27 hours + 1,524 miles + 1 new tire = Arizona Roadtrip

Hello all! WE MADE IT TO ARIZONA!

I know this blog is coming a week after arriving... but better late than never, right?

Three of the four girls on the trip! Stacy, Audra, and I

We started out our trip at 4 am on Saturday morning (yes, 4 am). After time in prayer for safety on  the roads, we packed up the little Chevy Lumina and headed towards Nebraska. It was a day full of anticipation: for the cross-country road trip we were taking, for my new life in Arizona, and also the constant "hub-ub" about the "end of the world." We heard quite a few talk radio segments on the last topic (:

Speeding on through endless Nebraska (Home of the Good Life), we occupied ourselves with lots of sleeping and singing along to the Backstreet Boys/Rascal Flatts. I'm sorry that I don't have anything more to report on Nebraska...but that is honestly all that I remember! In "colorful" Colorado, we were instantly greeted by hurricane-like conditions and an overflow of tumbleweed! Continuing on through the storm, we used our creative dining skills to make sandwiches in the car, while admiring the beautiful mountains of Colorado! We literally were awestruck by the beauty of the snow-capped mountains while driving through Denver.

Making our way to Colorado Springs....tragedy struck....

Imagine with me, four college girls playing "catch phrase" while driving along the interstate and all of the sudden we hear this popping noise. We pull to the side of the road and much to our dismay we have a flat tire. 

Let me recap. 4 college girls. Flat tire. 700 miles from home. This is going to be good. 

Let me also say that along with 4 college girls comes 4 college girls' luggage. Our trunk was packed SO tight, there was no possible way we could fit anything else into it. This obviously made getting to our spare donut tire even more interesting. Therefore we spilled our entire contents of the trunk onto the side of the interstate and began trying our hand at changing a tire. Obviously when we were all unpacking the truck, we turned to each other saying "Do you know how to change a tire?" "Not really...do you?" "Well, I've never had to.." Great, just great.

Luckily for us, our knight in shining armor came racing down the road about 10 minutes after we pulled to the side. A police officer stopped and actually changed the tire FOR us (: phew. Even though this was a horrifying experience for us, it really happened at the best possible place. We had a lot of room at the side of the interstate, a police officer stopped, and there was a tire shop less than a mile away! Believe it or not, we were back on the road in less than an hour. 

We continued on through Colorado (stopping at Garden of the Gods), and rested for the night near Albuquerque, New Mexico for the night. My friend Stacy had relatives in the area, and they graciously opened up their home to us after 19 hours on the road. After receiving some southwestern hospitality, we hit the road the next day and ventured on to Phoenix!

Along the way, we stopped by the Grand Canyon! We were able to walk around and catch a beautiful sunset, admiring the work of our great God, the maker of the heavens and the earth, the creator and sustainer of everything that we see here on this Earth.  Psalm 19:1-4 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."  

After admiring such beauty, we finished the last 3 hours of our trip and were warmly welcomed into Phoenix! We've been resting and relaxing,  unpacking, and exploring the town! I have also been staying busy with orientation at the Mayo Clinic (my new home for the summer)! Sorry the picture is horrible, it's the best that my little camera phone can do! 

I think I've caught you up on most of the excitement of our trip...watch for my next blog about my first day and our adventures in Phoenix/Scottsdale! I don't have a mailing address yet, but will update you when I do. Feel free to email me at jennifer.vanderveen@trnty.edu! 

Until next time, cheers! 

Sometimes I Make Impulsive Decisions

Sometimes I make super impulsive decisions. This week? Sitting in the barber's chair and suddenly deciding that bangs would be a good move. Thoughts? I guess I'm stuck with them for a good while now! It's only hair, right?!

Gearing up for Sunny Days in Arizona

Hello my friends! I know that it has been a couple weeks since my last post, and for that I have no other excuse than the classic “I’ve been busy.” Cliche. I know. Jenn? Busy? Nah. But I guess that means I have more to write about, right? Between studying for my final nursing exams, attending a conference with my church (Harvest Bible Chapel), working, and saying my final “goodbye’s” to my friends in Chicago, I feel like I’ve hardly had time to breathe, let alone think through what I am going to blog about! Now things have finally settled down, and I’m settled back into my family’s farmtown in Iowa. As I alluded to in my first blog post, I’ve been gearing up for a lot of crazy and exciting things. Let me share them with you.

First thing is first.....my summer plans. So, let me set you straight, because the majority of you are probably confused as to what shenanigans I am up to this summer. My parents and brothers live in a small, Dutch community in Iowa, while I go to school in the big city of Chicago. Last summer, I worked at a Christian camp in New York, and had the best summer of my entire life. Going into my “last” summer (sigh) as a student, I decided to try for a ridiculous externship opportunity (side note: I don’t actually know what an externship is, but that’s what I guess nursing internships are called). I applied a lot of different places all across the country, and was honored to receive an externship position at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. 

Now, what is this all supposed to consist of? I’m not really sure. I do know that I will be working on the Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant recovery unit (blood disorders, cancer, etc..), about 3 times a week, 7 am - 7 pm. I will be working alongside a Mayo registered nurse, and assisting her with all of her duties. My goal throughout the summer is to become more confident in my health assessment skills, and get a better idea as to what kind of unit I would like to work on next year after I graduate. As far as my living situation, I will be living in the home of a couple who both work at Mayo. I will have my own bedroom/bathroom, and will be able to use all of the kitchen appliances. The house is about 4 miles away from my place of work, and was such an answer to prayer to find! I will be sure to post pictures of both the hospital and my home as soon as I can! Other than that, I’ve been gearing up to find strong enough suntan lotion, a visor for my car to protect it from the heat, and searching for the perfect pair of necessary sunglasses (:

With all of that background, I am asking all of you to please pray for this new adventure. Pray specifically and earnestly for safe travel for my friends and I (Audra, Stacy, & Brittany) in the little lumina. We will be leaving on Saturday, the 21st of May, and will hopefully be arriving into Phoenix on the 23rd. I am so thankful for these girls to travel as my companions! They will be helping me get settled, and leave about a week after my orientation starts (a nice vacation for them)! Secondly, I ask that you pray for me in this adjustment to lay my burdens at the feet of our Lord. While I know that I can “do anything for just a summer,” I am nervous to be moving to a new place where I don’t know anyone. I am also nervous to be starting in a new hospital, and measuring up to their expectations for this competitive opportunity. Thirdly, I ask for prayers for me to be intentional with my relationships, and sharing my faith boldly to both believers and unbelievers. “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison--that I may speak it clear, which is how I ought to speak” (Colossians 4:3-4).So, with that being said, I once again am asking you all to pray with and for me, as well as my friends traveling along with me and the family I am leaving behind. 

Well, you are all now caught up to speed with as much as I know about my Arizona adventures! I’ll be sure to update you and tell stories as soon as possible. 

So, what else is new with me?

 #1... I’m officially a SENIOR in college (WHAT?!) and can’t believe how the time has flown.

#2...Tulip Festival (my favorite time of the year in Orange City) is this week! Gotta love the pig-in-the-blankets, klompen dancing, catching up with high school friends, funnel cakes, parades, and poffertjes! 

#3...I had the best time at Harvest University last week (the conference I attended with my church) and can’t wait to be reunited with the congregation in August to work with the High School Ministry and Worship team! 

#4 I have something new to add to the list of “Jenn’s being a grown-up!” My best friends and I just signed a lease for our own apartment for next year!! I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for us next year. 

#5...CONGRATS to my little brother (who is now 6”3 and not so little) on making it to the Iowa State Track Meet! He will be racing in the 4x200 relay, and I wish that I could make it down to watch! Run like the wind, bullseye! (:

Now that you’re all caught up on me, I would love to hear from YOU. Email, blog post, telephone call, snail mail....all of those things are my favorite! 

Well, until next time, cheers! 

The One With The Very First Blog

 Welcome! Yes, like so many others...I have decided to write down my thoughts in form of a blog for the world to see. I'm excited to document my adventures, as well as my simple thoughts. 

Here comes the sun. Yup, it's the name of my blog. 

I'm sure you all thought of that one song by that one band (yeah, yeah, I'm well aware that I should properly site the Beatles for my blog title). However, most of the time when I read this title, I don't think of a hit song. To say "here comes the sun" means that at one point you were in complete darkness. Alone. Unable to see. Unable to discern which way to go. 

Darkness can take many different shapes. For example, families struggle, friends fall away, school becomes more demanding, and you don't have enough energy or time to process it all. For a long time I felt bogged down by the weight of my own  darkness. The constant struggle to fit in, be accepted, feel uplifted and encouraged during my times of need. Bearing the hurts of my mother, father, brothers, and extended family, both big and small. Carrying the my friends' anguish alongside of them. Feeling completely inadequate to stay in school, because I just felt like a failure and lacked a purpose for my community. All of that is heavy. Completely dark.  

But here comes the sun. Freedom from the darkness. 

It's an appropriate title for my blog. The story of my continuing journey of coming from darkness into the sunlight. Into beauty. Into warmth. Into love. Into new beginnings. 

I find it to be the perfect description of where I'm at right now in my college journey. I'm at this strange, yet wonderful point in my life where I am flooded with independence, choices, responsibilities, relationships, knowledge, and faith. I've never been here before and I don't know what it's supposed to look like. While it is far too easy to become weighed down with all these changes, I am committed into stepping into the light, by the grace of God. For it is HE who sent His Son, Jesus, to sweep me out of the darkness, into His wonderful light. Just as I eagerly wait for the times where I can say "here comes the sun" in my earthly trials, so I eagerly wait for the day when I can say "here comes the SON," and spend eternity in His light. 

This doesn't mean that I don't struggle. Not at all. It means that I have finally come to a point where I'm choosing to share my journey of looking for the sun in my life. Sharing the burdens that are on my heart, yet the joys and excitement the Lord has blessed me with. And I hope a few of you don't mind taking that journey with me. 

So here comes the sun.

I have lots of new and exciting things to share with you. Summer plans, friends, and stories of faith where the Son has shown down on me...all are things that I look forward to sharing with you. 

I promise that not all posts will be as serious as this one. 

I just figured I owed my first blogging audience an explanation for the blatant use of Beatle's lyrics. 

Until next time, cheers!