I'm alive...

Well folks, nursing school has taken over my life... top text messages I receive from friends...
"Now you've gone MIA..."
"My text message bill has gone way down since you started school..."
"helloooo???"
"Are you ignoring me?"
"where o where are you?"
"I feel so distant from you..."

Please don't take this personally. Give me 16 months and hopefully I will return to my normal self. Nursing school is BUSY, but I am getting through it.

This is how I feel most days... Monday I have a test on putting in a catheter.  Seems simple but the sterile technique scares the crap out of me. I'm a little shocked at how much I've learned this term, it's pretty cool actually.  I am excited for next semester as I am ready to be in the hospital setting! I have med-surg rotation and psych rotation next semester.  Should be interesting! :)

I found this picture and it completely correlates with my life. I think I've gained a couple pounds since school started...If beer was included in there, I'd be really set.

I wish I could say something other than school is going on, but there's not.  Brian is taking an EMT course and he is busy studying as much as I am... He is doing well and I am proud of him. Although, I can't wait for him to be done because someone needs to take care of our house ;)

1 week and counting!

One week from now, my first day of nursing school will be complete!  I am almost ready to start, just tying up loose ends EVERYWHERE.

Here are the goods!

I have one optional study guide coming in the mail, but for the most part...this is it, my first semester of books.  Let's hope I don't have to take every book to class, because I may need a wheelbarrow to lug them all around! One good thing... I have read one of the books already!  (the shortest one) :)

My parents bought me a Littmann classic stethoscope, I wanted grey because it is neutral.  Best of all my parents engraved my favorite saying which reminds me of the late Walker Allen.

 

 I've purchased all the other boring junk like pen lights and hemostats... I also bought a second cheapy stethoscope with interchangeable diaphragms for adult and pediatric.

Lastly, my uniform... It's really giving me a headache.  The patches I need to sew on are haunting me! As I look at the patches sitting on my scrubs needed to be sewn on, I keep having anxiety of the dimensions and exact precise placing they must be to look perfect.  Although I feel I am a little OCD on the matter, I am the person who would spend two hours making it look perfect to find it crocked after I sew the whole thing on!  

I LOVE SCRUB MED QUALITY!

Sympathy Weight and other things...

2010 was a very good year.

Brian and I got engaged, married, survived a hip replacement, got into my top choice nursing school, and received the scholarship I tried really hard for.

That is a lot of things in a very short period of time. Not to mention the time taken to apply to eight nursing schools, the pre-req's required for UP, and working full time.

All in all it was a full year! But a very fun year!

2011 will be a very interesting year, as I will stop working full time as a dialysis technician and become a full time student.  At first I was going to quit entirely, but have since chickened out.  I like to work, and until the load at school becomes too much or my work can't accommodate my part time schedule, I will continue a day or two a week.  The anxiety of change and the unexpected has set in and I find myself laying in bed freaking out a little about the stress and busyness I will endure for the next 19 months.  I keep praying I can keep my stress level under control and my husband just smiles and hugs me when I've had a bad day!

Back to sympathy weight.  So my crash pre wedding dieted came back to bit me in the rear!  Also with Brian home from work recovering from his hip, I think we both overindulged on eating yummy food and vegging on the couch watching movies. :)

I feel large and NOT in charge!  It's time to go back on weight watchers and eat right!  Brian in able to go to the gym and do some low impact cardio....there are no excuses now!  So here's to 2011 and having a smaller self...for the both of us!  Happy 2011, I hope everyone finds joy in their life's this year!

Why are all my favorite things CHEESY!

Prepping for the holidays have been a lot more enjoyable now that we have every kitchen gadget known to man!  Thank you for all your fabulous gifts, I am enjoying every minute of being in my kitchen! This year we are headed to Brian's parents where my sister and her husband will join us along with Brian's brother and his girlfriend... Then of course a bunch of Brian's extended family. 

Let me just say, holy cheese!  Everything I made tonight includes cheesy goodness!

Cheeseball...In the awesome new blender/food processor combo...best with wheat thins!

Clam Dip, my grandma's recipe.  Which I need to hide from Brian because he could eat it all before I get to serve it to everyone!  Runs in the family as my mom and dad can barely get the dip out of the food processor because of the "testing" process! Perfect with Ruffle potato chips.

Lastly, 7 layer salad, which in reality, should be called 10 layer salad....  Not much more to say, except, they all include cheese!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

CHRISTMAS!

Every year I make myself wait until the day after Thanksgiving to indulge on anything Christmas related!

Well, that was a big FAIL this year! How, why, which, where you ask?? ALL OF THE ABOVE!

First - I try to keep as healthy as possible and order a sugar free vanilla, nonfat latte throughout the year. AFTER thanksgiving, I drink as many peppermint mocha's as humanly possible. This year, I changed the rule to when Starbucks gets the red cups in... Which already happened! :)

And then tonight as I was searching for something to watch...I came across the Hallmark Channel, come to find out they have already started their Christmas programing. Karoll's Christmas was my first movie of the year and it was cheesy and wonderful all at the same time!


Tomorrow, I fully intend on listening to 103.3 on my way to work as it's rumored to have xmas music on already.


I will refrain from getting out the Christmas decor until after Thanksgiving. I can't wait to get our tree! Here are the last two trees we've had...this year will be even better! Totally excited that Kari and I bought our wrapping paper from Costco back in September!

And the holiday weight gain has already begun...Thanks to the fun I'm having with my Kitchen Aid mixer.

Black Friday Virgin

I have never gone shopping on Black Friday. In fact I think I have voluntarily worked the Friday after Thanksgiving in order to avoid the retail world craze.

Not this year, I will be in FULL participation! Angi asked me if I wanted to go last night and I think I flew off the couch in excitement! I love out of the norm adventures! I can't wait!

I will be mapping out every Starbucks location as I haven't stayed up all night in quite a while!


If you hear of any awesome unbeatable sales, I'm all ears... I am sure Target and Toys R Us will be a priority!

New Obsession

YO CREAM! Best business idea EVER! Line up twelve different types of soft serve frozen yogurt and eighty toppings... freaking yum! First, I try all the new flavors of the week from sample cups (basically full by the time I am ready to fill my bowl)and then, being the creature of habit that I am, I get the same thing every time! Let it be known I will drive out of the way just to get my yo cream!

Brian prefers fruity pebbles and butterfingers while I like mini chocolate chips with gummy bears. Ho. Ly. smokes I might drive 30 miles to go get some dessert now.

This blog entry is completely blamed on my buddy Angi who got me started! And her daughter Addie, who introduced me to the gummy bear yogurt combo! My thighs and butt thank you both...did you see that? They just waved at you.