The House is Ours!!!!!

We Closed On The House Today!!!! YEAH! Its all done and we finally own our 1st house! And, we bought a new dining room table and a new bedroom suit today as well! So, we're done making large purchases for quite some time.

Thank you guys for the prayers through my exam and all this house drama....we appreciate it more than you know! We owe ALL that we have to God!!!

Closing!

Just thought I'd share that we close on the house on Tuesday! YEA!

We are really loving being here in our 1st real "home". Can't wait to have some parties here!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Good News!

I wanted to share the good news that...I PASSED my certification test! I'm officially a certified PA!!!! And....we are all moved into our house and thanks to my family we are all unpacked with everything on the walls and all! Thank you all for the prayers! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I'll try to post pics of the house later today!

Graduation!

Here are a few pics from Graduation last weekend! It was a wonderful day! I'm going to miss these 5 girls sooo much! BUT....now we can all meet after work for happy hour!

Moving Day is tomorrow! The movers are coming at 7am! More pics to come soon!

Finally!

Well....ITS OVER! I took my certification exam today and although it was VERY long (it took me about 5 hrs), I feel pretty good about it and really think that I probably passed. Last night I read a verse in 2 Corinthians that said simply..."My grace is all you need"; I totally felt His hand on my today!! Thanks for all the prayers! Please continue to pray that I DID actually pass and that my scores will come in soon so we can close on the house. (They are supposed to be posted online no later than Dec 31st.)

We move into the house on Sunday!!!! God is good!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Moving....and Studying!

Well I thought I should post an update on all our house craziness. Basically our lenders won't let us close on the house until they "know" that I will be able to start my job as a PA (i.e. they want to be sure I will be making money). So that means they won't let us close until after I know that I've passed my PA certification exam. So....since us and the sellers were already planning on moving they are letting us go ahead and move in as planned, lease it for a couple weeks and we'll close as soon as I get my "passing" score on the exam. I graduate Sunday (YEA!) and then take the PANCE (PA National Certification Exam) on Friday the 19th. Then the movers come to move us in on Sunday the 21st!! The scores are available online and should be posted before Jan 1st. Its all pretty stressful but we're super excited about being in the house! But...it is all riding on me passing that test....the house, my job...all of it is riding on one test. I know I'm ready and in my heart I know I'll pass but it still make me very nervous. PLEASE, PLEASE keep me in your prayers as I study for this test. I know I'm ready and I know I will continue studying until next Friday comes, but pray I will stay calm and allow God to take care of it all! I would greatly appreciate the prayers...especially next Friday!!!

2008 Holiday Photos

Most of you know that I always send out photo cards for Christmas. I've done it since our first Christmas as a married couple and I will continue to do it forever! I just love photo cards!! Well, this year a friend of my sister in law's in Oklahoma who is a photographer took our pics in downtown Ardmore. They turned out amazing! The new pic at the top of my page is one of the ones she took! I can't post too many or you won't be surprised when you get your card! But if anyone in Oklahoma is looking for a great photographer I'd be happy to refer her!

Prayers Please!

Hey friends! Well, we got a bit of bad news regarding the house buying today and we could use a few prayers. Basically, we were told it was no problem to get our home loan with my employment contract instead of paycheck stubs since obviously I've been in school and don't start until Jan. Well, today all of the sudden our lender tells us that a contract won't work anymore and they also need a copy of my state PA license and proof of graduation OR a full 30 days of paycheck stubs for proof of my employment. NEWS FLASH: I don't have either. I don't graduate until 5 days after we are supposed to close and I won't have my license until after I take my certification exam and get my scores which won't be until the 1st of the year. So.....our lender is trying to figure out something else. Pray that they will get this figured out so we don't lose the house AND pray for my sanity as all of this really stresses me out.

Lost in the moment!

Today while I was running my iPod played a song by Big & Rich that I haven't heard in a while and it almost brought me to tears (happy tears that is). The chorus goes like this:

Lost in this moment with you

I am completely consumed

My feelings so absolute, there's no doubt

Sealing our love with a kiss

Waitin' my whole life for this

Watching all my dreams come true

Lost in this moment with you

This is really how I feel at this point in my life! Josh and I have been together for almost 12 years, married 4 1/2 and I love him more today that I ever have! We are moving into such a wonderful time in our life....me graduating PA school and starting a wonderful new job, buying our first home together and thinking about starting a family in the next year. It is so much of what I have always dreamed for my life with Josh and its all happening! We are soooooo blessed! I am reminded of God's love for us each and every day and I am so amazed at His plan! HE and HE alone deserves all the praise!!!!

Our 1st Home!

Hi everyone! Well, we're in a contract on a house! After lots of going back and forth, we finally agreed and are about to be homeowners! (As long as the inspection, appraisal, and all that stuff go as planned)

Here are a few pics! Sorry, I don't have more. These pics are with the current owner's furnishings, so look past that! Its 3 bedroom 2 bathrooms with formal living, formal dining, den and a HUGE backyard! AND...its just around the corner from our amazing family (Marc & Tiffany). The kitchen is my favorite!!! Keep us in your prayers that all the minor things continue to work out perfectly and if so, we close the middle of December!

Kitchen View 1

Front of house

Just part of the backyard!


Family Room

Formal Dining which we will use as a formal living and take down that chandelier

Formal Living--Which we will use as an office

Kitchen view #2

Dining Room

Update

I wanted to give everyone an update on our house search! We have decided to look for a home in The Colony area (between Lewisville and Frisco off 121). We looked last weekend and are going out with our realtor again this weekend to look again.....so, hopefully we'll find what we like and make an offer before too long!!! Keep us in your prayers....this can all get a bit overwhelming, but its still lots of fun! I'll let you know how it goes this weekend!

P.S. I was tagged by Holly and I promise I'll reply soon!

Change=Stress

Time has creeped up on us and its now time for us to start looking at buying our 1st home! Our lease is up right after Christmas and now that I know where I will be working we know where we'd like to buy a home!!!!! (I took the Family Practice job, by the way). So, as exciting as that is, its also really scary. Its a lot going on at one time....finishing and graduating PA school, taking my PA certification exam, looking for a home, moving, and starting a new job....and its all during the holidays!!!!! Obviously, thinking about it all makes me a little stressed, so I try to just think about one at a time! Keep us in your prayers as we embark on many new and exciting things in our life!!!!!

Curveballs

Well, its official...I am terrible at predicting how things are going to happen. If you know me, you know that I'm a planner! I try to plan everything and usually that just creates stress for me and frustration for my husband! Well, I was all planning for my wonderful upcoming job as an OB/GYN PA given the offer I received a month or so ago and what do you know....life threw me a curveball. Another job offer came along that isn't what I thought I wanted, but seems to be much more perfect for me than I could have imagined.

What is it? Well, its working as a Family Practice PA for a small clinic in Plano. Its a wonderful place to work and it feels almost like a little family. The physician there is amazing and so sweet and its the type of place that thinks about you as a person and not as just an employee. They made me an offer that was very comparable to my other offer, but included a wonderful bonus program that would make my potential earnings much greater. They are also much more flexible and willing to pay for part of my maternity leave! Its also very close to where Josh and I want to buy a house and very close to our church and friends as well.

So, after making a pros and cons list and talking it over with God (and those closest to me in my life), it looks like the Family Practice job is the one I will accept.

Maybe God was just trying to teach me that I don't always get to do the planning.....HE has a plan for me as well!!!! :-)

Perceptions!

At church today the message was about honoring God with our bodies. Our pastor talked about how the world views beauty and the messages we all are bombarded with day after day that make us all feel that we need to be "perfect". The video below is a Dove ad that they played during the service today...I had never seen it before, so maybe you haven't either. Check it out--its pretty cool!

This is a message that we all need to remind ourselves and the young women growing up in this world. We all compare ourselves to others....even when it subconsciously. I know I've done it, but today's message was just a wonderful reminder of how God created us in HIS image and in HIS eyes we are already "perfect"!

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made" Psalm 139:14

Weekend with Braden!

What a fun weekend! Our 2 year old nephew Braden came to visit us all by himself this weekend! Josh & I were really looking forward to spoiling him and I prayed all week that he wouldn't cry and would have lots of fun! Well....God answered my prayers! He was WONDERFUL! I mean not one cry, not one tear, no tantrum, no fits, nothing but smiles and laughs and fun! We started the weekend out by taking him to Gatti Town in Frisco were we played games and rode the train and had pizza. Then we came home and Maggie and him ran around outside for an hour, then it was bath time and bed time (he was all tuckered out and slept all night). Saturday Uncle Josh let him wear his PJ's to the donut shop and then we all got dressed and went to feed the ducks and play at the playground! Then we went to play with cousins Cade & Landry where Braden leared he LOVES to play the drums and then had lunch with them at Snuffers! Finally we went to to the petstore to see all the animals and then to the bookstore to buy a new book! He was asleep before we even got out of Lewisville as we headed to take him back!

We had so much fun with him and are so blessed that Jessica & Chris let us share some time with their sweet little boy! Here a just a few of the MANY pics I took this weekend!


Feeding the ducks with Josh

Fun at the park

Loving on Aunt Kisha

Looking a fish with Uncle Josh

Our cute photo booth session

Playing games!

Riding the carousel

Shivering after a bubble bath!

Uncle Josh & Braden in their almost matching shirts!

Proud Sister!

Well, for those of you who might not know, my brother is now in Chiropractic School. Yes, he too has a white coat now and is joining me and mom in the health care profession! He started ~2 weeks ago and is already studying hard! I am really excited for him and know that he has a lot of work in store for the next few years, but I am REALLY proud of him. He is going to do wonderfully!

This is a pic from his White Coat Ceremony!

The Shack

Well, I don't mean to make this blog all about the books I've been reading but I had to post something about this one. Josh and I both just read a book called The Skack. Its a Christian novel that's been on the bestseller list for a while and we had heard it was good. Well....its amazing!

Here is the premise from the cover....Mackenzie Allen Philips's youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in this midst of his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change his life forever.

The book is totally fiction and I have read reviews of people that take it much to literal...its not the Bible nor was it meant to be, but for me it was an amazing reminder of how much I am loved by God. I cried many times, mostly out of shear amazment at how much God takes care of us, loves us and is with us even when we are not drawing near to Him! This is a book I will get out and read again when I go through struggles in life. Whether you are stronger in your faith than you've even been or are going through a difficult time really trusting God....this is a wonderful place to lose yourself and be reminded of how much God truly loves you. It made me really think about things and it sparked much discussion between Josh and I. I wish Josh and I would have bought 2 copies and read them at the same time so we could have discussed it as we read it, but I read it and then Josh did and it was killing me that I had to wait for him to read it before we could talk. Its a quick and easy read and you can find the book anywhere...I was at Wal Mart yesterday and they had TONS of copies. If you read it, let me know what you think!

Fall is is the air!!

Today was my favorite kind of day!! It was sunny and beautiful and breezy and it actually felt like fall! (Which living in Texas is a season we don't really experience much of). Since it was so nice out, we decided to take Maggie to the dog park after church today along with my brother and his wife and their 2 dogs. We haven't taken Maggie to a dog park all summer because it was so hot she didn't want to be outside, but today we all just enjoyed the breeze and watching the dogs play. The cool air and sun gave me a new kind of energy and made for a wonderful end to the weekend! Hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did!!

Jeremiah 29:11

Jeremiah 29:11 is both mine and Josh's favorite Bible verse. So many times I find myself back at this verse for encouragement, strength, hope and so much more. Recently Josh stumbled upon a website that makes and sells Christian jewelery (www.c28.com if you're interested). We noticed they had both male and female rings with the verse engraved on the outside and decided to get matching rings in order that we might be reminded of that verse often during our days. Well, the rings came in yesterday and we LOVE them! It was great to feel and see the Word of God everytime I looked at my hands today!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

About Me...Just for Fun!

What time is it? 5:22pm
What's your full name Kisha Renea Long
What are you most afraid of Losing someone I love
What is the most recent movie that you have seen in a theatre House Bunny (it was actually very funny)
Place of birth Plainview, TX
Favorite food Mexican food!
What's your natural hair color Dirty Blonde...that's why I have to "enhance it" with hi-lights!
How old are you today 26
Ever been skinny dipping No
Love someone so much it made you cry Yes
Been in a car accident Yes
Croutons or bacon bits Croutons
Favorite day of the week Friday
Favorite restaurant Abuelo's
Favorite Flower Gerber Daisy
Favorite sport to watch I hate watching sports on TV
Favorite drink Diet Dr. Pepper (with vanilla if its from Sonic)
Favorite ice cream Cookies and Cream
What color is your bedroom carpet Tan
How many times did you fail your driver's test 0
What do you do when you are bored Vacuum and Play on the computer
Bedtime 10ish
Favorite TV shows Jon & Kate plus 8, Dancing with the Starts, Grey's Anatomy, Project Runway and Lipstick Jungle (I know I have too many favorites)
Last person you went out to eat with Josh and Jennie and Kyle Jones (after church today)
What are your favorite colors Black and Red
How many tattoos do you have 0
How many pets do you have 1 (Maggie Dog)
What do you want to Do before you die A lot, bust mostly be a good Christian wife, mom, friend, etc
Have you ever been to Hawaii No
Have you been to countries outside the U.S. Yes
Time this survey ended 5:31

The Art of Loving Dogs!

Its funny....Josh and I both grew up having dogs, but neither one of us ever remember being "dog people"....that is until NOW!! We got Maggie (our adorable dog) a little over a year ago and we love her so much most people think we're crazy! She totally transformed us into "dog people"! She has so much personality its almost like she is a person sometimes (and if you know us you know that we kind of treat her like one).

Well, Josh was playing on the internet and found a review of a new novel called "The Art of Racing in the Rain" which is a book written by a dog about his life as he recalls it from his death bed. The reviews were wonderful and so last weekend we went out and purchased the book. I have to say that if you've ever loved dogs you should read it! It made me laugh and cry and made me want to curl up and love on my sweet dog even more! So....if you've got some extra time READ IT!

Playing with the kiddos

Last night I watched my friend Holly's 2 kids while she did some shopping!

We had such a good time....listening to all the things an almost 3 year old says can really make you laugh!

Are these not 2 of the cutest kids you've ever seen? It was such fun getting to spend some time with them while their mom got to get out for a while!!

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!

Well....I have some exciting news. I have been recruited to join an OBGYN practice here in the Metroplex. Its a great office and a wonderful opportunity for me and something I am really excited about!!! I spent a month working there during a previous rotation and LOVED it so I know alot about the clinic and what its all about. I still have a few months before I actually graduate so I won't be working there until the 1st of the year, but it looks like this clinic will be where I start my clinical career!! Exciting!!

Right now we are in the middle of negotiating salary and benefits and all that good stuff, so I haven't signed the contract yet, but I anticipate everything will work out great!!
They called me today and things are moving in the right direction!! Keep me in your prayers!

Working Out is such WORK!!!

Over the past few weeks I've really tried to jump back into working out daily again. I've been lucky over the years to remain a pretty constant weight (give or take 5 lbs) but I know that won't last forever and more than anything I just want to remain healthy (unlike so many of the patients I take care of everyday).

The problem with all of this is that I've realized I really hate working out....mainly because I really hate sweating!! Sweating just makes you feel icky and yucky!! I dread coming home and having to put on my workout clothes and go to the gym or go out to run but somehow when I'm done I feel so much better! Working out is just one of those things I put on the list of things to do for the day but I'm trying to make it something I really look forward to. I'm hoping to soon become one of those annoying people who just can't have a good day if they haven't worked out....we'll see, I still have a way to go!!

Getting into Blogging!

Well for everyone who we wish we could talk to all the time but in reality don't talk to nearly enough, we thought we'd jump on the blog bandwagon!!!

The summer has been busy but lots of fun....my brother's wedding was in May. He married a wonderfully sweet girl named Crystal and I'm enjoying having a sister-in-law so close by! They live about a mile away and my parents just built a new house about 10 miles away!!

Also....Josh took a new job in July pretty much doing the exact same thing (logistics and distribution) for CarQuest Automotive. Their distribution center is only 2 miles from our house which really cuts down the miles compared to the 40 each way he was driving before and he also got a great raise!! He also recently got rid of his old red Ford Ranger and got a new SUV!!

I am completing the remainder of my clinical rotations and only have a couple left to do and then its graduation at last!!! I will finally become a PA on Dec 14th and hope to be working by January. My hope is to work in OB/GYN but I also really enjoy family practice and pediatrics, so....we'll have to wait and see where the Lord leads me to work! (I'm just happy I'm finally about to be done with school forever!!!)

That's all I've got for now, but stay tuned and I'll be sure to keep this updated!!