a belated weekly email...

My dear friends and family,

Well, this is going to be my last weekly email until I get home. Yes, I
know that I have one more Saturday, but that Saturday is going to very,
very busy. I have one exam on Thursday, two on Friday, one on Saturday, and
one on Monday--please pray for understanding!

So the big story of the week is a nosebleed. Huh? A nosebleed? Yes, that's
what I said. Believe you me, this was no everyday nosebleed.... we're
talking a torrential bleed of historic proportions! It happened on
Thursday. Why? I don't know: allergies maybe, or over-dryness from the air
conditioning, or super-sensitivity to the chemicals we use at work.... I
don't know for sure. AllsIknow is that it wouldn't stop. My crew chief sent
me to the on-campus clinic; the clinic sent me to the ER; the ER sent me to
a lonely room to have my nose cauterized. [Though I'm glad they didn't have
to pack it, I don't want to have to be cauterized ever, ever, ever again:
it hurt like nothin' else!!] After about five hours of bleeding, the
cauterization stopped it, and they sent me back to school.

Thankfully, God had arranged for my Nursing major roommate to be at that
very hospital for her clinicals that morning, so I was very well taken care
of! She called my Dad for me because everyone else that I'd asked to do it
had...um...forgotten. When I got back to the dorm, I called Dad only to
find out that Mom--really, folks, I have the WORLD"S BEST mother!--was on
her way down to take care of me for the weekend! She came and took me off
Thursday night, went with me to all my classes on Friday and got to meet
all my friends. Saturday I slept in (my supervisor gave the weekend off:
how generous of her). We had a nice, lazy Saturday of driving to the middle
of nowhere to visit a quilt shop, eat shrimp, and get our nails done. Then
we drove to the otherside of nowhere and watched the sunset on the beach.
Sunday she came to church and lunch with me and Ryan before she had to
drive back. Talk about a whirlwind weekend! I'm glad she came down. I
needed some Mommy time.

So that's why this email is so late.

I'm hoping to find out very soon what the dates will be for my summer
mission trip to Knoxville. When I do, I'll send a brief email with my
address.

Until then, I have finals to study for. Thank you for praying for me this
semester!

Much love,
Amanda