2012 resolutions

While I am no Jonathan Edwards (http://edwards.yale.edu/research/major-works/resolutions) once again I sit down to make my resolutions for 2012 and look at my resolutions from last year in which I wanted to run the Chicago marathon and take a vitamin supplement daily. I finished the marathon, but cramped up and walked several miles resulting in a very slow time and 2 broken toe nails and I struggled with the supplements until I found gummy ones at Costco making it very easy, so what about this year?

1) I will be back in Chicago for the marathon in my attempt to run the race in 3 hours in 45 minutes.
2) Take my wife out on a date night at least once a month...I know, this should be automatic, but when you have a kid it is unbelievably hard.
3) Read "The Man Who was Chesterton" which is a collection of GK Chesterton's best books as Chesterton is an amazing writer that more people should discover.
4) At the end of each work day pray for each patient that I treated that day.

While it is not a resolution, I hope to pick up the blogging more as often I have thoughts rattling through my brain, I just don't write them down.

Christmas letter

I know, I know I have not updated this blog for about a year now and I'm not really sure why except to blame Facebook. Regardless, here is the family Christmas letter for 2011:

2011 has come and is almost gone and once again I find myself sitting down to write my Christmas letter. This has been a big year with many changes as I finally have a job. Yes, all of that school has finally come to a close and I find myself as an inpatient psychiatrist at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services in Grand Rapids Michigan caring for chronic psychotic patients. What can I say, everyday is an adventure at work…and yes, many days can be described as being “crazy.”

Bekah, Titus, and I enjoyed the first half of the year in Chicago, trying to get to all the sites before we moved to the quieter suburb life of West Michigan. Thinking back to 12 years ago as a cocky high school senior who thought he knew everything there was to know, I never would have imagined that I would end up back in Michigan, but we are thankful for how God has directed us.

While we miss Chicago and the people we were honored to live, work, and worship with we do enjoy a front and back yard (which I am oddly very proud of my green grass), quiet nights, our own driveway in which we always have a parking spot, and many of the neighbors we have met. I have also learned that when buying a house there is always something that needs to be fixed and that I should double the amount of time and triple to cost that it takes to finish any project.

I was able to take a month off before starting work in which we undertook a momentous 15 day road trip: MichiganàIndianaàOhioàKentuckyàTennesseeà North CarolinaàVirginiaà MarylandàDelawareàPennsylvaniaàNew Jerseyà New YorkàConnecticutà Rhode IslandàMassachusettsàNew HampshireàMaine àVermontàOntario CanadaàMichigan. We stayed with several family and friends resulting in only having 3 nights in a hotel. Except for record-breaking temps, it was an amazing trip…I just hope Titus remembers something about it.

Bekah has adjusted amazingly well to our move as she is meeting new friends and getting involved in various Church and community activities. She has done an amazing job of transforming our house into a home with her own personal touch and being patient with my lack of carpentry skills. She is staying home with Titus who seems to be the most curious and energetic boy that we have met.

Titus continues to grow both physically as he is eating like a teenager and learns more and more words everyday, even copying what we say…needless to say it keeps me on my toes. His grandparents spoil him excessively, which is what they say grandparents are supposed to do not offering any room for discussion. As you can see he has a cast on his arm as he has already had surgery on his finger after cutting his tendon at a local coffee shop. The cast goes all the way up his arm to keep his finger immobilized, so it looks worse than it actually is. Still he has managed to file off most of the corners of our furniture at home with his cast.

I am running out of room, the only thing left to say is that we continued to be amazed at the holiness and grace of Jesus who has lead us through another year as He continues to mold and perfect us through all the different life events.

These are for you Olivia!

Just a few pics of our summer

Hijacking the Blog

Since my husband keeps "forgetting" to post on his blog I thought I'd jump on a post a few pictures for those of you who still check this blog...even though it's been 5 months! Here's a few pictures to update you on Titus. His Birthday, he loves to run around the house, and Titus and Aaron after his last half-marathon in Nashville.

Happy 2011!

Here we are, 2011. Last year was a big year, became a dad and finally have a job...so what about 2011?
Here are my resolutions.
1) Run the 2011 Chicago Marathon
2) Take a multivitamin daily

Just two resolutions that are both able to be reached one step and multivitamin at a time.

Merry Christmas!

Here I find myself again typing the annual Plattner Christmas letter as the days are getting shorter and colder in the Windy City, yet no matter the changes in the weather we are thankful for our never-changing awesome Lord who continues to do beyond our expectations as exemplified in the birth of our first child, Titus John Plattner on February 24th…and since then we have learned so very much.

For instance did you know that when you take a diaper off the air hitting the once covered area sets off a neurological phenomenon that signals children to go to the bathroom…always aimed your direction? Another lesson I learned was that when traveling, the stuff you need to take is 5 times the weight of your child. Finally, even if your house is completely clean except for one little piece of something on the ground, your child will hunt that down and immediately put it in their mouth. All joking aside, Bekah and I are blessed with Titus more than words can express and while he has his moments we are absolutely thrilled to be parents and we look forwards to see what God has prepared for His life.

Even though we do not know what we did with our free time before Titus arrived, Bekah and I were still able to travel by going to Milwaukee for our 4th wedding anniversary in January and had a small get-away to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in October leaving Titus with family. We also traveled to Kansas twice for 2 weddings (in which I learned another lesson…when you have a new baby everyone honestly just wants to see your new child) and spent vacations with our families to Amish Acres and relaxing on a cabin on a small lake (another lesson learnedà traveling with a sleeping child from 10pm-5am is worth it).

As for me, I am in my final year of residency. Yes, next year I will finally have a job. I continue to feel so fortunate to be able to help those with mental illness and look forwards to continuing this at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services in Grand Rapids Michigan. While we are very sad to leave Chicago, we are excited to see what God has in store for us in this next stage of our lives. Outside of work I have had the joy to teach high school Sunday school, continue to jog, and try to catch up with my ever-growing pile of “books to read.”

Bekah has transitioned to a full-time mother, which I am finding out is much more work than I ever imagined. She continues to help out on an as needed basis at the hospital and has been able to become involved in Christian mom groups. While I am only writing a few lines on her activities this year, it must be written that she has transitioned into the mom role amazingly as she continues to amaze me with her cleaning, cooking, washing, organizing, and keeping-me-out-of-trouble skills.

We hope and pray that your family has a wonderful Christmas and a blessed 2011. If you ever want to swing by Chicago, please do soon as we will be moving July of next year.

what a month!

This past month has been, well, an interesting one full of dramatic events leaving me excited, sad, worried, confused, yet hopeful.
Let me walk you through the month.
At the beginning of the month Bekah and I felt that we needed to make our final decision with regards to a job next year...yes, I will finally be getting my very own independent job. After interviews, second looks, phone calls, meals, and lots of prayers we decided to take the job at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services back in Grand Rapids Michigan.
We are very excited about the job as they offer me exactly what kind of career I was looking for and the organization itself is very solid, but I just never thought I would end up back in Western Michigan. It is not that I have anything against the Grad Rapids area, but 12 years ago I left with a head full of ideas, not one being that I would return.
In those 12 years I lived at least one month in Manhattan Kansas, East Lansing Michigan, Detroit Michigan, Nashville Tennessee, Herbertpur India, Livonia Michigan, Dearborn Michgian, and finally Chicago Illinois. All of these places have been so very different yet amazing as I have so many great memories, experiences, and friends to share them with over the past 12 years.
But Grand Rapids? Really? I'm ending up back there? Still Bekah and I have peace about this decision and once again, the job is everything I wanted...praise the Lord.

Shortly after the emotions of this decision I was hit with the following:
1) A very good friend was arrested for having his computer loaded with child pornography
2) Another very close friend's mother died from a long fight with cancer
3) Still another friend's wife lost their baby in the third trimester when her uterus ruptured

Boom, boom, boom. One right after another.
Just leaves you sitting there wondering what just happened...and what is going to happen next as the days get colder and shorter all the time I keep getting emails for different forms that I need to start working on.
All of the sudden my news of a job seem, well, so little when a friend buries his son who never took a breath, a wife finds herself with 2 young children with a husband in jail, and a family finds themselves looking at Thanksgiving without being able to enjoy their mom's amazing cooking skills.
Life, it does come at you fast.
The real question is do I have the eternal perspective to keep praising the Lord like I was after obtaining my job in these situations? Can I still trust Him that in all of these situations, no matter how dire they seem to be, He is still good and in control?
I think that is my early New Year's resolution: to have an eternal perspective.