YAWN

Tired. Tired Tired Tired. Eyes falling shut..or maybe slamming shut. BUT IT WAS WORTH IT! Last night, I saw Pirates of the Caribbean 2...and what a fabulous time! It was long, but I never once thought to myself "Self, maybe I'll just take a wee nap". I reallly enjoyed it, especially after I found out that a lot of it was filmed in Dominica, one of the stops on our cruise last year. While we were in the Caribbean, they kept telling us that the movie crew was there at the same time. How fun is that?

Today, I hope to take a nap so that I'm not a wreck at work tomorrow. I'm praying for a typical weekend...not necessarily slow, but not CRAZY either. I've got some errands to do today, and hopefully that will keep me busy enough to stay awake. I think I went to sleep around 3:45AM and promptly was awakened at 9:46AM by Oliver's crying or yapping around my bedroom door. Pitiful thing, just wanted to play with his sister.

Yesterday, I bought an ottoman that matches my precious Poang chair from Ikea. It's so nice to have! I really love to prop up my feet, and this is the perfect height and softness! Hooray for spending garage sale money!

Well, I probably should get going on some errands...no matter how trivial or meaningless they may be. I also need to get organized for SCHOOL! :) But definately not until the Target school supplies sale...

Puppy fun.

Life in our new house never seems to be boring...never boring when you have four dogs, three cats, and four humans living in one three bedroom house. I'm currently sitting in my bedroom, in my new fancy chair from Ikea, and Jack and Oliver are embroiled in their latest fight to the death. There's growling, fighting, snuffing, snorting, and the occasional screeching. It's quite a lot of noise. Jack just jumped up on his hind legs and put both his paws on Oliver's nose. Crazy beasts. At least they have been very good with the cats...not a lot of chasing. And very little barking.

Last night, I went and had a great time with friends down in this fabulously fun area of Dallas called Oak Lawn. It's got lots of great restaurants...and lots of gay men. I have no idea why they are drawn to this area...but I guess it's like San Francisco's Haight/Asbury...that's just where they hang out. We were there for about 2 hours, just laughing and talking about stuff that for once, didn't involve work.

Tonight, I'm going to see Pirates of the Caribbean at midnight! It's going to be a fabulous movie....no doubt due to the large amounts of Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp! :) We'll no doubt have to wait in line for a couple of hours before being let in...so I'd better find something to do while I wait! I wanted to go tomorrow, but all the theaters were sold out of tickets already!! That's nutty! :) Anyways, this way, I can sleep in late tomorrow and not have to worry about it interfering with working this weekend.

Well, I'm sure I'm supposed to be getting ready for the day. I'm going to Ikea today to get the ottoman that goes with the chair and a table for my room. FUN! I LOVE IKEA! :)

OH! I forgot the biggest news! I got accepted to UT Arlington's BSN program! HOORAY! I have orientation on August 4! TA DA! :) The program goes through May...so hopefully I'll be able to handle it all! :) Yeah!

K. That's all the news.

No freedom from chaos!

Isn't it sad that of all the freedoms we have, we don't have freedom from chaos? We absolutely should! I would have had a much happier day if it was free from chaos! I thought it was going to be a nice and easy day...but it wasn't. CRAZINESS! If it wasn't one thing...it was another. Kids in pain, kids itching, kids needing chest tubes, kids coming to the floor. ALL AT ONCE! :) I normally handle this fine, but I had a new nurse with me, and she just wasn't keeping up with my fast pace today! My fellow nurses were so helpful...but they couldn't chart for me! :( The time just flew by, and before I knew it, the day was over...but not without a lot of stress on my part. ARG! SO glad to be at home. I was supposed to go to a 4th of July party, but I was so tired, I didn't want to do anything except come home and relax. I'm such a party pooper. Anyways, so right now, I'm watching the dogs play and the Boston Pops fireworks show on TV. It's a grand old time. Meanwhile, my sister is actually at the Capitol in DC...watching the fireworks over the mall. SO jealous. I hope she's having a good time.

As you can see from the pictures, I've acquired a new friend! Jack Ryan, my parents' dachshund, is staying with me for 10 days while my parents go on vacation. He's so cute, and a wee bit rotten! He's been pretty sad without my parents, but I think he's doing better tonight. He really loves to chase and play with Oliver...so they fight and cry and throw each other around. I'm hoping they tire each other out. Currently, Oliver is mad because I won't let him play with Jack's special green bear. I know that Teenie will shred it...and then Jack wouldn't have his toy.

I'm so excited to have the next three days off. :) Tomorrow, some girls from work and I are going for drinks and hang out time that we've been planning for a couple of weeks...and has never materialized! :) (Jack is now laying in a pile of laundry. I think he's feeling at home.) So, after the girls get off work tomorrow, we'll meet down there for some fun and laughs...always laughs! :)

Well, I'd better go find out where Oliver went to...he seems to have disappeared.

Jack and Oliver at play.

Puppies asleep...but you can see my wall color here! Hooray for "Spiced Cocoa".

The Devil Wears Prada

So, we obviously went to the movies tonight. It really cemented the fact that I really enjoy watching Anne Hathaway act. I really REALLY love the Princess Diaries...and this movie was good too. I only heard maybe a couple icky words...and only an occasional "sensual" situation. We went to the Studio Movie Grill, where you can eat real dinner while you watch movies. We'd already eaten though, so we just had snack...and lots of Diet Dr Pepper. The early show was sold out, so we went to the 9:15 show. It was a fabulous good time. Before hand, I'd found this FABULOUSLY cute outfit 40% off at Lane Bryant. It's really not going to be too long before I can't shop there anymore. I'm now in the smallest size on tops and almost there on bottom.

As I was parking my car, I noticed that two of our neighbors were outside. The girl was getting something out of her car. The guy was attacking a nearby tree with a WHIP. Oh yeah, a WHIP. Like an Indiana Jones one. SCARY! Why was he doing this at 11:50pm? The questions were flying...and all I wanted to do was get inside and away from whip boy.

I was supposed to go out with a friend tonight as a "welcome back from a week of being with 10 year olds" thing. Sadly, her grandma had a stroke and she wasn't able to meet me. Keep Manda's grandma in your prayers...don't know all the details, but I do know it's hard to be a medically minded person in a situation that you have no control over.

Tomorrow, my parents are coming up to start their vacation. They'll leave here on Sunday (leaving Jack Ryan in my care) and head towards the east coast. I think Becca's gonna make me go to "Aqua Moves" in the morning, and they should be here sometime after we get home. I'm hoping the cats leave Jack alone...and that he leaves them alone. I think our dogs have kind-of adjusted to the cats and pretty much just ignore them.

K. I'm tired. Must find sleep.

We're so CUTE! These girls are all from the floor I work on...and one of them is one of my favorite transplant kiddos!

Amanda, Tammy, and I at Camp Moss, a camp for kids with heart disease.

Camp Moss

Every year, about 1/4 of our staff tromps down to Meridian, Texas (in the middle of absolute nowhere) to enjoy Camp Moss. It's a week long camp for kids with heart disease. They could be anything from a simple heart defect, to a complex one, to funky heart rhythms, or even a transplant. It gives the kids an opportunity to feel normal and enjoy camp in a safe environment. The camp facility was donated by parents of a little boy who died of leukemia. It has all the same stuff as regular camp...but it's so clean! No mold at this camp! Everything is air conditioned, the food is yummy, and the lake isn't even that gross! I wanted to be a counselor this year, but everyone else beat me to it..so I wasn't able to go. Two girls from my work and I decided we were going to visit yesterday. We drove the two hours down there (on tiny, windy roads) to join the festivities. It was an absolute blast! We walked in, and everyone we knew just came up and hugged us like they haven't seen us in 10 years! I got hugs from people I'd never hugged before! It was so fun! We sat down with one of the nurse practitioners who had her campers go get us food...and just joined on in. It was hilarious. We picked a really great night because the older kids were having a dance and the younger ones were at the pool party. We just went in between both parties. It was an amazing experience to see doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and medical students be on a first name basis with all these kids that I'm sure they've physically hurt at one time or another! We had a great time! We danced, we played, and came home...tired, but exhilerated. All of us decided we wanted to be there next year...now we just have to convince our boss that we can! :)

One of the kids we saw was my precious transplant from Christmas time. She looks AMAZING! She was walking around, dancing, and laughing. I could tell she was having a great time! It was hilarious to see some of those kids...scars and all, having a fabulous time.

This morning, Becca and I weighed in. I really need to be better about weighing in every week...it's gotten rather sporatic lately. I still lost 1.2lbs and am now the lightest I've been in quite some time. I think my grand total is 78.4lbs gone. INSANE!

Well, hopefully, today will be a low key day. I have to work the next two days, and would really benefit from a good night's sleep beforehand. We'll see if that will actually happen!

Oliver VS Star

Well, it's happened. Our first big brawl. Oliver and Star decided that last night would be the night they come to terms with each other. Here's the scene. We've got a baby gate that blocks the way to Nathen and Kerrie's room so the puppies aren't tempted to sneak through the kitty door to the food. (Okay, I'll say it. So LIBERTY isn't tempted) Oliver can jump over the gate, but rarely does. Star had become brave yesterday and was sitting on the other side of the gate, just staring out. Oliver was sitting on the opposite side...just checking things out. I guess Star got REALLY brave and jumped over the gate to come and visit..or torment (not sure what!) They were then locked in a death grip until I grabbed Oliver and Star was actually still attached to him when I pulled him away. It was sad. Both creatures are fine. Star got a little poopy excited...and required a bath later. Oliver had bite marks on his wee haunch, but he's also fine. Hopefully, this was the interaction that was needed...and I'm wishing it won't happen again. Who knows!

Today has been busy, but not busy enough to make the day go faster. I feel like I've been here forever, and still it's only 11:17. YAWN. I've got good patients today, and that is always helpful! :) So far, everyone is behaving themselves! :) I'd really like them to stay that way!

I have the next two days OFF! :) I'm so happy! :) I was spoiled the last couple of weeks because I've had a lot of three and four days off in a row. Having just Friday off really wasn't enough for me. It seemed a little short. I've got some things to do around the house, now that the house is really coming together. I think there's about 10 or so random boxes that need to be unpacked...and the stuff put somewhere. We've got a few boxes of kitchen stuff...and some other random boxes. It's anyone's guess as to where it will actually end up. My guess would be our linen closet...once it is completely cleared out! I just don't think there is room in the kitchen, even with all the beautiful new cabinets! :)

I'm excited for time off...have I mentioned that? I've got a big chunk of time off in July...just trying to figure out what I'm going to do. I'd love to go visit my sister, but I'm not sure I can afford the airfare right now. Besides, it's pretty short notice...and she has to do that work thing.

Well, I guess I should get back to doing something. I'm busily blogging and reading my Cooking Light. Later, we might play My Little Pony Memory...that's a good time right there! :)

Yikes...if only there was a "real woman" version....

You Should Go On The Bachelorette!

You're a marriage minded girl, and only interested in serious guys. Finding your future husband takes meeting a lot of men. And you are up to the task - as long as there is a ring on your finger at the end. The Bachelorette is the perfect show for finding that lifelong match.

What Dating Show Should You Go On?

A comfortable madness...

Things here at the new domain are never boring. I haven't actually been around much the last few days because of my work schedule. Today is the first day I actually have off! Hooray! I've got a big day of sitting around and unpacking planned! :) The house is looking FABULOUS...and I'm so excited about it! :) The new countertops are in, the sinks and faucets are installed, and we're beginning to unpack some of the kitchenesque boxes. We're starting to rid the house of all the dust and it looks beautiful! :)

The puppies are doing so well...and really starting to relax in their new home. Just last night, Oliver started tearing around the yard with his sisters. He's also started running around with his ears perky, instead of droopy. Everyone is sleeping and happy. The puppies REALLY love Nathen and Kerrie! :)

I have to work this weekend, then hopefully I'll have some time to finish getting things done around here. I really want to get my pictures up...maybe I'll do that today! I'll try to take some pictures after they get up...if I can find the camera. I did find the connectors, though!

Anyways, I suppose I should get on with my day. I have to go to the bank today..and the office supply store. This should be a grand fun time. Hooray! :)

Goodbye money pit!

Hooray! It's done! All the boxes are moved, and I do not live in that horrid dump anymore! I'm moving up in the world! I actually have a bed that is not on the floor and clothes mostly out of boxes! I've still got unpacked suitcases, but I don't have anything to unpack the clothes into! The bathroom is a disaster because the countertops aren't in...so we are brushing our teeth and hand washing from the tub...but it's okay! The counters go in Thursday...so HOORAY! :) We have cable and internet..and we are happy campers.

The puppies are staying away from the cats, but they are very interested in the contents of Nathen and Kerrie's room...mostly because of the cat food inside! We keep reinforcing that they need to stay out of there. One day, it will click!

Liberty Grace is on my bad side right now! :( She was SUCH a pain last night...and I wanted to strangle her and make her sleep outside. She was so interested in what was going on outside my bedroom door, that she would not get in the bed and go to sleep. She kept sniffing around the room, and sitting at the door, waiting to be let out. I was pretty sure the cats were out frolicking and she definately wasn't going to be going out to play with them. I kept throwing her back in bed..and she kept getting out. I think I woke up at 12:46, then 2:29, then 4:00. Finally, at 4, I just held her like a stuffed animal, and thankfully she didn't wake up again until my alarm went off this morning. I am beyond tired at this point...and all I want to do is take a nap. I can not...seeing how I am at work. If Grace tries this garbage again, I will throw her out to the mercy of the cats. I'm thinking she was just too excited last night, since we didn't get home until 9:45 and then I went to bed 30 minutes later. Who knows.

I'll have to post pictures of the house once I find my camera connecty cables. It's really coming along! Hooray!

I have to work tomorrow, then go to a class the next day. YAWN. I am in no mood to sit in class when I know I only have one day off before I have to work the weekend. This schedule isn't very fun..and I end up with 44 hours instead of 36...which is not welcome. I'd much rather be sleeping and unpacking, instead of spending my time at work, in class. YUCK. I need a better attitude. IT's just disheartening to know that out of the next 6 days, I'll be here for 5. ICK. I guess I'll just be unpacking slowly. Stupid boxes.

Anyways. I'd better be off. I have to go work...or something. :)

Countdown to the big day....

Well, tomorrow is FINALLY almost here. I have done everything I can do to get ready for this move. I'm hoping that tomorrow comes and goes quickly and I don't have to worry about it anymore. Actually, by this time next week, we'll be completely out of the house that air conditioning forgot....

Friday night, we moved everything that was to go to storage over to our unit in Plano. That was drama in itself. Let's just say, the company didn't take the lock off like they were supposed to and we were left with a locked unit, a van full of stuff, and a bunch of friends willing to help us unload it. Not so good. I knocked on the door of the property manager, who lives onsite, only to be met with the nastiest, meanest man I have evern encountered in real life. I proceeded to be verbally pummeled, but kept my composure and got the unit unlocked. There's a whole bunch of drama associated with that situation, but rehashing it only makes me angry.

Back to today...we're very much on target to move tomorrow. Both our bedrooms are painted (Becca's is "Promanade", a sage greeny color and mine is "Spiced Cocoa", a purply, brown, chocolatey color) and our ceiling fans are in. Our closets have shelves and bars. The Ikea furniture is assembled and waiting for clothes and mattresses. Our cable and entertainment centers are set up. Pretty much the only thing that isn't done in the house is the counter tops and sinks. There was a scandal with the company that installs them, and they won't be in until Thursday. This means we'll be brushing our teeth in the shower...and there's only one sink in the house...in Nathen and Kerrie's bathroom! :) At least we have a shower! :)

The puppies are going through their own dramas as well. Sadie's stress mechanism is shredding. She shredded a bunch of pictures and some random trash. Liberty's stress buster is pooping. She's pooped on the floor twice, even though she's been outside plenty. I've recently decided that Oliver's coping technique involves howling. He's been howling worse today than even when he was a puppy and crated. It's really pitiful. They will be spending the day at the vet. The girls are having teeth cleanings, and Oliver will be having a check up. The desk attendant at the vet called yesterday to confirm, and she was so excited they were coming. Our puppies are a hit.

I am just so ready to be out of this money pit. I'm excited to have my bedframe back...and my cable. The Mavs are playing tonight..at home..and I'm forced to check the scores online. I'm also interested to see how the puppies do with the cats. They've each met the cats, and no one really had a good experience. I'm sure they will adjust, but it won't be a fun couple of weeks.

Well, I'd better be going. I'm sure there's something that needs to be packed...or maybe I'll just save it for tomorrow....

Is this really me?

You Are Big Bird

Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around. You are usually feeling: Happy. From riding a unicycle to writing poetry, you have plenty of hobbies to keep you busy. You are famous for: Being a friend to everyone. Even the grumpiest person gets along with you. How you life your life: Joyfully. "Super. Duper. Flooper."

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

I've been tagged!

Okay, Kris. You tagged me...now I will respond. I'm at work and have nothing else to do. Shockingly.

What is your favorite word?
I say "fabulous!!" a lot. It's such a good and descriptive word! I love it! It's fabulous!

What is your least favorite word?
I don't really like crevice. It just sounds bizarre.

What turns you on spiritually, emotionally, creatively?
Spiritually - singing praise and worship
Emotionally - a sense of humor and a compassionate heart
Creatively - usually something in my surroundings

What turns you off?
Spiritually - those off the wall Christians who ruin Jesus for the masses (like that crazy lady in Kansas who pickets at funerals)
Emotionally - people who don't express their feelings
Creatively - BOREDOM!

What is your favorite curse word?
Well, since my mother's probably reading this, I'll plead the 5th on this one.

What sound or noises to you love to hear?
Oliver's pitiful howl or play with me bark. Babies laughing. Almost any type of music.

What noise to you hate?
The sound of my alarm clock.

What profession, other than your own, would you like to try?
I would like to be one of those people who gets paid to test new products. So maybe that's not a career...but I can dream! :)

What profession would you not like to do?
I wouldn't like to be a lawyer...or a public relations person.


ANYWAYS. Just a wee insight into my tons o' fun life.

I have so much stuff to do this week, and I really don't want to even think about it. I have to finish packing for both storage and the house, paint my room, move to storage, take the TV's to the house for the Directv guy, get the dogs to the vet for their day of pampering (HA!), figure out what to eat the next few days, find an organization to donate my computer to, and attempt not to lose my mind in the process. I'm sure that I've forgotten all the things I really should be worried about this week. I wish it was over.

I don't want to go back to work!

I've had a very fabulous five days off, and I don't want to go back. Do I really have to? I work tomorrow and Thursday, then back Saturday. I really wish, if I had to do it over again, I would have taken some time off to get ready for the move. I've only got a few days...plus I have to work. Today, I really should get moving and get everything ready to go to storage. Our friends are coming on Friday night to help. AAAHH!!!

Becca and I painted her bedroom last night. I hate to paint. I don't mind the big walls, but it's all the wee spaces that I can absolutely do without. I don't like window frames, the ceiling, and pretty much anything that involves my being careful with the paint. Hopefully I'll have lots of help on my room. Our move is less than a week away...Scary! I think Nathen and Kerrie are moving all their furniture back into the house in the next couple days. There's a current fiasco going on with the countertops, so hopefully that will all be figured out!

Things are going well with my surgery appeal. I've already received letters from my primary care doctor and my chiropractor. I am going to have a meeting with my girl doctor this week...and hopefully I will get a letter from her as well. PLEASE keep praying for this situation.

A whole bunch of crazy stuff is going on at work, too. Apparently, the chief nursing, financial, and operating officers all got the boot yesterday...and that's major drama! This opens up extremely exciting things for my unit! The lady who was in charge of the nurses decided almost 2 years ago that my unit would be part of the general pediatrics floors, even though there is SO much more critical care on my unit! Now, we can go back to being a critical care unit and have good nurse to patient ratios! It's a celebration! :) (Probably doesn't really matter to you...but it's WAY exciting to me!)

Well, I'm absolutely positive there's some work to be done. Excitement.

$908

That's how much we made in our 10 hours of moving sale. YIKES! I'm still in shock!

We will be able to more than pay for our move, as well as have a lot left over to decorate our own rooms...or do whatever we want to! Hooray! I'm so glad it's over with. It would take a lot for me to want to do one again, but I'm so glad I did it instead of just giving it all away. Our back yard won't look the same for a week or so..hopefully the trampled grass will be back to normal. There is an absolute line where our tables were sitting. Sad lawn.

The puppies have been absolutely manic the last two days. They don't seem to understand why people are roaming around our yard. They usually sleep a lot during the day, but haven't slept a bit the last two. This means that they are absolutely sacked out now. I'm currently poking Oliver and he's not even batting an eye. Now I grabbed his extra back skin. Nothing. He's so tired!

Alright. After two days of having to be up early on my days off, I'm ready to go SLEEP IN! I'm sure that sleeping in will consist of 8:30, but I'll take it!

Garage sale madness.

Oh the madness, the sheer madness. At 6:00AM when I woke up to get ready for this fabulous, yet stressful event, I said to myself.... "Self? Why did I think this was a good idea?" It took 45 minutes to put the signs up, 30 minutes to make the signs, about 2 hours to actually set the sale up, and another hour to price it all. I was still unsure about the whole endeavor. I was especially unsure this morning when my very first customer spent $17.00 and gave me a hundred dollar bill. Needless to say, there was scrambling for change...even though we had gotten some at the store the night before! AAHH! It was a crazy and hot 6 hours, but the worse is over. We endured heat, bugs, pushy people, and people who wanted to buy stuff cheap to send to Mexico. We sold crap that we didn't think we would...and didn't sell stuff we thought would go fast! It was absolute madness. Our neighbor even came over at 8am and asked if we would sell her bags of clothes that she had been meaning to sell but didn't have the time. By the end of the 6 hours, we were hot, tired, and ready to quit. We came in to count our dollars...and found out we made just over $750! That's more than enough for our move/cleaning/etc with extra for us to spend on our rooms! What a delight! :) We still have enough to open the doors tomorrow, but I think we're only going to be there for 4 hours, instead of 6. We'll see what happens. At 12 noon, we may just start throwing it in the street for people to take. I've blogged before about the people who take the bulk trash in the middle of the night...they are crazy.

On top of all of that, our hot water heater started leaking. We turned off the hot water, and it still leaks. After all those hours of being hot, we all got to take cold showers. We're now sitting around the house, waiting for "Alfredo" to come and look at the model we have so our landlord can replace it. I'm sure she's very excited to do that right before we leave! :) Ah well, she already has to replace most of the flooring...this should be nothing.

My mom is in town, and she is currently sacked out on the bed with all four dogs. No, for those of you panicking, we did not get another dog...the fourth dog is Jack, my parents' dachshund. It's a sad, sad sight.

Anyways...hopefully Alfredo will come soon. Mom wants to go to Ikea...that is, if she wakes up! :)

Places I've been.

Apparently, I need to visit the FAR north east and mid west more.


create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide

I stole this idea off Becca's blog..and really liked it. So I decided to do some thinking of my own...and some discovering.


1. Seven Things to Do Before I Die

Live on the East Coast again
Visit a former concentration camp
Travel throughout Europe
Ride all the roller coasters at Cedar Point
Find the love of my life and spend our lives together
Have or adopt a child
Spend New Year's Eve in Times Square


2. Seven Things I Cannot Do

Tolerate parents who intentionally hurt their children.
Let my aging family members go uncared for
Keep my opinion to myself (a horrid habit)
Listen to people who continually whine about how bad their lives are
Be pessimistic
Experience life without my family, friends, and puppies
Live in a small town

3. Seven Things That Attract Me to Guys

Sense of Humor
Committment to his family
Smile
Eyes
Dedication to his faith
Ability to look past the physical to the inner beauty of people
An enjoyment of the arts

4. Seven Things I Say Most Often

Fabulous!
Business is business
LIBERTY GRACE and/or OLIVER CONSTANTINE! (usually followed by cowering puppy)
What it is is what it is. (Quote from Friends!)
Oh dear
I have NO idea
How exciting!

5. Seven Books (or series) I Love
Much ado about Nothing, William Shakespeare
Anything by Edgar Allen Poe
Annie's People/Abram's Daughters by Beverly Lewis
Pretty much all Janette Oke books
If you give a pig a pancake, mouse a cookie, pig a party...etc...
Jane Austen books (Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility)
Caddie Woodlawn (I just rediscovered this fabulous book!)

6. Seven Movies I Watch Over and Over

A Mighty Wind
Best in Show
Waiting for Guffman
Miss Congeniality
Anchor Man
Napoleon Dynamite
Scrubs seasons 1-3

Confounded mutt.

Oh Oliver. He's currently whining because he's been placed in solitary darkened confinement in my bathroom. Why, you may ask? WELL. He's very recently decided that it's okay to mark things in the house. Normally, we only find the result of the marking. Today, I was putting some dvd's away in the closet, when he decided to mark the air mattress....right next to me. What a retard. He immediately was chased down and beaten...then thrown into the bathroom. I then spent the next 20 minutes cleaning up the air mattress. Exciting evening! All this after I was hit on by some foreign weirdo in the restaurant I stopped at for dinner! CRAZINESS!

Right now, I'm watching Emma. I absolutely love these period pieces. Pride and Prejudice...Emma...Sense and Sensibility. Maybe it's just a Jane Austen thing? Who knows. I love her characters because they are always strong, but still fall head over their heels in love whether they realize it or not.

I have had a busy couple of days at work, but really not as bad as it could have been! :) I don't work again until Thursday. My mom is coming on Wednesday. YEAH! :) I haven't had my mom to myself in quite sometime. I'm very excited for her to come and visit me...and to help with the daunting task of garage sales.

Well, I caved and bought a fabulous chair at Ikea. It's called a Poang Chair. It's wonderfully comfortable and beautiful. I'm very excited about it. It's taking all of my willpower not to open the box and assemble it! I've wanted it for about a year..and now it can go to my new bedroom. At least I'll have a chair...not much furniture, but at least a chair! :)

Oliver update: He's now throwing himself at the door. What a big baby!

Anyways, I must get going. I'm sure there's something more productive I could be doing...but I'm tired...and so I shall watch this glorious movie.

Sick Puppy

Poor Liberty. Last night, while we were at Walmart, she decided to help herself to some peppermint gum and ramen noodles. She paid the consequences of her behavior over and over last night. Let's just say I was awakened at 3:44am with a vomiting friend. EW. She ended up being sick off and on until about 8:15am. Her ween nose is warm and dry, and she's a little pitiful. I decided to extend compassion on her this morning, and give her something bland to eat for breakfast. I made her (and Sadie and Oliver) some rice. Liberty eats everything. Crap off the floor, her food, everyone else's food, bugs...you name it. She would not eat the rice. She looked at it, sniffed it, and walked out of the room. Yikes. That's usually a big sign that she doesn't feel well. Sadie took full advantage of the situation by eating her rice, her sister's rice, and part of her brother's. She now weighs 7lbs and is so fat she can hardly move. That will be a fun potty time later. Needless to say, no one got much sleep last night, or no one in my room that is. Becca and Sadie are well rested. Why is it that I never get good sleep when I know I have to work the next day? It's craziness. Sadie is now fighting with Oliver, but she's so fat, that she's just laying on her back and baring her teeth. She's too big to play..she's just rolling from side to side. It's pathetic.

Blasted insurance.

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I had been to a plastic surgeon's office for a certain problem I wanted fixed. I had submitted it to insurance, but wasn't sure whether or not they were going to accept it. I got their response today. Apparently, they believe that it is "cosmetic". I knew that it was a possibility, but nothing is so crushing than to get that rejection letter in the mail. Now, I have to make an appeal..and drag this thing out. NOT what I wanted to do. Please pray for my attitude during this! I want so much to get this fixed, and quickly...but perhaps I'm supposed to learn to be patient. Who knows! I'm just now trying not to get to upset that I've been rejected, and stay optimistic for an approval.

The packing continues. Today, I took all the furniture that is going away and moved it into the living room. I also got the wild idea that maybe I could put some furniture oil on it to make it look better. It worked! I got oil all over my hands, but the furniture looks so much better! My room is pretty pitiful though. I've got my bed, the TV, a chair, and some boxes. Oh well, it's less than 3 weeks till the move, and less than a week until the garage sale. I just wish things would go a bit quicker and this could be behind me. I don't like the living out of boxes thing.

Oliver has found a new McDonald's toy to destroy, just like Hello Kitty. He's been carrying it around the house all day. Sometimes he runs with it, sometimes he throws it to himself...he's an absolute nut.

EW EW EW! Okay, maybe I am alone...but the new Kentucky Fried Chicken bowls look DISGUSTING! Potatoes, Chicken, Corn, Gravy, and Cheese? All in one? Nasty. I don't mind if my food touches on the plate, but I'm not going to mix it all up in one bowl.

Anyways. Must get back to sitting around and not packing. If anyone is inspired, they are more than welcome to come over and help! It's SO FUN!

This is Marcos now...at the heart transplant picnic. He's so cute and doing great!

Remember this picture? This is Marcos, my heart transplant buddy at about 4 months of age. This is actually taken before he got his heart.

I hate packing.

I'll say it again. I hate packing. It's horrid, nasty stuff. There's no possible way I can pack and get rid of things and plan for a garage sale all at one time. It's madness. Our garage sale is in 9 days...HOORAY! This house is going to be absolutely pitiful after that. I think it's going to be funny. We'll have no couches, no dressers, nothing to sit on at all! :) Michael and Jennifer are coming the weekend afterwards...I told them we would have to have a movie party on the floor in the empty living room with the only remaining television. I've got the Salvation Army coming on the 13th to take all the remaining wares. It's really hard asking these companies to come pick up all the crap that no one wanted to buy. Anyways, the Salvation Army is always loving free stuff...so they can have it all. As long as I don't have to move it, I'll be okay!

I hired someone to come and clean the house so I don't have to do it. We'll still have to shampoo the carpets, but that is nothing compared to the thought of having to clean this place. I figured, we could use the money from the garage sale to help defray that expense. It's well worth it.

Becca is busy vacuuming all the air out of her space bags stuffed with her linens. This means that all the puppies are all in my room, quivering and afraid. They hate the vacuum. Weenies.

I should probably be doing something productive. But I don't wanna. So I'll sit here, doing nothing, for awhile. I love that! :)

Exhausted.

It's over. I hate three in a row, but it's over! It wasn't as bad as it could have been. I wasn't floated, and I was able to have my same kids three days in a row. It always just drains all my reserves! Nathen and Kerrie are having a party tonight, and I'm just so exhausted that all I wanted to do was come home and rest. That's what I did! :) I'm not normally one to miss a party, but I needed some rest! :( I didn't end up getting as much rest as I would have liked, mostly due to the Oliver who just decided to vomit in my sheets. EW. Instead of sitting quietly and typing, I had to get up and do a load of sheets, blankets, and mattress pads...since they were all soaked. Now the washer is unbalanced and is making the most terrible racket. The dogs are all barking at it. Okay, it stopped...but they haven't. HUSH EVERYONE! Oliver is doing his manly bark...which is actually quite wussy. Big baby.

Our garage sale is in less than 2 weeks! Hooray! I am SO hoping to get rid of all this furniture that I've been toting around for 7 years. It's going to be interesting to see how little stuff is left in the house afterwards! My mother is coming to help us with the garage sale, thankfully. I have no idea how to price things..and she's the expert. I'm sure by the end of the day, we'll be throwing crap at people...PLEASE TAKE THIS AWAY!

Liberty is licking the bed. Why does she do this? She's nasty. I've yelled at her twice already. She's laying at Oliver's bootie, as if it comforts her. I'm sure she missed him. She was un-harassed all weekend. Now she's resting her head on his butt. Weirdo.

I'm sure I'll be spending tomorrow folding laundry and other random tasks. Hopefully, it won't be too thrilling!

2 of 3 days

I'm having a fabulously fun day already! I'd much rather be having fun away from work, but at least today is going well. I've been really busy, but it hasn't been too bad. I'm working with great people today, and that always makes it better. I work with the most wonderful people! They are always ready to lend a hand! :)

Becca's out of town this weekend, so Grace has been ruling the roost alone. She was so happy to see me yesterday when I got home! It's always a good feeling to have someone dancing and thrilled to see you. She and I had some quality time together...and then I went to sleep as soon as I hit the pillow. That's probably going to happen again tonight...and tomorrow. I think I have off until Thursday, so that will be a nice break for me!

Things for the move are coming along. We have our storage room reserved and can start moving things in there on June 12. We're planning on renting a truck and just having friends come help us move stuff there later that week. I'm not too sure I feel comfortable moving a washer and dryer alone! :) We are scheduled to move on the 19th. I hired someone to come clean the house after we leave it (cause that's just not something I wanna do!) and we'll do the walk-through with the landlord on the 23rd and be out of there! :) I'm so excited not to have my name on that house's electric bill anymore! It's a money pit! My brother and sister-in-law are coming into town the weekend before, and maybe I'll convince Michael to help lift things. They are finishing all the details of their own move, getting the apartment stuff figured out, and all that very exciting stuff. I can't WAIT until they are here! :)Becca was looking at the calendar yesterday and figuring out that we move three weeks from tomorrow. I think it's just crept up on us. June is next week! INSANITY!

Well, I'm probably supposed to be doing something. (It seems like I'm bored today..believe me, I'm not!) Have a fabulous holiday weekend!

Care for me...and Nessie

So, you're probably bewildered by the title of my blog. It's okay. It's hard to understand the inner workings of my twisted and mostly confused mind! :) Who is Nessie, you might ask? If you've read my blog at all, you know that Nessie is my very beautiful SUV. She's absolutely gorgeous in all her Nautical Blue glory. Anyways, while I was in Austin this past weekend, I noticed that someone had very rudely put some scratches on Nessie's driver door. I'm currently sitting at the Aqua Zoom, having Nessie waxed so the scratches go away. They are just very light scratches, hardly even noticeable...but I notice them! She's also been washed and vacuumed, and is now very happy, I'm sure.

Last night after work, some friends and I went to Gloria's for Margarita fun. :) I am not a big drinker, but it's always fun to go and hang out and drink a wee bit! It was really nice to go and kinda debrief about things that have been going on lately. We always get the same waiter when we go...I think he's very brave for continuing to be our waiter. We get a bit rowdy at times! Anyways, today we're going to go visit our friend who is in the hospital. I love to visit people in the hospital...is that weird? I love to take balloons and stuffed animals and things. I figure, at least they should have something nice to look at. Whitney's only going to be in the hospital overnight..but surgery always has pain, so say a prayer for her when you read this.

I can not figure out what color to paint my room. It's a conundrum. I've got all these brilliant ideas, but am afraid that none of them will actually match my bedding. The problem lies in that I have two completely different types of bedding. I have this fabulous red/tan winter duvet thingy and a spring/summer quilt that's purple/green/cream. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO PICK WITH THAT!? Any suggestions? Ideas? 'Cause I have none anymore.

Well, Nessie's ready for me (did I mention this place has free internet? LOVE IT!). Must get going...

Sorrow and joy.

My job is emotionally draining. I absolutely love being with my families...to see them go through all the steps of becoming new parents to having their child operated on and finally get to go home. I do not love when they move into the realm of having to say goodbye to their precious child. I sat in a room today when a patient was lovingly ushered into the arms of Jesus. What a precious moment...and yet, so devastating. I have taken care of that child since she was born, and she passed on right after her 1st birthday. What a truly humanizing experience it is to be with someone when they are saying their final goodbyes...and so humbling as well. The amazing fact is that they wanted us all there. They felt they needed the support of those who loved them and their child. You've never seen grief until you've seen someone actively lose a child. It's heartbreaking and tearjerking. There was not a dry eye in the room..nurses..chaplain..techs..doctors. Even now, I still am in absolute awe of the entire situation. All we could do was tell these parents how much we loved the child, and all they could do was to thank us for all we did for her. What an amazing family. I am so thankful that I have another nurse working with me today, or else I would have had to go home. I had nasty raccoon eyes. EW!

Other than that, I've just been doing nothing but working. This week has been much more relaxed than last, and I am so thankful for that! I don't work until Saturday, and I plan to do nothing but deprogram during the break! This weekend should be quiet, since it's a holiday. Of course, now that I say that...the weekend will be icky! I just love to jinx myself!

Must return to work...do I have to?

Too cute.

Happy family...minus Kim!

Waiting for graduation to start....

Busy weekend!

I'm back! Michael's graduation is over, and I know he's excited about it! It was absolutely fabulous to see all my family and celebrate Michael's accomplishments. The ceremony was a wee bit boring, except for the 30 seconds where they talked about Michael! That time was spent with loud screaming and cheering! :) Anyways, Michael starts his bar review class today (and for the next 6 weeks!), takes the bar at the end of July, and then moves to DALLAS in August! Hooray for moving! It's going to be absolutely great to have them in town! The three of us are a wild bunch when we get together. We even started talking about taking a cruise together sometime next year...that poor boat would never be the same!

I took Liberty with me, and she did so well! She rarely barked at the hotel, and only once decided to escape. To her defense, she was chasing after some toy poodles that she saw. She thought they were her poodle sister. She was sadly mistaken. Other than that, she pottied where she was supposed to and was generally behaved. The hotel had Wifi, so that kept me pleasantly entertained since they only had about 10 TV stations. I'm so spoiled rotten with my friend TIVO! :) Michael, Jen, and I spent the evening last night at Dave and Busters, playing video games to our heart's content! I think we ended up getting about 2000 tickets during the couple hours we were there. We then came back and watched Beauty and the Beast...or I should say "sang" it. There was a lot of singing and quoting going on. I came back home this afternoon, ready to go back to work the next two days. HA! I'm never ready to go back to work!

ANYWAYS. Must go find food. I'm off to find some.... :)

This day was CRAP!

EEKS. I am so glad to be home. This entire week has been absolutely crazy. I have no idea what made it so crazy...but it was. It's not like I don't love my job, but this week, I really wanted to be somewhere else. I can't imagine if I didn't have a nurse orienting with me. She's the reason I'm not completely crazy! How much bad news can one nurse take in a week? Here's a sample...precious baby with head bleed, another one has probably had a mild stroke and is now blind, another one has a big nasty blood clot in his heart, then another one is going to die. SEE? All this happened in the last two days! This is nonsense. Life just is not fair.


Tomorrow, I am going to Austin for Michael's law school graduation. It's absolutely nutty that my brother is going to be a lawyer. Of course, this isn't the end..he still has to take this bar review class, and then the bar in July...but we all know he'll fly through with ease. Smarty pants. I have ABSOLUTELY no idea what to get him for graduation. I'm sure he'd say not to get him anything, but I just can't do that. I'm at an absolute loss though. It's a mystery.

I don't have to be back at work until Tuesday. Hooray! It's just not long enough...

Liberty and Sadie's favorite new spot in the car...they are CREEPY

This one is good too...but sadly, I got NO pics of Hootie!

This is The Fray....you can see it better if you make it big..

Oh, the humanity

It is SO noisy in here. The puppies, namely Oliver and Liberty, are tearing around my bed in some sort of fight/playtime. Oliver gnaws on Grace's butt, who then proceeds to bear her teeth and shriek. Oliver then smacks her on the head with his giant paws, only to draw out biting, more shrieking and some sort of whining noise. Now Oliver is upset because Liberty won't play with him. Big babies.

I am so glad I don't work tomorrow. I was just SO stinking busy today. Thank GOODNESS I had another nurse with me! I would have gone crazy if it wasn't for her! :) I had a family that is just SO high maintenance...and it can wear on your nerves after awhile. They are very sweet, but a quick 2 minute medicine turns into a 30 minute thing. Drama, Drama, DRAMA! :) Anyways...I'm just glad to be home and that I don't have to be back tomorrow! The bad thing is I know this family likes me, so I'm afraid they will want me to be their nurse all the time. My poor spirit can't handle that! :)

I have no idea what I'm going to be doing tomorrow. I'll figure out something. I'm gonna guess that it will involve some sitting around time. And laundry time. And clean up the nasty house time. That's pretty much it. My life isn't interesting today!

Little taste of Heaven

SO...for all of you who have never been to Taste of Addison...GET IN YOUR CAR AND GO! It's a food lovers paradise! Amanda and I went yesterday, mostly to see some fabulous bands...but also eat ourselves silly. We paid our admission, were excited to see the carnival, and then the madness began. There were at least 50 restaurants there, all with a sample of their foods for less than 5 dollars. Mexican, Chinese, Italian , Sandwiches, Burgers, Sushi, Seafood, EVERYTHING! :) We walked around for an hour before we finally could make ourselves decide. For starters, we shared sweet potato chips from Blue Mesa. Yum. Then we got fajita nachos from Cantina Larado...SO good. I need to go to that restaurant..I've never been! We took our food and pulled up a spot on the grass for the show. The first band, the Fray, was really good! I'd heard them on Manda's myspace page, but never all the way through. I enjoyed the concert, and Manda had never heard them in concert before...so happy for everyone! After the first concert, we ran into more friends who are child life specialists from work. We hung out with them until they had to meet up with more friends. Then HOOTIE. Let me tell you..what a memory. It was like I was transported right back to my freshman year at LU. It was a fabulous time. If I was going to be in town tonight...I would absolutely go back. Tonight, the Go Go's and the Gin Blossoms will be there. SO fun! ANYWAYS...

I'm not back to work until Monday...ta DA! :) Next week should be good because I have a new employee with me. That always is fun when there are two of us taking care of the kids! :) Next weekend, my brother graduates from law school. It will be a rockin' good time...but calm. We've been threatened to receive ill fitting socks at Christmas for the rest of our lives if we misbehave. I have no idea what they are so worried about...I'm the picture of calm and quiet.

I called my insurance company yesterday. They got the information from my doctor's office on May 3..and it will take 30 days for them to evaluate it. PRAY PRAY PRAY! I'm nervous about it, but am really trying hard to remember that I'm not the one in control right now! :)

WELL...must be going. I'm getting hungry. Must eat. OH! I forgot my fun news! I weighed in yesterday...I'm now up to 78 total pounds gone! TA DA! :) I can't even fathom having all that weight back on. That's like an entire 5th grader...or one of our anorexics at work (that's so sad!)

Hope your Saturday is full of wonder and excitement...I'm sure mine will be!

Recovered!

No more puking! Hooray! :) Okay, so that's pretty much old news, but I'm so sure you were excited to read it! Nothing much has gone on in my crazy world. I spent yesterday floated to another floor of the hospital. It was not the funnest time I've ever had (oh yeah, I said funnest!) The charge nurse was not helpful and I had a wee beastly child that really liked to scream. Enough said. Thankfully, even though the day was horrific, it went by quickly!

I am getting my hair cut off tomorrow! I have no idea what to do with it...but I'm sure my hairdresser will think of something. I don't want to look in those hairstyle magazines because 1. they are never for curly hair and 2. even if they have curly hair, it's never like mine. I'll probably just spend some time looking on the internet for this mystery hairstyle. Hopefully I won't look stupid. I'll make sure to post it.

After I get my hair cut off, a friend of mine from work are going to this thing called Taste Addison. I really don't know what to expect, but there are going to be some bands there that are fun and exciting. Amanda's really excited about this group called the Fray. I've heard them before, and they are good. Both of us are elated because the second band that will be there is HOOTIE and the BLOWFISH! When was the last time they were ever famous enough to be in concert? This is mind boggling to me. I remember singing to them on the radio my freshman year in college. We even had a girl on the floor that we used to torture with "Hold my hand". Can you imagine torturing someone with Hootie? My life is sad. :(

I keep having these horrible dreams about the dogs. Last week, I dreamed we had to put Sadie down. In my dream, Becca wouldn't hold her and I had to. Her little face was so pitiful! In my dream last night, Oliver jumped over this railing into a ravine. Over the railing was a river 100 feet down. (no idea why i remember this) Oliver couldn't swim and I couldn't get to him. Later on, we walked down to the river and his little body was on the rocks. HOW AWFUL IS THAT! Why do I dream this crap! Scary!

Well, better be off. The weather is beautiful...so of course I'm at work! Have a lovely day!

The lure of reality TV

At this very moment, I'm watching David Blaine attempt to stay underwater for 9 minutes. Never mind that the freak has been underwater for a week...letting his skin schluff (is that how you spell it?) away into the very water you are consistantly floating around in. Never mind that he pees through a catheter or is fed through a feeding tube. Never mind that the longer he holds his breath, the more brain cells die. The American people love this kind of crap. We love to slow down to see if we see bodies on the road for car wrecks. We love to watch people "fall in love" on TV only to have those relationships crash and burn in the real world. We love medical shows that show us the "freaks of the world" and all their deformities. No wonder the rest of the world thinks we are crazy...we ARE!
On a side note...David Blaine did NOT make it the 9 minutes...only 7 or so. He was pulled from the water by divers and he was actually BLUE. More blue than the heart babies I take care of. Not pretty! A crazy hypnotist guy is talking in quiet hushed tones, attempting to reassure the man who just failed at his stupid task...and to make sure he's not going to die right there. Maybe not die...but he'll certainly be more stupid after this. People are CRAZY.

What does your birthday mean?

Your Birthdate: September 15

You take life as it is, and you find happiness in a variety of things. You tend to be close to family and friends. But it's hard to get into your inner circle. Making the little things wonderful is important to you, and you probably have an inviting home. You seek harmony with others, but occasionally you have a very stubborn streak. Your strength: Your intense optimism Your weakness: You shy away from exploring your talents Your power color: Jade Your power symbol: Flower Your power month: June

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Yikes.

SO...let's see. I have had the most fabulous 36 hours in quite awhile...and they were all spent in the bathroom! I've acquired some sort of puke bug from somewhere..and I don't like it! I absolutely hate throwing up. I hate it so much that I refuse to drink for days afterwards so I don't have to even chance throwing up. I was actually sent home from work yesterday because I couldn't stop. I came home, took my last Zofran pill that I've been saving, and went to sleep for about 4 hours. It was a good time. I woke up still queasy and dizzy, and I don't think that work wants me back feeling like crap, so I called in for today. I'm still really weak today, but I'm not running back and forth to the potty. That ended sometime in the middle of the night. Now I'm just trying to convince myself to drink! I'm proud to say that I have had three sips of 7 up this morning. I rule!

Other than vomit, I haven't really done anything noteworthy the last couple of days. Becca spent some time at our new house yesterday. Her parents brought a special type of beam to install in the house, and they spent yesterday doing it. Becca tagged along for moral support (cause you know we don't lift heavy things!) and got the scoop on the house renovations. We'll probably be moving the last week of June...so anyone who wants to come help will greatly be appreciated! :) ANYWAYS. Must be going now. I'm sure Becca will try at any moment to make me drink more. MUST DRINK BUT MUST NOT PUKE!

Hooray for cleaning!

Last night, around 10pm...there was time for great celebration! The lost has been found! Okay, there is a story here! About 6 months ago, I realized I had no idea where my Nursing school diploma and license were. I tore my room apart with no success. I had resigned myself to the fact that it was gone. I'm not excited about the idea of attempting to get a duplicate degree from El Centro. They were pretty stingy with the last one! :) Back to last night. I was cleaning out a box from the bottom of my closet. I was all the way down to the bottom of the box and there it was! The familiar envelope! I checked and BOTH items were in there! The missing has returned! :) One of these days, I'll get all my degrees professionally framed...but for now, Walmart frames will have to do. I still have my LU diploma in a Walmart frame. I figure I can get frames for these and then I'll have something to hang in my new room in our new house! :)

That's pretty much it. Lots of packing. Celebrations. Framing. The end.

Spring cleaning...maybe.

The weather today is so weird. It's sunny..then cloudy...then sunny...then cloudy. It's nuts! It's actually not really that hot, but it's rather humid. There's a breeze...which is fabulous! :) I've been outside for about an hour hacking the bushes up. We've got this teeny tiny hedge trimmer that I like to wield as my own personal weapon. I do a terrible job, and the bushes are uneven, but at least they are trimmed!! I rule! :) I haven't thrown away all the clippings yet, so they are still laying all over the yard. I'm thinking I might save that for later...when the sun goes down..and when Becca is home! :) The puppies hated the trimming, and attempted to hide in the back of the yard. I didn't chase them with it. I figured that was too mean. I already torture them with the vacuum cleaner.

I had my eyes checked today. I finally have new contacts! They feel fabulous! I think my old ones were about 6 months old, and that's nasty. I hate how the eye doctor always wants you to come in for a follow up. I think it's their excuse to get you back into their offices. "I'm sorry, but you can't have your prescription until you come back and attempt to bleed more money out of you."

I'm also doing laundry right now. NOT fun when you're hot! I really don't want to touch those clothes...but I think they eventually have to come out of the dryer. Stupid hot dryer.

I need a vacation. I know, I know, I just had one. This matter not. I want to go on another cruise. They are SO much fun. Becca and I were talking about the Carnival Destiny (may she rest in peace) yesterday during water aerobics. I would cruise all year round, I think. Maybe I'll go work on the ship as the ship RN. What a fabulous idea! :)

The puppies have finally recovered from this weekend. There was a lot of sleeping the last couple of days...but now, I think we're back to normal. Oliver did major frenzy last night. He was tearing around the room snarling and panting. He's a nut.

Anyways...not quite sure what I'm going to do the next couple of days. I do know that I'm going to finish cleaning up the yard so that our fabulous lawn boy can come and mow it. It's quite safari like. Hooray for mowed yards! Besides that, I'll hopefully get some things packed. I think my mom is going to come the 2nd weekend of June to help us price stuff...since we know nothing. Anyways...have a fabulous day!

Ignorance is bliss....

La estupidez humana es infinita, pobres animales, vestir a los perros va contra-natura.

Increíble, Dios ¿cómo puede haber gente así?, cuanta tontería, un pico y una pala y a ver si te quedan ganas de vestir a un pobre perro.

TRANSLATION:
The human stupidity is infinite, poor animals, to dress the dogs goes against-nature. Incredible, God, how can thus have people, whichever triviality, a tip and a shovel and to see if you have left desire to dress a poor dog.


Wow. That's all I can say. Someone used these words to comment on my pictures of Liberty in the parade. Apparently, because I choose to have a little fun with my dog, that leaves me open for blatent attack on my own website. I did comment right after the coward, but I figured that most people probably don't read other people's comments...so I chose to bring this to light. I guess I am portrayed as a self-absorbed nutcase, for spending money and time on something that is not human. Wow. I take care of extremely sick kids for a living. I spend 36+ hours a week focused on something that is very stressful. I think I deserve a little break! Putting a silly dress on a dog and letting her be in a competition doesn't make me self-absorbed..it gives me an outlet for stress! Not caring about life...that would make me self-absorbed. Judging people on the way they choose to raise their children or act in public...that would make me self-absorbed. Putting myself first and not caring a lick about anyone else...that would make me self-absorbed. I'm just not like that. To you, oh brave soul, who chose to not even name yourself or speak in the language my blog is written in...Es una vergüenza que usted no tiene ninguna alegría en su vida. I have joy. Go find some! :)

WORN out!

Grace and her certificate

Ready to RACE! (with beatiful hair bows!)

Trying to RUN down the street

Ready to march in the parade!

Jack, the pirate

Ready for the parade!

The Buda Wiener Dog Races!

Oh, we're home! It was the most interesting time I've had in quite a while, to say the least! There were SO many dachshunds there...more than I have ever seen in one place at one time! Liberty actually behaved herself, with very few episodes of barking wildly. She basically was just interested in sniffing and investigation...not barking! Hooray for her! She didn't place in the costume contest, although she should have! She really did look fabulous! :) Her and Jack (my parents' dachshund) paraded down Main Street together...her in her dress and Jack in his pirate costume. The other puppies were all dressed too. Sadie matched Liberty, Oliver had a bowtie, and Sam (Michael and Jen's pup) was dressed as a fisherman, complete with fishing hat! THey all looked fabulous...but of course, we got no pictures of them as a group! How retarded are we! Everyone in that little town was so excited to see the doxies, and didn't mind the barking or the pooping, or the shrieking! :) It was so fabulous! Liberty raced very early on. She did SO wonderful! She got third in her heat...which is surprising considering I thought she was going to just sit down! Jack didn't fare as well. He trotted out about 10 feet, then turned around and went back to the starting line! Neither of them got anything, but they both got certificates! It was truly hilarious! The only bad part was that it had absolutely poured the night before, and there was mud EVERYWHERE! We were covered. It was still hilarious...and something we will absolutely be doing next year! :) I should go ahead and request those days off! Anyways, we're home now...and all exhausted. I'll post pictures so you can laugh! I didn't get any of Grace actually racing...those are all on video! :)

Dejected. She really REALLY hated that I made her wear this hat.

Ready to RACE! (I glued those bows to her head!)

Grace and Oliver. Fight to the death.

Weird feelings.

Oh my heavens. I had the weirdest thing happen to me yesterday. I felt fine all day...was at work...loving my job! :) On the way home, I started to notice that I wasn't able to focus on anything. My mind was working in a hundred different directions and I couldn't settle on any one thing. I felt EXTREMELY spacy, and even a little dizzy. I have NO idea what caused it! I even started feeling like my head was being pushed down (isn't that a line from Friends? "Lately, I haven't feel pulled so much as pushed!") Odd. So, my solution? BED! :) I went to bed early. Even more odd...I woke up at 11:45pm with that feeling like you didn't get enough sleep after a really good sleeping pill. I was dizzy and thought I was going to have to call in to work! I decided that I would try to sleep it off and figured that if I felt bad at work, I could always see if they could send me home. Thankfully, I felt fine! I haven't had any of those weird feelings today...but so STRANGE!

Anyways...life goes on. I'm working today, and having a great day so far! I've got great families that have been so much fun to work with! That makes my day go fast..and look! It's already 3:55pm! Ta DA! :) I have no idea what I'm going to do tonight...but I do know what I'm doing tomorrow! I have to weigh in! Hooray! :) (or :(, who knows!) I was all set to do it last week...and I forgot that I wasn't off on Saturday to do it! Stupid me! So, I haven't had the pleasure of getting on that scale in 2 weeks. The bad part is WW isn't open Friday morning. I have to wait until 11:30am to go weigh..which makes me starving! At least I have things to accomplish. I have to clean out my car and pack for the upcoming voyage to Buda, Texas. I have to go find Liberty some hair bows for her "formal" dress...even though I'm sure she'll find some way to get them off. She's retarded.

Well...must get going. I'm sure some child has medicines due. Hooray!

No wonder I don't feel old...

You Are 15 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

Gracie's countdown.

I guess I'm supposed to be training Liberty to run. I've tried. She's impossible. I stand at one end of the yard, with her at the other, and scream for her to come...and she either will stand there or in ultimate defiance, sit down. She's nuts. All I can say is that at least she'll look good for the parade! It's going to be hilarious.

Yesterday, my friend from the past came into town again. He's a pilot and flies the same route for a couple of weeks at at time...hence the reason he's come over so frequently. Instead of letting me fail miserably at cooking, he brought recipes so that he could cook for me! I was just happy not to have to do it! Of course, in true Stephanie fashion, I attempted to help with the vegetables and the sad little broccoli's lost the battle. They ended up being stems with no green on top. Guess I steamed them too long. After that, we went out to dinner with some of his pilot friends. They promised not to talk pilot too much...HA! Sadly, I am starting to pick up more and more of the lingo...and that's scary!

I'm working tomorrow and Thursday...then off until Monday. I'm hoping to keep my streak of liking my job going for at least a couple of weeks! I was pretty exhausted after this past weekend..but at least I was not hating it! We've been absolutely packed lately, so at least I know I shouldn't have to float. I am sad though, because my TWU student that's been with me since February is finishing up tomorrow. She's really going to be an amazing nurse, and it's exciting to see her progress. It's SO hard for me to let her do everything. Most of the time, I spend sitting on my hands and chanting to myself "let her do it!". I had a student last semester, too...and this one is infinately better. I am loving it! Now, she has to leave...and that is sad. :(

I'm starting to get excited to get out of this house. When we send our rent check this week, we're sending our notice to our landlord. That kind of seals the deal...but thankfully, we know where we are going to end up. I have to make too many decisions in the next few weeks of what to keep and what to give away. I'm afraid I'm going to be so excited to give things away that I'll be left with only my bed and some clothes! Maybe it's time to start living like an adult...with things that match? NAH!

Oliver is shredding a stick all over my bedroom floor. He and Liberty were fighting over it, but I believe she's given up that he'll put it down. She's sitting next to me, with her head tucked into the chair. He's still chewing..and choking every once in awhile. I buy the boy toys and he chooses to eat sticks. I think that's just like children! You get them a fabulous toy, and they are much happier playing with the box.

Well...Becca will be home soon..and we're going to get our toes done. I can't decide what color I should do...the possibilities are endless! :)

Apparently, I'm Marcia Brady!

You Are Marcia Brady

Confident yet kind. Popular yet down to earth. You're a total dream girl. You've got the total package - no wonder everyone's a little jealous of you.

What Brady Are You?

I'm not sure if this fits....but it is pretty funny!

Maybe the beginning.....

Yesterday was SUCH a good day! It was busy and steady, but at no point in the day did I want to quit! :) That's a good thing, and a definate change from what it's been! Hooray! Maybe this is the beginning of good times. It was a wee bit loony this morning, but we got some of our nurses to come in to help...and now this day is going to go fine, too! :) Ta DA! :)

If you are EVER in Dallas...and want to go eat somewhere fabulous...go to the Grand Lux Cafe. It's in the Galleria..and well worth the money. I had this fabulous Wild Mushroom Burger, which is actually meatless. It's a bunch of mushrooms magically melded into a "burger". It's SO yummy. They also have the most fabulous appetizer in the whole WHOLE world. They are called "asian nachos". They are fried wontons with chicken, cheese, wasabi cream sauce, peanuts, and thai peanut sauce. OH MY HEAVENS. That is divinity on a plate. I could die happy after just one.

Today has been pretty good. I had a parent who I thought was so against me tell me they were so glad I was their child's nurse. I wasn't as crazy busy today, but it was still enough so I wasn't bored. I also got to talk to some of my work amigas that I haven't been able to in quite some time on account of the crazy business. It's been a good day. All my young'uns are sleeping right now...and I hope no one wakes them up for ANYTHING! :) Let the babies sleep! NEVER wake a sleeping baby! :)

I work Wednesday/Thursday this week...and then it's off to the Wiener Dog Races. I'm sure it will be broadcast on live webcam at www.budalionsclub.com. How fun is that!?! I'll have plenty of pictures...of Liberty standing at the starting line like a big goon. I'm sure she'll just stand there, refusing to move. At least everyone will have a good laugh. At last count, there were 304 doxies entered.

Next week I have jury duty. EW! I had jury duty last year! What is the deal with that? Do they just sit around going "Let's find a person to bug the crap out of". Why is not someone else's turn? I wish it was! Thankfully, I was scheduled to work, but now I get to go spend my day sitting in the jury room, anxiously awaiting whether or not I'll get called in. Last time, I was called in and apparently I didn't make a good enough choice for them. I guess I think that criminals should go to jail...SHOCKING.

I think it's weird to think that next week is MAY. Where has the time gone? I was just in Disney World...only that's almost 2 months ago! I was just at Christmas with my family...only that' like 5 months ago! Does time go faster with age? When I was little, it never went by fast. Now that I'd like it to slow down, it doesn't! I've been a nurse for almost a year and a half. NUTTY!

Well, I suppose I should go back to work now. But again, all the chillins are sleeping...so we do NOT wake them! :)

I am Fozzie Bear

You Are Fozzie Bear

"Wocka! Wocka!"You're the life of the party, and you love making people crack up.If only your routine didn't always bomb!You may find more groans than laughs, but always keep the jokes coming.

The Muppet Personality Test

I found it! Here's Liberty's dress for the parade. She'll be in the "fancy" category!

Oliver Constantine

Oliver is watching television. He's laying on the bed with his head in his hands, carefully watching the TV. His eyes are not deviating. Apparently something has caught his attention...and his ears are perked up, too. This is the funniest thing I've seen him do today. He is so weird. When I say his name, he looks at me for a second, then goes back to the tv. Weirdo.

Stupid blogger.

ARG! I blogged for such a long time this morning! I turned around and it was GONE! Here's the run down...cause I'm not typing all that again! :)

1. I floated today. The float wasn't too bad. More on this later.
2. We're moving to Richardson in 2 months. Hooray that we can paint our rooms fun colors.
3. The dogs are crazy. (as always)
4. I'm now floated back to my own floor. I'm helping everyone else out. This is fine.
5. Now I'm going crazy. Work sucks. Staffing sucks. NO ME GUSTA!
6. My work friends are crazy. I love them.
7. I don't work the next two days. Hooray! :)
8. Interns are stupid.

See, now wasn't that nice and succinct? I'm sure that no one wanted to read all the stuff I previously wrote...so now you just get the gist of it all. Lovely.

A new dilemma!

Things around here are starting to go back to normal. I had a great work day on Sunday...hopefully trending towards what I know my work days should be! A friend and I even got to go to the Easter chapel service! It was nice to hear the passage where Mary finds Jesus not in the grave and sing Easter songs! I really enjoy Easter sunday...and that made it a little better. I work tomorrow and then this weekend...so I'm having plenty of time to not think about work!

I had a fun day yesterday! A good friend flew in and we spent the day together. We took the puppies to the dog park, a task I usually don't ask of my friends, seeing how my dogs are nuts! It was SO hot yesterday, so we spent the rest of the day inside. Inside time is good...especially with the air conditioner. We watched movies and then made dinner...even though I'm a miserable failure in the kitchen. Normally, I do okay...but something about a new pair of eyes on my cooking skills caused me to fail miserably. Oh well...it all turned out well, even though the menu changed half way through the preparation! :) It was a fun time anyways! :)

This morning, I went to visit a plastic surgeon. I've been struggling with a certain part of my body for quite some time, and now that I've lost a bunch of weight, the part is even more "angry"! :) As the receptionist put it, I'm trying to put all my parts back to where they used to be! :) I'm sure this is WAY too much info for some people....but oh well...it is my newest dilemma and prayer request...so read on! Anyways, the procedure that I want done is usually covered by health insurance. The doctor told me that mine may not be because the procedure he will have to do to get my desired results is a bit different that the insurance companies are used to. SO, after all that vague stuff...(and if you really are wanting more info, you can always email me and ask...I don't mind)...I have a very big prayer request. They are currently in the process of submitting my information to the insurance company. The financial counselor was very upfront in saying that this is going to be a big deal for the insurance to accept. Please pray for the person who will be considering my file! Pray that they will feel compassion on me and my current situation and accept my request to have insurance pay for this! If it is not covered, it will be considered "cosmetic" and will have to be paid for out of pocket. I also am in jeopardy of not being able to take time off work since it may not be considered a "medical necessity". If this happens, I'm not sure my boss will be sympathetic to my cause and give me the needed time off. I will hopefully have a decision in the next 3 months or so...less time would be nice! :) If they do choose to deny me, I can appeal as well. Anyways....please keep my situation in your prayers. It seems shallow, but it is at the forefront of my mind right now...and it's driving me crazy! Like I said before, if you want more info...just ask me! I'm never afraid to share! :)

The dogs are absolutely crazy. Oliver is running around the house, vascilating between shredding his toys and throwing them to himself. I have no idea why he's so nuts. He's just ripped the arm off of one of his favorite toys. Liberty is sleeping next to me...she's just finished being attacked by Oliver and is now apparently exhausted. Sadie is being anti-social under the covers! :)

Our refrigerator is broken. It's sad and disgusting. I'm afraid to eat anything in there. It's sad too...because there is a lot of yogurt that we just bought in there...rotting away. I'm waiting until they fix it to throw all that stuff away. I open it as little as possible. The Sears man is supposed to be here today between 1 and 5. Hopefully, it will be a quick and easy fix. The freezer still works...I have no idea why the fridge doesn't want to work anymore. Oh well...it was cleaned last week and right afterwards is when it stopped working...possessed piece of garbage! :)

Speaking of garbage....Becca and I are in packing mode. We've been cleaning and getting ready to move this summer...and it's just a TON of fun. We are throwing a ton of stuff away that's nasty and needed to be thrown away a lot time ago. We have so much garbage that the trash can is overflowing. I had to sneak the extra bags into our neighbor's trash can. We're also getting a pile together for a garage sale. I hate garage sales...but we really have so much stuff to get rid of. One of Becca's work friends was going to let us sell our stuff at hers...but now she's not going to have one...so it's left up to us. I think we're going to have one the third weekend in May..the same weekend as my brother's law school graduation. Becca said it's okay to have it by herself...especially since she knows how much I hate them. Hopefully we'll be able to figure it out..and find someone to sit there Friday morning while I'm gone and Becca's at work. Anyone interested? You can come and sell your stuff too! :)

This has turned out much longer than I anticipated. Maybe I should update more often! :) OH! One more thing! Becca and I have a place to live next year! :) We'll be moving in with our friends Nathen and Kerrie! (go back and read previous blogs for explanation!). They've told us we can pick our paint colors and everything! Hooray for paint! :) Anyways...more on that later.

Life eventually goes on...

It's been three weeks since the madness started. Unfortunately, we've been so busy at work, we haven't had a chance to even stop and think! Thankfully, we've held on to all our kids, but we as a staff are going quietly mad. Apparently, the nursing supervisors believe that we can work with less nurses on the floor. This is craziness and unsafe. I don't stress out easily, and I have had the most awful two weeks because there's just too much going on. I really REALLY need a good break....and a Caribbean vacation. You know when you go through those times in life when you just absolutely can't find joy in anything? This is one of those times. It just seems like everything is going wrong...and I can't figure out a way to stop it. At work, we've had these "debriefing" talks this past week that are supposed to help us verbalize our feelings and realize that other people are having the same kinds of feelings. On Wednesday, we had 2 sessions. I didn't go the first session because I didn't want to start out my day reliving the past events and feeling sad the rest of the day. I decided to go to the evening session. Unfortunatly, I was the only one there. I did get some free therapy from the psychologist who was going to be leading the group. He said that my problem isn't that I feel guilty about these kids' deaths. That's true...I don't think there was a single thing I did wrong in any of those cases. He said the problem was that I feel out of control, which is absolutely true. I hate not knowing what's going to happen, it's one of my greatest faults. The fact that I can't control what happens to these children is absolutely terrifying to me. Okay, so I'm tired of talking about it. I think time is going to be the best medicine in my case (or it will as long as I don't continue to go crazy at work!)

Becca and I are in the process of getting ready to move. I really love this house, and the location is fabulous, but I hate parking my car outside, not sure if it will be vandalized or not. I don't like that there are ghetto apartments around the corner and people who hang around just waiting for me to leave so they can sneak into my house. We're trying to figure out what we're going to do...where to go...etc... We've had several ideas, none of them are great. The dilemma is that our friends Nathen and Kerrie have offered us their house to rent after they move to Austin for three years starting next summer. Nathen's applying to UT law, and they would like their house to be inhabited by someone they know. I love their house, and am excited about living there, but that gives us a year without somewhere to live. I hate apartments and don't want to put the puppies through that when they've gotten used to a yard. I don't want to get the money for a massive deposit on a house, only knowing that I'm going to live there for a year. We were just sharing our situation with our friends on the day we went to Scarborough Faire. It just got mentioned in passing and then the conversation changed quickly. Bec and I got back into the care and drove to the Faire (love that E on the end!). When we got out of the car, we met back up with our friends and started walking to the entrance. Nathen and Kerrie were on this trip and presented us with an intriguing offer. They offered us their two spare bedrooms for the coming year and a HUGELY reduced rent so we don't have to move twice. That's such an amazing offer! I can't imagine asking two unmarried people to come and share my house....and bring their three dogs! Now, our puppies would have to get used to three cats....but they'd adjust....or not! :) We're going to have them over sometime soon to chat about all this (cause I need my DSL and TIVO!) and it would be SO nice not to have to move again!

Puppies are doing fine. Oliver is currently sacked out on my bed, as if he has put in a full day's work. I know for a fact he has spent the morning sitting by the front door, willing Becca and I to come home. We were out at Half Price....selling all our crap to them so we don't have to move it! I LOVE getting rid of 1500 dollars worth of nursing books and getting $36! Hooray!

Well, I'd better get going. I'm sure I've bored you enough...and it's almost time for me to go to Kohl's! Big sale day! :) Ta DA!

Love it, hate it.

This week, I've had a love/hate relationship with my job. I absolutely know that I've been called to do what I do. I love the kids, love the friends I have made working here, and love the kind of nursing I've decided to specialize in. I hate that these kids are so fragile. Today's been my first day back since the most recent death, and it hasn't been fun. Thankfully, I've been SO SO busy...busy enough to take my mind off that and throw myself into working. Hopefully, it will get easier for me, but right now, I just don't want to be here. I wish I could go on vacation! :)

Yesterday, Becca and I, along with a group of friends, went to Scarborough Faire. That place is hilarious! First of all, apparently, it doesn't matter if you're a small or big woman, your goal for the day should be to put on a corset and hoist your chest up to the highest place they've ever been and allow everyone to see this. Lovely. I saw WAY more boobs than I ever wanted to. What a gift. Second, if you're a guy, I am guessing it's acceptable to wear tight pants....tights almost. Ew EW EW! Just imagine that for a minute! :) I did have a good time. The weather was great, sunny and windy, but not hot! I even got a sunburn, which I wasn't expecting! :) I hate sunburn, so now I'm dealing with the consequences.....but at least it's not too bad. I have definately had worse!

This week, it is my goal to finish my online classes. In nutrition, I only have 1 more test to take. In Government, I have to write 6 essays and do 2 web activities. It should probably only take me one morning, if I get right to it and don't put it off. I'd really like to be done with it. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would. I've applied to UTA for the RN-BSN program, and I'm just waiting to hear back from them. That would start in August and finish in May 2007. I just need to get it over with...I figure, if I pay all that money (even though Children's will reimburse me!), I'd better pay attention and just get through it!

Well, I'm sure I'm supposed to be doing something. I'd better go find out.

Where is God?

I think I mentioned in my last post about a patient that coded horribly last week. I thought that the bad things were going to be over. This precious little boy was waiting for a heart transplant. I thought that him coding was going to finally get him the heart that he so desperately needed. I just knew that any minute, we were going to get the wonderful news that a heart was on its way. That news never came. I got the call this morning that he is being taken off life support. I know that this precious boy has been through more than any of us...and he deserves to go see Jesus, but it doesn't make it any easier for those of us who took care of him and loved him and his wonderful family. I can't imagine how someone who doesn't believe in God would handle a situation like this...but I think it's just as hard for those of us who do believe. Why would God choose that little boy? Why didn't his heart miracle ever come? It's a hard thing to fathom that a loving God would choose to have a family go through this? Then, it hits....this little boy was a miracle, new heart or not. He had a family that loved God and loved him. He had friends. He had nurses who adored him. He was a blessing to us...and if that was the reason he was born, than God accomplished his purpose for this little one. It doesn't make it any easier for us, especially since we've had such a run of this kind of thing lately. There's a song by Casting Crowns that absolutely fits this situation. I heard it for the first time in concert a couple of months ago, and it's stuck with me. I put the actual song on my myspace page, if you're interested in hearing it. www.myspace.com/redheadramblings Otherwise, I found the lyrics, too. It's hard for me to understand God's ultimate plan, especially working in the medical field. Why do some make it and some don't? I know I shouldn't question what His plans are, but it still happens. This song reminds me that He is in control, and I still need to praise Him...even when it's at the worst.

"Praise You in the Storm" by Casting Crowns

I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as You mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will life my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Do bad things always come in threes?

Another one of my "kids" died today. He was three years old. He has been sick his entire life, and I'd wager he's been in the hospital 2 of his 3 years. Please keep his family in your prayers. He was such a sweet boy, and his family has been through a lot.

I think bad things must come in threes. If this is true, than the bad must be over for awhile. I have cried over kids three times this week...two deaths and one massively awful code. There's a horrible feeling when I go to work now...I just don't know what kids are going to not be there the next day. It's a strange feeling. They always tell you not to get emotionally attached. If there's no emotional attachment, it won't be as hard when bad things happen to the kids. The thing is, that emotional attachment is what makes us good nurses! I don't like those nurses who just go in and out and treat the patients like things, and not the little precious people that they are. It's a risk I have to take in my profession, I guess. I think it's absolutely worth it. When I see these kids over and over, I start to develop relationships with them and their parents. I love that! :)

I have off tomorrow...and I didn't know that until about halfway through the day! I thought I was working today and tomorrow!! :) Happiness! I am actually working Tues/Wed, which is fine with me. It's all good! :) I got floated today, which means I won't be up again for awhile. I was ready to get it over with. It's actually better to get it done on a Sunday...not as busy.

WELL, now that I don't have to go to bed...I might just stay up all night! (or until 11. I'm pretty much a weenie)