turn....right.

For the past two or three years my life has had the pattern of changing every six months. Three weeks ago I thought that I was on a straight path, which I knew exactly where I would be a year from now: Bakersfield. Well I am happy to say that God has a wonderful way of surprising me. I was blessed with the opportunity to move to San Luis Obispo and live in a house with three other great girls. I was already registered at Cuesta College from my attempt at living there last year, so I was able to register immediately. And the class I didn't get, Microbiology, had a spot open up last week that worked perfectly with my schedule! Last but not least a job. Last week I came to SLO to talk to a counselor at Cuesta and heard that Avila Valley Barn was hiring. Its the cutest place. If you haven't heard of it you should "google" it. :) Well I got a job right on the spot and started working today. So far so good! So all that to say, Imreally really thankful and excited to be here and to see what God has in store for me. Because without Him, I would not be here. Also its cool because two of my brothers just moved here too, so half of the Hayes family is in SLO :)

Anyways Im sure I'll have more to talk about soon, but i just wanted to give you a bit of an update.

A great friend and now we get to be roommates!

When I grow up I want to be a...

Cherry Ames. Did you guys (most likely girls) ever read her books? I did, and I loved them. When I was about twelve I wanted to be a nurse so I could wear those cute little outfits, as Miss Ames is wearing on the left. Also, because I thought it would be sooooo romantic to care for a wounded soldier and fall in love. Yeah, I was quite a romantic...well I still am. However, I have discovered that nurses don't get to wear those stylish outfits...nor is the possibility of me caring for a hot soldier very likely. Nevertheless, I still want to be a nurse.

I haven't always thought that nursing was for me; there were times when I thought I should major in History, Sociology, Global Studies, Communications...and I changed my major each time. I almost enrolled in Culinary School too! Whew! Finally, God led me back to Nursing. I was searching for a career that encompassed everything that I love and would help me accomplish my purpose for this life. Nursing was the answer. Well, except for baking...but I can do that anyways!

One lady that has had a large impact on my decision for becoming a nurse is dear Mrs. Robinson. She has been practically like a grandmother to me, also my Latin teacher, and a great friend. She was a missionary nurse in Guatemala, Honduras, and many other places in the 1940's and 1950's. (Not sure of the exact dates). She would, and still does, tell me stories of her delivering babies in huts in the middle of the night, and sometimes in the dark! I love hearing her talk of all the things she did, people she encountered, and the amazing works of God that she witnessed. Her stories and the example she has set is so inspiring! I hope someday I will have the opportunity to be a nurse on the mission field.

Anyways, I just thought I'd let you all know how excited I am to become a nurse!!! I know I have a long way to go...but today I got into the final class that I need before I apply to the Nursing program! That means this fall I'll apply for the Spring semester! I know the chances of getting in right away are slim...but I also know God is in control, so I'm not going to stress about it. He helped me through this last semester, and I know he will get me through the ones to come.

And now to close with a quote from Florence Nightingale, since we're talking about extraordinary nurses.

"And so is the world put back by the death of every one who has to sacrifice the development of his or her peculiar gifts (which were meant, not for selfish gratification, but for the improvement of that world) to conventionality. [1852]"

Midnight Madness

So last night I got really inspired and tried my hand at cake making! I've been wanting to make one for a while now, and since I volunteered to make the cake for my brother's graduation party, I needed to get some practice in. I started with making the fondant with a recipe that uses marshmallows and powdered sugar, then made a chocolate cake from a box (one of these days I'll try one from scratch), and finished by making chocolate cream-cheese frosting. I started this whole shin-dig at around 9:30 last night and finished around 4:00 this morning. Luckily, I had the Decemberists and the Killers to keep me company. By the time I was done, I was covered in powdered sugar, exhausted, but also extremely satisfied with my masterpiece :) Here are the pictures for evidence.

Rolling the fondant out. Man, bakers must have some amazing muscles. My arms are sore!
That's my thumb. I was very thrilled to get the fondant on the cake without it braking.
The finished product! What do ya think?

Candace and I tried it this morning. A healthy breakfast for sure.

This cake kind of reminds me of a coral reef or something from The Little Mermaid, but I don't really have a name for it. Did I mention that it tasted wonderful?! A lot of fondant cakes that I have tried usually have a weird taste but the marshmallows and powdered sugar give it a sweet, fluffy flavor. Well it has been quite a lovely experience baking this cake, and I'm already thinking of new ideas for another cake! So until then, Bon Appetit!

Better than a boyfriend...WHAT???

One of my favorite things to do is bake. I like to bake when I am stressed (which is often), when I am angry (not quite so often), or when I am with people I love (more often), because I like to see people enjoy what I make. For the past few days I've been throwing around ideas in my head for a new cookie recipe. I always make chocolate chip cookies- I have a recipe that never fails me- but I decided that I want to invent my own recipe! I also decided that this summer I'm going to experiment and try to make a few of my own recipes.

So now for the reason I'm writing this post: I finally came up with my first cookie recipe!

They are called Better Than A Boyfriend Cookies (like the name?) and here is the recipe if you want to try them out. When I bake I kind of just throw things in without measuring, so for your sake I tried to come up with exact measurements so I hope they are correct!

Better Than A Boyfriend Cookies

In a large mixing bowl. Slowly mix the following ingredients in this order:

½ c. butter (not margarine!)

½ c. Crisco

¾ c. sugar

¾ c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

2 c. flour- you might add a little more or less.

1/3 c. dark chocolate cocoa powder- or until dough is dark brown; you might need more.

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips- or more if you are like me and really love chocolate!

Chill dough for about 20-30 minutes

In a separate bowl mix:

¾ c. cream cheese

½ c. powdered sugar- you can add a bit more- it just needs to be sweet!

½ tsp. vanilla

(I didn’t really measure these ones out but if you need more just add more. Consistency should be thick.)

Ok, heat oven to 350°, and once dough is chilled drop about 1- 1 ½ inch balls on ungreased cookie sheet. Poke a hole in the middle of each ball and add a little of the cream cheese filling into each cookie. Cover the hole up. Pop in the oven for about 9-10 minutes or until cookies are kind of firm. Be careful not to cook them for too long. Then take them out, cool for a few minutes and Enjoy!

I hope they turn out! If not, you can blame me for not using the precise measurements, but I’m pretty sure I got them right.

Well, Ill be experimenting some more so maybe I’ll be able to post some other new recipes in the future!

A wrap up.

With the semester winding down (my last final is tomorrow!!!), I've been thinking about things that I want to do...or need to do with the free time that I shall finally have.

Here they go:

~Wash my car...I believe it was only cleaned once this semester...yuck.

~Hunt for a cheep desk and get Hillary to help me re-do it. She's an expert. :)

~Paint my room. Baby blue has got to go.

~Go on a road trip.

~Find a church.

~Hunt for a job.

The last one is what I am dreading the most. Last summer I tried to find a job in Riverside and it was torture. It also proved to be impossible. So lets just pray I find a good job soon! If you hear of anything in Bakersfield please let me know.

Well...that's all for now.

Only one day away from freedom :)

You might call it productive...

This week has been just like any other week in the life of Kirsten, but I think that I have made a few accomplishments, attained a bit of wisdom, and hopefully helped someone along the way...

For starters, I found out that I passed BOTH my Chemistry and Anatomy/Physiology exams. This may not sound like a big deal, but I seriously thought I was going to fail. By no means did I ace the exams, but it gave me a much needed confidence that maybe, just maybe, I could actually get through these classes and on my way to nursing school.

And...this may come as a shocker, but I am realizing that I am a nerd. Yes, a nerd. And I'm admitting it. Last night I was eating peanut M&M's with my sis-in-law Candace, and I came across two M&M's stuck together. My first reaction was "Candace!!! These M&M's look like a cell undergoing Mitosis, during Telophase!!!" Candace stared at me with sadness and maybe something like shock in her eyes. Well thats all for the nerdy stories, because I don't want to scare anyone off. But believe me, there are plenty more.

Also, I joined the gym at the beginning of January, as did the rest of America, for one of my New Year's resolutions. Well, it has become of of the "fun" things I do throughout my busy week, because my dear friend MaryAnne has become my workout buddy. We get a pretty sweet workout, and usually end up staying for up to two hours because we talk so much in between. I actually think we may burn more calories laughing than by any of the exercises we do. I think we might even annoy some of the hardcore fitness people there. Oh and I almost forgot! Well about every six months, I usually attempt to make running "my thing" because I know it is so good for you, and I have always envied people who can run two miles like it's nothing. However, each time I try running, I have had to come to grips with the fact that I will never run. Sad, right? The last time I tried I ended up falling in a hole and spraining my ankle. The other two times I have gotten shin splints, which are so not fun. Well I thought I would give it another try, this time where there are not any sort of holes or ditches, and I am making success!!! This week I ran for the longest time I have ever ran IN MY LIFE!!! I know, It's pretty darn impressive. Well it was only for 16 minutes, but I used to be happy running 4 minutes without stopping. Pathetic, I know.

I realize that each paragraph I write gets more random and possibly hard to follow, but I seem to be poor at categorizing my thoughts, so please forgive me :)

Well tonight I had a very random experience. I was leaving Bakersfield to drive to Tehachapi for the weekend and decided to stop for gas since my gas light had been on for an indeterminable amount of time. As I got out of the car I observed a lady in a wheelchair making her way up to the gas station. I didn't think much about it until I got in my car to leave and saw her sitting by the entrance of the mini-mart. For some reason I got this gut-feeling that I needed to see if she was OK. So I got out of my car and went up to her. She was a young woman (maybe mid-thirties) and she was sobbing while talking on a phone that another person was lending to her. When she got off the phone, I asked her if I could help her and she told me that she had no place to stay and that the rescue mission wouldn't take her in because she had an open wound (she was just released from the hospital). She said all she wanted was a blanket to keep her warm while she slept outside. Unfortunately, I had about three dollars left on my Visa card and wasn't able to help her with getting a blanket, so I bought her some hot chocolate and told her I was really sorry. Seeing as there was nothing I could really do (no money, and no place to take her) I went on my way, still with a sick feeling in my stomach. I ended up driving to a CVS Pharmacy to see if I could write a check to buy her a blanket. However, after seeking the advice of a very wise person, I realized that a blanket was not what this woman needed. I decided that the best thing to do was call 911 and see if they could help her. When I told them that I wanted a cop to patrol over and see if the lady was OK, or possibly take her to a hospital or a different rescue mission, they acted somewhat annoyed but told me they would send someone over.

I realize that the last thing this woman wanted was probably an encounter with the police, and I don't even know if she was there when the police came. But I do know that she needed some kind of help, and if it were one of my family members or friends that were in the same situation I would rather have them under the legislation of the police than at the mercy of harsh weather and/or dangerous people. So I don't really know what will happen to this woman.

I believe that one of the hardest positions for humans to be in is when there is nothing you can do to help someone except to pray. I also know that when we are at our wit's end is when God's plan and miracles are made so much more apparent to our untrained eyes. I felt horrible that the only thing I could do was buy this woman hot chocolate, but I know that just by humble prayer God can do so much more in this woman's life than I could ever hope to do with all the resources in the world.

This subject has been on my mind a lot lately, because I realize that any effort of mine to help people is just grasping at straws if it is not done through Christ. It is extremely humbling and also comforting to know that I am not the one who can change people.

Well thats all for tonight. So if anyone's reading this, I'd love to know what you think about any of these topics. I appreciate all tips and words of wisdom.

Goodnight friends :)

Oh wow, Im a bad blogger...

Well, I suppose it's been a while since I have last blogged but I really want to be better at this! At least to offer me some sort of release in this coming crazy semester. Well I'm hoping that 2010 will be the year that I don't have to transfer or move somewhere else. In the past few years I have transferred and moved so much that I desperately want to be able to call one place my home. During the month of December I was constantly going from place to place visiting people, and I realized that I called three places home. Meaning, I had a toothbrush in three different cities!! Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE visiting my family and friends, but constantly packing my bags and living out of a suitcase can become extremely tiring. Wow, I sound like an old lady ;)

Anywhooo well I think the last time I gave a personal update on this thing was when I moved to San Luis. Well that has all changed (see the pattern?), and I moved into my wonderful brother and sis-in-law's house in Bakersfield. I am so thankful to have such an amazing family who are all so generous. Tomorrow I start school at Bakersfield College and will be taking the pre-requisite courses for the Nursing program. So that means lots of Chemistry and Biology...yuck. I know that I will only make it through by God's grace and the encouragement from my family and good friends :) I would say it is quite humbling to be going back to BC. I went there the semester after I graduated high school and vowed that I would never go there again. I used to look below the college at the many oil rigs and piles of dirt and imagine I was gazing at the ocean. Haha ironic eh?? No, I know there are some great professors there and it is just a stepping stone to get where I want to be. And I am so thankful that God has opened this door, and really revealed to me what it is that I am supposed to do. He has provided in so many ways that I do not even deserve. But when do we ever "deserve" God's blessings? I am so overwhelmed with all that He has done in my life, and I am so excited to see what new adventures I will have this year!!!

Well, that's all I can think of for now. But I'm sure I'll have some gruesome stories of dissecting cats or something soon so I'll be sure to document that ;)