documenting life

so. i use instagram a lot.
like a wholllllle lot.

and ive been hoping & wishing that there would be a way// an easy way// to instantly post my pics from there onto my blog. but there is not. at least not on my ig.

so.... my solution. create a tumblr blog.
so. i did. and it will just document my life in pictures.
at least everytime i use instagram it will.
so here goes.
follow it if you want.
there will be way more pics there than i post to facebook--- in case you don't have instagram.

i also may throw up a quote occasionally
the blogging--- what little i do.... will remain here.

ok enjoy.

life according to instagram

naseous

nope. not pregnant. 

got my first work schedule. 

like work. 

as a FNP. 

im not even certified yet... that comes soon. 

but i start work in october. 

looking at my name on that schedule and knowing that people's health is in MY hands--- totally makes me nauseous. anxious. scared to death. 

ok. back to studying. 

as i try not to puke. 

'camp'

this past week i had a very special and unique opportunity. 

i was the 'nurse' at camp barnabus- a camp for special needs adults in the western north carolina umc conference. 

it was a fun, challenging, exhausting experience that i am so grateful i was able to participate in. 

i want to write more about my experience and things i learned and took away- but for now...

feel the love. 

lots of love- for Jesus & each other & well everyone.

distraction

my blog is the perfect distraction for when i need to study. 

or do the laundry. 

or take a shower. 

or clean house. 

i have spent the last 4 days at a camp for special needs adults. 

it was pretty awesome. 

i had a lot of incredible experiences that i want to share. 

but not right now. 

they are still settling in my mind. 

for now... im going to study. 

boards are soon. really soon. 

then. 

i start work. 

exciting times in the life of the sniders. 

until then.... 

I MUST MAKE MYSELF study. 

The ultimate photo dump....

Self explanatory. Ps. I'll be back to blogging soon. Promise.

tears of joy

well. yesterday was my last day of residency. 

LAST! its over!!!!! 

and i am so happy. 

i was so blessed to work with a great office staff-- 

and they threw me a party!

A PARTY!

i couldn't believe it. 

well after work i jetted to the post office to mail in my FINAL paperwork!!! 

i immediately got home-

put on the pj's and laid with the sick puppy.

but then- time to celebrate. 

so glad its done and over with. 

CHEERS!

sneak peek:

I am blessed to be married to a preacha'. and a very good one at that. 

I am grateful that sometimes he lets me read his sermon first. Give him my thoughts and opinions- which most of the time are... wow. that was great. ...and he never believes me. but its true. his sermons move me. challenge me. inspire me. and then make me grateful to remember... i am married to this guy. the man that so beautifully received God's word and wrote his message. I am blessed. and grateful. 

This week I got to glance at his sermon... and man. his last 3 paragraphs got me good. 

AND I wanted to share them here.... sorta a sneak peak if any of you go to my church (doubtful) or just a word to think on. 

"This morning I ask all of you the same question. “How is your soul? Really, how is it?” “Where are you receiving grace?” “What have you read recently that filled your soul? When is the last time you went on a prayer walk?  Do you have friends who are uplifting you?”  If you cannot receive God’s grace, then you will never be able to love God in return. And your heart will be forever restless.  

We hate gifts from strangers, don’t we?  God is the friend who shows up on our doorstep unannounced.  And God says, “You don’t know me that well, but I would like to give you something. His name his Jesus Christ.” For Jesus Christ is the gift we did not want.  He was a gift that we oppressed and then put to death.  And yet, Jesus Christ is the gift that we so desperately need.

If you choose to receive the gift of this stranger, it will show you the truth: that you are helpless, needy, indebted, and utterly dependent. But this gift will also give you life. If you choose to try and repay this stranger, then may your heart always be restless.  Thanks be to God for that. " --Ryan Snider

grateful for this gift of life that has been given to me. I pray I can accept it. accept God's grace. and love. and life a life that is glorifying to Him. 

funny.

the blogs:
keepingupwithkatie
and keepingupwith katieb



are different. totally different. the other katie--- since you are wondering--- is in israel.
i kept wondering why my katieb wasn't posting... there ya go.

ps i just blogged twice in one day. nice.

reflecting back on the old j-o-b.

as you all know im sure- in my "previous career" i was an ER nurse. 

and by previous career i mean the one i did for a few years before starting grad school.

working in the ER was the most challenging thing I have ever done. [really]

it was also the most rewarding. 

when i started working in the ER i was told- i was too nice to be an ER nurse. 

I proved that guy wrong. :) i learned to be tough when needed (which is quite often). 

it was very hard from the first day until the last. 

not only did i take away a lifetime of memories, knowledge and experience---

i took away two incredible friends. 

thinking back i don't really remember the three of us seeking each other out to be buds- but it just happened. we are very similar- and half of our coworkers thought we were the same person. 

really. 

but throughout our time working together we grew a bond that I don't have with other friends. 

our friendship is so different and deep and turned into a dear treasured friendship.

my most vivid memories with these girls include saving a guys life- seriously. he was a 'stemi' (heart attack) and we got him in and down to the cath lab super quick.

and then working a code- just the three of us (with a doc) and being together when the patient didn't make it. 

there are also lots of fun goofy moments. silly times. and being in situations that other friends just don't experience together. picture: naked people. puke. pee. the list goes on & on.

the reason im thinking all these things probably has to do with the show new york med. 

it really does show ER nurses how they really are. 

laughing with patients. dealing with the agressive patients. getting yelled at. yelling at others. 

its a great show.

and really has me thinking back & missing my 2 years running through the halls of the ER. 

it was a hard job- but one that has made me a much stronger nurse and person. 

it also gave me two incredible friends- that i couldn't be more thankful for. 

they've seen me cry. made me laugh. picked me up when disheartened. encouraged me through school. (heck encouraged me/pushed me to apply to school to begin with). 

they are great girls. 

thankful for them. and for the experience of working in an ER. 

even if i did cry, whine, complain and 'hate' my job sometimes, in the end it was the best experience of my life! 

construction

life is changing. 

so is the blog. 

perhaps that means more posts are coming soon. 

that could be exciting. 

if only i didn't have clinic 8.5 hours a day... 

and the other days im driving across the state to go to clinic. 

just a few more weeks and ill be done. 

and ill start working :) 

the final countdown.

i think ive waited long enough. 

its time. 

finally.

for the FINAL COUNTDOWN. 

2 weeks (out of town) pediatric rotation. 

2.5 weeks to finish my adult rotation. 

(thats at home so its even better)

a wedding. 

a visit from my grandma. 

probably some BS paperwork. (can you tell im TOTALLY OVER SCHOOL)

and ill be done. 

DONE. finished. grad school will be over and my diploma will be mine!!!!

what this all boils down to.......

35 days until Jamaica

where me and ryan will have 7 days to do nothing. 

beautiful. 

oh. and then ill probably blog again.

nerdy methodist.

i am a nerd.
and a methodist.
and i like annual conference.
if you don't know what it is... well. its a conference. and its lots of preachers. and delegates. and you hear speakers. and well this AC we have adam hamilton. and he is a great speaker. and we are at lake junaluska so its beautiful. and you see lots of people.
but i digress....

today. i went to a "finance and budget discussion".... two of my least favorite things. but i did it as a favor to a friend. and to write a post for the UMC website. (yea. nerd.)
anyway... to all of you guys who are so interested in this i decided to post here. enjoy.

-----------------

Holy budgeting.

While others of you were gathering under the beautiful trees sharing stories, or nestled in a rocking chair reading one of Adam Hamilton’s best sellers, I was able to take part in the finance and budget discussion here in the auditorium. To say I know anything about finance would be an overstatement. I am clueless- but luckily I came away with a few key items that I think would be helpful for all of us to know.

First on everyone’s mind may be how the decrease in districts will affect the budget. Overtime the budget will decrease because of it, but in this first year there are just too many uncertainties to see a big change. There is an allotted contingency fund that is higher than years past, to be used as we figure out this transition. One other increase that can be seen in is the information technology line. As our district superintendents transition to a more “mobile” position, hopefully being on the road 4 days a week, having up-to-date technology will be vital for success. This will also allow for the conference to transition to a new more modern website that allows more continuity throughout each district.

One line item that intrigued me was the “Leadership Development” line that nearly doubled for this next year. It seemed a bit vague, but the conference will be using this funding to send clergy and laity to different educational opportunities throughout the year. Conferences, workshops, and continuing education have a high priority in our conference, which I believe is vital for our future.

There were two other major concerns discussed in our dialogue. First was the cost of health benefits. The only change here was of course the continued rise. Many people are worried about this, but our conference is doing everything they can to keep costs low but still provide high quality care. Every three years the benefits are re-examined and all major and minor carriers are considered. The overall health of the denomination is what is worrisome and what causes the price to be so high.

Finally, there is a lot of concern in regards to the decrease in giving to our health and human services outreaches. There is a large decrease in that giving, but it comes down to two main things. The first thing discussed was that our conference is doing new things. We are moving in new directions. If we keep giving the same thing, to the same people, there cannot be growth or change. Secondly, we have to pay the fixed costs first (salary, pensions, health benefits etc.). Often times we are unable to pay the additional funds so these are the places that are cut. In our discussion a pastor challenged us to bring these discussions up in our local churches. This will be an excellent way for the churches that are able to step up and care for the local ministries of our church. This is an excellent challenge and it will be interesting to see churches rise up and give.

There was a lot that was discussed in our ninety-minute time slot- some of which was completely over my head. The biggest take-away I had from this discussion was that there are many people in our conference who have spent hours upon hours praying over and juggling with this budget. People are passionate about this (shocking- I know!) and truly don’t get enough credit for the hard work they put into creating this masterpiece flow sheet. After listening to them discuss the issues and concerns it is evident that our trust should be in them because they are listening to the Lord and feel His guidance for the upcoming year. 

Pause.

Dear blog family... I've been thinking a lot lately. About my blog. And the lack of it. I don't have any answers. Or a plan. I don't know when or what to blog about. It's weird. I'm just blank. I don't feel as witty as some. As wise as others. And as creative as those artsy ones. Perhaps I'll get out of this funk. Maybe I'll take the blog in a new direction. Or maybe I'll continue to post my daily whereabouts. I dunno. But for now... I'll post a picture of the most beautiful baby I have ever known. And feel so lucky to know. Her momma is pretty special gal. And whether Lillie likes it or not... I'm gonna be around a long while. So she better get used to my kisses and hugs and surprises. Those will come later. When she can appreciate being spoiled. :). Hope these brighten your day ;)

ja'makin me happy mon'

3 days into my residency and i needed a vacation. 

me and ryan had been planning to go on a vacation in august probably since the moment we got back from colorado last summer. we just didnt know where. 

i decided this weekend I was making the move. we were going to decide on our trip. 

after lots of looking. and searching. and cruise hunting. and travel guide reading. and groupon scrolling. and livingsocial perusing. it was decided. 

jamaica. 

5 nights. 

at an all inclusive resort. 

and yeah. it was insanely good deal. 

kinda too good. like it makes ryan really nervous good deal. 

haha... im all about some groupon. 

i mean with a jacuzzi like this, 

and a view like this: 

its going to be wonderful. 

...and no. we aren't staying in one of those cool tiki huts. 

2 reasons. 

1- no AC

2- 50$ exra a night. (that adds up)

anyway. we still have an ocean view room with AC :) 

my residency just got a whole lot better. 

day dreaming of vacation everyday makes anything better. 

Lately

well. i graduated. 

...sorta.

 

the tricky thing is- i don't actually graduate until august. this is my empty diploma. 

...and after graduation they took this back too. 

i did walk across the stage. shake the dean's hand. wear a cool hood. 

oh and forget to give the announcer man my name card... so i had to whisper in his ear my name. 

apparently danielle snider is too hard. 

rebecca snider is what came out. 

my mom jokes-- she doesn't know who this rebecca snider is. 

true. its an odd name. 

but whatever. 

i am currently in my residency. 

everyday this summer from 8-5 i'll be "working" ...for free. 

and doing lots of random things my doctor asks... like research this. find out this. do this. 

ok. whatever. 

august will be here before i know it. 

thank goodness. :) 

im ready for a job. an income.

oh. and a vacation.

more than just a few days in raleigh--- although. that was loads of fun. 

it was great seeing these two ladies. two of the best gals i know. 

it was awesome great seeing the family. always nice to relax and hang out with them! 

welp. thats about it these days. 

tonight we are spicing life up a little by going to a minor league baseball game! 

best part of all... fireworks after!

hopefully the blog won't suffer this summer.... i mean- i am going to florida to see my best friend's baby in less than a month! thats going to be AWESOME!!

and then another good friend is getting married in june. one in july. 

and helllLLLLOOOO vacation in august. 

despite this 8-5 "job"- i WILL make it a  fun summer!

It is finished...

My academic work of grad school is over. I'm done with tests. Papers. Research. Writeups. And class. Beautiful I tell you. The past few days I have wanted to blog, but haven't felt like it. So I haven't. It's a good feeling to have to no responsibility. I get to read. Quilt. Go on walks with mowgli. Dye my hair. And then re-dye it. And do lots of shopping... At goodwill and other thrift shops of course :) its been wonderful. Now on to a
Night of Harry potter movies :) tomorrow is looking like a busy day of quilting followed by a movie date ;) two weeks of freedom... It's beautiful!

motivation

im lacking it.
i only have one final to study for.... but i can't find the mojo to do it.
i try. i study. i make it about an hour and im bored. tired. exhausted. done.

hm.

ive gotten 2 hours of studying in today.
a few hours yesterday.

maybe ill walk through the little antique store next door to the coffee shop im in to get a lil blood flowing. blah.

the end is so so so near.
im almost there.

1 final.
1 1/2 days of clinical.
done.

and then my residency.... which i still don't have my placement yet. lets not talk about that.

here's to studying....

april :snow: showers- brings may flowers?!

hm. well. its snowing. yes. snowing.
its april 22.
and snowing.

bizarre right. yeah. it is. i planted tulips a few weeks ago. they are covered up by a towel. talk about classy front yard. but of course... my tulips are shockingly coming up! this year! ...hopefully they will survive the next few days though.

anyway. its crazy.
kinda like life lately.
crazy.
i actually send the end of school. its right here. in front of me. one more class. one more exam. loads of paperwork (proving im doing all these clinicals and online work). and then. a trip to durham. to graduate.

holy smokes. im excited.
residency will be here soon- and im ready! i can't wait.

little lillie is coming to town  the world soon. :) im so very excited about that too. just this hugely life-changing event in the life of my best friend- i can't wait. i can't wait to see this little precious bundle of joy and celebrate with my best friend. i can't wait to hug the bestie. cry. laugh. hug. its going to be awesome!!!

and then... there are lots of other babies coming into the world soon after that! nope. not for me. but lots of other fun people! some of which are still secret :) its an exciting time in our life! but gosh! its crazy!!

here's to my last week of graduate school classes. ever. woah.
i can't believe its already here.

love. peace. excitement. oh and a little snow- from me to YOU!

kids. wednesday. lonely.

let me start with kids. 

ive always loved kids. i can remember "working" in the nursery EVERY sunday when i was a young'un just so i could play with the babies. 

basically- nothing has changed. 

when i worked in the ER i went OUT OF MY WAY to have the peds (aka kids) patients. 

seriously. even if they were screaming, crying, miserable, I wanted THEM! 

the past 3 days I have been immersed in kids. 

(as a result i have a snotty nose myself, and a sore throat- but whatever)

all day. kids. 8 hours. of non-stop snot, pee, screaming, goofing off, laughter, and silliness. 

its been phenomenal. it makes me want to work with kids. all the time. 

really. 

kids are just so different. they are hilarious. they are silly. they scream and cry- but for some reason- i can tell them to chill out and it works. i love walking in a room and saying "whats up" to a 7 yr old boy and he looks at me like woah. you can't be my doctor. 

(well. no im not a doctor. but im going to see you today. and kids- heck most adults - don't know what an NP is- so they think doctor. it works)

i digress. children. i love them. teenagers are CRAZY. dumb. clueless. and "too cool for school". i LOVE talking with them. trying to 'straighten out their thinking' and give them a taste of the grown up world. like a 14yr old girl who WANTS to be pregnant. her best friends have a baby and she wants one. really?!? you do. do you know how to have a baby? do you know about sex? stds? what a baby does? how it changes your life? 

my best friend is pregnant too. that doesn't mean i want a little one of my own! 

anyway. ireally enjoyed spending 30 minutes talking with her about this serious issue. it was good. really good. and heck. she may still end or pregnant, but i did the best I could to educate and help prevent it.

so it has been a great- and EXHAUSTING 3 days. 

2 more to go. 

wednesday. the 'hump' day. halfway over. 

thank goodness. 

tonight i got real lonely. started missing ryan a lot. 

a whole lot. 

thank goodness for facetime. 

iphones are wonderful.

 

so just one phone call created lots of laughs.

smiles. 

and cheered me right up.

 and man. this little guy. hahahaa. 

he was SOOOO confused. it was so funny. 

and cute. 

a 

my boys. im kinda crazy about them. 

i do have a phenomenal husband. i love eeeee him. 

and that puppy. gosh he is crazy. 

2 more days. then im home free. 

yay. 

5 days a week...

how do people work 5 days a week?!?!
i mean- its only monday- and i am exhausted.
i worked 8 long exhausting hours today--- and tomorrow i am supposed to go back for more? and then 3 more days after that?!
it doesn't even comprehend in my head how that works.
i miss my 3 12's (as we nurses call working 3 days a week- 12 hour shifts)
i need a job when i graduate of 3 12's or 4 10's. really. you think im kidding.
i like my life at home.
with my hubby. and puppy.
hmmm.

i wonder how this is going to work out.

adventure...

 today was BEAUTIFUL! 

bright blue sky- and an open road. 

i set out east for my week long rotation. 

it was incredibly uneventful. 

until...

THIS.

in the middle of NO WHERE north carolina... aka the outskirts of rockingham... i stumbled upon this beauty. a nascar track. i got really excited. and even more so because i had seen loads of nascar semi's and tons of RVs. I knew something had to be close by. but seriously. 

i was on a TWO LANE ROAD. 

in the middle of NOWHERE. NOTHING. COUNTRY. 

and then.... i saw the HUGE stadium. 

insane. really. 

anyway.... i arrived. and settled in to my little place for the next week.

 

as cozy as it gets for now. 

anyway. its been a long day. 

im heading to bed soon.... 

here's to finding you a little joy--- or a nascar track--- on your next adventure.

sometimes...

... blessings come in weird, unexpected ways.
monday i woke up sick. real sick. so sick i went to the ER. (it takes next to death for this former ER nurse to go to the ER--- but my doctor couldn't see me and told me to go there. so i did). of course i survived this episode. but. in the midst of all this. my mom was in the car driving up to be with me. she knew her little girl needed her momma-- and boy. i sure did.
my mom is freaking awesome- if you don't know. the fact she just got in her car and left as soon as i called her- doesn't surprise me- but shows how awesome she is. five hour drive. just to be with me. so... i spent monday and tuesday with my mom. it was nice. it was fun. i laughed. we watched snapped (our guilty pleasure). ate some yummy food. and i got a milkshake... since i had a lot of blood drawn. (its an automatic in my family). so yeah.
i may have been sick. and miserable. and worried. but mom came. and that was a blessing. its always fun to be with mom. she makes life better.
and now im on some medicine to hopefully make me better. and it should.
...and yes. im being vague. but details aren't really important. :) just know im not dying. haha :)


sometimes..... life sucks.
next week im going to "primary care pediatric camp". well thats what im calling it anyway. i have a 5 day clinical rotation at a pediatric office. oh and its 4 hours away. so im staying in "housing". that should be interesting. im sure it will get a post. anyway... off to camp i go tomorrow.
so tonight... ryan and i were going to have a little date night. go out to eat. enjoy each other's company. welp.... that didn't work out. ergh. sad. frustrating.

but. im gonna wait and see what kind of lemonade we can make out of these lemons...

Preachers and Sunday afternoon

Maybe you wonder what the preacher does after a long weekend of church activities. Well today. We spent three hours on the couch. Then went and laid in the yard in the sunshine for another hour. Then came back and sat on the couch to watch some masters action. I'd say it's been a perfectly relaxing afternoon. After a wonderful morning of worshipping our risen Lord!

good friday

friday morning around 10am Ryan was telling me about this "carrying the cross" through town event that goes on in canton. I thought- woah. thats cool. when is that?

oh. it starts at 1030.

 

well.... are you going?!? because that sounds really cool and I think we should!

so we rushed through the house, got dressed (because yes. I was still in my pajamas) and headed out. not knowing what to expect. 

at all.

friday morning was one of the most interesting, neatest, thoughtful things i have ever done. a group of people gathered together and literally carried a cross through our little town. 

we stopped at the churches and read scripture and prayed. 

we then walked some more. 

we caused a traffic jam. 

and yes. we even stopped a train. 

(not kidding there)

it only took an hour- but during that hour of thought and reflection- i thought about what it must have been like for Jesus to walk through his town carrying his cross. carrying his death. knowing- im about to die. people were staring at him. ridiculing him. he kept going though. kept going to the cross. i thought about what it means when we- are to take up OUR cross and follow him.

what does that look like? what is that? 

it was good. very good.

 

of course. 

good friday doesn't end on good friday. 

tomorrow brings the joy of resurrection. 

of life.

of color. 

of joy. 

friday was good. but sunday is going to be great. 

love. peace. and joy this easter weekend.