NURDS

So I've begun creating my own comic strip, based off of antics from certain classmates in my nursing class. I've titled it "NURDS" which is short of Nurse Nerds. This one was inspired from the lead character to has recently been seen running around class taking extremely upclose pictures of everything possible (the back of people's necks, up his nose, his pupils etc...). I'll upload more as they come. =)

...

I'm sitting in my evening class, listening to the teacher talk about third world countries and death rates. It's interesting, but lately I'm having a hard time focusing on lectures and what not. So I figured I might as well blog.

It's been miserable weather lately -- the snow from the other night had pretty much completely melted by morning, but it was pretty while it lasted. I spent the weekend coughing and hacking, and felt a little better on sunday, so Nathan and I went down by the river and tried out our new camera. Unfortunately, it was only about 26 degrees outside, so our fingers froze long before our patience wore out. But we got some pretty good pictures I think.



Anyway -- I hate being sick, but I have enjoyed getting a little more rest these past two weeks, and it's been good for me. I feel a little less stressed about things, and I'm sleeping better. I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who takes such good care of me. He's done so much for me while I've been sick, and he's so caring. I don't know what I'd do without him.

it's a white January 16...

Little late for a white christmas, but we have about two inches of snow outside as of right now...We'll see how much accumulates overnight. I have a fever right now of at least 102*F...I don't know how accurate the thermometer is, because sometimes it reads 96 degrees, and sometimes it reads 102. I can be sure it's closer to 102 because of how bad I feel. This sucks -- I have class every day of the week, and now it looks like I have to miss clinicals tomorrow morning -- no way I'm going out in the snow feeling like this.

Anyway, Nathan is gone to another state, as usual it seems, and I'm lonely. Which is why I'm sitting here watching horrible auditions on American Idol and flipping back and forth to the pilot show of Gossip Girl, which I've seen about five times because they can't seem to keep up with filming and make a new episode every week. O well. ... it beats shivering to death in bed by myself. The one night home alone that I didn't torture myself by watching reruns back - to - back of CSI's and Law & Order, I can't sleep early. lol -- serves, me right, huh?

So I'm sitting here sipping un-sweetened Peppermint Tea and wearing Nathan's old sweater. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? I know -- I'm thrilled =).

But it is nice to have a little bit of snow for this year. Unfortunately we live at the top of a hill, and if the roads ice over, I'll end up in the ditch across from the road. So I hope that there's no ice in the morning...we'll see what happens.

What a year this has been!

I thought that with the end of the year rapidly approaching, it would be appropriate to do the required look back over the past year on my blog, so here goes!

Time really has flown this last year -- I remember last Christmas time, Nathan and I were putting up our new four foot tree in our tiny little apartment.
Literally, you could reach everything from the couch. We ended up driving out to Georgia for Christmas to spend with my family, even though we were only able to stay for a couple days. Classes started again in January, and to be honest, I can't even remember what classes I took that semester. Shows how much I learned! But thus began the best year of my life, and it's continued to be amazing every new day.

I finished out the semester at TJC in Texas, and we spent the first few weeks of the summer on vacation taking a roadtrip up to Minnesota. I got to meet some of Nathan's family for the first time, and we had a (very) early birthday party for his grandma (we celebrated her birthday first of July ... it's actually in December, or sometime in the winter). We got the see the Mall of America, and I rode my first rollercoaster there in the mall!

We got back to Texas just in time to load up our u-Haul in pouring rain, and prepare for out trip out to Tennessee. Loading up that truck wasn't the only time it rained on us during that move. When we moved all the stuff out of the apartment and into storage, it rained. When we loaded up the truck, it rained. When we drove out to Tennessee, it rained. When we moved into our new house, it rained. I'm just thankful that none of our belongings got too wet or damaged.
We were greatly blessed when we moved to Tennessee and found out how large and beautiful our new home would be. We hadn't had the chance to come out and see it for ourselves, so we had to rely on friends taking pictures and promises from our landlord that it would be fixed up and presentable. Apparently, the two guys living in here before us were very uneligible bachelors who only needed a pathway from the door to their bed, because in all the pictures we saw, there was about three feet of crap piled on either side of the bedroom, and a small little path going through it. But we unlocked the door for the first time and set foot into a beautiful little two bedroom house that we will call home for at least the next four years. We absolutely love our home, and there's not much you can do to drag us out of it once we get home from the day.

Nathan continued working with his company in Texas, and I got a job at a rehabilitation hospital in town. The hours aren't the best, and I'm often tired from it, but it is fulfilling work, and in the long run, I love my job. I started my first semester at southern, and the last four months here have sped past. I finished my last final this morning, and I'm so happy to be done. I got accepted into the nursing program, and I'm so proud of myself for getting in.

We had some sad things happen this year as well though. As most of you know, we lost our dear little niece, Eleyna Petersen, at Thanksgiving time. Her passing has cast a shadow on many Thanksgivings to come, because we will always remember the sadness. Nathan and I spent our first wedding anniversary down in Florida at the funeral, so I'm hoping we can make it up next year by going somewhere special.

So now it's Christmas break, and I have a few days of freedom before I embark on what will possibly be the hardest two years of my life. But it'll be worth it, and I'm looking forward to it all (lol .. .ask me again in five months).

I want to wish everyone out there an amazing Christmas season -- don't forget what it's really all about, and spend time doing what matters most.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

she was only 4 weeks old.

How do you tell someone you're sorry that their baby died? I've never even had a child -- I don't come close to understanding that parental love, and I'd venture to guess that most of you out there don't either. Those who do have children have a better idea of the pain of losing a child, but only those who have lost that baby can empathize. I don't even know what to say when I talk to Brent and Patricia -- my stomach just ties itself in knots, and my eyes fill with tears. My heart breaks to hear the cries at night for the baby that is no longer here.

How much more precious the hope of the resurrection is when a tragedy like this happens -- we are all looking forward to that day now, when Jesus hands Eleyna back to Patricia's arms, and all the pain is healed.

This is the saddest day I've had in a long time -- quite possibly ever. I'm dreading going to this funeral service, because I know how painful it will be on everybody. I don't know what is worse -- burying someone who lived a full life, or burying someone who didn't live at all. You can't help but wonder what they would've become or how they would've turned out.

Please keep this family in your prayers -- the hardest part is still to come. No one will forget the baby, and I doubt it will ever get much easier. That hole will always be there, it just dulls slightly with time.

more political correct crap...

The newscaster just announced that Lowe's Home store tried their best to be politically correct this holiday season. Instead of labeling their catalog section for holidays trees in the correct term of "Christmas Trees", the page proudly displayed the heading "Family Trees", along with pages full of pictures of brightly decorated spruce trees. Apparently, enough smart people stood up and protested, and Lowe's realized that most people still do celebrate Christmas as just that -- a celebration of Christ. So they issued an appology and the next catalog will be printed display the correct heading of "Christmas Trees"...

And just in case anybody out there is an idiot and confuses a family tree with a Christmas tree, I've included a picture to jog your memory:



and that, my friends, is a family tree.

RN (to be)

The Nursing Committee here at Southern met on Wednesday afternoon, and may I say that was one of the longest days of my life. The coordinator of the department had told me that I could call her on Thursday morning to find out if I got into the program. So early Thursday AM, I called her office and...no answer. I called as many other numbers for people in the nursing department that I could find for the next hour and a half, and still no one answered. Finally, just before I left for convocation (2 hours later), someone answered their phone and gave me the amazing news that I DID make it into the nursing program for this January. I was so happy that I broke into tears. It was one of the best days of my life.

November has already come upon us and it amazes me how fast this last year has past. This time last year, I was planning my wedding and stressing out about everything. But my life is so great right now -- I feel like all my dreams are coming true, and I know that sounds like a cliche, but it's true. Everything I've ever wanted, I have, and God is just soooo good to us.

We are headed to Gatlinburg, TN for a long weekend this thanksgiving to celebrate our first anniversary. I'm really looking forward to the trip, because it is so incredibly beautiful up there, and I'm just praying it snows, because that would make it even more perfect.

Who said you need lots of money to be happy?? They obviously didn't have the blessings that I've been given, and so every day, I thank God for how much he's poured out upon me.