It's a heart thing.

Go ahead. Congratulate me on being an aunt to the 2 cutest nephews in the whole wide world. My second nephew, Rowan Gabriel, was born this past Good Friday (how fitting). My husband and I raced to West Virginia when we got the call that our sister-in-law was in labor. He was healthy and happy and beautiful. I was busting at the seams to get to hold him, and it was pure bliss when the moment finally came. He was so soft and sweet and snuggly. He was completely dependent on me. I, at that very moment in his life, was fully responsible for him.  Freaky.

It’s kind of impossible not to go to that “what a miracle!” place when you see a newborn. In a weird way, I find that a newborn baby is an everyday example of God’s miracle-muscles. A whole miniature person grew from one teeny tiny egg and one super swimmer sperm! That’s fantastically impossible, yet I’ve been told that it happens fairly regularly! Go figure.

I’ve been taking a medical terminology course through the Duke Clinical Research Institute (where I work) for the past 6 weeks. For the last 2 weeks, we’ve been learning about cardiology (cardi/o- [heart], -logy [the study of]. My teacher would be proud). Until now, I had never really been interested in medicine, but it’s impossible not to be blown away by how unbelievably well our bodies are designed. 

Like, did you know that blood’s only purpose is to provide oxygen and remove waste from every single cell in our entire bodies? Did you know that the reason you can only see blue veins (which carry blue deoxygenated blood back to the heart) through your skin is because arteries (which carry red oxygenated blood) are buried deeper into your bodies so that they’re protected better? Did you know that your heart beats about once every second, despite the fact that you never tell it to? (Thank goodness. That’s all we’d ever get done.)

Pretty rockin’. Way to go God. 

Thinking about all of these weird complexities makes me fall even deeper in love with Jesus. It makes me realize, yet again, how insignificant and powerless I am in comparison with Him. Wowsa!

Anyway, babies are cool. Hearts are cool. 

And so are you. Hopefully. If not, then try harder. Just kidding.

Happy Monday all!

Lazy critics are the worst.

How many times have you had your ideas crushed by that one guy. Ya know, the guy who always has something negative to say about every idea that is brave enough to make its way out of your mouth. Suddenly, you begin to notice a pattern. That guy manages to immediately stuff, basketball-style, everyone else's concepts, yet...never offers up his own. 

 

Today, as I was reading this magazine article (http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/film/features/25335-hate-the-christian-art-love-the-artist), I came across this quote: The only thing easier than doing a bad job is criticizing it. 

I realize that life isn't always full of Reese Eggs and cake icing (two of my favorite things in the world, and they're even better combined!). Criticism certainly has its place in the world, but the line between constructive criticism and "derrr der der...I have nothing to contribute to the conversation, so I'll make everyone else's ideas sound stupid" is actually quite thick. 

 

Avoid becoming that guy. Pay attention to the criticism you give and, more importantly, understand why you're giving it. If it's legit, SWEET! But if you're only speaking up to make yourself feel or look better, then stuff a sock in it, will ya?

 

 

Birthday Bliss!

Today I turn 23 years old. That's right. 23. The magical age of...well...nothing. (Although, someone did tell me that turning 23 means that you can legally drink at work. Wait, wait! Do not bring alcohol to work tomorrow. He was joking. I hope.)

So here I am, basking in my 20s while I still can, and it seems like everyone I work with is noticing. I am the youngest person in my department, and I'm probably among the youngest employees in the whole flippin' company. So, I constantly field the "Do you remember so and so? Oh wait, you're far too young to remember that" question, to which I shake my head in fake shame and quietly mutter "Yes, well, I suppose you're far too old to know who the supercool Justin Bieber is." Today, my birthday, certainly kicked it up a notch. Everyone kept saying, "What are you, 18?", "How young are you now?", and "Oh, 23. I'd give ANYTHING to be 23 again." I guess the good news is that no one told me how awful their 23rd year of life was. It seems to be a pretty positive memory for most.

My mom always says that it's better to have a birthday than to experience the alternative. And I agree. Birthdays are the best! Everyone pays attention to you. 100 people you haven't spoken to in a year send you half-hearted Facebook birthday wishes to which you'll never reply. And there's cake! There's always cake! (And I do LOVE me some cake).

So, in honor of my 23rd year of life, here's a digital toast to the next 365 days. Who knows what they could hold. I'm looking forward to each and every one of them!

I'm a big kid now

Hello all.

First, let's get acquainted.

My name is Morgan. I am (soon to be) 23 years old. I live in Burlington, North Carolina with my husband Dave. We will have been married for 1 year in June, which also, not surprisingly, will make it one year that I've lived in NC.

Sometimes I kind of feel like I lead a double life. Not intentionally, but there is sort of a dual-identity involved. My Clark Kent life: I'm an assistant medical editor at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) in Durham. My Superman life: Trailhead Church. Let me explain.

Dave and I are super involved in our church. And when I say "super involved" I don't mean in the "hey, let's actually go to more than one service a week and maybe volunteer every once in a while" kind of way. Dave is the administrative pastor, meaning he handles all the administrative tasks (finances and other organizational stuff). He's also the media guy. Oh, and the whole reason he moved to North Carolina in the first place more than 2 years ago was to help our friend start the church from scratch. After we got married and I moved here, I jumped in right along with him. It's a lot of fun, but it certainly keeps us busy.

I guess I've been a little nostalgic lately. My birthday is coming up next week, and my wedding anniversary is only two months away, so it has me thinking about this whirlwind of a year. 12 months ago, I was weeks away from graduating from Marshall University with my print journalism degree. I was only 2 months away from my wedding and my subsequent move from West Virginia to North Carolina (talk about packin' it in!). So, to summarize, I graduated college, got married, and moved to another state within about a month.

People constantly ask newlyweds the big question: "How's married life?" My answer? FANTASTIC! I love it, I really do, but there's been a heck of a lot to get use to. One of the biggest is being away from my family and friends.

That's why I started this blog. Hopefully it'll be a great way to keep in touch with everyone. Stay tuned, everyone. I promise to make it entertaining!