Quote of the Day: “I think about you constantly, whether it's with my mind or my heart.” ~Albany Bach Reid
The blog is seriously late tonight, I know. I nearly forgot again, because the boys wanted to go see New Moon, so I took them to the theater to see it and I went and watched 2012 since I'd already SEEN New Moon and thought it would be a waste of money to see it again, especially since I plan on buying it when it comes out on DVD. But 2012 was a GREAT movie too, definitely right up our alley. It's the kind of movie that Ron and I both really, really enjoy watching... tons of natural disasters! It actually really does make you think, in a way. That's the reason that we watch them. It gives you a little bit of "what-if" to think about, and it's a way to remind you that no matter what you do or how safe you are, there isn't always a guarantee. I think that's what we love the most about those movies, anyways. Speaking for myself. I really can't honestly tell you if that's Ron's reason or not, and I don't dare to speculate... sometimes the inner workings of his mind can be downright scary! HAHAHA
Our next door neighbor mowed our front yard today. I was just sitting in my chair reading with major medicine head, and I kept hearing a lawnmower. It didn't really hit me that it kept sounding closer and closer for a while, but he had been mowing his own yard, and decided to be nice and mow ours too. Either that, or he thought it was getting too tall? Nah, not really. It wasn't, but you know how my mind works... if someone does something nice for me, I have to figure out all the alterior motives they might have. And I HAVE been meaning to go mow it once I start feeling better. The entire yard hasn't grown a bit, except for the two small patches of wild grass that we haven't been able to kill yet... those were about three inches tall. The rest was normal, though, which is why I wasn't out there doing it while I was sick. Definitely not worth it, if you ask me. I know that I appreciate him doing it for us, but at the same time I have that "I should have done that" guilt going on. I guess I'll have to write him a thank-you note.
I went to the gym with Sherrie again this morning and tried yet again to kill myself. I'm getting better at it or something, though, because it didn't hurt as badly as the last time we went. We had to go to WalMart on the way home because Sherrie needed to pick up some things to make pumpkin pies for her church for Thanksgiving, so I went ahead and picked up a turkey and some other things for Thanksgiving dinner. And guess who I ran into while I was there? Tiffany! She and her mother were there shopping also, and it was good to see her for that few minutes even if I was a little distracted because I was feeling rushed. She'll be coming over tomorrow to pick up our baby gate so that they can use them for the puppies. She says they're getting really big now, and I can't wait to see them again. And no, Ron, I won't break my promise and bring one home. I'm not a glutton for punishment! LOL
Oh, and I had my follow-up dental appointment today, which REALLY irritated me. I've been sick as a dog for the last few days, and had to drive an hour and a half round-trip to Lawton, and pay $1.50 at the toll booth for each leg of the trip, just to spend 5 minutes in a chair while a dental assistant looked at my mouth and decided that things were coming along nicely. Not even the dentist!!! I was miserable, running a fever, couldn't breathe, and had a sinus headache bigger than Texas, and had to struggle through the drive just for five minutes. Five minutes... seriously? Are you kidding me? LOL
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Day 87: November 22nd, 2009
Quote of the Day: “In true love the smallest distance is too great, and the greatest distance can be bridged.” ~Hans Nouwens
Today has been a really long, really boring day of trying to get over this stupid illness that is plaguing me. I can't seem to shake it, no matter what medicines I take. I guess it was about time, since I really haven't been sick since well before last Thanksgiving, that I can remember. No, not before it, maybe, but close. Let me think a minute... who was my clinical instructor when I last got sick? Oh, that's right, it was spring semester. So it's been half a year. Sigh. Still, I'm not really one to get sick, so when I do it really takes it out of me. But on the plus side I have already read New Moon, and just finished Eclipse today. I'll be starting on Breaking Dawn tomorrow. I am not usually one to re-read a book I've already read before, but there are three series which I WILL do that for... Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear series, JK Rowling's Harry Potter series, and now Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. Other than that, I'll pick the books up after having read them and they bore me. Something about those three series, though, makes me just want to read them over and over. I haven't figured out what the characters have in common, except that in all three the main character is kind of shy, bullied, and a geek, then later grows into a very powerful and brilliant character. Maybe that's what it is... my subconscious desire to be powerful and cool! HAHAHA
Nah, it's just the excellent writing. ;)
Tomorrow is my follow-up appointment up at the dentist's office in Lawton. I'm kind of excited to get it over with and done, so that I can go ahead and have my cavities fixed and all that. It'll be great to get that done and not have to worry about it for a little while. And to have things back to normal, to where I feel comfortable smiling again. THAT would be great, huh? Not that it's too much of a hindrance right now, but there's nothing better than the fresh-from-the-dentist look. Though they won't be polishing or whitening my teeth, so I'm not sure what exactly I'm all excited about.
I mean, really... who doesn't LOVE the sound of that drill grinding into their teeth!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Day 86: November 21, 2009
Quote of the Day: "So long as there is breath in me, that long will I persist. For now I know one of the greatest principles of success; If I persist long enough I will win." --Og mandino
Okay, NEW MOON WAS AWESOME!!! Right up until the end where they leave you hanging. If I had not already read the books and known what happens next I would have walked out of the theater angry as heck. But I do know, so it was all good. I could NOT believe how many people there were last night showing up for the show... the theater is inside the mall, and we went to the 10:10 show, and it was JAM-PACKED with people! The entire middle of the mall was three big lines. I didn't know there were that many people in the Wichita Falls area who were interested. And this wasn't the first showing... there had already been five at least! Yikes! Lots of people went to see it, and yes, there were a LOT of guys there! So definitely not a "chick flick", Ron! LOL I think you'd like it. I tried to take a picture of the lines to show how many people were there, but the stupid phone was acting up, so the photo got deleted during file transfer. Oh, well. Suffice it to say there were at least 500 people in the lines. That's a LOT for such a late show, I would think.
Yesterday, though, all the pressure that has been building up in my head finally let loose and my nose started to run a little bit. Didn't think much of it, but as the day progressed it got worse and worse, until now it is a full-blown head cold, and I feel really miserable. I'm going to go to the store here in a little bit and pick up something to see if I can get it to go away fast. I could barely sleep last night! I was back to looking ridiculous with toilet paper stuffed up against my nose to absorb the flow so that I could try and get just a little bit of sleep. No luck, though, I kept having to wake up and blow my nose. It was HORRIBLE! So now I'm all achy, stuffed up and runny nose at the same time, have a pressure headache, and just feel downright moody as hell. It's a good day for Ron not to be around... I hate being sick when there's things to do, and he ALWAYS has something going, which makes me want to get up and do something. I'm going to work out today, of course, but I'll probably spend most of the rest of the day either in bed or on the couch. So much for getting anything done today. Right now I just want to go lay down for a while. There is NOTHING worse than being sick. Unless it's being sick, trying to lose weight, and trying to quit smoking all at the same time. UGH!
Oh, and by the way.... CODY GOT A REAL HAIRCUT! No more "Mom" haircut. Have the pictures to prove it, too! :)
Okay, NEW MOON WAS AWESOME!!! Right up until the end where they leave you hanging. If I had not already read the books and known what happens next I would have walked out of the theater angry as heck. But I do know, so it was all good. I could NOT believe how many people there were last night showing up for the show... the theater is inside the mall, and we went to the 10:10 show, and it was JAM-PACKED with people! The entire middle of the mall was three big lines. I didn't know there were that many people in the Wichita Falls area who were interested. And this wasn't the first showing... there had already been five at least! Yikes! Lots of people went to see it, and yes, there were a LOT of guys there! So definitely not a "chick flick", Ron! LOL I think you'd like it. I tried to take a picture of the lines to show how many people were there, but the stupid phone was acting up, so the photo got deleted during file transfer. Oh, well. Suffice it to say there were at least 500 people in the lines. That's a LOT for such a late show, I would think.
Yesterday, though, all the pressure that has been building up in my head finally let loose and my nose started to run a little bit. Didn't think much of it, but as the day progressed it got worse and worse, until now it is a full-blown head cold, and I feel really miserable. I'm going to go to the store here in a little bit and pick up something to see if I can get it to go away fast. I could barely sleep last night! I was back to looking ridiculous with toilet paper stuffed up against my nose to absorb the flow so that I could try and get just a little bit of sleep. No luck, though, I kept having to wake up and blow my nose. It was HORRIBLE! So now I'm all achy, stuffed up and runny nose at the same time, have a pressure headache, and just feel downright moody as hell. It's a good day for Ron not to be around... I hate being sick when there's things to do, and he ALWAYS has something going, which makes me want to get up and do something. I'm going to work out today, of course, but I'll probably spend most of the rest of the day either in bed or on the couch. So much for getting anything done today. Right now I just want to go lay down for a while. There is NOTHING worse than being sick. Unless it's being sick, trying to lose weight, and trying to quit smoking all at the same time. UGH!
Oh, and by the way.... CODY GOT A REAL HAIRCUT! No more "Mom" haircut. Have the pictures to prove it, too! :)
Friday, November 20, 2009
Day 85: November 20, 2009
Quote of the Day: "No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth." ~Robert Southey
I'm sorry! Another day without a blog! But this time I have a VERY good reason why... I was just about to start the blog last night, and Cody got out of the shower and came to me and said "Mom, I have lice." GRRR!!!!! Why, why, WHY does he keep getting these nasty little things????? So anyways, I was dealing with THAT whole mess until after 11pm, when I finally went and crawled into the shower feeling all "itchy" and praying that I didn't get them from him. I think he may have gotten them from football, but I'm not sure. Either way, he got an impromptu haircut last night compliments of Mom, and about ten shampoos, and is now sleeping in my office floor because I wouldn't let him sleep in his bed. I have NO IDEA how I'm going to make sure that he doesn't get re-infected from his bed, the furniture, or whatever else. Groan.
And to make matters worse, I have GAINED weight the last three days! UGH! Of course, I'm pretty sure my weight is up this morning because I went and had Lite Pan for dinner because they have Thursday night buffet and I haven't gone since Ron left. Maggie asked about you, by the way, Ron. She says to tell you good luck and be safe. The food was good, but this morning I'm really, really upset about the weight gain. Mostly just because the two days prior I was up too, so it makes it look even higher. Going to go kill myself with exercising today, though.
Tonight, Sherrie and I are going to the 10:10 showing of New Moon, and I can't wait! I really enjoyed the first movie, though the books are always so much better. But this one looks really good according to the previews, so we'll have to wait and see. Either way, it's a girls' night out. Right? I'll let you know how it goes, though. That is, IF I can even hear the movie.... there will be a LOT of little teenage girls there, after all.
I guess I will have to cook a small Thanksgiving dinner after all. I wasn't going to, but Cody is guilting me into it. I doubt if Damien will even be home for it, so that stinks too. I am JUST NOT IN THE MOOD this year for the holidays. I don't see a reason to be. I'll do it next year, when the rest of me is home to enjoy it with me. THEN we will have a big, huge feast! And all the trimmings and decorations! THEN I will be in the mood for the holidays! But now? Now, I'm just going to struggle through it and hope it's over quickly. VERY quickly.
I'm sorry! Another day without a blog! But this time I have a VERY good reason why... I was just about to start the blog last night, and Cody got out of the shower and came to me and said "Mom, I have lice." GRRR!!!!! Why, why, WHY does he keep getting these nasty little things????? So anyways, I was dealing with THAT whole mess until after 11pm, when I finally went and crawled into the shower feeling all "itchy" and praying that I didn't get them from him. I think he may have gotten them from football, but I'm not sure. Either way, he got an impromptu haircut last night compliments of Mom, and about ten shampoos, and is now sleeping in my office floor because I wouldn't let him sleep in his bed. I have NO IDEA how I'm going to make sure that he doesn't get re-infected from his bed, the furniture, or whatever else. Groan.
And to make matters worse, I have GAINED weight the last three days! UGH! Of course, I'm pretty sure my weight is up this morning because I went and had Lite Pan for dinner because they have Thursday night buffet and I haven't gone since Ron left. Maggie asked about you, by the way, Ron. She says to tell you good luck and be safe. The food was good, but this morning I'm really, really upset about the weight gain. Mostly just because the two days prior I was up too, so it makes it look even higher. Going to go kill myself with exercising today, though.
Tonight, Sherrie and I are going to the 10:10 showing of New Moon, and I can't wait! I really enjoyed the first movie, though the books are always so much better. But this one looks really good according to the previews, so we'll have to wait and see. Either way, it's a girls' night out. Right? I'll let you know how it goes, though. That is, IF I can even hear the movie.... there will be a LOT of little teenage girls there, after all.
I guess I will have to cook a small Thanksgiving dinner after all. I wasn't going to, but Cody is guilting me into it. I doubt if Damien will even be home for it, so that stinks too. I am JUST NOT IN THE MOOD this year for the holidays. I don't see a reason to be. I'll do it next year, when the rest of me is home to enjoy it with me. THEN we will have a big, huge feast! And all the trimmings and decorations! THEN I will be in the mood for the holidays! But now? Now, I'm just going to struggle through it and hope it's over quickly. VERY quickly.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Day 83: November 18th, 2009
Quote of the Day: "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them." -Henry David Thoreau
Today has been a pretty good day. I took my last test for the semester, now the only one left to study for is the final exam. Which, of course, is going to be MURDER!!!!! UGH!!!! But I'll make it through that one too. As long as I pass it that's all I can hope for. Right? She hasn't posted the grades for this test yet, so I don't have a clue how I did, but I have a feeling I did really well. I think I did study a little bit more for this one than most of them so far, and there were fewer questions where I had them marked as "I'll look at these again in a minute, I'm not really sure." There were only seven questions this time which I had problems with. Usually there are more than that, so we'll see, right? I went into it hoping for a 96, but I think as long as it's in the 80s that's good enough. High 80's would be preferable, but... you know how that goes. I'll take what I can get. Not like I can really do anything about it anyways, right?
After class I came home with the intention of highlighting my drug cards for clinicals tomorrow, but ended up lying down on the couch for a while to rest because we got so little sleep last night. And then Tiger jumped up there and stretched out on my belly, making me nice and toasty warm, and wouldn't you know... I ended up taking a 3 and a half hour nap! THAT IS SOOOOOO not like me!!!!!!! But I guess I needed it, or I wouldn't have been able to sleep for that long. Usually I can't nap for even an hour before I wake up. So all this missing sleep in the last week or so has really made me worn down, or something. Who knows? It's barely after ten and I'm already dead-tired, so I don't think it will have too much affect on my sleep tonight. Maybe it will be good for me... you lose weight when you sleep, right?
Rick stopped by this afternoon to check on me and make sure that everything is going okay. He looks really tired, like he hasn't been sleeping either. I guess Ted is running him pretty ragged with all the things he constantly wants to do. He calls Rick every day and likes for Rick to come out to see him. Ted lost one of his mules recently, too... it got sick while Ted was down in Dallas, and Rick was going out there to feed the mules and give the sick one medicine, and he found it down on the ground. The coyotes had gotten it! Yuk! Poor Rick. He said that the really sad thing was that the mule had been gaining strength, and had gained enough ability to drag him around while he was trying to give it the antibiotics, so I'm not sure how they got near enough to it. Unless it had already passed BEFORE they got it. Either way, Ted's a big old softie when it comes to his critters, and I guess he was pretty torn up about it.
Other than all that, there's not been a lot going on today that's worth talking about. I have a new project that I will be working on over the Christmas break, but since it's a surprise for Ron I really can't talk about it on here without giving it all away to him. But I can say that I managed to get part one of my plan in motion, and am really excited about it. Then, I spent the evening wasting time on EBay waiting to see if Ron came online or not. I saw a lot of really good Christmas present ideas for him! WOOHOOO! Oh, yea, that's right... I forgot. I boycotted Christmas at our house this year, because Ron isn't here with us. LOL Birthday, then?
Today has been a pretty good day. I took my last test for the semester, now the only one left to study for is the final exam. Which, of course, is going to be MURDER!!!!! UGH!!!! But I'll make it through that one too. As long as I pass it that's all I can hope for. Right? She hasn't posted the grades for this test yet, so I don't have a clue how I did, but I have a feeling I did really well. I think I did study a little bit more for this one than most of them so far, and there were fewer questions where I had them marked as "I'll look at these again in a minute, I'm not really sure." There were only seven questions this time which I had problems with. Usually there are more than that, so we'll see, right? I went into it hoping for a 96, but I think as long as it's in the 80s that's good enough. High 80's would be preferable, but... you know how that goes. I'll take what I can get. Not like I can really do anything about it anyways, right?
After class I came home with the intention of highlighting my drug cards for clinicals tomorrow, but ended up lying down on the couch for a while to rest because we got so little sleep last night. And then Tiger jumped up there and stretched out on my belly, making me nice and toasty warm, and wouldn't you know... I ended up taking a 3 and a half hour nap! THAT IS SOOOOOO not like me!!!!!!! But I guess I needed it, or I wouldn't have been able to sleep for that long. Usually I can't nap for even an hour before I wake up. So all this missing sleep in the last week or so has really made me worn down, or something. Who knows? It's barely after ten and I'm already dead-tired, so I don't think it will have too much affect on my sleep tonight. Maybe it will be good for me... you lose weight when you sleep, right?
Rick stopped by this afternoon to check on me and make sure that everything is going okay. He looks really tired, like he hasn't been sleeping either. I guess Ted is running him pretty ragged with all the things he constantly wants to do. He calls Rick every day and likes for Rick to come out to see him. Ted lost one of his mules recently, too... it got sick while Ted was down in Dallas, and Rick was going out there to feed the mules and give the sick one medicine, and he found it down on the ground. The coyotes had gotten it! Yuk! Poor Rick. He said that the really sad thing was that the mule had been gaining strength, and had gained enough ability to drag him around while he was trying to give it the antibiotics, so I'm not sure how they got near enough to it. Unless it had already passed BEFORE they got it. Either way, Ted's a big old softie when it comes to his critters, and I guess he was pretty torn up about it.
Other than all that, there's not been a lot going on today that's worth talking about. I have a new project that I will be working on over the Christmas break, but since it's a surprise for Ron I really can't talk about it on here without giving it all away to him. But I can say that I managed to get part one of my plan in motion, and am really excited about it. Then, I spent the evening wasting time on EBay waiting to see if Ron came online or not. I saw a lot of really good Christmas present ideas for him! WOOHOOO! Oh, yea, that's right... I forgot. I boycotted Christmas at our house this year, because Ron isn't here with us. LOL Birthday, then?
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Day 82: November 17th, 2009
Quote of the Day: "The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions - the little, soon forgotten charities of a kiss or a smile, a kind look or heartfelt compliment." -Samuel Taylor Coleridge
I have no idea what I did today! I honestly and truly have no idea where the day went. I didn't do anything spectacular at all, really. I went to the post office and dropped off Ron's four packages to him, and picked up the two packages that were waiting for me there, and did two loads of laundry. And made my bed. But other than that, I have no idea what happened! I did not watch any tv, I didn't work on much studying other than making flash cards with normal lab values on it and a tiny bit of studying. So... I guess those aliens finally came and abducted me and then erased my memory! (hahahahaha)
I DID sit around a lot of the time and wait for Ron to get online or call so that I could let him know that his four packages are on the way to him, but he did not come online or call. I guess their internet did not get fixed yesterday after all. I did get an email from him sometime that said he had been having a busy day, so I'm sure that may have something to do with it. Or they just aren't allowed any phone calls or internet for right now for some reason. He's usually very prompt, so either way is not good. Either he's had a hell of a day, or he's had a hell of a day. Same old, same old- the work you to death kind of stuff. So, Ron... I hope that you at least got a chance to rest and breathe sometime!
Laurie got here around 5 and we spent the evening studying and preparing our Sims Lab drug cards. While we were in the office we were looking at my pictures on the computer while we were waiting for the drug cards to print and she asked about the pictures of the barns I have on my computer. So I had to show her the barn I made out of poster foam, for which I got the ideas for the styling from the pictures, and of course we had a really good laugh. Then I showed her all the twigs that I had meticulously cut into little tiny "logs" for the woodpile, and I thought I'd have to scrape her off the floor and put oxygen on her. I think she thinks I'm a little bit OCD. And I think she may be right.... but now she says we should make it out of wood and turn it into a birdhouse! LOL
We're going to study for a little while longer, then it's off to sleep so that we can get up at 4 for our final cram session before the test. I heard from the prior class that has already taken their test that this module test is much easier than the test we just took, so I'm actually hoping for a higher grade on it. If not, well, at least there's no doubt that I'm passing the class and moving on to the next semester. PRAISE GOD FOR THAT!!!! Only one more semester and the NCLEX test and I will officially be able to pin those two all-powerful, life changing letters to the end of my name... RN! Oh, wait... aren't those my hubby's initials? Okay, so I'll be able to pin two MORE all-powerful, life changing letters to the end of my name... HAHAHA!
Seriously have to get back to studying now or else I'll fall asleep at the computer, so I'll talk to you all tomorrow for the next episode of silliness. GOODNIGHT! :)
I have no idea what I did today! I honestly and truly have no idea where the day went. I didn't do anything spectacular at all, really. I went to the post office and dropped off Ron's four packages to him, and picked up the two packages that were waiting for me there, and did two loads of laundry. And made my bed. But other than that, I have no idea what happened! I did not watch any tv, I didn't work on much studying other than making flash cards with normal lab values on it and a tiny bit of studying. So... I guess those aliens finally came and abducted me and then erased my memory! (hahahahaha)
I DID sit around a lot of the time and wait for Ron to get online or call so that I could let him know that his four packages are on the way to him, but he did not come online or call. I guess their internet did not get fixed yesterday after all. I did get an email from him sometime that said he had been having a busy day, so I'm sure that may have something to do with it. Or they just aren't allowed any phone calls or internet for right now for some reason. He's usually very prompt, so either way is not good. Either he's had a hell of a day, or he's had a hell of a day. Same old, same old- the work you to death kind of stuff. So, Ron... I hope that you at least got a chance to rest and breathe sometime!
Laurie got here around 5 and we spent the evening studying and preparing our Sims Lab drug cards. While we were in the office we were looking at my pictures on the computer while we were waiting for the drug cards to print and she asked about the pictures of the barns I have on my computer. So I had to show her the barn I made out of poster foam, for which I got the ideas for the styling from the pictures, and of course we had a really good laugh. Then I showed her all the twigs that I had meticulously cut into little tiny "logs" for the woodpile, and I thought I'd have to scrape her off the floor and put oxygen on her. I think she thinks I'm a little bit OCD. And I think she may be right.... but now she says we should make it out of wood and turn it into a birdhouse! LOL
We're going to study for a little while longer, then it's off to sleep so that we can get up at 4 for our final cram session before the test. I heard from the prior class that has already taken their test that this module test is much easier than the test we just took, so I'm actually hoping for a higher grade on it. If not, well, at least there's no doubt that I'm passing the class and moving on to the next semester. PRAISE GOD FOR THAT!!!! Only one more semester and the NCLEX test and I will officially be able to pin those two all-powerful, life changing letters to the end of my name... RN! Oh, wait... aren't those my hubby's initials? Okay, so I'll be able to pin two MORE all-powerful, life changing letters to the end of my name... HAHAHA!
Seriously have to get back to studying now or else I'll fall asleep at the computer, so I'll talk to you all tomorrow for the next episode of silliness. GOODNIGHT! :)
Monday, November 16, 2009
Day 81: November 16th, 2009
Quote of the Day: "The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible." -Arthur C. Clarke
I almost did it again! I was laying in bed and struggling to try and get to sleep with like a million and one thoughts in my head, when it hit me... I hadn't done tonight's blog! At least I remembered, right? So much is going on right now that I think if my brain was not attached I'd have lost it somewhere. I know that. I think I've even said that before on here?
Study group went well today. Only Laurie and I showed up, but we were able to go over every single thing in the module in 4 hours. Not too shabby! It helps that we've already gone over everything twice, I suppose, but the more you study the more you'll retain, so we just keep at it like workhorses, pounding it into our brains. (Hopefully.) Interestingly, while we were there the guys were there working on the elevator! YAY! They were either riding up and down on it between the floors to work out the kinks, or they were sitting inside the elevator working on it while it was stuck on the third floor. Either way, the doors kept opening and closing with them inside the whole time we were there studying. I kept waiting for them to take down the Closed sign, but they never did. Maybe next time we go and study we'll be able to ride the elevator? Hard to tell, it's only been out of order for three months now!
After study group I did some driving around, and it was soooo chilly outside! I stopped by Lowe's and picked up some door hinges to make all our interior doors self-closing, in the hopes that I can keep that stupid cat from sneaking into the bathrooms and peeing on the rugs and dog beds. One more time I catch the little shit doing it and I am taking him to the county pound, whether I want to or not. There is nothing worse in my opinion than a cat or dog who forgets its potty training... once they do it, they won't quit! UGH! It's so gross! But also while I was there I picked up some new weather covers for the outside hose bibs, since all the weatherstripping on the edges of our current ones has rotted. After that I hit up the post office on base for boxes to mail some things to Ron in. I grabbed four, figuring that maybe I would have enough to last a little while, but it turns out that I actually needed all 4 boxes this time... It's going to cost me another $50-$60 to mail everything to him! UGH! I can't wait until he comes home!
HOWEVER... afterward... I decided that I am tired of my pants all falling off of me and went by the BX. I walked around forever trying to find pants that I might like, and once I did I grabbed a pair of 9's and a pair of 7's off the shelf, not sure how much my weight loss has affected my sizes. And when I got to the fitting room I figured what the heck... why not try on the 7's first? Maybe hope upon hope would come true and I would fit into them again? And wouldn't you know..... I FIT INTO A SIZE 7 JEAN!!!!!! And they weren't even tight! No wonder my clothes keep falling off me... that's 2 sizes smaller than I was two months ago!!! I am so proud of me!!!! I'm only buying the one pair, because I still have a lot of weight I can lose, and who knows? Maybe I'll end up buying even smaller sizes soon! WOOHOOO! My mission may not be accomplished, but it is DEFINITELY underway!
Oh, and I'm kicking around some ideas for a surprise for Ron for when he gets back. If the money goes right. We'll see. If not, then I will post my ideas the last week or two of his tour so that you can all give feedback. It will take a lot of my time and every carpentry and remodeling skill I have ever learned (and some I haven't, as well) but it would be really great to see his face if it turns out as well as it looks in my head. Maybe if we can't afford it now he'll like my idea enough to use it later, when we can. If not, well... there's always the trip to Reno to take my mind off it!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Day 80: November 15th, 2009
Quote of the Day: "Leadership is not a one-day thing. It is a constant commitment to excellence, a habit . . . a daily practice." -author unknown
I had to pay the car and truck payment today. It KILLS me to do that!!! They're so damn expensive, and it's such a ridiculous amount of money to shell out every month! It wouldn't be so bad I guess, except that the loans are so long and drawn out that they end up getting WAY more money than a vehicle is worth in interest alone. I was looking at the loan info, and the date it should be paid off is estimated as 2012. RIDICULOUS!!!! These stupid vehicles probably won't even be running by them, with the way the auto makers are making the cars nowadays. They just aren't designed to last like they used to be. It's a shame, too, but you're lucky to get two years out of a car. And on my car the transmission is already acting up, so I don't know how much longer I even have with it. I'm considering my options for trade-ins and what I would eventually like to drive, but I figure I have a while before I even need to worry about it, so I only look around every once in a while. The hardest part for me is trying to figure out what I want a vehicle to do for me. Truck/Car/Van is a hard choice! LOL
I'm going to be doing some more studying today and cleaning house a little bit. It's really cloudy and dreary outside again for the second day in a row, so I don't see me having a problem with staying inside and getting things done. Did you know that my bathroom has been staying clean lately? Just food for thought! :) It and my bedroom are really the only rooms that haven't been getting out-of-control lately. The living room is always a mess now compliments of Cody, and the kitchen... well, let's just say that I gave up on THAT room a long time ago. I have a feeling it won't be truly clean until I am out of school. Sigh. Only a few months left, so I'm definitely hanging in there! :)
Anyways, feeling kind of bad, so I'm going to go lay down on the couch for a while and get some extra rest, then hit the sack so that I can go to study group tomorrow. See ya later! :)
I had to pay the car and truck payment today. It KILLS me to do that!!! They're so damn expensive, and it's such a ridiculous amount of money to shell out every month! It wouldn't be so bad I guess, except that the loans are so long and drawn out that they end up getting WAY more money than a vehicle is worth in interest alone. I was looking at the loan info, and the date it should be paid off is estimated as 2012. RIDICULOUS!!!! These stupid vehicles probably won't even be running by them, with the way the auto makers are making the cars nowadays. They just aren't designed to last like they used to be. It's a shame, too, but you're lucky to get two years out of a car. And on my car the transmission is already acting up, so I don't know how much longer I even have with it. I'm considering my options for trade-ins and what I would eventually like to drive, but I figure I have a while before I even need to worry about it, so I only look around every once in a while. The hardest part for me is trying to figure out what I want a vehicle to do for me. Truck/Car/Van is a hard choice! LOL
I'm going to be doing some more studying today and cleaning house a little bit. It's really cloudy and dreary outside again for the second day in a row, so I don't see me having a problem with staying inside and getting things done. Did you know that my bathroom has been staying clean lately? Just food for thought! :) It and my bedroom are really the only rooms that haven't been getting out-of-control lately. The living room is always a mess now compliments of Cody, and the kitchen... well, let's just say that I gave up on THAT room a long time ago. I have a feeling it won't be truly clean until I am out of school. Sigh. Only a few months left, so I'm definitely hanging in there! :)
Anyways, feeling kind of bad, so I'm going to go lay down on the couch for a while and get some extra rest, then hit the sack so that I can go to study group tomorrow. See ya later! :)
Day 79: November 14th, 2009
Quote of the Day: "“I am tired, Beloved, of chafing my heart against the want of you;
of squeezing it into little inkdrops, And posting it.” ~Amy Lowell, The Letter
Had study group today, which of course means that nothing got done around the house. Again. I'm so excited that I might be able to get things back on track around here over Christmas break and actually have a clean house ALL the time! And not to mention that my laundry might actually get done! That will be a big plus, because as of right now I've been managing to do it every couple of weeks instead of weekly like you're supposed to. And I can't even begin to tell you how much that bothers me!
But back to study group... we all got together and managed to go over most of the information from the module, which is saying a lot. We really kept at it, with a lot less talking about other parts of school, things that we did at clinicals, etc. It was pretty effective. We took a lunch break and went to Cici's pizza to eat, and since my car was the only one that had room for everyone I ended up being the driver, which turned out to have a hilarious twist to it. As I was leaving the parking lot and getting onto the road to go back to the school to continue studying, there was this median... it was a small median, very low to the ground... I was turning out and there were cars coming from both directions so I had limited time to make the turn and get onto the road. Well, needless to say my front tires cleared the median, but my back tires didn't. But that's not the funny part - the funny part was that I scared Delia so badly that she burst into this giggling fit that got us all started in, and we giggled the whole way back to the school. I guess she thought we got hit or something? Not sure. But it sure made for a hilarious break from studying.
The evening was really quiet here at the house. I haven't been feeling too well lately, so I pretty much just sat around, read a book, and vegetated. I didn't even exercise. Again! I am doing really badly this week with the exercise. I have more days where I didn't exercise than days when I did. And you can probably tell by my weight, but oh, well. There's always next week. It's more important that I get better, right? So that I can enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas break. And clean my house. You know, the usual stuff.
Got to talk to Ron for a little while today, too. He says their latest thing is that they built a frisbee golf course there, and have been playing frisbee golf. It must be nice to constantly be building new and exciting toys and things while you're away at war, right? LOL They need to de-stress somehow, though. I suggested that I send him horseshoes, but he said they have them already. So I'm at a loss as far as things which I can send him. Maybe I'll come up with some ideas when I have more time to sit and think about it.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Day 78: November 13th, 2009
Quote of the Day: "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched… but are felt in the heart." – Helen Keller
I got a lot of shopping done for Ron today. I have been meaning to get him his package together so that I could get it sent out tomorrow, but since tomorrow's study group I'm not sure that I'll be able to mail it out. I'll have to wait and see. I picked him up a couple of surprises, too, to throw in for good measure, so I now have to find a bigger box. Or send more than one. Not sure which, actually, I'll have to wait and see.
I have officially made it into my "recommended weight range" now! My recommended range is 113 to 140 pounds, and for the last two days I've been 139 and some change. YAY ME!!!! The only problem is that I'm so darn tired all the time now between being sick and having my tooth pulled that I just haven't felt up to doing much exercise. Which I guess is alright, since I really didn't eat much today at all. I haven't felt up to it. Not that I wasn't hungry or anything, I was a little. Just feel all icky and achy and generally blah. So maybe tomorrow. Oh, that' s right... study group... not much eating tomorrow either, then! LOL
One more quick update before I hit the bed: It's FRIDAY THE 13TH!!! hehehe And nothing bad happened! Hmm... maybe that's because... it's just another day!!!
COUNTING DOWN: GOING TO SEE "NEW MOON" WITH SHERRIE ON THE 20TH!!!!!! JUST 7 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!
I got a lot of shopping done for Ron today. I have been meaning to get him his package together so that I could get it sent out tomorrow, but since tomorrow's study group I'm not sure that I'll be able to mail it out. I'll have to wait and see. I picked him up a couple of surprises, too, to throw in for good measure, so I now have to find a bigger box. Or send more than one. Not sure which, actually, I'll have to wait and see.
I have officially made it into my "recommended weight range" now! My recommended range is 113 to 140 pounds, and for the last two days I've been 139 and some change. YAY ME!!!! The only problem is that I'm so darn tired all the time now between being sick and having my tooth pulled that I just haven't felt up to doing much exercise. Which I guess is alright, since I really didn't eat much today at all. I haven't felt up to it. Not that I wasn't hungry or anything, I was a little. Just feel all icky and achy and generally blah. So maybe tomorrow. Oh, that' s right... study group... not much eating tomorrow either, then! LOL
One more quick update before I hit the bed: It's FRIDAY THE 13TH!!! hehehe And nothing bad happened! Hmm... maybe that's because... it's just another day!!!
COUNTING DOWN: GOING TO SEE "NEW MOON" WITH SHERRIE ON THE 20TH!!!!!! JUST 7 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Day 77: November 12th, 2009
Quote of the Day: "Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love". ~George Eliot
Hey, just wanted everyone in the world to know the following information.... I HAVE NOT HAD A SINGLE CIGARETTE ALL DAY LONG!!! And even better, it took me three days to finish a single pack! I have given myself one month to quit completely, and I think that I will be able to manage it. No, I KNOW I will be able to manage it. Willpower... something I'm learning a lot about through all the exercising I've been doing.
The best thing is, though... I just had my LAST CLINICAL OF THE SEMESTER!WOOHOOOOOO! Only one SIMS lab left, and a couple classes, and then that's it. Kaput. No more clinicals until next semester. I can hardly believe it's already that time again! But I am soooo grateful! One semester is all that's keeping me from being an RN, and that will be over just as quickly as this one. I can hardly imagine what it will be like to have a life again... no more studying every minute that I'm not at school or cleaning. To be able to pick up and do things without feeling guilty about NOT studying. Better yet, to not have that constant feeling that things are going to come crashing down around me at any given moment. What I wouldn't give to be stress-free again!
Today's clinical went very well. I had a really good time with all the nurses I worked with, and I felt like I was mostly right-on with where I needed to be. I had a terrible toothache the whole time, and was unable to take any of my pain meds because they make me all foggy-headed and I was afraid that it would interfere with my concentration. I would hate to have to worry about that on top of everything else. I was giving insulin today, too, which is dangerous in and of itself. One mess-up and you could kill someone... nothing like putting the pressure on, right? But I got to see some things, and do some things, so it was a good day.
Tomorrow I'm going to be studying again for next week's test, I can't wait for it so that I can get another good grade. I'm shooting for the 90's this time so that I have an even better chance of getting a B in the class. I just KNOW I can do it! I'll be studying as much as possible so that I can. It will help that the material is going to be easy for me to remember because I've been dealing with a lot of patients with kidney problems lately, and there's a lot of information on the renal system on this test. So, once again, please send me all the good luck wishes you can. And then after that, for the final, send me three times as much as you do for this test! :) hehehe
Gotta go for now, but I'll be letting you know tomorrow how things go with the studying. Plus I have to go buy some things for Ron and get them mailed out, and pay bills. Goodnight, everyone!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Day 76: November 11th, 2009
Quote of the Day: "Brave hearts do not back down." -Sophocles
HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY
Today was our 2nd-to-last test, and I am EXHAUSTED from studying all day yesterday and then getting up at 4am this morning to study some more. I made an 84 on it, though, so I think that it was definitely worth it. It seems that I've finally found the trick to my learning... I learn the best and retain more in the early morning hours. Not too bad, figuring that out with only one semester left of school. Oh, well... maybe it will come in handy if (when) I decide to go for my bachelor's and master's degrees. Just food for thought - right now I'm just trying to make it to an associate's degree.
You know, sometimes things happen to make you feel betrayed, and it gets to the point where you just have to get over it. That's how I am feeling right now, and it sucks. It's time to give it up and move on, though. Can't let things like that ruin your life, you know? Oh, and my stupid weight went up 1.8 lbs overnight!!!! UGH!!! I don't know whether it's stress, diet, or lack of sleep but I was very disgusted when I weighed myself this morning. Of course, it was three hours earlier than I normally weigh in, I wonder if that has something to do with it? Hmm. Not sure, but I really do hope that tomorrow it's back to normal. THAT would be great. I don't feel like it will, but I guess you never really know. I'll find out tomorrow, either way.
For school, I've got tomorrow's clinical, then next week a test and review for the final, then SIM lab on Thursday, and then after the Thanksgiving holiday we've got one more class for review, end-of-term evaluations for clinicals, and the final. And that's it! One more semester down! WOOHOO!!!! I've heard next semester is the worst semester out of the program, but we'll see... I have been noticing that I've learned more than I thought as I've been studying, so maybe I'll be okay and it will be a piece of cake. THAT would be nice. I think one of the biggest obstacles for next semester is what they call the HESI test. It's a test they came up with that is a practice NCLEX test (state board examination) which you have to pass or you cannot graduate. I don't think it's too big a deal, but everyone is all stressed out over it. I guess last year's graduating class less than a fourth of them passed it on the first try. You get three tries, though. It can't be THAT hard, right? I've never had a problem with passing a test before on the first try, even the required math test which you had to get 100% on in order to stay in the nursing program. So I guess it boils down to we'll see. I plan on studying over Christmas break to prepare myself and keep the information in my head, just in case. Evidently there are a LOT of people who plan on doing that.
Next semester is going to be fun, in my opinion. We're going to be doing our mother/baby clinical rotations and our mental health rotations. Sooo.... labor & delivery, and mentally disturbed people! WOOHOO! Oh, wait... there's not much difference between a woman in labor and a mental health patient, is there? If I remember right, I was mood swing central and multiple personality disorder all rolled together in one during my labor! LOL In all seriousness, though, it's going to be fun. I may even find out that it's what I will want to do when I get out of school. I haven't yet found that one thing that really jumps out at me and says "This is it!" Laurie wants to work on the cardiac wing. I can understand that, and I wouldn't mind it either, since cardiac was one of my favorites. But I'm waiting until the end of next semester, after I've had ALL the experiences, before making my choice. That way I can make a more informed, objective choice. Right? That's the plan!
I'm going to get off here now, I've got clinicals in the morning, so I have to get up super early. See ya soon!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Day 75: November 10th, 2009
Quote of the Day: “Days of absence, sad and dreary, Clothed in sorrow's dark array, - Days of absence, I am weary; She I love is far away.” ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Cody playing peek-a-boo behind the chair
Ain't he strong, Dad?
Cody and Tiger
Me with my favorite kitty in the world!
Rock on!
This cat puts BIG on the map!
Cody going all Mission Impossible while trying to keep me from getting my picture taken
But I got one anyways! ;)
Whatup?
Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrr!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Day 74: November 9th, 2009
Quote of the Day: "The ability to summon positive emotions during periods of intense stress lies at the heart of effective leadership." - Jim Loehr
Okay, the surgery is officially OVER!!!! When I got there the dentist told me that my tooth had grown through into my sinus cavity, and that I would have a hole between my mouth and my nasal cavity that may or may not close. Yay! I have this big huge lump of gauze in my mouth that makes me sound like Sylvester the Cat when I talk, and after the surgery I found out that I am not allowed to eat for 24 hours minimum. AFTER not eating breakfast this morning, of course... knew I should have gone to McDonalds and gotten an egg mcmuffin! I kept the tooth to show Cody what will happen to him if he doesn't start brushing his teeth, too. I'm going to tell him that if it's this bad with me brushing, what's his going to be like WITHOUT brushing?
Oh, and as for the rest of the post-op instructions.... I can't blow my nose for a month. And I'm supposed to sleep with my head elevated. Not sure how I'm going to pull THAT off - guess I'll have to sleep in the recliner. And I can't drink through a straw, or eat chips, or smoke. Yeah, you heard it... I can't smoke! LOL I had three cigarettes left in my pack when I left the dentist's office, and I finished the pack on the way home and haven't had another cigarette since then. I learned my lesson when I had my wisdom teeth pulled in Japan... I do NOT want to go through the pain of dry socket again!!! So I guess this can be considered day 1 of quitting? Maybe. I am probably going to still smoke, but I'm really going to try hard to cut back. Oh, and I found out after I got home that Mike and Tiffany's dog Keslyn is having her puppies right now! She has had 5 so far, and I'll be going over there as soon as Tiff gets back from taking her mother up to the casino. Unless it's too late, then I'll just go to bed and deal with it later on. Tomorrow I have to be down in Wichita Falls at 8:30am to get fingerprinted for the Texas Board of Nursing.... step one of getting my license!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited! It's almost hard to believe that next semester is already it. I'm almost there. I have been so focused on making it "until next semester" the whole time, and now I'm amazed that I'm finally at the point where what's left for NEXT semester is concentrating on making it "until I pass the state boards!" WOOHOOOOOO!
Hey! What happened? Cody's taller than me! Wasn't he just at my knees yesterday????
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Day 73: November 8th, 2009
Quote of the Day: “God give me work, till my life shall end And life, till my work is done.” ~Epitaph of Winifred Holtby
Got up this morning to a cool, crisp and very damp day. Not rain-damp, though, just dew-damp. But I was up early enough that I just happened to notice that for the first time ever since I planted them, the night-blooming white morning glory had flowers open at the same time as the day-blooming red and blue, so I snapped a quick picture of it. That’s pretty rare, so I wanted to enjoy it. Everything is starting to get that “fall haze” that everything gets covered in overnight around here. Cars, windows, plants, grass, roofs…. EVERYTHING gets soaked here in the fall. Spring’s the same way. I really enjoy it, though, as long as it doesn’t get cold enough to ice over on my windshield on clinical or school days. THEN it’s a problem, simply because I can’t park my car in the garage and end up running late because I have to wait for the stuff to melt enough that I can see. The next house we get will have a 6-car shop so that I can actually use my garage for what it was intended for: to park in.
This is it. Tomorrow I drive up to Lawton for my tooth extraction. I’m a little nervous, but only because of what I went through when I had my wisdom teeth pulled. You remember what that was like, right, Ron? Horrible! I’m hoping that maybe they’ll give me something for the pain just in case, but if they don’t I’ve still got the prescription from my spider bite that I can possibly use. As long as it doesn’t make me nauseous again like it did when I had the spider bite. I’ll ask them about it while I’m there, but I honestly doubt they will give me anything. Probably tell me to take some Motrin or Tylenol. Either way, at least it will be done and I’ll be able to brush my teeth a little better. Right? And I don’t have to worry about my eating being impacted, because I saw on the x-ray that I only use an eighth of that tooth for chewing on. So it won’t be much of a loss at all.
I went outside and took care of some of the plants today, and it was really nice outside! Not too hot, or anything. It was just right. I was surrounded by bees the whole time, though… evidently they LOVE salvia. They are all over those bushes! I trimmed the flowering Quince, and worked on tying up my climbing rosebushes so that they will have some support. I had to work really hard to try and tie them all up nicely so that they aren’t all droopy anymore, but I just ended up all scratched up from all the thorns, of which it seems like there are three times as many as on a normal rosebush. And the “happy little roses” as Ron said that they’d be once I got them tied up DEFINITELY do not look happy. They look all rambly and overcrowded. It’s almost like they prefer to just flop around on the ground. I’m going to do some research over Thanksgiving or Christmas break and figure out what the best way to prune them is, and when. I’d like for them to be strong, healthy plants, but for now they just look… well, floppy.
I did find that one of the roses was pollinated, so it looks like I will be growing another rosebush or two from seed, depending on whether they will grow or not. Roses are so picky! But the best part is that because you are growing them from seed you never know what color you’re going to get once they bloom. It could be anything! Especially since there are two very different roses literally inches from each other, the new plants could turn out like either one, or a completely different breed altogether. Can’t wait to give it a try! I can’t help it…. I’m an experimenter. You never know, some of the prettiest roses were complete accidents. So we’ll see. I have five different rose hips full of seeds, and I have a sneaking suspicion that they will all produce more red roses. Then again, one of them was originally an orange and yellow rose, so it’s really hard to tell.
Got up this morning to a cool, crisp and very damp day. Not rain-damp, though, just dew-damp. But I was up early enough that I just happened to notice that for the first time ever since I planted them, the night-blooming white morning glory had flowers open at the same time as the day-blooming red and blue, so I snapped a quick picture of it. That’s pretty rare, so I wanted to enjoy it. Everything is starting to get that “fall haze” that everything gets covered in overnight around here. Cars, windows, plants, grass, roofs…. EVERYTHING gets soaked here in the fall. Spring’s the same way. I really enjoy it, though, as long as it doesn’t get cold enough to ice over on my windshield on clinical or school days. THEN it’s a problem, simply because I can’t park my car in the garage and end up running late because I have to wait for the stuff to melt enough that I can see. The next house we get will have a 6-car shop so that I can actually use my garage for what it was intended for: to park in.
The baby bell pepper has gotten bigger!
This is it. Tomorrow I drive up to Lawton for my tooth extraction. I’m a little nervous, but only because of what I went through when I had my wisdom teeth pulled. You remember what that was like, right, Ron? Horrible! I’m hoping that maybe they’ll give me something for the pain just in case, but if they don’t I’ve still got the prescription from my spider bite that I can possibly use. As long as it doesn’t make me nauseous again like it did when I had the spider bite. I’ll ask them about it while I’m there, but I honestly doubt they will give me anything. Probably tell me to take some Motrin or Tylenol. Either way, at least it will be done and I’ll be able to brush my teeth a little better. Right? And I don’t have to worry about my eating being impacted, because I saw on the x-ray that I only use an eighth of that tooth for chewing on. So it won’t be much of a loss at all.
Now there's another baby pepper to take its place.
I went outside and took care of some of the plants today, and it was really nice outside! Not too hot, or anything. It was just right. I was surrounded by bees the whole time, though… evidently they LOVE salvia. They are all over those bushes! I trimmed the flowering Quince, and worked on tying up my climbing rosebushes so that they will have some support. I had to work really hard to try and tie them all up nicely so that they aren’t all droopy anymore, but I just ended up all scratched up from all the thorns, of which it seems like there are three times as many as on a normal rosebush. And the “happy little roses” as Ron said that they’d be once I got them tied up DEFINITELY do not look happy. They look all rambly and overcrowded. It’s almost like they prefer to just flop around on the ground. I’m going to do some research over Thanksgiving or Christmas break and figure out what the best way to prune them is, and when. I’d like for them to be strong, healthy plants, but for now they just look… well, floppy.
I did find that one of the roses was pollinated, so it looks like I will be growing another rosebush or two from seed, depending on whether they will grow or not. Roses are so picky! But the best part is that because you are growing them from seed you never know what color you’re going to get once they bloom. It could be anything! Especially since there are two very different roses literally inches from each other, the new plants could turn out like either one, or a completely different breed altogether. Can’t wait to give it a try! I can’t help it…. I’m an experimenter. You never know, some of the prettiest roses were complete accidents. So we’ll see. I have five different rose hips full of seeds, and I have a sneaking suspicion that they will all produce more red roses. Then again, one of them was originally an orange and yellow rose, so it’s really hard to tell.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Day 72: November 7th, 2009
Quote of the Day: "I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. If we're in each other's dreams, we can play together all night." ~Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes
Today I sat down and added up all the miles I have walked and ridden since starting my "Great Exercise and Weight Loss Experience" on the 8th of September. I was pretty amazed by the results, and thought I would just throw those miles onto the map and see where they would end me up at. Do you know, I have gone enough miles that if I had been actually walking them nonstop I would almost be in Amarillo, Texas right now, which is a fifth of the way to our family in Arizona? WOW!!! I had no idea! How cool is THAT, though! I'm really impressed with myself on that one. No wonder I slowed down on all the weight loss, my body is becoming a machine! HAHAHA Yeah right, dream on, I know, but still... I'm doing it! I haven't quit! Yay, me!
Today I sat down and added up all the miles I have walked and ridden since starting my "Great Exercise and Weight Loss Experience" on the 8th of September. I was pretty amazed by the results, and thought I would just throw those miles onto the map and see where they would end me up at. Do you know, I have gone enough miles that if I had been actually walking them nonstop I would almost be in Amarillo, Texas right now, which is a fifth of the way to our family in Arizona? WOW!!! I had no idea! How cool is THAT, though! I'm really impressed with myself on that one. No wonder I slowed down on all the weight loss, my body is becoming a machine! HAHAHA Yeah right, dream on, I know, but still... I'm doing it! I haven't quit! Yay, me!
Here's the map that shows my distance walked.....
Okay, okay, enough of that! I went for a really great, really fast walk first thing this morning, while the sun was just barely coming up, and I think I might have over-worked myself. I did do some of the walk really slow while I was looking at all the leaves on the ground to find the best, most perfect ones. A little distracted, I know. But I did try to make up for it by jogging some of my walk route. And let me tell you, I don't know what it is but there is something wrong with my knee!!! It hurt so bad when I first tried to jog that my leg nearly went out from under me! I had to actually stop for a minute and stretch it. After that I jogged a little every once in a while, but I didn't try as hard as I did on that first jog. I guess I have to face the facts... I'm not sixteen anymore.
Mocha sunning herself
Thought this was really cool, so I wanted to share it. This is Chloe's big old footprint... I can tell it's time to do her claws again, can you?
I went to study group this morning, but we didn't stay for hours and hours like we usually do. None of us were really feeling that great, and Laurie had to go to lunch with her sister, so we only studied for a couple of hours. But the good news is that I walked up all three flights of stairs when I got there, and down all three flights of stairs as we were leaving. So I guess I can add that to my exercise for the day. No wonder my knees hate me! After study group I went ahead to the grocery store and bought us just a couple things to tie us over. You know, bread-milk-eggs, that sort of thing. Then I came home and paid the stupid mortgage payment that I absolutely hate paying. We could have one heck of a really nice RV with a smaller house payment! LOL And maybe we'd have the ability to go out in it and vacation, too! ;)
My pretties... THIS is what I wanted the stupid morning glory to do in the summer.
Tonight I made spaghetti for dinner. I tried to make it Ron's way, and it turned out alright, but it still just wasn't like his. I think the biggest problem is that when HE makes spaghetti, I don't have to do it. Plus, I've never been able to tell when the noodles are done, so they always turn out either a little too firm, or super mushy. Tonight they were firm. The kids had the common sense not to complain, though. Which I thought was a great idea on their part... who knows what I would have done to them if they had! LOL I want so badly to go to Braum's and get some ice cream, but I'm being a very good girl and staying home to pretend that I've already had it. Sigh. It's not working... my mouth is telling me that I DEFINITELY did not get to eat any ice cream. So when are they going to invent a healthy, fat free, calorie free ice cream anyways???
Tiger being his usual self, following me around like a puppy-dog waiting for scraps.
I AM NOT AMUSED. DO NOT TAKE MY PICTURE.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Day 71: November 6th, 2009
Quote of the Day: "Only a life lived for others is the life worthwhile." - Albert Einstein
Today I looked in Cody's room, and was completely amazed at how much laundry he has been able to hide away. I kept wondering where all my socks were, and now I find out that he's been sneaking into my room and taking MY socks to wear because he's too lazy to do his laundry. Which is HIS chore. And his room looks like a squatter lives in there. I told him that he'd better clean up his room and keep it clean or I'll be moving him out of it and into the little tiny room I'm using as an office. And do you know what he said to that??? "That's ok, it's easier to keep a small room clean." UGH!!!!! WHY, OH WHY did I think I wanted children??? Seriously! I can't believe that he just doesn't care that his room smells like dirty feet and locker room, and that he doesn't shower. What is WRONG with the kids nowadays? Geez, I sound like my mother, but come ON! It's disgusting! My mother would have already beaten the crap out of me. And do you know what? I kept my room clean. Too bad they took away the ability for a parent to discipline their children. I have a feeling there would be a lot more decent people in the world than we now have.
On a more positive note, things are staying clean in here temporarily. And it's kind of nice. I haven't really done much of anything today but laundry and all that, but making my bed this morning was a big improvement, because lately I've been pretty lazy about doing it, and have just been avoiding it. There's a LOT of things I should be doing lately, like studying, but I am having a really rough food week so it's hard to focus on much else. It seems like I am constantly hungry lately. I've GOT to start doing better on drinking water. I think I'm going to go ahead and change out the water filter under the sink a week early, because I really think the water is tasting horrible lately and hope that will fix it. It kind of smells a little funny to me, too. I'm not sure what the city is putting in it or not filtering out, but something is definitely different. And when I don't drink the amount of water I should, I get hungry. So yeah, the water issue is going to be a really big one. I just hope that a new water filter does the trick.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Day 70: November 5th, 2009
Quote of the Day: "The joy of meeting pays the pangs of absence; else who could bear it?" ~Nicholas Rowe
Clinicals today went very well. I had a pretty good day. I was in dialysis, so I got to see a lot of different things, which I normally wouldn't see. In all honesty there's not a lot that goes on in dialysis, so there's not much to tell. Afterward I came home and planted the other hibiscus tree, so they are now both in the ground and I'm hoping they will adjust to their new home before the cold weather sets in. We'll see, because it's supposedly going to be really nice over at least the next week or so. Since the house is mostly clean and my laundry's mostly done, I'm going to spend some time tomorrow figuring out what to do about my clematis. I'm thinking I'll just put it out front somewhere, because it won't get the intense sunshine it gets where it is in the back yard. Or maybe I can plant it along the back fence, not sure yet. I have all night to think about it, so we'll see. Either way, it's been a really long day and yet I don't really have much to say because the entire bulk of it was all clinicals, where nothing big happened, so I'm going to hit the road and get to bed. I'll write more tomorrow, when I have something to say. Bye for now!
Clinicals today went very well. I had a pretty good day. I was in dialysis, so I got to see a lot of different things, which I normally wouldn't see. In all honesty there's not a lot that goes on in dialysis, so there's not much to tell. Afterward I came home and planted the other hibiscus tree, so they are now both in the ground and I'm hoping they will adjust to their new home before the cold weather sets in. We'll see, because it's supposedly going to be really nice over at least the next week or so. Since the house is mostly clean and my laundry's mostly done, I'm going to spend some time tomorrow figuring out what to do about my clematis. I'm thinking I'll just put it out front somewhere, because it won't get the intense sunshine it gets where it is in the back yard. Or maybe I can plant it along the back fence, not sure yet. I have all night to think about it, so we'll see. Either way, it's been a really long day and yet I don't really have much to say because the entire bulk of it was all clinicals, where nothing big happened, so I'm going to hit the road and get to bed. I'll write more tomorrow, when I have something to say. Bye for now!
Mocha practicing her low-crawl. Not sure why she does this, but she does it all the time.
What is it with Mocha and her tongue?
Mocha's grinning at you!
Why I hate Halloween candy!!!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Day 69: November 4th, 2009
Quote of the Day: "There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying things which are beyond the power of our will. " -Epictetus
I have had a really great day today so far! I had to go to school today, which meant getting up super early, which was a downer, but it went by quickly. Then while on the way home, Laurie and I decided to take a trip through Vernon and go to Sonic for a BLT and a drink. Little did we know that we'd be taking a road trip, though! We tried to take Main Street out of town to the highway, but as we finally figured out we were getting further and further from the town and nowhere closer to the freeway. As a matter of fact, we were heading southeast according to her car, but had literally no idea where in the world we were. So we turned around and went back the way we had come, then made a right onto a road which we figured would bring us to the freeway. Turns out the whole scenic trip happened because we turned right on Main Street in Vernon, instead of left!!!! We were laughing the whole time because we kept seeing the backside of this granary which we KNEW was just off the highway we needed to be on, but we just couldn't seem to get there. We finally did get to the freeway, though, which was fun. We got to see a lot of tractors, fields and cows, though. And a really great rodeo arena. And a broken silo. And a whole lot of redneck houses (the kind you wouldn't want to break down in front of at night without visions of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" running through your head. Eventually we did get home, though. 
I called today to have the truck and car payment due dates changed, because the whole thing about having $3000 in bills due the first of the month and only $900 after the 15th of the month just isn't working for us. They made it sound real great, then told me that the first month that would be affected would be the Dec payment, so I'd have to make the November payment on the 8th when it's due and STILL make an additional payment of $115 and some change. So I told them to notate the account that I will make the payment on the 18th of this month (which I'll probably pay on the 15th) and then call to have it set up. That way, it will still change as of the December payment but it's not going to kill us in the meantime. And I'll be able to feed the kids! So as soon as I get off the phone with them I call the lender for my car to have the due date changed for it, too, expecting another big hassle because they're the ones who are so rude about calling you to collect payment on the 9th when it isn't paid on the 8th. But no.... with them, I was off the phone in less than three minutes! She said "Okay, that change has been made, allow 24 to 48 hours for it to update in the system, and your new due date is the 15th of the month, so your next payment is due on November 15th." I was amazed. I asked her "Hey, do you need a weather report or something, because this call didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would!!!" So now, the car payments will be due on the 15th, and once I get the truck payments adjusted they will be due on the 22nd. And also, they never did process our interest reduction yet, so they are looking into that and it should be completed within a week. So things are back on track. Finally!!!
Other than that, not much has happened today that's worth talking about. I'm getting ready to go out and go for a walk, and then I'm going to ride the bike later tonight in front of a movie. That should surely help me to rack up the points for today, right? I sure hope so, because that Sonic must have thought we were too skinny- I think they tripled the amount of bacon normally on one of their sandwiches. We had to take half of it off and throw it away. UGH! I can feel the pounds just adding up on my thighs!!!! And my arteries clogging! But once we got all that bacon off the last half of the sandwich it was really good... it turned it into a BLT without the B.... much healthier.Now I'm off to go try and work my butt off. We'll see how far I can go toward that! LOL
And by the way.... one branch of the oleander has gone nuts.... look how tall it is compared to the rest of the plant! AND the other plant next to it! But as you can see, it's forming blooms... that should be an interesting look. Wish the rest of it had grown like that! LOL
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Day 68: November 3rd, 2009
Quote of the Day:
"Aromatic plants bestow
No spicy fragrance where they grow;
But crushed and trodden to the ground,
Diffuse their balmy sweets around"
-Goldsmith
Here's some good news, now I can start researching flights and hotel rooms for our trip to Reno for the Nationals tournament in June. And the best part of it is that we will be there for my birthday! Yay me!!! I'm so excited to be going ANYWHERE at this point that I could jump up and down. I won't, though... I'm too old for that now. I might dislocate a hip or something! LOL Nah, just kidding.... but I am pretty excited about it, because we haven't been to Reno for Nationals since 1998, and we had a lot of fun back then. Plus, getting to watch Ron bowl is something pretty amazing, if you ask me. Just thought you might like to know that. The way he makes it look SOOOOOOO EASY just drives me nuts. Because of him I've been hanging around bowling alleys since I was 17. We actually met in a bowling alley, did you know that? I think we were eight, and it was during youth leagues. We had a mutual friend, and as a matter of fact that mutual friend is also the very reason that we are together right now. For which I am eternally grateful!
Oh, and I found out today that the plan is for Ron to bowl in the state tournament on April 24th and 25th with his guys here. It's in Dallas this year, so it should be really easy for him to make it to this one. He may not even need a hotel room, since it's so close. They bowl their first set at noon on the 24th, so no hotel room on Friday at all, and if he decides to overnight it, it's only one night. AWESOME!!! I can't wait to have my baby come home again so that I can watch him bowl. The only thing is, I hope he is back in time!
I have school again tomorrow, for which I think I'm ready but can't say for sure. I've spent so much time cleaning today that I didn't get a chance to get my books together or anything. But that's alright, it's not a test day so it should be relatively easy to wing it. I do have all my lecture notes ready. Can you believe I didn't even get to plant that second hibiscus tree? I'm going to either have to do it tomorrow, or wait until Friday. And I'm really not looking forward to doing it because the darn things are so heavy, and just don't want to come out of their pots. I still haven't decided where to plant my clematis vines, either, so that's going to be yet ANOTHER thing I'll have to think about doing on Friday. But since the house is clean it should be relatively easy to get around to it. Once the homework is done, that is. As for now, well.... who knows... maybe I'll just get to bed early so that I'm ready for a four hour lecture tomorrow with an hour and a half in the car. Sigh. I can't wait until school is done!!!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Day 67: November 2nd, 2009
Quote of the Day: "If I were dropped out of a plane into the ocean and told the nearest land was a thousand miles away, I'd still swim. And I'd despise the one who gave up." -Abraham Maslow
I've sure had a heck of a day! I'm not sure what happened to the morning, I didn't manage to do much more than a couple loads of laundry. I started thinking about our water bills, and kind of went off on a tangent. I realized that for the past three months they just kept getting higher and higher. So I started looking around for reasons why that would be happening. I checked the toilets, the water heater, the sinks, the outside hose bibs, and couldn't find a single leak. So I went through all the sprinkler cycles one by one to make sure we didn't have a busted sprinkler or something, which it turns out that we didn't. So all I can figure is that the sprinkler in the back must have been busted a lot longer than I thought. And then, after all that work, the stupid water bill came in the mail.... and was back to normal. GRR!! I wasted three-fourths of the day looking for a water leak I had already fixed?????? Are you KIDDING??? Boy, don't I feel sheepish! HAHAHA
I went to walk with Sherrie this afternoon and ended up having a total "World's Funniest Videos" moment. We were walking in front of the church by the railroad tracks toward IC Evans Elementary, and I stepped up into the grass off the road to make way for Sherrie and her stroller, and landed my foot right into this hole that was so grown over into grass that you couldn't see it. So, of course, I ended up falling, and twisted my ankle in the process. I can only imagine what I must have looked like. Definitely gave everyone a good laugh that was driving down the road, I'm sure! Here's my most-current wt loss pictures -but you can't laugh or I'll just have to get Achmed after ya!
After that, I just came home and worked on planting the first of the two hibiscus trees. I think I got it in the ground well enough, but I had a really hard time getting it out of the stupid pot. I guess that maybe it's better not to buy pots that aren't cylindrical if you're going to be planting something? Oh well, though, it eventually came out and I don't think it was any worse for the wear. At least, if it makes it through the planting process it'll be good to go. And it's the only way that I"ll be able to attempt to keep them, since I can no longer move the pots into the garage over the winter since the car and truck are in there now. The roots would never survive out in the open in pots in the cold. I'm going to do the other one tomorrow, and I sure hope that it goes a little better than this one. Or at LEAST comes out of the pot with an intact root ball. I'm still thinking about it to decide if I can figure out a better way to get it out of there. I need another person to help me, but since I don't have anyone I'm just going to wing it. Made me rethink trying to do the rosemary, though, since it's in the same exact pots.
Tomorrow I'll finish the laundry, vacuum, dust, and clean up the kitchen, then it's off to trying to straighten out the yard. I have to mow, pull weeds, plant the plants, and basically get everything ready for winter. I emptied the ashes from last winter's fires today, too, so I'm all ready for that first fire of the season. Now, I just need to figure out how to go about getting the wood, because our stores are really low from last winter. We may have enough left for about four fires. Maybe someone out there will put up an ad for "free firewood if you come and get it". Food for thought, right? I've checked on Craig's List, but so far there's nothing. Lots of people saying they're selling by the pickup.... and charging for a full cord or face cord for that small amount of wood. What, do they think we're all morons? Don't know what we're doing when purchasing firewood? Makes you kind of crazy! Oh, well... most of it's not seasoned wood, anyways. Nothing like trying to start a fire with green wood.
After that, I just came home and worked on planting the first of the two hibiscus trees. I think I got it in the ground well enough, but I had a really hard time getting it out of the stupid pot. I guess that maybe it's better not to buy pots that aren't cylindrical if you're going to be planting something? Oh well, though, it eventually came out and I don't think it was any worse for the wear. At least, if it makes it through the planting process it'll be good to go. And it's the only way that I"ll be able to attempt to keep them, since I can no longer move the pots into the garage over the winter since the car and truck are in there now. The roots would never survive out in the open in pots in the cold. I'm going to do the other one tomorrow, and I sure hope that it goes a little better than this one. Or at LEAST comes out of the pot with an intact root ball. I'm still thinking about it to decide if I can figure out a better way to get it out of there. I need another person to help me, but since I don't have anyone I'm just going to wing it. Made me rethink trying to do the rosemary, though, since it's in the same exact pots.
Here's another pic of Mocha for you, though I know you're probably tired of seeing her.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Day 66: November 1st, 2009
Quote of the Day: "Knowing that we can make a difference in this world is a great motivator. How can we know this and not be involved?" - Susan Jeffers
Okay, Houston, we have a problem. Why is it that all of a sudden I keep forgetting about doing the blog? For the longest time I was so proud of myself because I was sticking to it, getting it done at a reasonable hour, and actually managing to do a blog every day!!!! Tonight I left the computer to go watch a movie, had to stop the movie to go pick up Cody, and was in the middle of watching it again when Ron came online and caught myself thinking that I'd just go to bed afterward and finish the movie tomorrow. So bottom line is.... I almost forgot about it again!!!!!! UGH!!!!!
Today I spent a lot of my time working on homework. I had to get up this morning and go spray texture on Ron's friend Doug's walls because he got short-orders to PCS and had two big holes in his walls that he had to fix. He got a quote from some guy that was outrageous ($1200) so I offered to do it for him since we have the equipment. I was only there half an hour and that included the getting the air compressor set up, mixing the texture, spraying it, and doing the knockdown. Can you imagine getting $1200 for that???? I told him I'd add it to his bill! : ) And I'm seriously considering dropping nursing to go spray texture, if you can make THAT much money at it!
Tomorrow is house cleaning and yardwork. I'll be playing little happy gardener for probably the last time this year! I'm finally going to put those hibiscus trees in the ground, hopefully in time that they will be able to be protected from the cold. We'll see. I have to clean out the front planters and fertilize everything one last time too, so that'll take some of my time. I have to figure out a spot to put my clematis, and I'm also going to plant the rosemary and I'm not sure what else, but I'm definitely going to do as much as I can to enjoy these last few days of warmth. It's hard to believe that winter is just around the corner, isn't it? I mean, we just barely had Christmas, and now Halloween is gone and it's almost Thanksgiving again. Why didn't I listen to my mother when I was little and she told me that time goes faster the older you get? Why didn't I try harder to hang onto every second, instead of spending most of my time wishing that the days would fly by?
Actually, isn't that precisely what I'm doing now??? LOL
Okay, Houston, we have a problem. Why is it that all of a sudden I keep forgetting about doing the blog? For the longest time I was so proud of myself because I was sticking to it, getting it done at a reasonable hour, and actually managing to do a blog every day!!!! Tonight I left the computer to go watch a movie, had to stop the movie to go pick up Cody, and was in the middle of watching it again when Ron came online and caught myself thinking that I'd just go to bed afterward and finish the movie tomorrow. So bottom line is.... I almost forgot about it again!!!!!! UGH!!!!!
Today I spent a lot of my time working on homework. I had to get up this morning and go spray texture on Ron's friend Doug's walls because he got short-orders to PCS and had two big holes in his walls that he had to fix. He got a quote from some guy that was outrageous ($1200) so I offered to do it for him since we have the equipment. I was only there half an hour and that included the getting the air compressor set up, mixing the texture, spraying it, and doing the knockdown. Can you imagine getting $1200 for that???? I told him I'd add it to his bill! : ) And I'm seriously considering dropping nursing to go spray texture, if you can make THAT much money at it!
Tomorrow is house cleaning and yardwork. I'll be playing little happy gardener for probably the last time this year! I'm finally going to put those hibiscus trees in the ground, hopefully in time that they will be able to be protected from the cold. We'll see. I have to clean out the front planters and fertilize everything one last time too, so that'll take some of my time. I have to figure out a spot to put my clematis, and I'm also going to plant the rosemary and I'm not sure what else, but I'm definitely going to do as much as I can to enjoy these last few days of warmth. It's hard to believe that winter is just around the corner, isn't it? I mean, we just barely had Christmas, and now Halloween is gone and it's almost Thanksgiving again. Why didn't I listen to my mother when I was little and she told me that time goes faster the older you get? Why didn't I try harder to hang onto every second, instead of spending most of my time wishing that the days would fly by?
Actually, isn't that precisely what I'm doing now??? LOL
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