way too long....

Oh my....has it really been so long since I last posted? And I did so good for a while too...here's to trying to do better in the future! Wow...a lot has happened since I last posted. Life has kept me busy! Just to name a few things that have continuously kept me busy since I last posted....we found out we are pregnant in november, December and January I had morning sickness, OB doctor appointments, working at Bronson hospital, working at the Life Care Center, teaching dance/choreography again this year for Homeschool Performing Arts, working on my continuing education to renew my nursing license, education required to be reviewed annually to work at Bronson, buying a house, moving from the apartment to our new house, going on a couple business trips with my hubby, plus just being busy with everyday things in life! Lots more to come soon! My sister in law just had her bridal shower, I have one of my baby showers coming up this week, my sister in law's wedding in May, Baby Mayer #1 coming at end of July or beginning of August, and then another sister in law getting married probably sometime this fall! :)

Hope you all are doing well! Blessings!

~Whitney~

busy!

Life has been so crazy busy lately that I haven't written in a while....but to catch up, Andy is wonderful (as always!!), work is going well, choreography for the musicals is going well, my Grandma is doing better and is now living with my parents and siblings that are still at home and....TOMORROW my Mom and I are flying to San Antonio, Texas for my cousin's wedding on Friday and then we'll come back on Saturday night!! It will be tons of fun having girl time with my Mom!! :D I will miss Andy for the 3 days and 2 nights that I'm gone though...I love him SOOOO much!!!!! 

Having fun with my sister Brye spending the night!! Girl time!!

I miss Andy though as he is away yesterday/last night/today on a business trip...can't wait to see him!! xoxoxo

10,000 Reasons...

Sometimes in life it's easy to look at all the things that aren't going the way you imagined them and forget about all the blessings in life so here are just a few of the many things God has blessed me with:

~God sent his only Son to die for me so I can live forever in heaven.
~God gave me an amazing, godly and wonderful husband and best friend who I get to walk through life with no matter what comes our way and who can always make me smile and laugh and he loves me for who I am! And doesn't just love the positive things about me but also the not so positive things! =) He's the BEST!!
~my husband who encourages me and who serves me with love and selflessness.
~I have a wonderful Dad and Mom who raised me to love God and taught me through their words and actions what following God means. Love them!
~Siblings that love me. Love them!
~Inlaws that have accepted me as if I were their own and more sisters!
~Andy has a good job and in an area that he loves and a great boss.
~I get to work at the hospital I've always wanted to work at.
~We have a roof over our head, food to eat and clothes to wear.
~A wonderful church family that I'm continually growing to love and new friends there too!
~All of Andy and my school loans are already paid off.
~Both of us have cars that are also paid off.
~Goldfish and our cute bunny Callie. =)
~Chocolate!
~The opportunity to choreograph for Homeschool Performing Arts for a second year!
~Having the opportunity to minister to others in our church by being on the worship team with my husband!
~Being able to get my nursing degree from a Christian college that has a very dear place in my heart and where I've made some of my closest friends! Bethel College =)
~Being a part of the praise dance team at church :)
~Waking up beside Andy *happy sigh*
~God's grace, love and faithfulness.
~Friends who care and pray.
~A friend who truly understands things in my life right now as she is going through the same thing. =) Love you! :)
~Ice cream.
~Any time I get to spend with Andy! 
~Being able to go on vacation this fall! Can't wait!
~God never leaving me! THANK YOU LORD!
~and SOOO much more!!!!


I love this song!! So many reasons to sing God's praises!!! 

Below is the link for this song! Please listen to it!

                                         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jYLTn4fKYQ


                                                  "10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)"

[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger
Your name is great, and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

[Chorus]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore

[Chorus x2]
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name

Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name
Lord, I'll worship Your holy name

Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
Jesus, I'll worship Your holy name
I'll worship Your holy name

 Blessings to you all!

~Whitney~

Mary Poppins!

Sooo....last night my sister Brye and I had the opportunity to see Mary Poppins the musical on Broadway in Grand Rapids!!!!!! It was the best show I have ever seen!!! EVER!!! Everything from the choreography, actors/actresses, sets, costumes, special effects, staging, lighting, etc.!!! I would see it 1,000 more times and wouldn't be sick of seeing it!! :) After the show, we were able to meet several of the cast members for what's called a "talk back" and ask questions!! We can't take pictures of videos during the show unfortunately, but I do have a few pictures from before and after! :) I can't even put into words how amazing this show is!! If you ever get to see this show you should get tickets....you won't be disappointed! :) If I could be in a Broadway musical I would totally want to be in this musical as a part of the ensemble so I could do all the dancing!!!! :D

I'm so happy I got to see this musical as I wanted to see it over a year ago and didn't think I'd ever get to see it and now I did!!!!! :) Brye and I also bought matching Mary Poppins t-shirts!!! I had such a fun time seeing it with Brye!!! :)

~Whitney~

excitement!!

sooo.....2 weeks from today is the wedding!!!!!!!!! =) yay!!! :)

not much to say right now.....it's been a long and rough up and down week and a half....

my heart hurts for the one I love most in this world....Andy.... =*(

wedding planning....more...lol

well, the wedding planning and whatnot continues!! today i put all the checks from the girls into my account and am figuring out sizes based on their measurements so that way i can order the dresses before i go to work tomorrow! also working on wedding invitation wording! lots done, but still way more to do and details to work on as well! i know it's still 7 months away (7 months from tomorrow to be exact), but i'm trying to have everything done (obviously there's a few things that have to be finished up a lot closer to the wedding) that can be done before Andy moves into his (then our) apartment because once that happens everything gets a whole lot busier as there is painting and moving to be done, his sister Katie and my brother Andrew graduates from high school, my sister Christa graduates from college, etc. which means that both of our homes will be busy with open house preparations on top of wedding stuff. plus i'm definitely NOT a last minute person especially when it comes to planning stuff. it will be a whole lot less stressful to me if we can get pretty much everything done before May 1st. i love wedding planning for the most part!! but...there is so much to be done and everything seems to take longer than planned......

Christmas tree....

Yesterday my family and I went to pick out our Christmas tree!!!! =) We always have so much fun!! I'm excited that this is my last Christmas with my family because that means that next Christmas I will be married to Andy!!! But....I'm also kinda sad that this is the last time I will get to do it with my family. It's kind of one of those happy/sad moments. I was also excited yesterday that next year Andy and I could go Christmas tree hunting together for our first Christmas together!! But, then I found out that the apartments where we're planning on moving as of right now doesn't allow live trees because of fire hazards. I guess I should have known that, but I guess I was hoping we could have a real tree. I'm trying not to be too disappointed, but I will admit I teared up a bit....*sigh*....oh well I guess. I know that's not what makes Christmas, but I love traditions and I love real Christmas trees. This will be a year of many changes I'm sure....most of them good!! But, a few changes that I'm sure I will shed a few tears on......

wedding planning =)

i love my siblings!! Lainey tried on some flower girl dresses the past couple days and she is super cute! :) she gets this huge grin on her face and she will model and do whatever you want her to do! lol! she will walk one way and then walk towards you very lady like! :)

i would put a picture but i haven't figured out how to yet on this blog....lol ;)

life....

well....life for me has taken another unexpected turn....i retook my NCLEX (nursing state boards test) on August 31st....2 days later i found out that once again i didn't pass it. i was crushed....i studied so hard for 4 months and have had to pay $250 every time i take the test....not to mention i've put off working full time, spending extra time with friends and family, and wedding planning. now i have to work full time so i can pay for my car and school loans so i don't have to drain my savings account on top of still having to study and moving on with wedding planning since the date we have chosen and booked is about 10 months away and i am definitely not a last minute planner. so yeah....i don't understand God's reasoning, but i know that His timing is best no matter what i think. it's just disappointing to still not officially be a nurse even though i have my degree and had a job waiting for me. i feel like a failure even though i'm not. i know i know the material....i think maybe it's just the actual taking of the computer test. i don't know....i'm planning on talking to my professors soon though so we'll see what they have to say! :)
~Whitney~

end of June/most of July....

Well....it hasn't quite been the summer I had expected. There have been many good things, but not everything turned out as I had hoped and prayed. God's will is best, but I had hoped I would pass my nursing state boards (NCLEX) test the first time when I took it on June 23rd. I had hoped to only have to study half the summer away and then begin my dream and the call God placed on my heart when I was 2 years old to be a nurse. Those hopes and plans of mine were crushed when I found out I didn't pass on June 25th. I will still be a nurse sometime in the future, but I guess I just have to wait longer. It's frustrating not being able to do things with people and stay in my room studying the entire summer. I will be retaking the exam sometime in August so continuing to study and pray for the NCLEX until I pass! I very much want to add "RN" for "registered nurse" behind my name and start the job that is waiting for me! Right now it's "Whitney Dennison, BSN" but soon it will be "Whitney Dennison, RN, BSN"!

This past week has been hard because of being busy with studying, working, and playing the piano for "Secret Garden the musical" and Andy has been busy with work, playing piano for church, as well as studying that we haven't really gotten to talk as much as we would like this week nor see each other much. This next week won't be much better either as either he is busy during the day or I'm busy in the evening and even in the morning a couple of those days. *sigh* I miss him. Oh well, I will see him in the semi-near future and I do see him a lot more often than the last 2 years when I was away at college down in Indiana. So for being done with school and 20 minutes from him instead of 2 hours, I am grateful! =)

I am excited though because on July 9th Andy asked my parents for their blessing/permission to marry me!!!! So now it's up to him as to when and how he wants to ask me!! Not gonna lie....I'm sooo super excited!! :) He's soooo wonderful!!!!

Well, I guess that's about it for now! I'm terrible at posting often, but maybe when I get done studying I'll have more time!

Blessings to anyone reading this post!
~Whitney~

Day 1 of blogging

Hi!! well, today is Sunday, April 11, 2020! I'll try to update this as I can (and remember! lol!)! I am currently a senior nursing student at Bethel College in Mishawaka, IN and I graduate with my BSN degree in 21 days! exactly 3 weeks from today! So excited! The past 4 years have been full of ups and downs, adventures, and friends! The past almost 20 months have been the best of my life though because God allowed a certain young man (Andy!!) to come into my life and he is such a joy to me!! =)

Blessings!

~Whitney~