Sarah Ann Martens

It is (finally) time for the last installment of the 2010 Martens 5 family blog/letter. I saved myself for last, not because I am the "best" but because I was hoping to be the easiest one to write. I knew today, specifically this evening, would be busy, and I was kind of hoping to knock this out quickly. I shouldn't have to think to hard to come up with material.....I lived this post, after all.

I can't believe this year is almost over. Time really does fly when you are having fun......and getting old(er). My life has a lot of people and things that bring me such JOY.....and there are things I wish could change. As with every year, I wish I had ate less and exercised more. 2011 has got to bring a change in my physical health and my mental attitude toward healthier eating and physical fitness. Check back on December 31, 2011 to see how well that worked out.

This year I had two health scares, one was finding cancer in my ear. What started out as a small sore that wouldn't heal, ended up with me having a basal cell cancer that had to be cut out of my outer ear. Thankfully, when I left the office I left the cancer there and have not seen it since. Other than the surgery and check ups every 6 months for a couple of years, my life didn't deviate from the norm. I am so thankful and grateful to God for that. Being considered a cancer survivor now is one more accomplishment to add to my list. In June, right before starting my new job(more on that later) I injured my back and literally could do nothing but eat pain pills and lay in bed for a week. The MRI showed two herniated discs pressing on the nerve root in my lumbar spine. Lovely news. It is shocking how much back pain can affect even the smallest things in life. While I can't say that I have done everything in my power to make my back "better" I do think that my immediate choices are either live with it or surgery. Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure.......I am way to young to feel this damn old.

After five years working for the Department of Mental Health(yes, I do qualify for state retirement benefits now!) I resigned from my job at Western Missouri Mental Health Center, and now work for Tri-County Mental Health. This is a community mental health center and I am a registered nurse for one of the psychiatrist that sees both children and adults. I am so thankful for this job. Becoming a full time worker-bee was not the initial plan when I started looking into a job change, but this job fell into my lap and I couldn't say No. There have been some pretty major adjustments to our lifestyle, and there are some nights when I still can't believe I have to go to work again the next day. Time management is still a problem for me when it comes to balancing time for work, time for my family, and then time for ME. My co-workers are my favorite part of my job, well that, and the fact that I am making a difference and saving lives! HAHAHAHA. Thankfully, there are very few true emergencies in mental health, and while saving lives may be a bit overzealous, I do think that working with the mentally ill is a total gift from God, and where I was meant to be. God is so good.

On Wednesday nights my time is spent teaching and learning with the teenagers of our church. I am a co-leader of a Bible Study and am getting to be a youth leader for some of the group special events. I attended Spiritfest this summer and was blown away by the band Tobymac and the love of our God by the youth there. A youth lock-in, a "relationships" class, and several other fun activity nights were part of my year, and I have already booked two Saturdays in January with youth activities...one of them a youth retreat and the other is a weekend long youth fest. I can't even begin to describe what a blessing this journey has been for my spiritual and mental growth. I am learning God's Word and connecting with a age group that otherwise would have remained a mystery to me for a couple more years.

What brings Sarah JOY, you ask? reading non-fiction(practically a non-existant hobby right now) watching my girls play sports, going on dates with my husband, shopping, drinking hot tea, Diet Mt Dew, refined sugar in any form, laughing, watching KU basketball, Royals baseball, spending time with my brother(rare), talking to my mom on the phone almost daily, listening to Tess practice piano, snuggling with Jane, listening to Kate "read" a book to me, watching movies, a good haircut, new shoes, leggings, home improvements, pastry/breads, bringing JOY to others through mission work, getting to listen to music while I am at work and no one cares if I sing, tanning gel, my new deck furniture, Very Hollywood perfume by Michael Kors, and anything the color red.

Thanks for reading my week long recap of The Martens 5. We are so thankful to have such amazing family and friends to share our lives with. I hope 2011 continues to be filled with God's grace and mercy.....goodness knows, I need all of the help I can get.