At Christmas he wasn't willing to give me a hug and kiss goodbye, but at the end of his party I figured I'd take my chances. I bent down and asked for a hug and he came walking over so I scooped him up. I asked him for a kiss and he gave me the cute open-mouthed toddler kiss that could melt a hardened criminal's heart.

While I'm excited, I'm guarded. My sister-in-law will once again have a level two ultrasound to make sure the baby's heart is alright. I'm praying that this baby checks out healthy just like Owen did.

Speaking of praying, life has a funny way of making us eat our words. I changed churches. I'm still adjusting and it's still not "home" to me, but I believe I made the right decision. I'm connecting each week with a great group of women and I've never been more consistent in my prayer life. Maybe I was back in high school or college at some point, but it's been years at the very least. I'm genuinely praying for a few close friends who don't go to church. I'm moving in with one of the friends and another girl we went to college with in May. I know my integrity as a Christian will come into focus and it's a challenge I'm preparing myself for. I'm praying that I have the strength to be a consistent mirror of Jesus' love in their lives.

On the health front, I will not be having surgery to repair the complication from the catheterization. It's a decision that the vascular specialist made and that my cardiologist supports and I trust my cardiologist with everything in me. Next week I have the awesome opportunity to go to Capitol Hill and speak with most likely the aides of my Senators and Representative about the Congenital Heart Futures Act. I have a chance to share my story with the people who allocate the funding for a surveillance program and research. I was telling my growth group girls about it since I will miss group this week and they all gasped when I told them that congenital heart defects are the number one birth defects in the world. Their reaction reaffirmed why I decided to become an ambassador for the Adult Congenital Heart Association and relit the fire to make sure everyone within ear shot hears about CHD.

As much as I have a passion for speaking about CHD, I should have an even larger passion about sharing Jesus. Jesus is love and love is symbolized by the heart so I think there's a connection I can make somewhere in there. I feel like I'm coming out of a fog of confusion and I can clearly see my purposes in life. I'm meant to fight for people to know they are loved by a God who is big enough to create galaxies and small enough to know every hair on their head. I'm meant to fight for people who are born with heart defects to make sure they get the care they need and deserve while measures are taken to provide answers to questions previously unanswered. I'm meant to fight for the education system to ensure that every student is getting the best education for them to prepare them to do great things in this world. I'm truly happy these days and I love the passions that God has placed inside of me.