SOOO-IE

I am taking a break from typing a paper... only to do MORE typing! THIS is therapeutic typing.

So this weeks highlight = The Pig Auction

Yes, a PIG auction. It all started when my sis-in-law decided to be on the mission of buying a pig...not just any pig, she wants a PINK pig! Not sure if she will find a PINK one, but whatever she wants is fine with me. Her kids will have fun with it. SO, my dear husband has taken it upon himself to find his nieces/nephews a pig! This in return means scowering the internet, penny power and wooden nickel papers for auctions and sales.

Sunday night he flies in the door and says ' What are you doing Tuesday night?!' Since it is my last 2 weeks of school, my soul is SOLD to studying and completely focusing on school. Doing anything socially is OUT OF THE question! I replied 'studying...why?' He informed me WE were going to a PIG auction at the same auction place I bought Jake's saddle/tack. I just sank in my chair at the disgust of another insane idea from my husband! I said 'WHAT?! I AM NOT GOING TO A PIG AUCTION!!' His reply ' you have to go with me, there will be scary people in tight wranglers there...I need you for protection!' Once again, I denied his invitation. The more he asked, the more IRRATE I became. I just COULD NOT understand WHY he was placing a stupid pig auction at a level more important than MY NURSING CAREER?!!

I slept on it and finally after begging and pleading on Monday afternoon, I succumbed. I thought 'We hardly done anything together all semester, I can study all the way there, which was a 45 minute ride, and all the way back'...so ... reluctantly I told him 'yes, I will go to the crazy pig auction with you!'. I sat through school from 7-3 on Tuesday thinking the whole time 'I DO NOT WANT TO GO TO THIS CRAZY AUCTION!'. We met up at the appointed time, dropped Aubrey off at Grammie's (Justin's mom) so Grandma (my mom is staying with us until I am finished with school in 2 weeks) and Grammie could visit. We jumped in the truck and took off for the Auction barn! Yahoo!

On the way there he pulls into this pizza joint we've eaten at before, but it's always been with our 'groupies' and never just 'us'. He said we needed to eat, but didn't want to eat Auction barn food. Sounds good to me! We walked in and there was a big group of our friends.. 'SURPRISE!'

It was a surprise birthday party for me! THERE WAS NO PIG AUCTION!!! It was his smooth ploy to get me to go!! I seriously had NO idea! Usually I can find holes and strings to his lies... but not this time! He kept a GREAT secret!

It was a nice evening, away from the books and in a little bit of socialization with some of my favorite people!

perfect + perfect = PERFECT!

This past weekend was my birthday as mentioned previously in my last entry. I had a wonderful day, made a little $ at a rummage sale, then grilled 2 perfect NY strip steaks and 2 bacon wrapped filet mignons on my birthday present... a new grill! The evening was spent with Justin, Aubrey and my mom/dad. PERFECT!

To make it even MORE perfect, my mom CLEANED my house! If you know me, I am a clean freak. But with the heavy load of school this semester, some things have to be left until after the semester...my floors and dusting were just a few to name. You know I'm swamped when I can just 'let' the cleaning go!

And to ADD to the above 2 perfects... my mom is staying down here with us until after my finals! To take care of Aubrey and the bare necessities that take up precious study time! What an amazing mom! What amazing parents I have!

reflection

3 weeks left of the semester and i'm done w/ school for the summer! So exciting, but it's crunch time! Time to omit my social life and buckle down for the home stretch! My parents are down this weekend. Grandpa is driving back to IN on Sunday and leaving Grandma to babysit Aubrey while I dig in the trenches for school. I'm so RELIEVED to have them here and to have her for the last few weeks! I'm so excited to one day be a nurse! Excited that I wish i didn't have another year of school, but scared to death I ONLY have one year of school!

Well, this Saturday is my birthday. Excited? Maybe, who doesn't like to be acknowledged at least once a year? One year shy of 30... people say turning 30 was the hardest year for them. Hm...I'm not sure I will feel the same. I think I will look back and reflect on ALL I have done in my 20's! I think the older you get, the more educated, dignified and classy you get! I think it's called 'being seasoned'. Because we should continuously learn, so each year, we know more than the year before, have experienced new and different experiences than in the past and get to deal with whatever life brings our way.

A gas grill is on my birthday list this year. Usually it's just a gift card for a massage or a salon. But this year, I want to be able to grill out!!! And not have to rely on Justin's charcoal grill he got free from the church campground that doesn't cook any type of food thoroughly, even after 30 minutes! :)

Reflecting on my upcoming birthday, I sat at my desk here in the nursing home tonight, observing couples where one partner lives here in the home and the other lives at 'their' home. The ones who struck me tonight were a couple who look fairly young, maybe 60 if that, I believe his wife has suffered a stroke. She understands what is going on and what you are saying, but she can't talk. She is in a wheel chair. Her husband is faithful to come everyday when he gets off of work. Today, I think was a hard day for him to handle. He brought her down to see the birds and look out the windows. He is a quiet man, but cordial. Probably works in a factory. I always tell visitors 'goodnight' or 'have a nice evening'. Tonight when I told him to 'have a nice evening', I didn't get a smile and a 'same to you'. His eyes looked sad, he just nodded and walked out. I thought 'how difficult a situation like that must be! what will it be like in 40 years? Will I be in a nursing home and Justin at our home or will it be the opposite? Please Lord, let it be the opposite!' But whatever situation it is, I hope we will always have the strong committment and dedication these husbands and wives have to whom ever is a resident in this nursing home!

randomness

Here it is again! Thursday! Time for me to blog... but I don't really know what to say! I guess i could just say a lot of randomness:

It's been a good week.
Nothing exciting happened on the Pediatric floor. And if it did, I missed it!!
I met with my instructor about needing motivation for the last 4 wks of the semester.
Motivation = NOT wanting to re-take this semester (a.k.a. May 15th, 2010 IS GRADUATION DAY!)
She told me I will make a great nurse!
The weather is beautiful today, sunny and 68, the heat is off at our house and windows OPEN!
I am wearing teal, spring green and strappy black dress sandals to celebrate the warmth!
My mom made it home safely from a wonderful week of staying with us.
I miss my mom & dad. But mom/dad will be back next week for my birthday.
My birthday wish = a gas grill!
I love my husband and little girl!

And that's that!

exhausted

It is day 4 of my mom being down here... and it is going by too extremely fast! The time she is spending with Aubrey is priceless! She keeps telling me that Aubrey is leaving her 'with so many wonderful memories'. I appreciate so much that she came to spend a week more less with Aubrey, b/c Justin and I certainly have not been around to be much company! I didn't realize until this week just HOW busy we REALLY are!! And to that I say 'I AM EXHAUSTED!' I am exhausted with laundry, dishes, picking up around the house, feeding animals, being mommy, being wife, being a nursing student! I just want one day to sleep! One day to not have to think about the hustle bustle of life! My header may read 'simply life' but what you don't read that is 'between the lines' is 'Simply CRAZY HECTIC BUSY Life'. And yet, I would be bored to tears if I didn't have all that I have on my plate. I keep telling myself, 'this too shall pass...it's only for a season!' I think I need to engrave it on my forehead!

This week I was on the Pediatric floor for clinicals. Not quite sure how I feel about being with sick little kiddos. I stand on neutral ground. I was so NERVOUS to do ANYTHING...and we're CHILDREN'S PASTORS, in charge of over 300 Nursery - 5th grade children at our church. I stand in front of the kids and teach lessons and act silly weekly...and yet I couldn't walk into a sick 2 week old babies room w/o my Instructor for the first time yesterday. Sick kids make me nervous! Maybe it's not the kids I'm afraid of, I think it's the parents. I am excited though to go back next week... maybe I can play some catch or blow a bunch of bubbles with a sweet child who needs to have a few minutes to NOT think about his or her exhaustive, hectic, sick schedule!

it could be worse

Well, here it is Thursday evening! Upon reflecting on my week, all I can see is SICKNESS! I've been so sick all week, head, nose, throat, congestion, stomach, grumpy intestines, no voice... you name it, I've had it! At least that's what it feels like! But my voice is slowly making a come back and I'm on the road to recovery! In the words of my mom ''it could be worse!''

I managed to survive my clinical day yesterday up on the Post Partum floor with all of the new mom's and babies. I have to say right now, if I HAD to choose somewhere to work as a Nurse, this might just be the highest ranking pick! I enjoyed the OR, but I am really enjoying taking care of the moms and babies. For some mom's just the most simple suggestion on how to hold the baby while she feeds him or her makes me the heroin! She acts as though I am a sight for sore eyes and just gave her the BEST advice she's ever heard in her life! I love taking care of them!
Next week I start my 4 week rotation on the Pediatric floor. I'm a little nervous, I don't know how I'll handle really sick little kiddos. My mom thinks I will do wonderfully because I am already in the 'kid' field at Church, plus she says I 'just have a way' with the kids. We'll see how much of a 'way' I have with them next week!

Speaking of my mom, she's coming to visit!!!! Sunday she will fly down to stay with us for the entire week. Sunday Aubrey and I will road trip to Kansas City to pick her up at the airport! I'm so excited. For future reference, in our house and our speech we refer to my parents as Grandma & Papa (what Aubrey calls him, still waiting on a creative name for Grandma from her) so I am not speaking of MY grandma/grandpa. Anyhow, we love it when Grandma & Papa visit. This time though, Papa has to stay home (don't start feeling bad for him, he lived down here the summer I had Aubrey, it was great! Now it's Grandma's turn) It's hard living 10 hours from home, especially the older I get and now that we have Aubrey, I just want to be closer to family. If only we could cut out our 6 acres and move it to Indiana on a spatula! Oh well, at least there are trains, planes and cars to get us to our loved ones! In the words of my mom '' it could be worse'' :)