Let's Ride!

Dear Friends and Family,

First, we would like to thank you for supporting us as we successfully raised $3,600 for cancer research last summer. Your generous donations were a huge part in Pelotonia ’11 raising over $12 million in total.

We would like to share a truly inspirational story from last year’s ride. John Looker rode Pelotonia ’11 with stage-4, terminal brain cancer. He completed the same 102-mile ride that we did. Later in the year he went into remission and had his terminal status removed in November. This was made possible thanks to monies raised for the James Research hospital where he is undergoing treatment by Pelotonia.

The two of us with John Looker

Last year, we rode with specific friends and family members on our hearts, people who were either battling cancer at the time, or had been lost to it in the past. While we celebrate some of those people being healed, we, like many of you, have continued to see cancer affect new people and the need for new treatments become ever more pressing.

This year, we are raising the bar for ourselves and need your help. We have committed to ride 180 miles over two days and to collectively raise $4,400. In order to do this, we are offering our unique set of skills to anyone willing to donate to our ride. Having cut grass for most of his college life, Alex has a bit of practice. For $15/hr he will simply come and mow your lawn. For $20/hr, he will mow lines into it, making you the envy of the neighborhood (the more often he does the lines, the more they will stand out). Olivia, as you know, is an RN with bountiful pediatric experience, and Alex is a 24 year-old male that kids often confuse for a jungle gym. Who better to baby-sit your kiddos? For $25 we will baby-sit on a weeknight, and $50 will get you a Friday or Saturday night to yourselves.

In order to donate, please go to www.pelotonia.org and search our last name. This is the easiest way for you to donate and receive your tax deduction.

Thank you again for your love and support. It has meant so much to us over the past year.

Best,

Olivia and Alex

Pictures from Pelotonia 2011...

Ready to ride before sunrise.  

   

My mamma and Jens met us at every stop along the way.  They were wonderful supporters!

       

Our new friend Julie who rode with us from mile 43 to 102 in Pelotonia 11

What's New?

Since we have moved to Wooster, our lives have settled down quite a bit compared to what they were six months ago.  However,  I want to give you an update on what has been going on with us!  

Night shift. . .Woof.  

As many of you know, I started working night shift in November.  I knew that it would be difficult, but I didn't know how difficult it would be.  The the past two months I have tried to switch back and forth with my sleeping schedule.  After I work, I sleep during the day, however, when I am off, I have attempted to sleep at night with Alex.  Well, after two months of not sleeping well and feeling terrible, that ended up not being a good idea.  Lack of sleep  = grumpy wife = not nice wife = apologizing to Alex. . .many times.  Fail.

I have attempted to switch to a different shift multiple times, but so far it's just not working out!  And there is a reason, I know there is.  I love my night shift co-workers.  We work well together as a team and they are more than willing to help out a newbie.  Since I have been unable to switch off of night shift, Alex and I decided that it would be best for me to stay on a night shift schedule at all times.  Therefore, I try to stay up until at least three so that I can sleep better and feel rested.  So far, this week has been going well!  

Becoming a one car family! 

Driving a five speed might become the death of me. . .Really.  However, it must be done.   We can both walk to work, so it makes sense for us to share.  If Mere and Jon can do it in Boston, we can do it in Wooster!  With this money we will pay off the rest of my student loans (yayy!!!) and then continue with Alex's and get rid of them asap!  

p.s. if you know of any one that would like a 2002 Toyota Corolla V6 with 112,000 miles on it, let me know.  I have the hook up.  New tires, breaks, and serpentine belt since the summer.  

Pelotonia

Alex and I officially registered for Pelotonia!  I am pumped.  This is a grass roots bike ride that will help raise money for cancer research.  Our goal is to ride 155-180 miles this year and raise a total of $4,400.  I am seeing too many people suffer from this disease and my heart breaks for these people.  If you want to donate, go to www.pelotonia.org and search OW0002 or AW0022.  

Wooster Church

The Lord has blessed us with the Wooster Church of the Nazarene.  We have begun to root ourselves in this church and I am thankful.  The community we have found has been wonderful and we have developed life long friends within just a few short months of living here.  We also have committed to serving in the children's ministry (the one year old room) so I can get a kid fix every now and then.  These kids are adorable and surprisingly independent!  I cuddled with one of them for about ten minutes in the rocking chair just because I he wanted to.  I am thankful for Joel and Lisa, the young adult pastor and his wife, who have poured into us and cared so well for us.   And lastly, we are in a small group every Wednesday night with other married couples and families.  They are such wise people!  

That is all for now!  This was my favorite verse of the week from the book of James.  It hit home to my heart and was an encouragement:  

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 

Encouragement from the Village Church...What is God doing now?

        Lately, I have caught myself focusing on my relationship with Jesus while I was in college.   It was different.  It feels like it was deeper and different then.  I could literally see more fruit from my life and more growth.  And at times I crave that.  I crave the deepness that I had with the Lord.  I crave seeing fruit like I did when I was leading Young Life.  But currently, the Lord has us in a different place in life.  However, I trust that this is where the Lord has us in life right now.  I don't feel called to lead and I don't feel called to a certain ministry right now.  I feel called to just be.  


        When we first moved, I felt that the Lord just wanted me to be with him.  And I will.  I pray that this would be a season of growth.  I pray that while the Lord has us here, that we would understand the Lord's holiness and righteousness.  I continue to struggle with what that looks like.  But I want to know.  I want to know what it looks like to fear the Lord and what it looks like to give my whole life to him.  


           To me this is a scary thought.  But I want to understand just a glimpse of his holiness and depth of Jesus.  I know that I am only scratching the surface of who Jesus is.
  
           So no matter where God has us right now, I am learning that it is good.  We cannot keep looking back.  We need to look at what God is doing right now.  And what he is doing is for His glory and goodness.  He is running this race with his.  

I am thankful that the Lord is. . .

-strengthening Alex and I as a married couple

-providing fellowship for us

-providing mentors for us who are digging deep into our lives

-sticking with us when we are disobedient

-leading us to a place where he will be glorified

"Hear my voice when I call, O Lord;

be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"

Your face, Lord, I will seek."

Psalm 27:7-8

A Year In Review!

What a crazy and busy year we had for 2011!  We traveled (who knows how many times), there were a couple of additions added to our family (Nugget and Jens!), attended 7 weddings, bought a house, Wooster became our new hometown, I became an ER nurse, and we celebrated our first year of marriage!

Here are some great pictures from the year.  The first couple of months, we were getting settled with married life, so nothing exciting happened.  With that being said, we will start in March!

March: Headed to New Hampshire to surprise Meredith for her baby shower!!  It is wonderful to have a sister and I am thankful to have her in my life.  She is such a beautiful woman. The surprise crew:  Sandy Bolster, Julia, Kathy and myself!

My surprise birthday trip was in April!!  Alex surprised me with a fun trip to North Carolina to go see Cirque Du Soleil.  This was also when I bought my amazing bike!  These shoes make me official.  

May:  Happy Mamma's Day!!  Yes, my mamma and I were matching that day, not planned. For Alex's birthday we went to New Hampshire to see the baby for the first time!!  She is such a cutie.  

Alex continues to claim to be Nugget's favorite Uncle.  He is a very proud Uncle :)  

June was a big month for us!  We found our first home, attended the Neike wedding, and started training for Pelotonia!!  

July 4th weekend on the boat!  Steve and Shana came up to the boat with us.  It was such a wonderful and relaxing weekend with friends and family.  

August was another busy, busy month.  I was a part of the Schellhause wedding, we went to our cousin's wedding, closed on our house, bought a puppy, and participated on a 102 mile bike ride in one day to help raise money for cancer research in Pelotonia.  

September and October were filled with nothing but working on the house.  That might have to be another blog in itself :)  November was a fun month of family.  We had an impromptu family reunion!  We had family come from Colorado, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and South Carolina.  There were a total of 24 people for Thanksgiving!  Here is the crew:

December was Christmas in New Hampshire! A couple of co workers switched their schedule with me so that we could enjoy a full seven days with family.    Nugget has grown so much and has a lot of personality!  Alex's grammy and grampy also came up from Florida for the week and it was joy to see them!    

Here's to 2012!  There will probably be just as much traveling, but we are staying put in Wooster :)  The Lord has been so good to us.   I pray for a healthy year where we grow deeper in Jesus.  

A Love that I Don't Understand. . .

Lately I have been trying to understand the love of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  But I can't comprehend it.  I feel lost because I don't understand this love and what it truly means to follow Him.  Since we have stopped leading Young Life, learning to live out the gospel in our daily lives has been a challenge.  With Young Life you had a wonderful tool to provide high school students with to share the gospel.  However, without this tool it is difficult!  I am worried what people will think of me since I live my life differently and if I will be loved just as I am.  I am worried about being outspoken about my faith.  But this is what Jesus has called us to.  The other day Alex and I were discussing how to love the Lord better in our lives.   He brought up the last words that Jesus says in the book of Matthew, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded to you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. " (Matthew 28:18-20.)  But are we doing this?  Are we ashamed of the gospel?

Recently our church finished a series of being a fan vs being a follower of Jesus.  For the past eight years I have called myself a follower.  However, am I truly following Jesus?  Praise God for grace, because that is what saves me.  I do not follow Jesus well every day.  I fall short.  However, I want to follow Jesus better.  I want to live the life that Jesus has called me to, but I think I am afraid.  I am afraid of becoming uncomfortable.  I am comfortable in life right now.  I am comfortable in our home, my job, my family, marriage and community.  Since I have been feeling this way, I am trying to discover the love of Jesus and his righteousness.    I know that I don't want to keep living my life the way I am.  I want to know the love of Jesus and fall in love with him all over again.  I want to be in awe of Jesus and who is he as Lord.

Francis Chan couldn't put it better.  In his book "Crazy Love," he states, " There is an epidemic of spiritual amnesia going around, and none of us is immune.  No matter how many fascinating details we learn about God's creation, no matter how many pictures we see of His galaxies, and no matter how many sunsets we watch, we still forget.  Most of us know that we are supposed to love and fear God; that we are supposed to read our bibles and pray so that we can get to know Him better; that we are supposed to worship Him with our lives.  But to actually live it out is challenging."

Jesus, will you show me more of who you are and what you are calling me to?

Life in the ER

I've been thinking about what to write for this post, but I haven't yet had a day where I knew exactly what to write.  However, after last night, I will do my best to explain my job and everything that comes with it!

The ER is a bit crazy as a nurse all around.  The emotions that I have felt since I have started include:

Overwhelmed. Excited. Sad. Angry. Nervous. Adrenaline rush. Cold hearted. Encouraged. Welcomed. Loved. Appreciated. Bitter. Disappointed. Thankful.  

Everyday (or night in my case) there is something new and unexpected that I am learning and experiencing.  I have become like my mom in how I appreciate learning more and more.  I am a dork and love to learn about the body.  I like to know why things happen, what I need to do now and what the prognosis is for the patient.  Will this be short term?  Will this just be a temporary thing in their life or will this be something that will end up taking their life?

Last night was the most emotional night I have experienced.  We had a patient who had a serious illness to where we asked the wife to say her last words before we intubated her husband because he might not make it through.  This patient was around the same age as my own father and he's not very old!!!   The patient was completely fine an hour before he came in and a half hour into his ER visit, we had to tell his wife to say her potential last words to him (this is when I start crying as well).  However, I must keep doing my job, help stabilize her husband and transfer him as quickly as possible.  I told his wife that I would be praying for them and I hope and pray that they are doing okay.

On a happier note, there are things that I love about the ER.  I love that I still get a kid fix!  I will always try to win over the toddlers with a high five!  And it's not always easy since I'm the one poking around!

I love my new co-workers.  They have been more than supportive.  They get excited to see me when I come into work.  Three days into my orientation, my preceptor said that I would be just fine on my own if I needed to be.  I love some good encouragement.  The Lord has been very good.

We have a lot of funny stories as well.  We have seen some drunk college kids, one who almost urinated on my co-workers face; an Amish woman who was wearing a pink thong (Get. It. Girl.) and some drug seekers who think they can fool us, but they can't.  I just used the largest needle to give him his shot for "pain."

All in all, I like my job.  I am thankful that the Lord has provided me with this job.  I hope that my heart continues to break for these patients and families, yet I am able to be a strong nurse for them all.

I am thankful for my husband who I came home to crying this morning.  He is a wonderful listener and always tells me "you are such a good nurse."  I am thankful for my puppy who is awake with me into the middle of the night and keeps me company when I am home alone!  And lastly, I am thankful for my family.  Especially my wonderful parents and brother who have supported me in becoming a nurse!

I love being a nurse.  It is hard, but such a wonderful job.  I wouldn't trade it for any other job.



"They may forget your name but they will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou

Alex Writes a Blog

I would like to start out this blog by saying a big thank you to our readers. Especially our three (as of posting) followers. It has been very fun to hear the feedback and excitement people have about our lives. We love you.

* * *

So when Olivia proposed that we write a blog, she meant that WE should write it. Not just her. Well, one in four isn't bad, right? Right? Okay it's pretty bad. Even J.D. Drew can hit .250, or not.

So, in my desire to be more consistent than my beloved Red Sox, I am writing my first installment of the Winkfield Blog. It's a long season and we have to take it one blog at a time, but if we (I) stay motivated, we could do some real damage to the blogosphere. Here we go.

A few days ago, Olivia (my Extremely Hott Wife) wrote about our dog Jens, who is awesome. Tonight, I would like to tell you about someone even cooler, Olivia (yes, this could get sappy).

 Olivia > Lance Armstrong

I do not remember actually being introduced to Olivia. I remember seeing her at Young Life events and thinking:
1) She had awesome hair
2) She was really attractive
3) She was too short for me. As it turns out, the Lord has a pretty good sense of humor.

The face of beauty

We have now been together a little more than two years and married for almost one. In that time I have learned a lot about her, like what her favorite ice cream is (mint with gummy bears and brownies from Coldstone, duh), turned her into a Red Sox and Patriots fan, and most importantly, fallen more in love with her everyday.

She has given me advice, prayed for me, encouraged me, supported me in my job, moved away from family and friends for me, surprised me with gifts (as simple as homemade dinner, as extravagant as an iPhone), bragged about me, ridden her bike all summer with me, complimented me, challenged and corrected me, turned my eyes and my heart above and been the best friend I could have ever asked for. I have not always been a great husband, or friend to Olivia, but she is filled with grace and patience. She is loving and kind and I am thrilled to call her my wife.

Best. Day. Ever.

We have many things that we love to do together. Chief among them are travel and ride our bikes, which we hope to do in tandem (get it, it's a play on words) in the future. Olivia is excited about adventure and doing things together, and talking about different trips or plans for the future with her gets me even more excited to be with her.

Olivia is going to be an awesome mom. She loves kids and is great with them (+1 for pediatric nursing). She will be loving and sweet to them, strict when necessary and encourage them in all they do (especially if they are gymnasts/divers). She will be such a fun mom and, while I am in NO rush at all, I am excited to be a parent with her in the future.

This may sound strange, but I am excited to be old with Olivia, should the Lord bless us with old age. I am excited to still call her beautiful everyday and hope that our level of PDA goes through the roof as we get old.

I am not a blind optimist. I know that 50% of marriages in this country end in divorce. I know that marriage is hard and takes more than one can fully prepare for. 

I also know that while I hope to be with Olivia 'till death do us part, my hope is not found Olivia. We are both imperfect people. We are not capable of perfection. If my hope is found in Olivia, or if hers is found in me, we are only setting ourselves up for failure. Instead, we have set our hope in one we believe is perfect. Capable of perfect love and grace, and able to meet all of our needs. I am not here to tell you, Dear Reader what to believe or judge you based on your choices, that is not my intention. Just to share. 

Olivia and I believe that we were created to be in a relationship with God our maker, and that our sin has made that impossible for us to do on our own. We believe that Jesus Christ, the son of God, lived a sinless life on Earth as a human being, filled with the Holy Spirit and that his death on the cross atoned for our sins and gives us and you the opportunity to live in a relationship with God as He intended.

As I said before, I am not here to tell you what to believe. I will not think any less of you if these are not your beliefs and hope you will return the same courtesy. I do have two questions for you to consider:

1) What is your hope found in?

2) Can it love you perfectly?

With that, I say goodnight and thank you for reading.

Olivia, you are the love of my life. I hope you always know that.

Love,

Alex