Archive for April, 2009

Sorry for the lack of posting. It’s crazy when you post everyday, then stop. You’d think I’d be okay with transitioning to posts every other day but no, it’s all or nothing with me.
Not a whole lot going on. Oh except I GOT A FREAKING STETHOSCOPE!! Don’t ask me why I think this is the most exciting thing to happen to, there is no logic behind it. I went out with my dear brother (and sister-in-law was there in spirit) and they set me up. Guess what color I got? I promise pictures of me looking official soon! Tomorrow we are shopping for scrubs, so maybe you’ll even get pictures of me TOTALLY outfitted (think “first day of school” photo).
Today was my last Abnormal Psychology class. We talked about sexual disorders. Now ya’ll know I’m secretly a 12-year-old girl (or boy) most of the time, I giggle when someone says “duty” and usually say “that’s what she said” about 23921039 times a day. But when it comes to truly sensitive issues I REALLY try to be a grown-up. I tell you what though, I blushed and avoided eye contact all the way through the last three classes. Especially when my professor talks about the biology behind certain disorders. Can we keep it to the psychological issues? AND, my professor shared WAY too much personal information today in class, who knows if he was joking or not. I’m thinking someone sent a memo out that was along the lines of “how uncomfortable can we POSSIBLY make Mandy?” Well people, you hit the jackpot. I can’t imagine how I would do in a “Human Sexuality” class.
I can’t wait to see how my blog comes up on Google from this post!

LOVE!

PS Can anyone tell me how to change the picture at the top? I like it but I’d love to have one of my own photos there.

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I think I over-satiated you guys with blog posts. So no new post today. Just take a gander at the new theme and PLEASE vote on which was your favorite!

LOVE!

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Tonight I had a nannying job for an 18-month-old. Right as he was falling asleep I heard a familiar sound, the tornado sirens. I’ve had some experience with this sound as I HAVE lived in Kansas for almost 19 consecutive years (plus 2 years a while ago). HOWEVER, I’ve never gone through this while responsible for another human being, a very small human being. IT IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! I was honestly terrified. Usually tornado watches and warnings are no biggie, once in a while we’ll head to the basement, watch some t.v. together and enjoy our forced family time. Yeah so now I know how that will go once I’m a parent. I have a feeling anytime a storm’s a-coming my hubby will have to slip me some Vicodin. That’ll be fun. I will tell you that the adrenaline high I’m on right now? ROCKS!
In all seriousness though, a tornado did touch down in Leavenworth County (should that be capitalized?) and 6 families lost their homes, so if you’re thinking of it, I’m sure they could use your prayers.

LOVE!

ps This is theme 7, my bad.

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Sooooo today I substitute “taught” for the first time at my alma mater, Lansing Elementary School. oh my. It was horrendous and I am not exaggerating. I got chewed up and spit out by a bunch of fifth-graders. You know those times where you get all nervous because you’re about to do something new but you tell yourself over and over, “it’s not going to be that bad, there is nothing really to be nervous about”? I told myself this and IT WAS A LIE. I had absolutely no control, the kids walked all over me. I found out later that this is THE WORST class of fifth-graders (and maybe in the whole school). I guess it’s a bad combination of kids. I kid you not, I probably lost four pounds of water weight because I was sweating so much. It’s sad really because I spent some time on my appearance this morning, wanting to pull off the cool-substitute look. What I SHOULD have done instead was a massive work-out so my muscles would look BIG AND SCARY AND NO ONE WOULD HAVE MESSED WITH ME! Would you mess with someone whose neck is larger than their thigh? THAT’S WHAT I THOUGHT! I had no preparation, I got thrown to the wolves. I didn’t even have time to read the teacher’s notes or lesson plan and I HAD TO TEACH! DO YOU REMEMBER HOW TO CONVERT DECIMALS TO FRACTIONS AND VICE VERSA?
The moral of this story is that should I ever get a call to sub for this teacher again my answer would be, “there is not enough money (or deodorant) in the world!”
MY fifth-grade teacher was right across the hall and came over to give me a hug. I thought subbing for fifth grade would be lucky for me because it was my absolute FAVORITE year ever. I’m starting to think that 99% of that had to do with my teacher and classmates.
And I got a root-beer float from the neighboring class, so those were my two good things.

Oh yes, I realize I shouted a lot of my post but this day called for that. I’m hoping my shouting here does more than it did in the classroom. (I didn’t really shout at them, don’t you worry.)

LOVE!

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I think this theme portrays my excitement for Canada, oh Canada. In reality I do love that lovely country, hello PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND! It’s only the setting of one of my favorite series of books EVER. Since I don’t want to leave the strangers (ahem, citizens of the Russian Federation) out in the cold, let me say that series is “Anne of Green Gables”. I reference it often and you should REALLY read it, it’ll be worth your while and the books are so much better than the movies. The movies are good though. Especially when you are sick or feel like laying in bed/couch all day. mmmm.
Wow, wasn’t really planning on talking about Canada for a paragraph.
Today mom and I had a little adventure. After an appointment with her E.N.T./acquaintance from high school, she was convinced she needed to see his house/farm. He actually lives not far from our house on A LOT of land. And that lots of land has lots of daffodils, about 3500 to be exact. Also there are lovely gardens behind the house and I went a little crazy with my camera, I can’t help myself! Maybe I should look into a job with National Geographic, ha!
I don’t know the technical name for these, so bear with me. Feel free to tell me the names if you know!

Star lovelies

I believe these are tulips. I love the details in the petals, little slivers running their length.

No idea but I call these bells.

different something!

and, of course, daffodils

LOVE!

ps. Add to that list of reasons why I’m a spinsta that I LOVE Icy-Hot now. I often catch myself developing schemes that involve me, and a tub full of Icy-Hot. oh yeah. I’m so old!

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So I think I’ve exhausted the “I’m-so-not-prepared-for-nursing-school” avenue. I mean, how many reasons must I come up with that point to the fact that I’m not setting myself up for success? How much more AWESOME will it be when I totally knock everyone’s socks off once I begin school? I’ll totally be David to nursing school’s Goliath, minus the death part. Nursing school will WISH it had died when I’m done with it, I can hear it yelling “mercy! uncle!” at this very moment. HA.

I’m exhausted. Do you know how much energy it takes to nanny all day? for two kids? A LOT! Approximately 12309097462 times energy as much as the normal person has. I’m remembering an episode of “Desperate Housewives” where Lynette starts taking Ritalin to stay on top of everything and not get tired. That episode isn’t looking so ludicrous now. Seriously, just to change, apply diaper-rash cream and re-clothe Ethan, well, it’s a marathon. That kid knows how to death-grip his changing table. I call dealing with him “wrangling” and shall now be addressed as “Master Wrangler of Infants and Children”. That or “Domestic Goddess” shall do.
However, as both kids are asleep, all the dishes are done, all the bottles sanitized, all the toys put away (and sterilized!), and the laundry almost done, I feel like the most impressive person in the world. This must be the feeling that keeps moms going. That and the promise of sleep SOMETIME in the future.
I wish I’d brought my camera because, as always, Ethan is doing THE CUTEST things ever. He snorts when he laughs (OMG!) and scrunches his face and breaths heavily while playing (I think you have to see this to understand). Honestly, at this point, I can’t even imagine what moms feel because my heart comes very near to exploding every time he laughs and I’m just his mom’s cousin!

Okay, off to finish my book.

LOVE!

ps I’m not loving this theme, you?

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I think I will be taken really seriously as a blogger with this theme! I’m interested to know what you guys think so far? Of the three themes I’ve tried what do you like best? Are you even paying attention? HELLO?

Lately I’ve been sleeping inordinately long amounts of time. We’re talking teenager-long here. I’m almost too ashamed to say how much time I spend asleep every night. So I will say more than 9 hours and (sometimes) less than 12 hours. I can’t decide if this is good or bad. It could be good because I’m totally stocking up on sleep now, doing it while I can because come May 18th there ain’t gonna be nights of plentiful sleep. The bad thing is, my body is going to be SHOCKED the night of May 18th, as in I should have been training my body to be living on less sleep than usual.
And caffeine isn’t going to help because I’ve been consuming a lot of that lately too. I should be cutting it out so it’s SUPER potent when I consume it to stay awake for school, but no. Which reminds me, Starbucks gift-cards are ALWAYS welcome. You know, in case you’re worried that I won’t be able to stay awake during the drive from Lansing to Liberty. Starbucks caffeine always works.

So I’m not so much being proactive here. EEK. BUT I HAVE started the second chapter of my nursing book. TAKE THAT!

LOVE!

ps leave some love in the comment form pretty please. I know you’re looking, please say hello. Yeah, I’m talking to you, person from the Russian Federation. I promise to not think you’re a creep.

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This theme may be too cutesy. Can you take me seriously as a blogger with this theme? Be honest. I do like that “fluent sarcasm” is in a little text bubble and then on the right it says “do you speak”. How perfect is that?!? Just noticed it.

I think that changing my theme every day will require a new post in order to lure you in, so I shall try to post anew while displaying the day’s theme.

So, nursing books. I need about 23 books for SUMMER sessions 1 & 2. OVER 20 BOOKS PEOPLE! For 3 months of work. That’s the largest book to time ratio ever. I have one book already, because I need to read 10 chapters before beginning class. I have read one chapter, which almost doesn’t count because everyone knows the first chapter of a textbook is just fluff anyway. I’ve had that book for, oh, three-ish weeks. And I’ve managed a whole chapter. Off to an astounding start.
The other night I went through and priced the other 22 books I need to attain. Not too bad. It could be worse, I could need 22 SCIENCE course books. If that were the case, well, I cannot be held responsible for any illegal actions I may take in order to pay for said books. Too bad they don’t run this program in shifts, we begin in May, the next class begins in September, and so on, because THEN I could sell my 23 books to the poor kids starting the shift behind me. I’m pretty sure running the program in shifts would kill our professors. In the summer 2 session I have a 12-HOUR course, as in I will be sitting 12 hours a week in lecture for ONE course. This professor got some help this year in the form of an adjunct, bless her heart. I cannot imagine lecturing for 12 hours a week for one class. So the lesson of this post is: I may go blind from all the reading I will do in the next year. And lesson #2: This blog may be swallowed whole by nursing school talk.

LOVE!

Here is a bougainvillea flower for you, all the way from Sanibel Island, Florida!

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edit: I’m going to try a new theme everyday for the week and I need you to help me decide which one to pick. You’re going to have to look at it for a while to come so choose wisely. MUHAHA, I found a way to make you visit my blog every day this week. This is the first choice, take a mental picture.

Last week I got my first pair of official nursing shoes. As I stated on Facebook, they aren’t the dorkiest shoes ever but they aren’t the coolest either. If there was a continuum rating the coolness of shoes, mine would come dangerously close to falling off the dorky side of it. With that said, they aren’t clogs (with heels!), or Crocs or MBT (the rocking shoes), so I’d like to think those shoes are helping me to stay on that continuum (sorry to those of you who own any of the shoes above and/or believe(d) them to be cool, feel free to make fun of my shoes, we can fight over the dorky side of the continuum). HOWEVER, these shoes rock, literally and figuratively! They are pretty much a work-out to walk in, which is a big plus, and they aide my posture, how nice of them. They are comfortable, and let’s not kid ourselves, comfort wins in the nursing shoe department.
When C and I were traipsing (I love that word, I love to say it) around Europe three years ago, we walked A LOT. Never before have I walked so much, honestly. One day I was shaving my legs in whatever hostel’s shared shower-room and my calves were AWESOME. I relayed this information to C in the following format; “I was shaving my legs today and my calves were like BAM!” Calves are a bid deal in this family and if you’ve ever seen my uncle Ralf’s or C’s you would know why. Their calves beat everyone else’s calves hands-down every time. For some reason I have an affinity for calves, I like to look at nice ones, I like when they have definition, and I appreciate what they do for my body. These new nursing shoes? Are totally best friends with my calves. So much so, that when I graduate next May I’m expecting a special award for the nurse with the hottest calves. So yes, comfort is #1, but calf work-out is a REALLLLLY close second, or #1.1, 1.00000001 and I got both. I may look dorky but I will have hott calves.

I will continue to tell you about my nursing school preparation in days to come. I know you will wait in heavy anticipation.

Here is a photo of one of my shoes (I think mine are a little more curved from arch to toe, they have a 20 degree incline instead of a mere 15 degree, we scoff at the 15 degree shoes, bahahah):

LOVE!

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If ever there was a statement that deserved infinite exclamation points following it would be the one above. I know, I use a lot of exclamation points, but this time I REALLY mean it.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about things I am thankful for. I’ve been thinking about how sometimes being so sarcastic comes across as cynicism or pessimism. I wish I could use sarcasm as a harmlessly funny tool instead of a way of judging others but I can’t or don’t separate the two. I will keep trying though. Anyway, one day I was thinking about all of this and decided to start listing out things I am thankful for, things I take for granted. I know this is cliche and may seem trite but it helps me remember all that I have and to Whom I owe it.

I am thankful that I have been saved from certain death. I am thankful that I am free. I am thankful that I can go anywhere I want without a male escort. I am thankful that I can learn. I am thankful that I have a car of my own. I am thankful that I have enough food and shelter every day. I am thankful that I can worship. I am thankful that I have a family filled with love, with no one estranged. I am thankful for a good life. I am thankful for hope, my sustenance. I am thankful for books and libraries. I am thankful for my dog. I am thankful for the best friends a girl could ask for, Cecilia and Alex. I am thankful for humor and laughter. I am thankful for joy. I am thankful for safety and comfort. I am thankful for my body and its health. I am thankful for love and its never-ending limits. I am thankful for this earth and its life.

It’s a wonderful day to count your blessings as the greatest blessing of all was made possible today.
Happy Easter my friends!

LOVE!

edit: New glasses!

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