Hey Everyone!
Well I have been in St. Paul (White Bear Lake, Maplewood, and Woodbury) for almost a week now. The time is going by so fast, and it has been a crazy experience thus far. I would be dishonest if I told you that it has been easy, and that I have loved every minute of it. In fact, it has been an extremely hard week for me, but things are getting better. My job is definitely a new experience. It is extremely hard to go into a fast paced environment, such as an emergency room, and try to teach someone how to do a job that requires a lot of work and practice. I consider myself a patient guy, and my patience has been tested this week. Who woulda thunk it! I now have a completely new appreciation for teachers.
I am currently working at St. John's Hospital in Maplewood, MN. It is a part of a group of hospitals entitled, Health East. The main emergency room, that sees the high acuity patients, is 14 beds with some overflow, and the other part of the emergency room dedicated to much more minor cases is 9 beds with additional overflow. It is a completely different environment than the 17 bed emergency room that I worked at in Waterloo. I have worked with three different doctors now, and they are far different, and much less open than the doctors that I worked with in Waterloo. One of the registration nurses has taken a liking to me and calls me "scribe," even though she now knows my name. I have never had my name made fun of so much in my entire life. Apparently "Preston" is quite the name up here. One of the doctors told me that I should be a butler or a lawyer with a name like Preston. He also thinks I should be a butcher or a professional body guard. If only he knew how much of a teddy bear I was......I'm definitely not going to just throw that out there.
I have learned several things already living in a booming metropolis. Some are quite funny, and others are, meh.
1) Make friends with the receptionist at the hotel you stay at.....they have coupons for free things. When I checked in to my new hotel yesterday the receptionist must have taken a fancy to me because she gave me a coupon for a free large pizza and a free drink at the restaurant that is attached to the hotel. Ballin! I actually used it today, and the pizza was very good. My waitress told me she hadn't seen one of those coupons in quite some time.....I felt special ;) The receptionist also told me to come to the night club she worked at because they were having a Marilyn Manson (spelling?) concert.....I attract the weirdos. I gratefully declined, of course.
2) Do not wear khakis, a button up shirt, and wear a back pack in downtown Minneapolis during business hours. You will be under-dressed. People were looking at me like I was some sort of alien...and I kind of felt like it. I literally had people coming up to me asking me if I was lost, and of course, I was.
3) Do not watch horror movies if you intend to live in a big city by yourself. I was looking behind me every step I took in the parking garage, and I might as well baracade my hotel door every night. For my friends reading this....that is why I refuse to watch horror movies.
4) Buy a GPS. I never believed in GPS until this week. If driving around with an Iowa license plate doesn't already make me a target for angry Minnesotans, not knowing where I am going would definitely get me killed. My GPS has now become my best friend, and I will love her til the day I die.
5) Don't try to make friends with the one nurse that looks like she could beat up Chuck Norris. She will shut you down faster than you can ever imagine. It's best just to smile and nod.....show no weakness.
6) Only go to a hospital that has a slushy machine. Yes, the emergency room that I work at has a free slushy machine. Legit!
7) Hanging out with yourself is not always a bad thing. Today was my day off, and I decided that rather than sit in my hotel room and think about how much I missed everyone at home; (correct usage of the semi-colon, Sarah?) I would go out and explore. Explore to me ended up being eating lunch at the restaurant attached to my hotel, buying a couple books at Barnes and Nobel, reading at Starbucks, and going to see a movie. Call me Curious George ;) The things that you see and hear, that you normally wouldn't, can actually be quite humorous. Being left alone to my thoughts usually scares me, but it was actually kind of nice just to enjoy the quiet today. Oh, I found my next job and possible life long career today. The mall in Maplewood has a train that is free to move around the entire mall. There was a kid my age driving that bad boy......totally taking his job!
Well that is pretty much all I have right now. I miss you all at home, and hope to see you all soon. I hope you guys are enjoying your summer and experiencing your own adventure.
Preston "Scribe" Sereg
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
The Year of Waiting
Hey Everyone,
Tonight as I sat down at my computer to blog for the first time in awhile I was able to reflect at what has happened in my life over the past few weeks. While my life is usually full of work and school, these past few weeks have been filled with several major occurrences. The first being my college graduation. Yep, I graduated....keep it on the down low though because I'm still not sure they didn't make mistake. Secondly, and probably my most favorite, two of my best friends in the entire world got married this weekend. Picture the perfect couple in your mind (no, not me and Taylor Swift), and you will have pictured Molly and Seth. I was so fortunate to share in their wedding, and also leave them with a few pictures that are sure to get a few eye rolls. The third event happens to be one that occurs tomorrow/today.
Tomorrow afternoon I will depart from everything that I have become comfortable with over the past 21, and especially past four years, of my life to start a full-time job for the next year. As time has gotten closer I have become more and more apprehensive about taking this risky step of faith. Last night I was seriously considering calling the company and regretfully declining the position. A decision that I most definitely would have regretted in the future. Until this point of my life I have pretty well been able to sit in the driver's seat of my life, or so I believed, and feel completely in control. Lack of control is an aspect of life that I don't handle so well....surprise, right?
Fortunately for me, God has placed some wonderful people in my life. My parents, family, and friends, whether they know it or not, have all played a huge influence in my ability to take this step. Tonight while I was reading my devotional for the day, I was smacked in the face by God's overwhelming awesomeness. In the next paragraph I am going to quote the passage that I read in Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young.
"Thank me in he midst of the crucible. When things seem all wrong, look for growth opportunities. Especially, look for areas where you need to let go, leaving your cares in My able hands. Do you trust Me to orchestrate your life events as I choose, or are you still trying to make things go according to your will? If you keep trying to carry out your intentions while I am leading you in another direction, you deify your desires. Be on the lookout for what I am doing in your life. Worship Me by living close to Me, thanking me in all circumstances."
Yeah, I thought it was rather fitting as well. I find it so amazing how God speaks to us through literature, and how it can completely change your outlook on a situation. Don't get me wrong, I am still very anxious about this next step, but after reading this tonight I know that it is something I am being called to do. A great friend told me that we grow the most in situations that we are the most uncomfortable, and I know that she is right. Over this next year I am most definitely going to grow and be challenged, and I am ready to get uncomfortable to do so.
I know that this is a time of change for a lot of people, and some of you may be experiencing similar apprehensions as myself. If you find yourself in the same boat, I hope this post has offered you some sort of support. For those of you that aren't, you will be. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you have a fantastic week.
Preston Sereg
Tonight as I sat down at my computer to blog for the first time in awhile I was able to reflect at what has happened in my life over the past few weeks. While my life is usually full of work and school, these past few weeks have been filled with several major occurrences. The first being my college graduation. Yep, I graduated....keep it on the down low though because I'm still not sure they didn't make mistake. Secondly, and probably my most favorite, two of my best friends in the entire world got married this weekend. Picture the perfect couple in your mind (no, not me and Taylor Swift), and you will have pictured Molly and Seth. I was so fortunate to share in their wedding, and also leave them with a few pictures that are sure to get a few eye rolls. The third event happens to be one that occurs tomorrow/today.
Tomorrow afternoon I will depart from everything that I have become comfortable with over the past 21, and especially past four years, of my life to start a full-time job for the next year. As time has gotten closer I have become more and more apprehensive about taking this risky step of faith. Last night I was seriously considering calling the company and regretfully declining the position. A decision that I most definitely would have regretted in the future. Until this point of my life I have pretty well been able to sit in the driver's seat of my life, or so I believed, and feel completely in control. Lack of control is an aspect of life that I don't handle so well....surprise, right?
Fortunately for me, God has placed some wonderful people in my life. My parents, family, and friends, whether they know it or not, have all played a huge influence in my ability to take this step. Tonight while I was reading my devotional for the day, I was smacked in the face by God's overwhelming awesomeness. In the next paragraph I am going to quote the passage that I read in Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young.
"Thank me in he midst of the crucible. When things seem all wrong, look for growth opportunities. Especially, look for areas where you need to let go, leaving your cares in My able hands. Do you trust Me to orchestrate your life events as I choose, or are you still trying to make things go according to your will? If you keep trying to carry out your intentions while I am leading you in another direction, you deify your desires. Be on the lookout for what I am doing in your life. Worship Me by living close to Me, thanking me in all circumstances."
Yeah, I thought it was rather fitting as well. I find it so amazing how God speaks to us through literature, and how it can completely change your outlook on a situation. Don't get me wrong, I am still very anxious about this next step, but after reading this tonight I know that it is something I am being called to do. A great friend told me that we grow the most in situations that we are the most uncomfortable, and I know that she is right. Over this next year I am most definitely going to grow and be challenged, and I am ready to get uncomfortable to do so.
I know that this is a time of change for a lot of people, and some of you may be experiencing similar apprehensions as myself. If you find yourself in the same boat, I hope this post has offered you some sort of support. For those of you that aren't, you will be. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you have a fantastic week.
Preston Sereg
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Looking Back
Hey Everyone!
I have been informed by UNI that somehow, someway they are going to let me graduate in a little under a month. Yeah, I am just as concerned with their idea as you are. There is absolutely no way I am capable as entering the real world as a functional adult in a month. If only they knew that just last week my buddy Seth and I bought superhero masks and nerf swords. Yes, that really did happen. Don't judge. This whole graduation thing has got me thinking and reminiscing on my past four years of college. Being the manly man that I am, I would never feel sentimental about these past four years, but I thought it might be kind of fun to share a few of my top favorites. Warning: These stories very well could be "you had to be there" type stories.
I have been informed by UNI that somehow, someway they are going to let me graduate in a little under a month. Yeah, I am just as concerned with their idea as you are. There is absolutely no way I am capable as entering the real world as a functional adult in a month. If only they knew that just last week my buddy Seth and I bought superhero masks and nerf swords. Yes, that really did happen. Don't judge. This whole graduation thing has got me thinking and reminiscing on my past four years of college. Being the manly man that I am, I would never feel sentimental about these past four years, but I thought it might be kind of fun to share a few of my top favorites. Warning: These stories very well could be "you had to be there" type stories.
- Probably one of my favorite memories of college is the spring break trip of my junior year. For spring break a bunch of my friends and I made the fantastic choice of taking a cruise to the Caribbean for a week. During our cruise we traveled to Honduras, Belize (well most of us made it to Belize), Grand Cayman, and Cozumel (Mexico). Rum punch, the near death experience on our plane ride home, Brady's monkey call, the cougar, eating Chinese food in a Latin American country and the extremely inappropriate couple at Senor Frogs are just a few of the very fond memories I have of this trip.
- Double Rainbow. If you haven't seen the video, "Double Rainbow", on Youtube please watch it. You will not regret it. My roommate, Taylor, and I had an extreme obsession with this video our Junior year of college, and one night while heading to Cedar Rapids for one of our many many many Buffalo Wild Wings trips we just so happened to see a double rainbow. To make a long story short we ended up dying laughing looking at this double rainbow. As tears streamed down our face our other friend, Tim, had no idea why we were laughing so hard. This is probably one of those stories you would have to be there for.
- Club Zeal. Club Zeal was a bible study that I went to my Freshman year. It was at this bible study that I met some of my closest friends in college.
- Brodates. Oh, I have been on many brodates throughout my college career.Probably my favorite brodate included Taylor (whom was in attendance for most of my brodates) and I going to dinner and then seeing Bridesmaids in theater. From answering "no" to every inevitable "are you two together" question all the way to sharing popcorn and laughing louder than any female in that theater, this was definitely a favorite of mine.
- The trip to my house in Oskaloosa. A couple of my friends and I had this great idea to take a trip back to the good ol' town of Oskaloosa for a weekend. Tim, Seth, and I set up an awesome tent in my front yard to sleep because we are men, and that is what men do while Molly and Sarah decided that they liked the comfort of the house much better. Terrible choice. Speaking of terrible choice, they decided that they wanted to go to Pella for Happy Joe's Pizza (the only good thing about the choice) and to spend a few hours forcing me to remember exactly why I hate Pella. Yes my hatred for Pella was instilled in me at a young age, and was only increased during my sporting years at Osky, but I am still not ready to give up that deep hatred for the Dutch. My dog, Tucker, also decided that he liked my friend Sarah on the trip, and tried to consummate their relationship several times during our trip.
- The trip I took with my middle school students in theROCK to Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun in Kansas City
- Living with my current roommates. So many good memories that I will not begin to even try to list them all. Just know that I had a ton of fun with you guys, and will always remember 3029 Cottonwood Ln.
- The dorms. Most people consider the dorms to be one of the worst parts of their college experience....not this guy. Playing pranks on Tim, shaving my head, Taylor's Asian flag, The Prank (Taylor, Cassie, Boaty, and Hannah know what I'm talking about), long hair don't care, the tree in our bathroom, and the tootsie roll poop are just a few on the list of my favorites.
- Trips home. The best part about college, is going home. I remember leaving for college, and thinking how excited I was to be out on my own and to not have to answer to anyone. Boy was I sadly mistaken. I soon found out that home was a place I felt safe, a place I was always welcome, and home to my favorite people in the world. There is nothing better than coming home from college and entering your house to a big hug from your mom, a shrieking "Preston" from your sister, and a smile on your dad's face. Ahhhhhh.......home :)
- Sunday morning church with Tim and Sarah.
There are many, many more memories that I have from college, but these are just a few of my favorites. Sorry if this was boring for you to read, but I imagine if you were involved in these memories you may have enjoyed this as well. Hope all is well with you all!
Preston Sereg
Sunday, February 26, 2012
A New Adventure
Hello Friends,
Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted on here. I'm sure you all have missed my elegant wording, philosophical input, and just overall quality writing......HAHA who am I kidding. Well, for those of you that do enjoy reading my blog I wanted to kind of give you an update on my life lately....it has been surprisingly exciting over these past few weeks. (Shocking, I know ;) )
First things first, med school update. Well it's not looking promising. I have two schools yet to reply, but the others have declined my acceptance into medical school for this Fall. It's okay to shed a few tears, my wallet and I shed a few ourselves. At first I was really, really upset about this. I couldn't believe that after all the time, effort, and faith that I had put into this hadn't paid off. I was angry at God, I was angry at myself, and I was angry at anyone else that told me I shouldn't be upset. However, I have decided to take a new approach with this experience. I now know how the MCAT works, how the application process goes, and I will be ready to reapply next year. Over this next year I know that there is something I am supposed to do, something I am supposed to learn, maturity (which we all know I lack) to gain, and life to experience. While I may not be happy with the timing, I am willing to put my desires aside to follow the plan God has laid out for me.
That being said, I also have some very exciting news (No, I am not dating, engaged, or anywhere close to either of those. Sorry Mom haha). I have accepted a full time position with a company called Elite Medical Scribes (EMS). EMS is currently located in Minneapolis, MN. As most of you know, I currently work as a scribe in the ER at Covenant Hospital in Waterloo. For those of you that don't know what a scribe is....let me tell you. My job is to do all of the medical charting, during an exam, for the physician I am assigned to. I also check up on labs, test results, and other relevant materials to increase the efficiency of the physician. The company I was hired by offers the same assistance as the company I am currently employed by. However, my job will be slightly different in my new job. Instead of working as a scribe at one location, my job will be to travel to new locations to train scribes. When the company sets up a new site, I will be sent to help the company train the scribes and get the site up and running. In between sites I will be helping the company develop training materials, and assisting wherever I am needed. These locations have the potential to be located throughout the country, and I will most definitely be doing a lot of traveling over the next year. Surprisingly enough, I will be moving to Texas in the middle of May, shortly after two of my best friends get married (hope you enjoyed the shout out Molly and Seth). Yes, the company is based in Minnesota, and I will be moving to Texas.
I am extremely excited to begin this new adventure in my life, but I am also very anxious as well. I have become quite accustomed to life in Cedar Falls, and I absolutely love it here. I will be leaving a church that I adore, a town that I like more than my own (don't worry Osky, you are still my first love), and the people that I love. I have been extremely blessed to have such a great college experience, and I am apprehensive to leave it behind. However, I know that this new experience offers me a chance to grow, and gain some great life experience. The networking and experiences I will have will be great for my, hopeful, future career as a physician.
I hope that all is well with all of you, and that you as well find yourself with upcoming adventures. If not, hang in there for it will soon be your time. Thank you all for reading!
Preston Sereg
Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted on here. I'm sure you all have missed my elegant wording, philosophical input, and just overall quality writing......HAHA who am I kidding. Well, for those of you that do enjoy reading my blog I wanted to kind of give you an update on my life lately....it has been surprisingly exciting over these past few weeks. (Shocking, I know ;) )
First things first, med school update. Well it's not looking promising. I have two schools yet to reply, but the others have declined my acceptance into medical school for this Fall. It's okay to shed a few tears, my wallet and I shed a few ourselves. At first I was really, really upset about this. I couldn't believe that after all the time, effort, and faith that I had put into this hadn't paid off. I was angry at God, I was angry at myself, and I was angry at anyone else that told me I shouldn't be upset. However, I have decided to take a new approach with this experience. I now know how the MCAT works, how the application process goes, and I will be ready to reapply next year. Over this next year I know that there is something I am supposed to do, something I am supposed to learn, maturity (which we all know I lack) to gain, and life to experience. While I may not be happy with the timing, I am willing to put my desires aside to follow the plan God has laid out for me.
That being said, I also have some very exciting news (No, I am not dating, engaged, or anywhere close to either of those. Sorry Mom haha). I have accepted a full time position with a company called Elite Medical Scribes (EMS). EMS is currently located in Minneapolis, MN. As most of you know, I currently work as a scribe in the ER at Covenant Hospital in Waterloo. For those of you that don't know what a scribe is....let me tell you. My job is to do all of the medical charting, during an exam, for the physician I am assigned to. I also check up on labs, test results, and other relevant materials to increase the efficiency of the physician. The company I was hired by offers the same assistance as the company I am currently employed by. However, my job will be slightly different in my new job. Instead of working as a scribe at one location, my job will be to travel to new locations to train scribes. When the company sets up a new site, I will be sent to help the company train the scribes and get the site up and running. In between sites I will be helping the company develop training materials, and assisting wherever I am needed. These locations have the potential to be located throughout the country, and I will most definitely be doing a lot of traveling over the next year. Surprisingly enough, I will be moving to Texas in the middle of May, shortly after two of my best friends get married (hope you enjoyed the shout out Molly and Seth). Yes, the company is based in Minnesota, and I will be moving to Texas.
I am extremely excited to begin this new adventure in my life, but I am also very anxious as well. I have become quite accustomed to life in Cedar Falls, and I absolutely love it here. I will be leaving a church that I adore, a town that I like more than my own (don't worry Osky, you are still my first love), and the people that I love. I have been extremely blessed to have such a great college experience, and I am apprehensive to leave it behind. However, I know that this new experience offers me a chance to grow, and gain some great life experience. The networking and experiences I will have will be great for my, hopeful, future career as a physician.
I hope that all is well with all of you, and that you as well find yourself with upcoming adventures. If not, hang in there for it will soon be your time. Thank you all for reading!
Preston Sereg
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Faith Like Joseph
Hey Everyone,
So I don't know about you all, but the beginning of November is one of the most annoying times of the year for me. Beginning November 1, everyone thinks it's Christmas. You can call my a scrooge, but I am a firm believer that the Christmas season doesn't begin until November 25th. One month of constant Christmas music, feeling guilty every time you pass a salvation army bell ringer, and the constant reminder that you have to go shopping is plenty for me. I mean shoot, HyVee had a band come in and play carols all day on November 1st....bah humbug. So I figured if the rest of society can begin their Christmas season on November 1st, I could write a blog on November 16th dealing with the Christmas story.
One of the things I have been fortunate enough to do this semester, is to meet with a mentor on Wednesday mornings where we get together and dive deeper into our faith. A fun thing we decided to do was to choose a book in the New Testament and a book in the Old Testament, and read a chapter from them for each week. A few weeks ago the chapter we chose happened to be Matthew, chapter 1. As many of you know this chapter deals with Mary being impregnated by the Holy Spirit, and the angel of the Lord revealing himself to Joseph in a dream.
I feel fairly certain that about 90 percent, if not more of the American society knows the Christmas story. You know, the whole Mary being impregnated by the Holy Spirit, traveling to Bethlehem, and Jesus being born in a manger story where he is then visited by the three wise men. I left out a lot of important details, but you all get the gist of what I'm saying. One part of the story I feel that is often overlooked is Joseph's side of the story, especially his part of the story told in Matthew, chapter 1.
Now I want you all to think about this. Joseph was just a good ole boy living life the best he could, and was pledged to be married to Mary. Out of nowhere Mary suddenly becomes pregnant, and Joseph sure as heck knows it isn't his. I don't know about you all, but I would have been PISSED if I found out my bride to be was pregnant with someone else's baby. Yet Joseph, being the upstanding man that he was, had in mind to divorce her quietly so that she would not be publicly disgraced. However, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife for what had been conceived in her was from the Holy Spirit, and that someday that baby boy would someday save mankind.
Okay, if I were Joseph I would have woken up from that dream, had a great laugh (probably would have gone and told my buddies in the Union), and kicked Mary's butt to the curb. Now this is where the good stuff starts. Instead, in verse 24 it states, "When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary home as his wife." I want to emphasize, "When Joseph woke up." Talk about faith. I feel like every single one of us would have at least needed a few days to think this over, but no, Joseph straight up wakes up and does as he was commanded. I don't know about you, but that is a huge smack in the face to me! I can count numerous times in my life where I have felt called to do something, but I have let my fear take a hold of me and make me doubt what I am supposed to do. Granted, Joseph did have an angel of the Lord appear to him in his dream, but still! Joseph was willing to sacrifice his pride and his reputation to marry a women that very well could have been killed for what had happened to her. Not only did Joseph have faith to do this, but he did it IMMEDIATELY upon waking up. What an act of faith.
After reading that verse I have been challenged to have faith like Joseph. What if when I felt God calling me to do something I just got up and did it? For that matter, what if we all had the faith of Joseph? I can tell you a lot of the decisions of my past would have been different. The little things that I worry about in my life are far inferior to the struggles that Joseph willingly accepted by stepping up to fulfill his calling. The road wasn't easy, but it was worth it. I hope this has been as encouraging to you all as it has been to me over the past few weeks. I know recently I have been dealing with a lot of faith issues in my life, but the constant reminder of Joseph and his story has really put things into perspective for me. Hope you all have a great rest of your week, and a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Preston Sereg
So I don't know about you all, but the beginning of November is one of the most annoying times of the year for me. Beginning November 1, everyone thinks it's Christmas. You can call my a scrooge, but I am a firm believer that the Christmas season doesn't begin until November 25th. One month of constant Christmas music, feeling guilty every time you pass a salvation army bell ringer, and the constant reminder that you have to go shopping is plenty for me. I mean shoot, HyVee had a band come in and play carols all day on November 1st....bah humbug. So I figured if the rest of society can begin their Christmas season on November 1st, I could write a blog on November 16th dealing with the Christmas story.
One of the things I have been fortunate enough to do this semester, is to meet with a mentor on Wednesday mornings where we get together and dive deeper into our faith. A fun thing we decided to do was to choose a book in the New Testament and a book in the Old Testament, and read a chapter from them for each week. A few weeks ago the chapter we chose happened to be Matthew, chapter 1. As many of you know this chapter deals with Mary being impregnated by the Holy Spirit, and the angel of the Lord revealing himself to Joseph in a dream.
I feel fairly certain that about 90 percent, if not more of the American society knows the Christmas story. You know, the whole Mary being impregnated by the Holy Spirit, traveling to Bethlehem, and Jesus being born in a manger story where he is then visited by the three wise men. I left out a lot of important details, but you all get the gist of what I'm saying. One part of the story I feel that is often overlooked is Joseph's side of the story, especially his part of the story told in Matthew, chapter 1.
Now I want you all to think about this. Joseph was just a good ole boy living life the best he could, and was pledged to be married to Mary. Out of nowhere Mary suddenly becomes pregnant, and Joseph sure as heck knows it isn't his. I don't know about you all, but I would have been PISSED if I found out my bride to be was pregnant with someone else's baby. Yet Joseph, being the upstanding man that he was, had in mind to divorce her quietly so that she would not be publicly disgraced. However, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife for what had been conceived in her was from the Holy Spirit, and that someday that baby boy would someday save mankind.
Okay, if I were Joseph I would have woken up from that dream, had a great laugh (probably would have gone and told my buddies in the Union), and kicked Mary's butt to the curb. Now this is where the good stuff starts. Instead, in verse 24 it states, "When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary home as his wife." I want to emphasize, "When Joseph woke up." Talk about faith. I feel like every single one of us would have at least needed a few days to think this over, but no, Joseph straight up wakes up and does as he was commanded. I don't know about you, but that is a huge smack in the face to me! I can count numerous times in my life where I have felt called to do something, but I have let my fear take a hold of me and make me doubt what I am supposed to do. Granted, Joseph did have an angel of the Lord appear to him in his dream, but still! Joseph was willing to sacrifice his pride and his reputation to marry a women that very well could have been killed for what had happened to her. Not only did Joseph have faith to do this, but he did it IMMEDIATELY upon waking up. What an act of faith.
After reading that verse I have been challenged to have faith like Joseph. What if when I felt God calling me to do something I just got up and did it? For that matter, what if we all had the faith of Joseph? I can tell you a lot of the decisions of my past would have been different. The little things that I worry about in my life are far inferior to the struggles that Joseph willingly accepted by stepping up to fulfill his calling. The road wasn't easy, but it was worth it. I hope this has been as encouraging to you all as it has been to me over the past few weeks. I know recently I have been dealing with a lot of faith issues in my life, but the constant reminder of Joseph and his story has really put things into perspective for me. Hope you all have a great rest of your week, and a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Preston Sereg
Monday, November 7, 2011
Thankful
Hey Everyone,
Sometimes life gets a little crazy. In the midst of the craziness it is easy to forget about the things that we are thankful for in life. I have always been a huge fan of November because of Thanksgiving. It is the time of year that we are forced to think about the things in life that bring us joy and happiness. Don't get me wrong, I love the whole eat until you literally vow to never eat again, but I am also one of those saps that loves to remember what life is all about. So, in my post today, I decided to create a list of things I am happy for. The items listed are in no particular order, and it wouldn't be a blog written by me if there wasn't a little bit of ridiculousness. Hopefully this inspires you to sit down and think about the blessings in your life that bring you joy as well. Hope you all enjoy!
1) My Family- There is no way I could possibly explain how important my family is to me. Every member of my family holds a special place in my heart, and I would do anything I could to help them out. I am so blessed to have a family that will stand behind me in every decision I make in life.
2) My Jobs- Yeah, I work a crap ton, but I absolutely love my jobs. There are a lot of people out there that don't have a job, and I feel completely blessed to be able to support myself.
3) Taylor Swift/ Nikki Minaj- No comments necessary.
4) My Education- I have been extremely blessed to have been able to get a top notch education. I owe where I am at to a lot of good help from wonderful teachers along the way.
5) Oskaloosa, IA- The only town where being a hipster and a Beiber fan is banned. Praise the Lord!
6) My Faith- I suck at it, but I am growing every day. God is constantly challenging me to step outside my comfort zone, and to rely on him.
7) Prairie Lakes Church- One of the few churches I have ever been to that is not afraid to step on toes. They practice what they preach, and there are no hidden agendas. I love going to church on Sundays knowing I am going to be challenged, and not simply told what I want to hear.
8) My Friends- Oh boy.....where do I begin. These are the people that put up with me day in and day out. They are there for me through thick and thin. I truly have the best friends in the world. I tend to be a bit of a turd, and they continue to spend time with me anyways.
9) My Parents- They get their own section outside of family. My parents are the best parents in the world. If you don't agree.....I'll fight you. I have never seen two people work harder for the happiness and overall well-being of their family. They push me to be the best that I can be, and they never accept anything but my best. They made me work hard at everything I did, and didn't let me cut corners in life. I owe them the world, and only hope that they know how much I love them.
10) The USA- We have our problems, but what country doesn't. The freedoms and opportunities that I have been given by living here are more than I could ever ask for. Go Amurrica!
The list could go on forever, but I figured I would stop at 10. Hope you all are having a great week!
Preston Sereg
Sometimes life gets a little crazy. In the midst of the craziness it is easy to forget about the things that we are thankful for in life. I have always been a huge fan of November because of Thanksgiving. It is the time of year that we are forced to think about the things in life that bring us joy and happiness. Don't get me wrong, I love the whole eat until you literally vow to never eat again, but I am also one of those saps that loves to remember what life is all about. So, in my post today, I decided to create a list of things I am happy for. The items listed are in no particular order, and it wouldn't be a blog written by me if there wasn't a little bit of ridiculousness. Hopefully this inspires you to sit down and think about the blessings in your life that bring you joy as well. Hope you all enjoy!
1) My Family- There is no way I could possibly explain how important my family is to me. Every member of my family holds a special place in my heart, and I would do anything I could to help them out. I am so blessed to have a family that will stand behind me in every decision I make in life.
2) My Jobs- Yeah, I work a crap ton, but I absolutely love my jobs. There are a lot of people out there that don't have a job, and I feel completely blessed to be able to support myself.
3) Taylor Swift/ Nikki Minaj- No comments necessary.
4) My Education- I have been extremely blessed to have been able to get a top notch education. I owe where I am at to a lot of good help from wonderful teachers along the way.
5) Oskaloosa, IA- The only town where being a hipster and a Beiber fan is banned. Praise the Lord!
6) My Faith- I suck at it, but I am growing every day. God is constantly challenging me to step outside my comfort zone, and to rely on him.
7) Prairie Lakes Church- One of the few churches I have ever been to that is not afraid to step on toes. They practice what they preach, and there are no hidden agendas. I love going to church on Sundays knowing I am going to be challenged, and not simply told what I want to hear.
8) My Friends- Oh boy.....where do I begin. These are the people that put up with me day in and day out. They are there for me through thick and thin. I truly have the best friends in the world. I tend to be a bit of a turd, and they continue to spend time with me anyways.
9) My Parents- They get their own section outside of family. My parents are the best parents in the world. If you don't agree.....I'll fight you. I have never seen two people work harder for the happiness and overall well-being of their family. They push me to be the best that I can be, and they never accept anything but my best. They made me work hard at everything I did, and didn't let me cut corners in life. I owe them the world, and only hope that they know how much I love them.
10) The USA- We have our problems, but what country doesn't. The freedoms and opportunities that I have been given by living here are more than I could ever ask for. Go Amurrica!
The list could go on forever, but I figured I would stop at 10. Hope you all are having a great week!
Preston Sereg
Monday, October 24, 2011
Whirlwind
Hey Everyone,
Sorry it has been so long since I last posted! Life has been absolutely crazy over these past few weeks. I find myself being confused about what day it is because I literally have no idea. I am in my senior year of college, and I have never been busier in my life. On an average week I work at least 35 hours, go to class, do church stuff, and somehow manage to maintain some sort of social life. My Mom and Dad tell me, "welcome to the real world," and they are exactly right. It can be hard to go, go, go all the time, but for the most part I love what I am doing. It has been a challenge for me to manage my time, and be intentional about things that are important to me in my life. I straight up suck at time management, but I have been forced to get better. It also doesn't hurt that my room-mates are extremely busy with life as well, and I don't have as may opportunities to procrastinated. Don't worry, I still slack off a majority of the time ;)
Due to my lack of posting lately, I figured it might be kind of nice to fill everyone in on what is going on in my life. Get ready for the typical long, boring post of mine. Bear with me.
As most of you know I took the MCAT on September 1st. The test was four hours long, and I never ever ever ever want to take it again. It was one of the hardest things I have ever imagined doing. Even worse than that, I had to wait an entire month to get, quite possibly, the biggest test results of my life back. Bad News: my score was NOT what I was hoping for, and lower than what I would have been happy with. Good News: I can still get into all of the schools I applied to. I was crushed when I got my results back, but it has turned into a positive. I have been forced to have faith that if this is truly the path God has called me to follow that he will take care of it. While it may not be this year, or even next year, the obstacles I am encountering are all part of God's plan in molding me into the man he wants me to be. I have struggled to accept that my God is bigger than a test score, but he continues to open up doors, and amaze me with his faithfulness. I am also extremely blessed to have the greatest family and friends in the world. There is no way I could have made it this far without their prayers and encouragement.
On a lighter note, I got a new job! I was recently hired at Covenant Hospital in Waterloo. I word in the Emergency Room (or Emergency Department as they call it) as a Scribe. The position of a scribe is a fairly new position, and Covenant is one of only a few hospitals to have scribes working. Essentially I follow around a physician into an exam and do all of the medical documenting for them. I document the exam, procedures, and enter diagnoses/discharge instructions. Along with documenting I help the physicians keep up with lab and test results as to help them be more efficient in seeing patients. If you are a science nerd, you would love this job! I get to nerd out every day at work, and it is completely normal :). It takes a special group of people to be excited about draining an abcess, or shocking a patient out of V-Tach. It has been awesome to get to know some of the doctors in the area, and build relationships with them. The best part about this new job is I was able to leave my job at NABL, or the lube shop as most of my friends know it by.
Probably the coolest part of the school year this far was actually going back home to the wonderful town of Oskaloosa for homecoming. I have not been home for homecoming since I started college. I was asked to come back for an award I shared with one of my best friends (Steven Staggs). We were co-winners of the Benz Award our Senior Year of football. Come to find out this is one of the oldest running trophies in the state of Iowa. This year the Oskaloosa Boosters Club tried to bring back all the past award winners of the trophy for the parade and homecoming game. It was fun to reunite with some of the past players that I used to idolize as a child, and even meet some of the old timers that played a huge part in developing the football program in Osky. Just a fun fact: The majority of the winners were offensive linemen :) Yeah, we are kind of a big deal haha. The best part of the whole thing was seeing some friends from high school that I have not seen in years! It was nice to catch up with them, and see where life is taking them. All of them are extremely successful, and I am not surprised in the least.
Well that concludes my book for today's post :) I hope you all are doing well, and that this year has been a good one for you. Thanks for taking the time to read my post, and please start your own blog! It's surprisingly fun.
Preston Sereg
Sorry it has been so long since I last posted! Life has been absolutely crazy over these past few weeks. I find myself being confused about what day it is because I literally have no idea. I am in my senior year of college, and I have never been busier in my life. On an average week I work at least 35 hours, go to class, do church stuff, and somehow manage to maintain some sort of social life. My Mom and Dad tell me, "welcome to the real world," and they are exactly right. It can be hard to go, go, go all the time, but for the most part I love what I am doing. It has been a challenge for me to manage my time, and be intentional about things that are important to me in my life. I straight up suck at time management, but I have been forced to get better. It also doesn't hurt that my room-mates are extremely busy with life as well, and I don't have as may opportunities to procrastinated. Don't worry, I still slack off a majority of the time ;)
Due to my lack of posting lately, I figured it might be kind of nice to fill everyone in on what is going on in my life. Get ready for the typical long, boring post of mine. Bear with me.
As most of you know I took the MCAT on September 1st. The test was four hours long, and I never ever ever ever want to take it again. It was one of the hardest things I have ever imagined doing. Even worse than that, I had to wait an entire month to get, quite possibly, the biggest test results of my life back. Bad News: my score was NOT what I was hoping for, and lower than what I would have been happy with. Good News: I can still get into all of the schools I applied to. I was crushed when I got my results back, but it has turned into a positive. I have been forced to have faith that if this is truly the path God has called me to follow that he will take care of it. While it may not be this year, or even next year, the obstacles I am encountering are all part of God's plan in molding me into the man he wants me to be. I have struggled to accept that my God is bigger than a test score, but he continues to open up doors, and amaze me with his faithfulness. I am also extremely blessed to have the greatest family and friends in the world. There is no way I could have made it this far without their prayers and encouragement.
On a lighter note, I got a new job! I was recently hired at Covenant Hospital in Waterloo. I word in the Emergency Room (or Emergency Department as they call it) as a Scribe. The position of a scribe is a fairly new position, and Covenant is one of only a few hospitals to have scribes working. Essentially I follow around a physician into an exam and do all of the medical documenting for them. I document the exam, procedures, and enter diagnoses/discharge instructions. Along with documenting I help the physicians keep up with lab and test results as to help them be more efficient in seeing patients. If you are a science nerd, you would love this job! I get to nerd out every day at work, and it is completely normal :). It takes a special group of people to be excited about draining an abcess, or shocking a patient out of V-Tach. It has been awesome to get to know some of the doctors in the area, and build relationships with them. The best part about this new job is I was able to leave my job at NABL, or the lube shop as most of my friends know it by.
Probably the coolest part of the school year this far was actually going back home to the wonderful town of Oskaloosa for homecoming. I have not been home for homecoming since I started college. I was asked to come back for an award I shared with one of my best friends (Steven Staggs). We were co-winners of the Benz Award our Senior Year of football. Come to find out this is one of the oldest running trophies in the state of Iowa. This year the Oskaloosa Boosters Club tried to bring back all the past award winners of the trophy for the parade and homecoming game. It was fun to reunite with some of the past players that I used to idolize as a child, and even meet some of the old timers that played a huge part in developing the football program in Osky. Just a fun fact: The majority of the winners were offensive linemen :) Yeah, we are kind of a big deal haha. The best part of the whole thing was seeing some friends from high school that I have not seen in years! It was nice to catch up with them, and see where life is taking them. All of them are extremely successful, and I am not surprised in the least.
Well that concludes my book for today's post :) I hope you all are doing well, and that this year has been a good one for you. Thanks for taking the time to read my post, and please start your own blog! It's surprisingly fun.
Preston Sereg
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