Taking Risks

For those of you who don't know me personally, I graduated from Samford University with a BSN (Bachelors of Science in Nursing). I started my nursing career on a 45 bed Medical/Surgical unit in Birmingham, Alabama, then "traveled" home to Baton Rouge where I worked on a Cardiac Telemetry unit, then found my nursing passion in Houston where I began working as a Labor and Delivery nurse.  I have definitely tried my hand at many types of nursing, but I came to love L&D.  When Marvin and I moved to Houston I was hired to work nights (7pm-7am).  I had worked only a month of nights in Birmingham when my unit was short staffed and swore I would NEVER do it again.  The Lord quickly reminded me of that when I accepted the night position in Houston!!! I came to love nights and have been a "night owl" for the past three years. Marvin works nights too, so we had a pretty different schedule from the rest of the world...but we loved it!!!
...Then along came Mary Grayson!!! Everything worked out well in the beginning when the little princess slept most of the day.  Since she has gotten older and no longer sleeps throughout the day... there was nothing like coming home from a 12 hour night shift to an awake little ball of energy who wanted to play. We were depending on friends and neighbors to keep our daughter overnight while we worked.  Our days became shifts of watching her while the other napped and vice versa.  It made for exhausting days and even longer nights. 

My Little Tennis Munchkin at the club with me while I teach!

So...after much prayer and consideration I decided to start looking for something with a little more "normal" hours!  12 hour shifts, especially night shifts, were not really conducive to a baby's lifestyle.  I have since cut back my hours at the hospital and have been hired as a Teaching Professional (tennis pro)  at Walden Country Club.  Never in a million years would I have thought about teaching tennis for a living.  Tennis was such a huge part of my life as a kid and then a teenager and then a collegiate player, but that was over.  I had put tennis off as a part of my past and only played occasionally on a team when I could.  When this opportunity presented itself I was hesitant, but the benefits (MG being with me during the day) outweighed the risks! So I did it!  Well...WE did it!!! Marvin has been so supportive throughout this whole transition, taking care of dinner, baths and MG's bedtime routine while I teach late a few nights a week.  We are confident the Lord is going to take care of us as we take this journey.  Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding..." We are looking forward to seeing how the Lord works through us as we find a new "normal."