Nothing Off Limits

Perfect Lasagna

2012-01-26T17:30:00.000-08:00

I made lasagna tonight. I just looooove lasagna! I don't make it often since it's so fattening. I just remember why I love it so much when do. Yummo as Rachel Ray would say.

I do have an addiction to cooking shows, food network etc. I think it has gotten worse over time and my family is being driven insane. I usually just watch them at night but I never make the family watch them. I prefer much just do it while I'm in bed. The rest of the family would rather play Gears of War or something. I have to say I'm not a video game person. I used to be. Long ago, growing up in a family of 4 girls I ruled those video games. I could beat Mario in about 15 minutes. I knew all the secret pathways, etc. I started dating my hubby who plays a lot of games and it was not a turn taking thing. HE played the games. So I didn't play anymore. I got stuck watching them all the freaking time. lol So I got incredibly sick of them. I couldn't stand it anymore. Usually when the video games get turned on I run for the hills. :)

White Daddy? Funny Things that Kids Say

2012-01-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

OK. Is this funny to you? My daughter Gabbi is four years old. I myself am a pale girl. I like to have a tan but you know I'm very white. haha I don't want skin cancer so I stick with a little bronzer (not orange stuff) but you know, to get a little pretty color. My husband however is a tan dude. He's got a naturally darker complexion. My daughter Gabbi is whiter than me. She's just a pale girl. She'll probably get freckles like me too. Well she was rubbing my hubby's arm the other night fondly and said out of the blue "I wish I had a white daddy."

OMG! This sounded so wrong. The innocence of a child you know? lol My husband asked her "What color am I?" She said "Brown." Very funny. But ooooh so wrong. Could be taken the wrong way and I have no idea why in the world she would say something like that other than that we are both lighter than the hubby. I found it hilarious and almost peed my pants. Kids say the most shocking things! But you know, you teach them and move on right? Yikes!

Angelina

2012-01-16T13:12:00.000-08:00

My daughter's name is Angelina. I love this song and found it because of her name a long time ago. Many may not even realize Billy Bob Thornton is a singer as well as an actor. I think his voice is pretty good. He made this song for Angelina Jolie while they were together. I love this tune even if their relationship didn't last. I am not fond of the camera zooming in so close on his face for 99% of the video. I think they could have done that better, but whatever. The song is good!

Laryngitis Sucks!

2012-01-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

I lose my voice at least 6 times a year. That's a guestimate. I do lose it a lot though. This past weekend has been no exception to that rule. I lost it again. This time it has been worse than any other time. My daughter Lexi lost her voice first. She had a cold, etc. The whole thing. I told her to keep her germs away from me, but it didn't work. I got them. I of course have to endlessly tease her about this! You would think out of all the time I have spent in the hospital I would have an immune system made of steel but no. I have been sick and though today I do have somewhat more of a voice it's still laughable. I can't talk well and it hurts to cough. I guess it's that time of year folks.

I did enjoy my weekend however. Yesterday I was spoiled with chicken noodle soup and a day in bed. It cannot last forever though. Laundry is calling my name today. Boy how I wish it would forget my name!

Confessions!

2012-01-10T13:11:00.000-08:00

You know what I hate? I hate it when we're out at a really nice restaurant (or hell Burger King for that matter) and my hubby's phone rings and he answers the call. See, my husband works at a factory. It's loud there. I only assume it's why he's always really loud when he answers that phone. I think everyone in the restaurant knows the status of the plant any time he gets a call. I get embarrassed, but nothing I can do. He's the site manager and so the phone rings and I plead for him to NOT answer or leave and call back but no dice. He answers and it's LOUD and annoying.

I hate it when other people do this so it's only fair that I hate it when my hubby does this. Here's to hoping he doesn't read my blog today!!! :)

Pregnant with Cancer: What To Expect Giveaway

2012-01-07T16:32:00.000-08:00

Pregnant with Cancer: What To Expect Giveaway

Chicken Parmesan and Pumpkin Cake

2012-01-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

I made both of these two things in the past two days. I am happy to say the cake is pretty much gone thanks to having a few kids around the house. I had some and it was excellent. I really do not like having the temptation around.I love cooking but unfortunately with that food comes the temptation to eat it all and then of course gain a million pounds! I am still trying to figure out how to be the cook I want to be while at the same time not eating it all and gaining weight. I usually just end up resisting the urge to bake so the temptation is not there. I do love trying new recipes though.

The pumpkin "cake" recipe was actually for pumpkin bars. The bars were much more like a cake. They were not worthy of being called a bar because they most definitely were not. I had read the reviews on the recipe and was perfectly ok with this. I wanted more of a cake anyway. It was great. I got rave reviews on it. I made chicken Parmesan for the first time. It's crazy since pasta is my favorite food EVER and chicken Parmesan is a super fave of mine. It turned out great. I would still tweak the recipe a bit next time. Not enough sauce for my liking. I like a lot of it. Also the cooking time on the chicken was not nearly enough. I had to adjust that as well.

I wish I had taken pics but I did not. You'll have to use your imagination. As you can see I'm enjoying being free of school. I am still studying for NCLEX and will be taking the boards soon. Wish me luck!

Consumer Complaints for Ripside Interactive, LLC - Nebraska, South Dakota and Southwest Iowa BBB

2012-01-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

Consumer Complaints for Ripside Interactive, LLC - Nebraska, South Dakota and Southwest Iowa BBB

I can only say that Village Photos has disappeared yet they keep charging my account each month. I am getting to my wits end here. I have lost over 1000 photos! I know I know. Keep them backed up. I did. My computer fried so they are gone forever. I thought I was backing them up. The website for village photos has claimed now for months that they are moving to a new location. This same message has been displayed for months! I have been paying monthly for a service I am not receiving. If anyone has any new information or updates on village photos and their LACK of communication with faithful paying customers, let me know. I linked to the Better Business Bureau. Their address is gone and their number is disconnected. I smell a crime. :(

Ever Get Tired of Being the Nice Guy?

2012-01-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

I joined facebook before it was really a popular thing to do. I was in college in 2005 and yes there were people on there but honestly everyone was still loving Myspace. I was a part of both. I have always been very computer savvy. I did things on a computer in school when no one else could. Anyway I developed friendships online through various sites and on my blog. I don't do creepy things online and I try to be fairly selective in my friendships. There was a time I was home alone a lot and I made friends. I frequently had people treat me as though my friendships were odd or not real but in my opinion those people live in the dark ages. You can make friends online these days. I'm not the type of person who would meet someone online. I see no reason to do that. I separate the two worlds. However the idea of communicating online has not been a big deal to me for a very long time.

Moving on, family joined facebook. There became a surge of new people on my friends list who started judging my friendships with people who I didn't know in real life, male or female. I can explain to people that I am friends with a person online but I'm wasting my breath. They find it weird no matter what I do. If I were a single women looking for a date online I would probably understand their concern but I'm not looking for a relationship. I have blogger friends, and other social networking friends. To me it's just so not relevant to my relationship with anyone else. I knew family judged me. I come from a large Baptist family. Judgement is sort of a given. I ignore it. I know I'm a good person and a smart person as well. I get some rude opinions on occasion but you know, whatever. I get a little ruffled and move on. Last night I posted 3 pictures from my night on New Years Eve. I almost immediately received a rude comment from a family member stating that "I must have really liked that outfit because I posted a ton of pictures in it." If you are interested in what those pictures are scroll down, that's them in my last post. So, yeah. Whatever. I was offended for more than one reason. 1) That was rude to say 2) this is MY space and who are you to invade it with rude comments? and 3) this person has never been nice to me a single day in my life.

So I did what any sane person would do. I deleted them from my page. I blocked them. I have a very large family and I have dealt with rude, judgmental people all my life. I have been married for a loooooooong time. I have four beautiful daughters, I have beaten cancer, I have earned a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing and yet, it seems, some of my family chooses to only pick out my flaws and decide that I'm a bad person or something. I cuss on occasion, I drink a little bit and sometimes I wear a short skirt when I go out. I may even snap a couple of pictures because I look hot. Yes this is what people in my Baptist family don't like. I say, kiss my ass. If you don't like it, don't look. Thank you and have a nice day. :)

Feeling Better and Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T14:11:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling better since I ranted about not feeling well. It seems perhaps the bug decided to leave that night. Whatever it was, it was unpleasant and I do not care to have it visit again! I am feeling good though and relaxing today. I had a great New Years Eve with my hubby and sister and brother in law. It was a fun night. I still haven't gone out for my birthday. I should be doing that this next weekend. I'm looking forward to that. We didn't do anything because my birthday is stuck smack dab in the middle between Christmas and New Years. It sucks but there is never enough cash to do it all. I have ALWAYS hated that.

I am glad I was able to go out and enjoy myself. Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure. Hope everyone had a wonderful New Years Day!

My Gold Skirt. I love it. -->

Stomach Ache? Pain? Two Weeks?

2011-12-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

Literally since my graduation night I have had off and on and stomach pain with other various issues. I am serious here. I am so ready for it to go away. I will think I'm better and fine then it hits me again. This comes with random nausea for no apparent reason and other stomach "issues". This is not like me. 2 weeks. Actually about 20 days at this point. It goes away, it comes back. Today I woke up with more tummy pains after a great birthday that ended with more stomach pains. I think it's enough. I'm DONE. Never had gastrointestinal issues for this long before. Stomach flu doesn't last this long!! :(

Cinnamon Chip Biscotti

2011-12-28T13:49:00.000-08:00

Have you ever used Cinnamon Chips? If not...you are missing out. They are Aaaamazing. Honestly I am shocked when I see the millions of chips at the stores all the time but it is hard to find the cinnamon chips. I make cinnamon chip gems each Christmas. I try not to any other time of the year so they are special to my family and myself. I decided to try something new. I found the recipe for cinnamon chip biscotti on the Hershey website. This is also where I got the gem recipe. The chips are made by Hershey. I LOVE LOVE LOVE them.

Ok, back to the point. I love coffee and I love biscotti. I also love cinnamon so I gave these a whirl. Here is the result. If you want the recipe you can go to Hershey's website and look up the cinnamon chips. There are a lot of recipes that I still plan to make.

Here are the cinnamon chip gems:

Cooking, Baking, FOOD!

2011-12-27T22:41:00.000-08:00

I love to cook. I also love to learn. I pretty much always need a hobby. I have taught myself to crochet, draw and of course I took it upon myself to get an education and become a nurse. So my next big thing? I want to cook. I mean REALLY cook. I have always loved to cook and bake. I love trying new things. I am a total foodie though. I am addicted to Food Network. I love watching Iron Chef. It is time I start doing this stuff myself. I know I can cook but I want to take it to the next level. So wish me luck! I will post pics when I cook things. :)

Birthdays

2011-12-26T11:07:00.000-08:00

Well my birthday is in 3 days. This month was always a big one for me. I hated having a birthday so close to Christmas. I would constantly get Santa cards that said Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas inside. If you know someone with a birthday near or on Christmas and you've done it, shame on you. If you are thinking of doing it DON'T! I ask for only one thing. I don't need a gift. I just want you to separate the two days. Would you give someone a santa card in July? Would you wrap their gifts in snowmen paper? NO. You would feel like an idiot as you should in December as well. It's a not a time to wrap birthday gifts in the Christmas scraps. Treat the days individually and you'll already be better than the rest and we'll love you. haha It's not that hard

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all my readers. I have graduated in case you didn't know. I finally made it and have my Bachelor's Degree now. I have to take the boards still. I need to pass NCLEX but otherwise I am DONE. I am so relieved. I have a job already. I was offered a position on the Adult Medical Specialty Unit. I am really excited about that. I wanted this position. I love the unit. It is managed so well. I hope you are never my patient but if you are I promise the best possible care in the world. I love my patients! Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!

Cookie Monster? Video By My Daughter!

2011-11-20T12:06:00.001-08:00

My 14 year old and I collaborated and come up with this video. It's her hat and her cookie. lol We put it togther and here is the result. What do you think? haha

Mean? No I Don't Think So

2011-11-13T21:29:00.000-08:00

All my life I have been labeled as the nice girl...kinda quiet until you get to know me. I hate confrontation. I don't fight. I don't like to argue. I am pretty much a peaceful person. During my time on clinical I have been assigned a partner. We work together. As a nursing student we are taught to delegate jobs and to get our own tasks done. My partner had a medication to give the other day. She had to have an RN or our instructor watch her give the med. It was an IV push medication. So we looked for the RN assigned to us. She was nowhere in sight.GONE. So I told my partner that she needed to find our instructor or get another RN to watch. She insisted she was trying to avoid our instructor having to watch. (haha) So I said ask an RN.

She walked around with the medication for about 30 minutes and I started to insist that she ask someone at the desk to come watch her. It takes 5 measly minutes. Well she was just flat out too chicken to ask. So, not being able to take it anymore, I asked the nurse if someone could come watch. Our medications have a time frame to be given and if she didn't do it soon, it would be late. I told the desk nicely, we weren't sure where our RN went (as she did not tell us) and we needed to give the med. The RNs at the desk said "Oh she went down with a patient for a procedure." I stated "oh, well there ya go." This in turn prompted my partner to say "Oh that's why people think you are mean!" um...what? No one in all my life has said I was mean! I have been constantly told I let people walk all over me, that I'm too nice etc. I have been told this by professors. I need to be more pushy etc. However my "there ya go." Simply meant "oh so that's where she is. That explains why she isn't here." That's what I mean. I was upset with my partner for saying that out loud to the nurses, making them somehow think I am a mean person...which I am NOT. The irony here is she is known for being blunt and kinda mean. She prides herself on "saying what she thinks." She even stated to me that she is the only one who will tell me I am mean. I told my husband this and he was shocked. He laughed and thought it was funny. So I ask you. Do you think my comment "Oh there ya go" was mean? Cause if it is, I am just dumbfounded. lol Oh and I will say that I think it was SUPER irresponsible for our assigned RN to leave the floor for 2 hours without telling the student nurses assigned to her. HOWEVER I was not trying to be mean in my comment in anyway. In fact I really didn't even notice I said it until my partner pointed it out.

Thoughts?

Doing Well!

2011-11-13T13:02:00.000-08:00

My last post was on having difficulty sleeping. I hate to say it, but I just have a hard time sleeping without help. It is a medical condition and not one to be taken lightly. I am doing MUCH better since my last post however. Things are slowing down a tiny tiny bit for me. I will graduate in about 27 days. I have 3 tests left and a few message board postings. I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I am currently studying for a test with a boat load of information to absorb. Wish me luck, send prayers, whatever you do!!! I can use it.

Chronic Insomniac

2011-11-02T10:19:00.001-07:00

I am a chronic insomniac. Until I was prescribed prednisone in 2004 I never had a single issue with insomnia. I fell asleep in the beginning credits trying to watch a movie. I started taking this for eczema that appeared on my eyelids. No I am not kidding. It was pretty horrible at the time. It would pop up out of nowhere. My eyes would swell. I had never had it anywhere before. The prednisone helped but while on it I had such insane energy. I couldn't sleep on it. It was great for that reason, however it was bad because after I stopped I still could not sleep. I called the doc and the nurse said it was impossible that it was still affecting me because it was out of my system by now. I worried it screwed with my internal clock or something. I would lie there in bed all night long. Not 2 hours or even 5 hours tossing and turning. I would close my eyes and reach a deep relaxation but never sleep. I also would itch a lot. My skin would drive me crazy. I had this fear built up inside of my stomach and it wouldn't go away. I think it became a cycle because still to this day I get that ball of fear when I think I might not sleep. If you get sleep and have no problems with it this would make no sense to you. Go several days being incapable of finding sleep and just laying there tortured, and you will understand.

I do wonder if the cancer played a part. It was the same time frame. I have tried hard to analyze how or why it happened. I only know the prednisone was the triggering factor. I tried Tylenol pm and eating foods that made me sleepy. I tried self hypnosis even. They sell CDs out there for it. I tried melatonin and everything under the sun. Nothing worked. I still laid there and honestly I started feeling like I was walking around in a dream. They say a lack of sleep is worse than smoking. I was at that point of desperation. I saw a sleep specialist and long story short I was put on Ambien. This saved my life. I do well with it, but if you are a sleep walker I definitely do NOT recommend it. I usually do not remember what I say or do when I take this. Luckily once I'm in bed I'm in bed. My husband will tell me things we talked about and I have no idea. However I sleep and I sleep well. It's amazing and has gotten me through these years. I have been able to occasionally fall asleep without it if I am not "trying" to fall asleep. My nerves definitely play a part. I know it. I got programmed to fear not sleeping. Anyway I need to see my doctor to get a refill. This is no problem except my only day with no class or clinical right now is Monday. They couldn't get me until December. That's fine. Usually they will refill my prescription for the time frame between the appointments. However when I went to pick it up (after a doctor call) it was not ready. I didn't sleep last night. I drove away thinking that the sleep specialist didn't even care nor think about the fact that I would be laying down to a sleepless night. My neck hurts, my back hurts and now I have called to see if the prescription is ready and it is not. I called the office and left a message. Still not ready. I am getting agitated and I wonder how a doctor who specializes in sleep can just allow a patient to suffer. If you know about sleeping pills you know they can cause rebound insomnia. They should be tapered off. Yet they showed no consideration for the fact that I had nothing. I went home empty handed. I'm beyond frustrated. I have homework to do. This is a very REAL problem for me. People think it's easy but when you feel you can no longer do something that should just happen naturally there is a problem.

Tickling Makes Me ANGRY So STOP!

2011-10-22T11:48:00.000-07:00

Ok I am extremely ticklish. I bet half of my readers immediately thought ooooh cool and considered all the ways I could be tortured. Well you see I am ticklish everywhere. It's NOT a fetish!!! Not for me ok? My nerves must be on over drive because I am insanely ticklish. I have tried to read a little on this online and all I get are fetishes and guys saying "do it more, she'll get used to it" and other equally moronic crap. I will NOT get used to it. Take a knife and stab yourself in the hand repeatedly until you get used to it. Sounds stupid right? Because it is! I do not enjoy being tickled. I may laugh because it's not something I can help. However when you're digging your claws in and tickling me more and more because I'm laughing I will eventually kick you, slap you, punch you or do anything else I can to get you off. I hate it. I despise it. I do not enjoy it. It sucks! I do NOT want to be tickled. Yes it "hurt". It's a strange sort of hurt. It makes me eventually cry. It does not end well.

So have I explained how ticklish I am? I think so. I know there are others out there like me. You do not have to accept being tickled insanely by someone who thinks it's funny or "get used to it". You can say stop and I hate that. Be mean if you have to. I had to. I do not like it and I feel the older I get the more ticklish I am. It does not interfere with sex. I am fine there. I can be breathed on anywhere but my ears. haha But actually physically tickling me is horrible. I can say that the only kind of tickling I sometimes enjoy is when I get a massage. It feels so good yet hurts so bad. lol That's the only one I tolerate. So if you're out there and you think you're significant other will just get used to it, think again and quit being an idiot. Thanks! :)

This is a Really Smart Baby!!!

2011-10-16T21:30:00.001-07:00

<a href='http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/baby-learns-brad-pitt-is-cute/20xofhou?src=v5:embed::' target='_new' title='Baby Learns Brad Pitt Is Cute'>Video: Baby Learns Brad Pitt Is Cute</a>

The Walking Dead

2011-10-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

I just love this show. I am into scary movies, zombie movies, vampires, you name it. I wish the whole vampire thing was not so overdone but I still have a love for the good ones. Buffy the Vampire Slayer series was kick ass. I love it. I have a new saying and that is that Edward has nothing on Spike. Sorry to the Twilight fans! I just love me some Spike. James Marsters that is. He's quite an actor and not a bad singer either. Did you know he has a band? Ghost of the Robot. Check it out. I'm not sure if he has new stuff but I do know I was pleasantly surprised.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Ghost+of+the+Robot&aq=f

As for The Walking Dead I was really surprised a show on AMC would be so great. It's just as good as any zombie movie out there if not better. It's so well done and there is great attention to detail. I am sitting here watching it with the hubby now. My 14 year old daughter is watching and shaking in her boots. Shhh. Don't tell her I said that! :)

Fetish

2011-09-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

I said this blog was about everything. Nothing is off limits here which is the point of this blog. I was thinking recently when talking to a guy I know. His name is Kevin. We were talking about the different kinds of fetishes out there. This guy loves to be humiliated. He likes to be called names and put down. He even wants to smell socks and, get this, use them as a pillow. He buys socks on ebay. Seriously. Don't believe me? Go to ebay. Check it out. Worn socks. You'll find a lot of auctions. This guy wants to hand over his cash to women because it makes him feel like a loser. He loves it. He also wants to be called a sissy all the time. He is what he calls "a money slave". Have you ever heard of someone wanting to GIVE away all of their money, getting nothing in return but being called a loser? Ha! He doesn't mind me talking about him. As a matter of fact he thinks it's great.

What is the craziest fetish you've heard of? Have you found one like this? I know there are others out there. I could add more to this list! This guy is not just some dude working for minimum wage. This guy runs a company and makes a lot of cash. He is a business man. You wouldn't be able to pick him out of a crowd, if I didn't tell you who he was. He has the cash to give out. He lives the high life. No one knows about his secret. It's pretty funny but I'm not making fun of people with fetishes. I want to hear about fetishes. I might even draw in some new readers with this topic. lol What's a fetish you have? Are you brave enough to tell?

Happy Person

2011-09-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

I really am normally a very happy person considering all that's gone on in my life. I have had a lot happen to me in the um 30 something years I have been around. I was feeling pretty depressed a few days ago. My studies get me down because they are frankly overwhelming. I have so many people proud of me and counting on me that it gets really hard sometimes.

Now my life, well when someone asks what is wrong I may seem cold when I tell them "you don't have time" to listen, or you don't want to know. First of all, if you're a guy? I know you don't want to hear my story. At least, you don't want me sobbing on your shoulder crying about my problems. I am no fool. I have been around. I know you for the most part just don't know how to react when a woman gets teary eyed around you. Some guys do, but some don't. I appreciate what I have but some things are getting to me as an adult. First of all, it has gotten really hard since my dad died. My family has fallen apart. My step mom showed her true colors when dad died. She was never loving or affectionate anyway. She abused me and my sisters growing up and tried to get my dad to hurt us too. She didn't hug us, or tell us she loved us. She didn't help with our homework but she sure as hell beat us if we didn't do well. I had a lot of pressure to succeed out of fear. There was no slacking for me. She was with another man right after dad died. My younger sister confronted her. Long story short and I am just tired of caring who reads this or who tells who. I don't care! I don't care about her anymore. She is nothing to me so it no longer matters. I love my dad. I will always remember and love him. But my step mom was a piece of crap from the time she came in my life. She hit me for calling my birth mother "mom". I got beat! I was beaten if I got sick and threw up. I got thrown in my bed if I didn't feel well and not allowed to do ANYTHING but lay there. I know some people have it worse. That's fine. But whatever. This is my life. I realize I am not close to anyone in my family anymore except my sisters. I love them so much and they are all I have.

I am not close to the rest of my family because many of them were AWFUL when dad died. My step mom spread rumors and lies to get sympathy and attention for herself. My sisters and I have been devastated by her actions. My birth mother is no better. She never came to see me the whole time I had cancer and I have never forgiven her. Maybe I will forgive but it will not mean a thing to her. She doesn't know she was wrong. I had cancer and was in remission for just a year when my dad got sick. And then he died before I ever hit the two year mark. I laughed at cancer and it kicked me in the ass. Whatever. You want to know what's wrong some days? I bottle this up and it kills me. I really am a happy person. I have a lot of stuff that's happened but I get it out. I pick myself up. I move on. But remember, if you ask me what's wrong when I'm feeling down? You don't have the time to listen.

*damn spellcheck is not working and I am not caring enough to proof read!

Isn't it Crazy?

2011-08-21T13:52:00.000-07:00

Well my final semester of nursing has taken off. I am one week down. I have basically 16 weeks per semester. However this is my LAST semester. That's right. I am almost done. Does anyone out there remember when I first got accepted? Are any of my old readers still reading? I know I haven't had as much time here lately but nursing school requires a ton of my time. I enjoyed my summer with a little less blogging than usual. I still love coming back and talking your ear off for awhile. I like to give my opinions and I like to hear yours.\

The great thing about this semester is because it's my last we're doing a lot of graduation prep. This means I get done sooner with a lot of my classes. One class has it's final earlier. I like that. I just pray that I get through this semester with minimal stress. I doubt that will happen. I am doing all of my clinical on Oncology. Second semester I will be working in Intermediate Care which is a step down from ICU. I will be working with very sick patients.

On a final note, I cannot believe summer is over! (for me)

Most Beautiful Female Celebrities

2011-08-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

I was going to say sexiest, but eh, just doesn't sound right coming from me. If guys want to add to or take away from this list feel free. I just promised that I would do this so here I am. There is NO specific order. I am simply naming 10. I had a hard time with this list. I don't find Megan Fox that attractive. I know people do, but if you look at her older pics, compared to now I feel her face looks like it's had too much plastic surgery. I am not a fan of that look. There are names that could be on here that aren't. This is simply women who I personally think are beautiful. :)

10. Charlize Theron

9. Jessica Alba

8. Catherine Zeta Jones

7. Emma Watson

6. Angelina Jolie

5. Jennifer Aniston

4. Gabrielle Union

3. Selena Gomez

2. Dianna Agron

1. Hayden Panettiere

My Top 10 Hottest Male Celebs

2011-08-08T12:12:00.000-07:00

Ok I just have to make this list. You want to know my type? Who do I find hot? Well even if you don't here it is. Then maybe tomorrow I'll do a list of the most gorgeous female celebs. I'll be posting pics of them at a time I found them the most gorgeous. Dead or alive. The only reason I am posting celebs is because well they are up there on my screen for me to drool over.

10. Leonardo Dicaprio (more from the Titanic Era)

9. Matt Damon (Think Good Will Hunting)

8. Will Smith (Yes...he was delicious in I am Legend)

7. Tom Welling (he's kinda new to me but those eyes will melt anyone. He was in Smallville)

6. Paul Walker (Fast and Furious.)

5. Justin Timberlake (um like after the afro)

4. Patrick Swayze (pretty much always)

3. Mario Lopez (think Nip/Tuck)

2. Johnny Depp (21 Jump Street anyone?)

1. Drumroll.......Brad Pitt! Think the movie Troy and yeah...I haven't ever seen better. I might...someday...but I haven't yet.

Vacation!

2011-07-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying my time off. I needed this rest and relaxation. I haven't went anywhere. I didn't get to lay on a beach anywhere but I did get some much needed rest. I love being here with the family and spending time with my girls. I will be graduating in December and then preparing for the boards. NCLEX. The nursing boards. The word I have heard a million times since starting Nursing School. I need to really start studying! I think my brain got fried in this heat wave this summer.

I am wondering what I should do these last 3 weeks of vacation? What do you think?

Teeth Whitening and Age

2011-07-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

Ok I am just making a personal observation and statement here. I see a lot of people trying to lose weight, change their hair styles etc to look younger. One of the biggest things I think a lot of people miss is the color and health of their teeth. Our teeth can age us SO much. I think it was probably 2004 when I first whitened my teeth. I used the Crest Night Effects. It worked GREAT. I put it on at night and brushed my teeth in the morning. The trouble with this product was that it was really messy and felt like you had glue all over your teeth. It was very awkward and always destroyed my toothbrush. You used this for 14 days I believe. It worked for me amazing and I have had really white teeth since then.

Fast forward and suddenly I realized my Crest Night Effects was GONE. It was no longer on the shelves. I am not sure why it was discontinued but my guess is that it has something to do with all the strips out there and the fact that no one like the messiness of the paste. I loved it and it was like $12.97 a box. Now the cheapest thing that really works in my opinion is around $25. I used the Crest Whitening Strips the last time. They worked well. You can easily over use this stuff. You get hooked on it. You only need to do it really a couple of times a year. If you have bad stains it says you can use two boxes in a row. I highly recommend these products. I'm not promoting one single product. I used the Listerine strips once but I have to say it burned the hell out of my gums. I used them, but it stung and I feel that they shouldn't sting. There has to be a way around that.

The point of this post is simple, whiten your teeth. Yellow teeth AGES you tremendously. You can pay attention to all of the other details but if you smile a big yellow smile, it's a HUGE turn off.

What Would You Do For Free Steak?

2011-07-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

Yeah ok, strange subject I know. I do have a good reason for asking though. Does anyone like Johnny's Italian Steakhouse? I do! I love their food, their drinks. Amazing! I love love love them. So I liked them on facebook. Well they have a contest right now to win steaks. All you have to do it post a pic of your fave guy. Whoever gets the most likes? Wins. Easy. So I'm asking if my readers would like my pic I posted. I posted my hubby. Just look for my post by me Sandra ;) You have to like their page first http://www.facebook.com/JohnnysSteakhouse
Then all you need to do is like my pic.

Post here if you did. I want to thank you! Besides trying to get free steak (which is making me feel really hungry) I'm visiting with my family. My husband's brother is visiting us along with his wife and two little girls. He is in the Air Force and currently moving. He stopped here on the way. We haven't seen them since 2005 so this is really nice.

I want to do something this weekend. I plan to be social and have a great time. What about you? Is anyone doing anything fun for the fourth of July??

Too Much Johnny Depp?

2011-06-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

Honestly I don't think it's possible but a male friend recently suggested to me that there was too much of him in this world. I am currently watching a move called From Hell. I rented it from Netflix and I have to say, I'm enjoying it. I like the quirky, weird characters he plays. Let's face it, he's a good actor. He can play weird or serious. I want to say I have loved him for quite some time. I was a fan from 21 Jump Street and that scene in Nightmare on Elm Street when he was sucked into his water bed and shot out as blood.

I will say though, I don't disagree with my friend. There is an excessive amount of Mr. Depp out there these days. I am just saying, I'm not complaining. Are there any other actors or actresses out there you're sick of seeing?

*edited to add a picture of him. Why not?? ;)

Not Sure What's Up With Me

2011-06-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

I've been cooking like crazy lately. I think I have so much time on my hands being on vacation that I just want to cook a lot. I made a chicken taco/enchilada casserole tonight. I found a recipe but I tweaked it a lot. It was amazing. It's just lucky that I've been exercising more as well as cooking more. It helps!

I have also been enjoying summer break doing things like reading (for fun instead of text books), shopping, spending more time with my girls and going out with friends. Even though I am glad to be away from school I do miss my school friends. They are going out for drinks on Saturday and I plan on being there. Last week I heard a good local band. It's nice to support the local music. The band was good though. I believe they call themselves Damm Strate or something. I honestly am not sure how they spell it, however I do know they don't spell it how it "should" be spelled. haha

I would really like to take a vacation but at this point it's not looking promising. I need a beach somewhere!

Hmmm Cupcake or Chocolate Chip Cookie?

2011-06-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

Can't decide? To hell with it. Have both!!!! I love the facebook page Bake it In a Cake. They are aaaaamazing. They also have a website here: http://bakeitinacake.com/. The possibilities are endless. I saw a picture of a chocolate chip cookie in a cupcake so I had to try it. They turned out PERFECT. :) I never found a recipe. I just made it myself based on the idea. It wasn't hard. See for yourself....and drool. :)

Live in the Peoria Area?

2011-06-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

Need a truck? We're selling this one!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280694767108&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT

Have a look. I'm visiting with inlaws this week so it's been a little busy. I am having a lot of fun cooking up various meals for the whole family. I do love to cook. I have been watching food network like crazy. I love love love Man vs. Food and Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. Bobby Flay is a personal fave as well. I love Paula Deen for that home cooking. My grandma is from the south so I do love the fried foods and sweet tea!

Ahhhh I Can't Take It!

2011-06-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

I have been watching my food shows lately. I am watching the waistline since it's summer and I need to tone and tighten. I have been running the treadmill and working out quite a bit. Along with the exercise and being good comes hunger. I hate that I start craving all the bad stuff when I'm trying to be good. It's how it goes though. I have been watching food network like crazy. I am a glutton for punishment. I love watching cooking shows even more when I'm really hungry. I don't know why. I don't go eat either. I just love watching it. I am doing this late at night usually and by the time dinner rolls around I cook up a really delicious meal. I am a better chef when I watch Food Network!

I got up pretty early this morning and Martha Stewart was on baking a rhubarb pie with another woman. I'm not a huge fan of Martha Stewart but eh, I figured what the heck. Well no one on the planet could possibly actually understand the recipe cause these two women kept interrupting each other! They talked over each other, never finished a sentence...etc. When one started to make a statement the other would immediately interrupt and say "oh and you can always do this" then the other one would be "yeah and well I do it like this." I wanted to slap them both and say BAKE THE FREAKING PIE! They wouldn't shut up. I had to finally turn the channel. Forget the pie. I'll watch Bobby Flay any day! He at least doesn't make me feel like he's competing for the camera's attention.

2011-06-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

ok. I always thought Christina Aguilera had one of the strongest voices around...but um...what's wrong with her lately? She totally DESTROYED We are the Champions in the beginning of this clip. Why does she feel the need to do whatever it is that she does to every single word in the song? I want her to just calm down and sing like she used to...if she still can...but this is just annoying screeching. Check out the link below. Not trying to be mean, but she shouldn't be wearing those hot pants either. I WOULDN'T wear them! I am 5'2" and about 102 pounds but I know better than wearing something like this. It's gonna make all your bad spots look worse...and wow did they look worse. I want everyone to get me right here. I have always LOVED her. Something is just not right and everyone has to agree these pants are bad. I'm making observations.

http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/video/quarter-finals-round-1/1332478/

Loving this Chick :)

2011-06-05T17:30:00.000-07:00

The guy is pretty good too at what he does. I'm really loving her. Her name is Karmin. She does covers of other songs but she usually improves the song and then I prefer HER version. She did Look at Me Now and it's amazing.

The current song that I am loving is Super Bass. She just nails it. Great job! Keep belting out the tunes. I love listening.

My New Favorite

2011-06-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

I have always been a tea person. I came across this at the store.

Since I have a sweet tooth as well I bought it. That is my Hugs & Kisses cup and I love it. haha We all have our favorite mug right? Well I decided to give this a try and I definitely do add some sweetener to it. I have to have my sweetener. I always add a touch of honey and it's out of this world good. I'm enjoying it at this very moment. The tea bags were really interesting looking too.

There is nothing like a nice hot beverage and a good book don't you think? :)

Weird Dreams

2011-06-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a series of odd dreams and even more strange I seem to remember a lot of them. I had a dream a college professor was hitting on me hardcore, like propositioning me and I was thinking I had to tell someone. I was going to tell a friend nearby but before I could she went insane. lol Then I was at a restaurant and couldn't find my kids. It goes on, but you get the idea. It was crazy. It's even more crazy since most of my teachers are women. Then again, 2 of my female teachers are in fact a couple...and I go to a Catholic college. Go figure! ;)

I am now sitting on my couch, having a cup of coffee, pondering all the weirdness that is in my brain. Have you had any crazy dreams you remember?

Staying Thin With a Sweet Tooth

2011-06-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

It really sucks having a sweet tooth and trying to stay thin at the same time. Some people are under the delusion that I don't eat. However they would be surprised. I just find the right things to eat. I either lower calorie treats, or smaller amounts of the fattening things but I don't deprive myself of anything at all. That just makes you want it even more. I guess I have willpower. I recently bought a package of the new Strawberry Burst Oreos. The surprising thing about Oreos that people don't realize is that they are 100% vegan. That's right. Totally vegan. There are no animal products in Oreos at all. I found this out by accident while doing research for my daughter Gabbi who has a milk allergy. It's hard to find sweet treats for her. You can't imagine how guilty it makes a person feel to eat some ice cream and your 3 year old is staring at it wanting a lick but she can't have it. So the Oreos are here for those occasions. I don't let her have them a lot. She can have plain chips too for a snack. As far as sweets go, Oreo is probably her fave.

The other thing I absolutely adore is the Twix Ice Cream bars that are in the 90 calorie size. They are tiny and I somehow manage to eat just one. Most people probably would laugh at it, but it gives me the sweet taste I need and that's that. I might have more than one a day but never at the same time.

I love sugar. I love sweets. I wish I could eat a donut or two every day. But I don't. I know I can't. It's not that hard. I just don't do it. That's all. I'm not starving by not letting myself have those things. I'm being what I consider smart. ;)

Comments?

2011-05-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

People must be out enjoying summer because I'm not getting so many comments here like I used to. ;) I'm on summer break people. I actually have *time* right now. It's not something I'm used to, but I plan on blogging it up while I can this summer. I have just one semester of school left then it's off to take the boards, and get a job. I cannot wait. It seems like a million years away but I'm getting there.

So leave a comment, tell me what you're doing with your summer. Call me curious.

High Arches

2011-05-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

I recently bought myself a pair of the Skechers Shape Ups. Actually it's been a few months. I didn't really expect it to help tone my butt much. haha However I was hoping they would be comfortable and maybe help my posture a bit. As a nursing student I sometimes spend a lot of time on my feet. I had an unexpected happy result from these shoes. I have really high arches. The shape of these shoes causes the middle to kind of push up. Hard to explain but if you look at the shoe you might be able to understand. It causes a lot of support to the high arches and my feet do not hurt at the end of the day like they used to. I notice I am not getting back pain from standing on my feet all day anymore either. So I love my Skechers. This is my own personal opinion. I am writing this simply because I was thinking about it, not because someone paid me too. I have always dealt with arch pain. When I was in school I played basketball (a dream that faded when my height never increased passed 5'2"). My feet would always kill me after running a few laps or doing a few suicides. Awful.

On the other hand I have, as far as feet go, always thought I had pretty nice feet. haha A high arch looks good not to mention I think my feet are kind of made for a high heel. My feet hurt MORE wearing flats then heels. People make comments on how I can handle wearing my heels but honestly they feel better than a flip flop after a few hours. Flip flops or flat shoes are really bad for the feet as well. I recently read something on it. I actually had a bruise on the bottom side of my foot after wearing a pair of flip flops all day. I have no idea if that is truly what caused it but my feet were killing me. I had worn them longer than usual that day. I was on my feet for a long period of time as well.

I'm sure others can relate to my issues. If you have some shoes that really help your feet, whether you have a high arch or a flat foot please share. I hope that someone reads this and gives the shape ups a try.

What's With All the Tornadoes?

2011-05-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year. There has been never been a spring season in all my when there wasn't several tornado watches, sometimes multiple a week and a few tornado warnings. I think here in the Midwest (Illinois) we actually are so very used to tornado warnings that we probably don't take them seriously enough. You might think when the weather lady gets on TV saying go to the lowest level of your home that every single person would be rushing down to safety at the suggestion. This is really not the case for the majority. It's like the case of the boy who cried wolf. We can all count many times that they said tornado warning but nothing ever happened. Most people will wait until it looks so bad outside, or the power has either flickered or went off before we head to shelter.

That being said I decided this year I would be more careful. There are have been so many destructive tornadoes this season that I thought I better err on the side of caution. We had a tornado warning last night, right about the same time the huge tornado was destroying part of Missouri. I took my kids and we just set ourselves up in the basement. Nothing happened. I had even been told a tornado was spotted out in a field but heading our way about 10 mile away. It never made it here, and I am thankful for that. There is an old Gypsy story from my hometown about 10 miles from here. The town suffered from a tornado that caused some destruction in town. I forget the year, but it's been a very long time ago. An old gypsy woman in town said a little chant and supposedly this was preventing the town from ever having another tornado hit it. EVER. The story itself is true. The fact that it will protect the town from a tornado is up for grabs. It's a popular story there. Many people do in fact believe it. The town hasn't been hit by a tornado since at all. I wish I could remember the year. All I can say is it has been at least the length of my life. I believe it happened when I was a young child. Makes for a great story anyway!

Ahhhh Summer Break!

2011-05-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

When a class full of nurses after a grueling semester go on a bar crawl it's best to just stay out of the way! lol I had a lot of fun and am looking forward to a summer off. I think I'm going to read a few books because I WANT to. :) So wonderful. I cannot wait. I am going to start tonight if I don't go out, but as of now, it's not looking like I will be. I am thinking a relaxing night at home isn't such a bad thing!

Whoa...wait...what?

2011-05-06T15:57:00.000-07:00

It's May? I mean.....May? Yes! Sweet! I have two finals left and then I am off of school for the summer! I am so happy that I'm not even studying right now. haha Yeah well, I will. I have good grades already in the classes. I couldn't fail these courses if I tried at this point. Regardless, I am so happy to be at the last semester. Starting in August I will begin my final semester and graduate in December. If I like you, you might get an invitation to the ceremony. I have worked hard to get here. I am planning on partying pretty hard, Nurse style. I know a few girls who already have this down pat. I'm thinking I need to rent a party bus!!!

Semester Winding Down

2011-04-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

I am 1 1/2 weeks away from finishing up my semester. I have just one semester left that starts in August and ends in December and I will have officially graduated from Nursing School. It has been a long road but I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Things have been super stressful lately but I'm getting there. It's finally winding down!

The final day of class after our last final some students have arranged for a party bus to pick us up at the college. We are going on a bar crawl. The shirts are very creative that we'll all be wearing. We'll be taking a lot of pictures I'm sure. Can't wait! Stayed tuned.

Health Magazine

2011-04-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

I'm in this month's issue. Check it out! Page 133. The cancer story and I'm Sandi, obviously! lol

http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20480181_3,00.html

It's this issue in the stores. Buy it, cause you know, I'm in it. ;)

Summer Break.....Almost! Oh and Silly Web Cam Pics

2011-04-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

I am sooo ready to finish this semester. I am over school. I think most of us are. The exciting news is this next semester will be my last. I am very anxious for it to arrive. I just want to be done with it all. I have had a great time continuing my education but it has taken a lot out of me. I am tired all the time. Nursing school is NO joke. You have to give it your all and I certainly have done that. I work my butt off. I am going to enjoy every single moment I am on my break. I am going to get a tan, go swimming, get pedicures, manicures and my hair done! I am going to go out and I am also going to SLEEP. :) Ahhhhhh dreaming. haha

Jello Shots You say?

2011-03-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

They turned out GREAT! Everyone loved them. I made Cherry Amaretto, Margarita, Fuzzy Navel and Jolly Rancher. They were awesome. I had only a few margarita and a couple Fuzzy Navel left at the end of the night. Apparently the Cherry Amaretto were freaking awesome. haha I have had requests for them at future parties.

Cut the Hot Dog...Not Your Finger.

2011-03-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

So by the title you can tell what I did. Yeah I decided to make my daughter a hot dog for lunch and well I was going for the package actually. I opened the package with a knife. The knife accidentally cut a hot dog but I didn't care and kept cutting anyway. I cut through the hot dog and straight across my finger. OUCH. PAIN. That's what I get for being in a hurry. I think I broke my toe this past week too. My dog tripped me and I hit my toe on a wooden chest. It's a pretty purple color. That's better than the black color it was earlier this week. I'm on a roll!

P A R T Y??? Because I Gotta!!!!

2011-03-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

Birthday party on Saturday. I have a lot of work to do, and jello shots to make but my husband turns 37 on Sunday. I am getting a party together and hoping it's a good turnout. We do know how to throw a good party. I have a paper to write and a test to study for, but whatever. I will get it all done somehow because it's what I do!

I am trying my hand at jello shots for the first time. I have had good ones, and horrible ones. I think sometimes if the alcohol is too strong they just make you want to puke. I don't see any reason a jello shot needs to be really powerful. You can't suck it down fast enough if it's too potent and people don't want to drink them. I plan on making them pretty light...so that people can have a lot and not realize they are getting drunk. *evil grin*

Well, on to paper writing!!!

My Review of Pop-Up Hot Dog Toaster

2011-03-07T14:30:00.001-08:00

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

Features:

Cooks 2 regular hot dogs and 2 regular hot dog buns at once
Quick and easy to use
Adjustable heat controls
Easy cleaning drain trays
Includes mini-tongs
Dimensions: 8.25"H x 9"W x 5"D
...

This Is So Much Fun!

By sandilynn from Illinois on 3/7/2011

I love it, my kids love it. The look of it interests our guests too. It makes the hot dogs taste more like something you'd eat in a restaurant. I definitely recommend it. 4 stars because it didn't come with the crumb catcher. The process was VERY easy and they sent me one right away.

(legalese)

Short Month

2011-03-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe it's already March. I am SO ready for spring. It has been snowing in Illinois literally since November. Ok there were a few breaks in between but it didn't seem like much! I have never wanted winter gone so badly in my life. I have actually contemplated moving somewhere warm! Top this off with having to go out in the cold everyday to school and the extra traveling to see patients in their homes and yeah, I have had my fill of the cold weather.

I have been trying to post at least a few times a week, which gets hard with school. I was looking at when I lost posted which was the 25th. I couldn't believe I posted so long ago, then remembered, that wasn't all that long ago. It's a short month. I love February. I love seeing March arrive. It's not a bad day. The sun is shining and I'm READY for suntanning, margaritas and swimming pools!!!

Time to have a few parties too I'm thinking. :)

Spring Break

2011-02-25T22:30:00.000-08:00

It's coming up soon for me. My last day will be March 3rd and then I go back on the 14th. I have no plans to do anything remotely exciting other than be totally lazy (except catching up with housework) and maybe sleep in a little. Then again, my kids still have to go to school so I will be up by 7 a.m. anyway. My break does NOT match up with my kids which stinks or maybe I might go somewhere. I would like to at least get out a little. I could use a relaxing night out. I hear of all the wild and crazy things people do on spring break. I have to be honest, I have never even had what most people call a real "spring break". No girls gone wild here. Sorry. I went back to college in my late 20s. I was already married. Do the math! haha

I might even use the spring break to catch up on paper writing. Stinks but it's true. I have so much on my plate right now. The great news is I am 8 weeks into this semester. 8 more to go!!! Then I have the summer off and then it will be my LAST semester! I am not anxious for winter to start up again but I am absolutely anxious to have that degree. :)

Studying and No Motivation

2011-02-22T14:30:00.000-08:00

I really am not motivated. I skim the book and write without absorbing this Nursing Research stuff. When it comes to taking out chest tubes, or inserting NG tubes I'm all ears. When it's researching APA format and learning how to formulate a Hypotheses it's all about the snoozing. Didn't you get bored reading that? Yeah that's where I'm at.

Next I get to learn how to do Heparin calculations. Yes I am sure that bored you too but I find it much more interesting. This is why I need a break now and then though. I can't do this stuff every second of every day without occasionally getting away from it all. Getting away is what keeps me sane! I had a really good time this past weekend at a doctor hosted dance for the nursing students. It was a blast and great to hang out with people from school in a non serious way. :) Now if only I can get out again this weekend. hmmm

Bar Update?

2011-02-15T16:10:00.000-08:00

I have posted about my parties before. I have a great basement for parties. I also have a full bar. I have some old bar stools down there but I think I would like to get some more modern bar stools. The ones I have are outdated. I think it's about time to have another party and I'm more than sure my guests would appreciate it. I think something more comfortable is in order. I might even look into something with some backs to it. I like comfort. The bar itself is a bit outdated and could use a new paint job but for now I am just thinking about bar stools. The picture below is from a Halloween party at my house 2 years ago. Fun times. :)

Cockatiel Having Sex Then Whistling " Whistle While You Work" (ORIGINAL ...

2011-02-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

A Night Out

2011-02-13T15:26:00.000-08:00

I got out last night and yeah, I really needed it. I have been really busy with school. I got a 93 on my very first exam of the semester though! That's a positive right? I am so happy about it. I figure that's a good way to start off this semester. Right now I am actually taking a break from studying for my 2nd exam. It's a different class and a little more awkward to study for I think. It is for Community Health Nursing and well...it's all over the place. It's about surveys, and home health care, and data collection, data interpretation, all the ways you can find that information, etc. It's just a big complicated mess. I am trying though.

Things around here have been a little crazy. I am busy 24/7. I shouldn't even be posting now! I need a break now and again though. I went out last night for a nice meal with the hubby and then went out for a few drinks and some karaoke. I had a great time. :) The meal was awesome. We ate at a place called Basta's. It was a quaint Italian restaurant. I loved it.

Ok, It's Another Nioxin Post

2011-01-22T22:23:00.000-08:00

I've been using it for awhile now and I think I can safely say it works. When I blow dry my hair it feels and looks much thicker and fuller. I have always had fairly thick hair...so when it thinned out a bit I got panicked. I believe my sudden thinning was due to anemia which I get every now and then. When it happens I pop some vitamins or eat more green vegetables. I started taking the Nioxin pills and that helped too I think with the whole vitamin issue. I know my diet is lacking in that area. My hair is not shedding like before. It is looking fuller and healthy again. I am hoping it all grows back just the way it was before, but we'll see. I'll post more on that later!

The Important People

2011-01-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

I had my birthday party Saturday. It was a really great time. I was disappointed for awhile because a lot of people canceled on me at the last moment. Someone was sick or their car was broken down. Honestly after the 10th person has called with some reason why they couldn't come the excuses start going in one ear and out the other. I am sure some reasons were perfectly legitimate, it just gets old.

I did have a good turn out regardless and as I said that night, the important people came and that's what counts. I love my sis and she gave me a great party!

The Whole Excited for the New Year Thing

2011-01-05T14:13:00.000-08:00

OK. There is one little thing that has been driving me a little batty. What? Well with the new year I see all of these facebook status updates and twitter things saying stuff like "OMG I'm so excited for 2011!" or "This year is gonna be great, I just know it!" or "I can't wait to see what this year brings me!!"

Number 1 reason why it irritates me? Well..honestly...I've never thought this way. I never sit and think about what the year as a whole will be. I flatly accept that it will NOT all be good. There will be good days and bad days, just like last year. There will be days when I feel good and there will be days when I want to whine and I feel like crap. It's all the same. Last year, will for the most part be the same as this year. There could be a a great day. I am not saying there will not be. I take the good with the bad. I am happy if at the end of the day I'm still breathing. One person commented on my opinion on this suggesting I not become a therapist. I whole heartily disagree! I am not being negative here. This is what I'm trying to say. I think just knowing and accepting reality for what it is is a very GOOD thing. I realize not every day will bring joy and I also realize there will be hard times. I accept it. I prepare myself for it. I am ok with it. I don't want there to be bad days, like the time I was diagnosed with cancer, or the time I lost my dad...or the time I lost my baby. I also remember the day I was declared cancer free. I remember the days my children were born. See where I am going with this? Those same people who say they are so excited will be the same people who inevitably complain later about how much this year sucks and then you'll hear the SAME thing from them later saying NEXT year is gonna be it! Next year is gonna be great, I just know it. I say, be thankful for each day, one by one, minute by minute because you shouldn't take ONE for granted. Nothing is promised to you. NOTHING. Be happy for what you have now. I hope I have cleared up my opinion on this matter. :)

Party on Saturday and Winning

2011-01-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

On my birthday I won an online contest for 2 free sandwiches at a local bar and grill. I still haven't went to go eat them, though I'd really like to. I may have to save it for a weekend. I haven't got a lot of time during the week with the kids in school. I had a great birthday though. I took the family to see Gulliver's Travels and though it got some bad reviews I actually liked it. The only really cringe worthy parts were the peeing the fire out (though I heard this is in the actual book) and the very end scene....where inevitably Jack Black sings. The guys got vocals. He really does and I love his sound. I just think he doesn't have to put it in every movie. Honestly I think they tried too hard to put it in this one because it really doesn't belong at all. Other than that we laughed, had a good time. I get another birthday though because my big party is on Saturday. I'm just heading up to a local bar with lots of friends. I'm anxious. I haven't really been "out" in a long time. Bring on the Captain!!!!

Happy Birthday to....

2010-12-29T11:20:00.000-08:00

Me! :) It's my birthday. My party isn't until the 8th....but for now I'm planning on going to see a movie and out to dinner. I have been sick but feeling a little better today so hopefully I'll get to have some fun. :) I can't wait until the 8th though. It's going to be a fun one.

Man Attempts to Recreate Frogger, Gets Hit by SUV

2010-12-29T11:17:00.000-08:00

I am very sorry the man got hit and I do hope he's alright. I happen to think he was asking for it though.

Man Attempts to Recreate Frogger, Gets Hit by SUV

Little Girls Are So Mean

2010-12-21T10:46:00.000-08:00

It's true. I have four of them so I should know. However my recent story is about a birthday party my little girl attended. For all of you guys out there, and I know some of you have kids, have you realized how catty, nasty and cruel little girls are to each other? You might be best friends one week and the next you are the outcast they are all ridiculing and putting down. This is one thing about little girls that isn't so sweet or nice.

My complaining is because of my 10 year old. She recently attended a birthday party. It was the 11th birthday party of a friend. Well during this party each girl went around the room telling what "boy" they had a crush on. Yes...at 10. Well my daughter has a crush on a little boy and has for some time. The girl who had the party then stated she had a crush on him too. So what did she do? She called him and asked him to be her boyfriend while my daughter watched. That's right. MEAN. I just don't get little girls. At times like this it would have been nicer to be a boy!!! haha :)

Jeff Dunham - Achmed The dead Terrorist (Christmas Special)

2010-12-19T21:22:00.000-08:00

Confessions of a Shop A Holic??

2010-12-16T08:05:00.000-08:00

Not quite. But I do love to shop. I never have seen that movie. I figured it must be about me. OK. Kidding. I do love to shop. I wish I had an endless supply of cash to support my habit but that won't happen. So I just enjoy the opportunities I have to actually just shop when I can.

I have to go buy another dress for a wedding this weekend. I have a Holiday (Christmas) party after that. So it will be a busy weekend. I could do without all this freaking snow though. Yes it's so pretty. I live in Illinois. It gets old. I can't just walk outside to my van. I have to walk outside through mounds of uneven hard frozen lumps of snow. It's only December and it feels like January. I am NOT dreaming of a White Christmas this year. I am guaranteed it unless it hits 40 degrees for a week! This will not happen. Right now we're lucky to hit 20 degrees. I will live somewhere warm one day!

I am excited to go buy the dress though. I am going out with a friend when this is all done. I have a good friend Denise who I very much love to party with. She has a friend that I just met this past weekend for the first time. He seems sorta quiet. We'll have to fix that. :) I can't wait for Saturday!!!!

Merry Christmas From Heaven

2010-12-10T15:15:00.001-08:00

Really really missing my dad. I found a poem at Hallmark today. I had to buy it on a little card because literally it made me cry. I love my dad and cannot stand the thought of not having him here with us this Christmas. This will be our first Christmas without him. Last year we brought him home on Christmas Eve. His one wish for Christmas he had told me, was to come home. That was on Thanksgiving and he came home Christmas Eve, when they told us there was nothing they could do. He had pancreatic cancer and they gave him about 2 months max. We lost him on December 27, 2009. Three days later. I held my dad's hand as he left this world. He was there for me when I came into it and I was there when he left it. I was so happy to have his brothers and sisters around him at that time singing hymns. It's something my dad would have loved. He was a good man who has left his mark. He will never be forgotten. Love you dad.

Merry Christmas From Heaven

I still hear the songs,
I still see the lights
I still feel your love on cold wintery nights

I still share your hopes and all of your cares
I'll even remind you to please say your prayers

I just want to tell you, you still make me proud
you stand head and shoulders above all the crowd

Keep trying each moment, to stay in his grace
I came here before you to help set your place

You don't have to be perfect all of the time
He forgives you the slip, if you continue the climb

To my family and friends
Please be thankful today
I'm still close beside you,
In a new special way

I love you all dearly,
now don't shed a tear
cause I'm spending my
Christmas with Jesus this year

Copyright 1989 John Wm. Mooney, Jr (wow hadn't noticed it was written by someone named John until now!)

Final Day of OB Clinical :)

2010-12-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

Here I am, front row, in nursing mode :) I love what I do. I am so excited that my senior year is upon me!!!

We took this pic after our last day on OB clinical. I got great final evaluations from my teachers. I will miss spending time with those babies up there. I had a great time. My final day I got to work with babies all day. It was a great day. I cannot believe this year is behind me. I have had more tears this semester. There are days when you just don't know if you can do it anymore. I am doing it though! I cannot believe I'm getting near the end.

Almost a SENIOR

2010-12-03T09:03:00.000-08:00

And no I do not mean elderly! No senior discounts for me but I am finishing up my junior year right now at the college of nursing. I have finals next week. My last class was today. I am so excited yet not wanting to study at ALL. I have to study obviously. There are no options.

Starting in January I will be in my final year of nursing school. I love saying that. It sounds so amazing. I have been in school so freaking long people. I took a break while I was sick but I'm not going to say that was a really restful break. I had cancer and a baby. So yeah. I'm still having a girls night out this weekend AND studying for my Psych final. I can do both.

So excited that Christmas break is so so close :)

Thanksgiving and Finals

2010-11-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

Did you all have a good one? How much weight did you gain? Yeah well, I know how you feel. It's time to put away those left overs and be good! I love the Holidays and I love spending uninterrupted time with my family.

Next weekend is girls night out. I am thankful for that too! I need to get out and relax. Finals are coming up. I am pretty nervous about it. I need to study study. I have some more of that to do today as a matter of fact. So I hope you all have a great Sunday!

Graduation

2010-11-22T12:23:00.000-08:00

One year from December 18th (or I think it's that date) I will graduate from the college of Nursing. It doesn't seem like it's been that long. I have had plenty of stress and doubts but I'm making it through this thing. I am so excited. I am in shock. I did this for myself. I finally did something for myself. I got married very young. I had all sorts of plans and dreams but you know how it goes. I made a choice. I got married at 19. We are still together. We have four children! Yeah that's right. Four. In this day and age that is a TON. For the record most people are surprised I have four. I am a small person so people just don't think it's possible but that's ok by me. It's true. My oldest daughter is taller than me. :) haha She is 13.

I went back to school in 2005. My youngest at the time was about 3 1/2. I was able to put her into preschool and then my journey began. I was a mother, a wife and now a student. My husband was traveling for work at the time. I was pretty much always alone. I hated it, for the record. It will never happen again. *mild tangent there* OK. Anyway, towards the end of 2006 we decided it was time he come home for good. It wasn't working. So he did. He got a site (same company) that kept him home. However, it meant we had to move. So I got myself signed up with a new college. We moved, hubby was home, all was grand. There was one minor detail. I wasn't feeling well. I felt really bad actually. I was having trouble breathing. I couldn't sleep lying flat. I was winded speaking two words. The phone was a nightmare. I felt like my neck was going to explode at any second. LITERALLY. I could go on, but the point is, I wasn't right. I then found out I was pregnant. I cried. I hadn't planned on more kids. Why had my life continued to go off in a direction that I didn't plan?? I was on BC. I missed a couple of weeks because I switched docs and therefore had to wait for the pills. I thought I was too sick to have a baby.

Fast forward two more weeks. I found out I had cancer. That's right. Pregnant. Three kids. Wife. Student. Cancer Patient. I managed to finish off that school year anyway. I got really really sick just before the final. Since I had A's anyway, they didn't make me take them. Nice. That was a good thing.

So in a nutshell? I had surgery, chemo, baby, radiation. In that order. I delivered a healthy baby. I am in remission now for almost 3 years. My baby? She just turned 3 November 17th. Me? I went back to college the summer of 2009. I finished my prerequisites. I started Nursing college January of 2010. I am now just about done with this semester. In January of 2011 I will be a senior. I will graduate in December of 2011. I think I deserve this. After all I have been through it's time I had something for ME. It is for my family too but my life, sometimes I feel has been way out of control. So much has happened and I have no power to stop it. This I have control of. I will work my butt off. I will get what I want. My eye is on the finish line.

Finally Feeling Like Fall

2010-11-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

Well at least some of the time. It has been a fairly warm November for Illinois. Up until this past week I had no complaints. That is until I froze my butt off on my way to school yesterday morning. Yikes I hate cold mornings. I don't know if there is anything much worse. It takes so long to warm up. Coffee is my friend in the mornings!

I am getting very near to the end of my second semester in nursing school. Starting in January I will be officially a Senior. :) I'm proud of my accomplishments. I've come a hell of a long way. I've managed to do the married thing, have a few kids, go back to school, have cancer, go into remission, go back to school again (have yet another baby during all of that) and now I'm on my way to graduating! Not too shabby. :)

Just Saying

2010-11-07T22:53:00.000-08:00

My hair is feeling amazing. I'm loving this Nioxin! I will post a more elaborate update later complete with pics. I have been studying for a big Psych test all day. I'm not going to get much sleep. At least I have Tuesdays off....sort of. I still have to go to the hospital to get my patient info for the following day. My schedule is insane!

Day 2 Nioxin

2010-11-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

My hair is really soft. I have noticed much less hair in the drain after I wash my hair. I love how my hair feels. I still love the tingly, minty clean feeling it gives me. I think my hair feels instantly thicker. There is a lot about this product I love so far!

On a side note, my big Halloween party is tomorrow! I cannot wait! Party time!! :D

Diary of My Experience with Nioxin

2010-11-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

So, lately I have noticed more hair than usual falling out when I wash/comb my hair. This has sent me into full on panic mode. I noticed my ponytail was a tad thinner than usual. My hair stylist doesn't think it's bad, but hey I notice it. I had my thyroid levels checked since it's always been a little wacky. I don't want to have thin hair so I looked around and found Nioxin. I am not sure if it will work for me and I have seen mixed reviews. Some think it's awesome, others don't like the tingling sensation it leaves on the scalp and some can experience scalp redness.

I know my thyroid is messed up so when I noticed my hair just seemed to be falling out more than usual I didn't waste time. I started taking a multivitamin because I have been anemic a few times. Vitamin deficiency can cause hair loss. I like a full head of thick hair (on myself) so the Nioxin was a great product for me to try. I got it at my salon and no it's not cheap by any means. I'm still using my Redken products too. I love them.

I thought that others might appreciate my own experience one day while googling. I hope that it does help.

Day 1. I love the tingly feeling on my scalp! My hair DOES seem thicker instantly when I blow dry. I loved the soft feeling. I however do not like the smell. It's a little to medicinal for me. If it works I'm okay with it though.

As you can see, my hair isn't thin, but I noticed it's THINNER. There is a difference. I did just go a lighter blond too. I think I may like it more with the darker streaks but I don't know. It's hard to decide. We'll see. I like to change things up all the time. :D

Stay tuned.

Here They Are, Halloween Pics!

2010-10-31T12:33:00.000-07:00

I went out to a Halloween contest last night...didn't win. :( Had a great time though. I have my own big Halloween party on Saturday. Looking forward to it. More pics will come from that party as well. Stay tuned!

Halloween

2010-10-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

My costume had to change. The costume I had was just too big on me. It was a size small and the smallest one they had but that cute little skirt was a dress on me and those gloves came up to my armpits. So now this is my costume:

Gonna wear it to a Halloween costume contest tomorrow night....then for my big party on Saturday of next week. So excited and I'll be posting pics.

I'd write more on my blog but I'm so insanely busy with clinical right now. I'm doing Psych and OB right now. The past week I have sat in on Group Therapy sessions and dealt with patient who had various mental disorders. These are much more common than people think and range from severe anxiety to depression to bipolar. I have also watched a c-section and natural birth...tended to a baby who had to be admitted to NICU...and take care of infants in nursery. I have been busy. This is not counting the family things and all the tests and paperwork I do. I stay busy!

Now I'm supposed to be doing paperwork. I really don't want to but it must be done. good night all!

Halloween and Dressing Up

2010-10-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

I love getting into costume. I absolutely WANT an excuse to dress up. So I have a Halloween Party each year. I wasn't sure if it was gonna happen this year. I think my solution is to have it the week after Halloween. I just have to do it and I found the perfect costume! If you remember my Halloween pictures from the past I have been a Lady Bug and a Naughty Nurse.

This year I'm going for Burlesque. :) I found the hottest costume ever. I can't wait to wear it. I will absolutely get lots of pics from the party.

So what do you all think of dressing up for Halloween? Just for the kids? Or adult fun too?

The Holiday

2010-10-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

I should be doing homework but I'm watching this movie again. I actually am going to force myself to get off of here and go get some studying done but I really do like this movie. It's a total chick flick so I am not sure the guys would get into it too much. My favorite scene is probably when Cameron Diaz's boyfriend admits to cheating by saying "Yeah, I slept with her. Are you happy now?" To which she replied "did you say am I happy now???" and then punches him the face. It was great. LOVED that scene. :)

So now here I am on a Saturday night getting ready to study for my pediatrics exam on Monday that I hear most people fail every year. I am so not in the mood for this.

Steptember Already?

2010-09-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

This past week I've been sick. I probably would have cranked out a few blog posts but when the flu knocks you out, it knocks you OUT. I don't know what I have for sure but I figure the body aches, chills, fever, cough, sneezing, running nose etc are all a great indication it was the good old fashioned influenza. I am feeling better minus the hacking painful cough I have. This chest congestion is free to check out any time now!! I can't stand it.

Other than this I am doing alright. I am doing a lot of homework tonight. I have not wanted to do it since I've felt so crappy but it must be done. September is a big month for me. My wedding anniversary is coming up. Would you believe I have been married for 15 years? Yeah it's crazy. It's hard to believe we've made it so far but we've done it. It's not always easy let me tell you. Anyone that claims marriage is easy is either lying through their teeth or smoking something. Regardless, here we are and we've decided to take a trip to celebrate. I am pretty excited. I need to get away. It's not until the end of this month so I have to wait for a bit yet. :)

This is WAY Too Close! Help a Girl Out :)

2010-08-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

Can I get my blogger readers to click this link: http://polldaddy.com/poll/3694021/ and just vote for Tyler Frisby? He's a local kid. He deserves to win and it's like seriously neck and neck here!! Vote and share the link. I don't normally post these things but you know it would be really cool if I could get him a few votes. No signing up, no working through pages to find it. It's right there. Click the little dot and submit. Pretty easy. :D

Let me know if you voted!!

Oh and it's for Athlete of the Week! Football related ;)

Reading and Dining Out

2010-08-31T13:07:00.000-07:00

I love both but no, not at the same time. I love homemade cooking. I really do, but I don't know. There is something about sitting down at a nice restaurant, enjoying some friendly conversation, sipping a coffee or a margarita, maybe even a glass of wine if the occasion calls for it. I love being waited on. I love going to a place where I am pretty much guaranteed it will be a good experience. I love it. It's like the high light of my day when I can go out and enjoy a nice meal with friends or family.

I am pretty sick of fast food. I used to like it in my younger days but man it's the same old thing for like....um.....well....many years!! lol The burgers are the same, no matter what else they put on top of them. The fries are still the same old fries. I like a finer dining experience. It doesn't have to be 5 stars but I like nice. By that I mean I enjoy any place I can sit down, be served and treated well by the staff. I have had experiences where they weren't as attentive. It always boggles my mind that a waiter or waitress would expect a certain percentage of tip when they aren't providing excellent service. I think there is a certain percentage that should be paid. For excellent service it goes up. For bad service it DOES in fact go down. If you don't do a damn thing for me why in the world would I tip you for that? Yet some do expect it.

Anyway, on to the reading thing. I am a reader. I love it. I don't get to do it as often as I like. I did enjoy several books over the summer which was GREAT. However now I am reading a book called "The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy. This is a book I am required to read for my Ethics class. I have to say it's started off pretty depressing. Especially since the whole thing is about death and dying. Oh well. I am working on it. I can't say it's a bad book. I haven't read but 20 pages at this point. I am finding it really hard to not get distracted though. That can't be a great sign.

Want Free Food?

2010-08-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Join Chilli's mailing list. It does have a place to put in credit card info for more deals or something. Just skip that part and click print coupon. It's not necessary for the coupon so I don't know why they did that. Regardless here's the link:

http://chilisemailclub.com/?imm_cid=9O-9C

Enjoy :)

Going Out For My Last Free Weekend

2010-08-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

I start school on Monday. That's right. It's back to the Nursing School grind. I will be busy again. I hope this year isn't as bad as last year, but I have a feeling it will be. I am preparing myself mentally for the lack of sleep that is sure to come. I even got an assignment already! My teacher sent an assignment that is due the first day of class. I guess I'm not meant to enjoy my last few days of summer vacation. *sigh*

I decided that I'm going out this weekend. I deserve a last moment of freedom I think. I want to eat somewhere nice and then maybe sing to my heart's content somewhere. I entered an Idol type of contest by the way. I am not sure if I'll be in it yet because it only takes the first 20 applicants. This is a local thing. I'll find out if I am in it about 5 days before it starts which is the 27th. Crazy!! I'll keep you updated. ;)

Thank God for Ambien

2010-08-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

It seems to be kicking in tonight and I need it. The stress of school starting is getting to me. I'm not talking about just me either. My kids are also a consideration in this. I have a lot on my mind. I lay down in bed and feel this lump of anxiety in my chest. I am one of those women who after lying in bed starts thinking of the MILLIONS of things she has to do instead of the most important one. SLEEP. I'm kind of still doing it. I am a diagnosed Chronic Insomniac. I used to fall asleep during the opening credits of a movie. I used to lie down, tired at night and conk right out. Those days ended sometime in 2004. I had a sort of odd rash on my eyelids. Turns out it was like eczema. Sexy right? OK so not so much. The point is the doc prescribed Prednisone. It got rid of the rash. Of course it also made it so I NEVER slept. I could run marathons at 3 a.m. on this stuff.

When I stopped taking it the rash came back. I started using a prescription cream that cleared it up. Turns out that insomnia and odd rashes/itching are both symptoms of Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Rather typical ones as well.Were they signs? I happen to think so. The insomnia never really went away. The ambien will help but it's never guaranteed to work. I have learned tricks to make sure it does. One of those is a very empty tummy. If I have carbs in my tummy from cookies, breads, pastas, just forget about it. I won't sleep. Another tactic is to get the tummy nice and empty. 4 hours or so since eating then turn on the food network channel. Start droooooooling. Then take the ambien. Always works better.

Trust me. 6 years on this medicine. Other than birth control it is the only thing I take now. No more rashes.....nothing. After the cancer the insomnia is all that stayed. I'd like IT to make it's exit anytime soon by the way.

For the Cowboys ;)

2010-08-09T23:09:00.000-07:00

So Confused Right Now

2010-08-08T21:41:00.000-07:00

This past year has been a rough one. I lost my dad to pancreatic cancer in December, just 2 days after Christmas and just 2 days before my birthday. Between that and then going to nursing school it was just overwhelming. I had to go to school and study the very things that killed my dad. Some days in class were almost unbearable. One of those days was the day we went over grief and mourning. It was still so fresh to me.

The point of this is my birth mom, whom I was never raised with, is not well. The confusing thing? Well it's a long story. Start from the beginning? My mom left me when I was just 13 months old. Well she left my dad, my older sister and myself. She came back around when I was 5. She had left and gotten a job as a stripper. Yeah I know. Anyway my dad was the Sunday school teacher. We lived a life around the church. We went 3 days a week you know. My dad was strict. He was very very firm. My mom was carefree about nothing but having a good time. She came back around and to me my step-mom was my mother. I have been told I cried and didn't believe her. My older sister Donna remembers living with my mom and says she remembers me crying and crying for food at night when my mother would leave us alone while my dad worked 3rd shift. I'm glad I do not have these memories. She remembers feeding me popcorn from the trashcan because of my crying.

Ok. Moving forward our mother comes back into our lives and gets visitation rights. She gets us like every other weekend. She doesn't show up much of the time. I loved being with her though. She was like a friend. We never got in trouble. Compared to my dad's strictness, she was like a weekend of fun. I guess as a kid that is the way you'd see it. When she didn't show our hearts were broken.

Fast forward again to being an adult. I saw my mom on occasion. She'd come visit now and again but she did the same thing. She's make promises to come. You'd get all ready for her then nothing. She just wouldn't show up. So I stopped telling my kids grandma was coming. I didn't want her breaking their hearts too.

More fast forwarding. I got sick in 2007. I was pregnant and I had cancer. I was told at 10 weeks pregnant I had to start chemo now because I wouldn't last 3 weeks to the second trimester at which time it was considered "safer" to do. I couldn't breathe. I was coughing up blood. I spent time in the hospital etc. My mother borrowed money from my grandpa to come see me. My aunt let me in on the surprise but unfortunately my mother didn't know that. She thought I was unaware and kept that money for herself and never showed up. After that I was done. She tried to connect with me but I wanted no more of it. I just didn't have the care anymore if you know what I mean.

Eventually I talked to her a few times off and on. I never went to see her. She would call on the rare occasion. She stopped by unexpectedly a couple of times. In the past few years she got herself hooked on pain meds. She became hard to understand and began doing odd things. She would go through my friends list on myspace and add my friends. It was embarrassing and weird. She wrote me notes and made little sense. It has saddened me more and more. My grandmother has Alzheimer's so I don't know if I can blame any of this on possible Alzheimer's or it's all the meds. I don't know. We finally had no choice but to admit her to a nursing home for full time care. She had fall a few times and hurt herself. She is out of control as well. She needs constant care anymore.

Well the nursing home called tonight. For a few seconds my heart sunk and I feared the worst. I thought she was gone too. I realized then that I still cared. I can't help it. I was so scared and I don't know why. She's hurt me numerous times yet I can't be like her and just not care. I'm going to take my sister and we're going to go see her this week. This whole thing leaves me confused because I still care.....and yet this other part of me asks why? I don't know the answer to it. I just realized I have to be who I am. I am a person who DOES care. My relationship with her could have been more, had she tried. I mourn for whatever that may have been. I mourn the loss of my father. I am thankful for my sisters. I am thankful for my step-mom.

As for my mother? She fell and hit her head. I was pretty scared before they said she was ok. I realized then it's not so easy. I obviously still love her and I don't want this on my heart, whenever she does leave this earth. It's all so confusing.

Stupid Truck. It's Called a Stop Light for a REASON.

2010-08-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

To the truck driver who sped up and BLEW through the red light today. Up yours. That's right. Some moron was coming up to the intersection really fast. We had a green light for several seconds but noticed he was flying. I would say he was going about 55 to 60 in a 45. The hubby slowed and said "hmmm...I don't think this guy is gonna..." Then sure enough that truck gunned it and blew through a stop light. I mean that light had been red for awhile. It's not like he was trying to beat a yellow light. I'd also like to say thanks to the hubby for having the sense to see it because I wasn't even paying attention. I am glad that we aren't road kill right now!

He would have slammed into us on the driver's side. Me, my husband and three of my girls were in the van. How would he like to be responsible for that mess? Yeah. Well I hope he didn't blow through that one and then end up hurting someone else. I just hate idiot drivers.

The Countdown Begins

2010-08-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

School starts on August 17th. I am not ready. Well ok fine I can do it. I am fully "capable" of being ready. It's just this vacation has been SOOOOOOO nice. I love having time off. I love sleeping in. I love going out and not worrying about the homework I need to do.

It's back to the grind. I have two clinical days this semester and they are FULL days. I have Peds and Pscyh the first 8 weeks. After that it's OB and Pscyh. Kinda excited...kinda nervous. I am ready for graduation NEXT December. It's all worth it in the end. I know it is. In the mean time there is a lot of hard work to do.

So I think this means I absolutely am required to go out and party this weekend. What do you think?

Six Flags and Sun Tans

2010-07-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

I have spent some of this summer working on my tan. I just REALLY want a tan. I have the slightest color but most people would still call me pale. lol Oh well!!! I wear my bikini but I hate my scar. That's my biopsy scar. It's just a part of me now. You can see it in this pic. I'm kinda used to it until I see it in a picture. Ugh.

This weekend we're heading to Six Flags with the kids. We haven't had much traveling this summer so I'm pretty excited. I love the traveling part. I miss it! It's been way too long. I've promised my oldest to hit some of the roller coasters with her. I remember getting on The Batman ride about 50 times on my Senior High School trip. Yes it's been around that long. Ha! I don't even know how long it's been since I graduated. Hmm 15 years??? No....wait. Make that 16. Sheesh.

Oh well! I had fun then and I plan on having fun now. I also like traveling to find new places to eat. I LOVE the Food Network show Diners, Drive In and Dives. It's got to be my favorite next to Iron Chef. I love seeing good food being made. Presentation means a lot! Eating it is even better. I love finding a good restaurant and enjoying something new and exciting. I hope I find that on this trip.

A Song for Sunday: Pink & Steven Tyler - Misery

2010-07-25T13:50:00.000-07:00

Second Semester Starting Soon!

2010-07-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

I have tried to not think about it. I've been enjoying my vacation WAY too much but there is no more ignoring it. My second semester of nursing school starts next month. I encourage myself with the thought that my final semester will be at this very time next year. It's hard to believe how far I've come. I'm pretty excited but NOT looking forward to the heavy workload that will be coming way soon.

I've enjoyed my summer. I haven't taken any massive vacations like so many of my friends and family have. At this point we just cannot afford it. We're paying a lot for my medical bills still. They mount up with those daily expenses. I'm 2 years in remission but will be paying my bills for a long time to come. I still have appointments every 3 months and those aren't free either. We have a copay for each appointment plus the out of pocket expense for each appointment. It's crazy but it's my life.

This semester I'll be working in Pediatrics, Psych and also OB. I'm excited and pretty nervous at the same time. I'm not sure which scares me more....Pscyh.....or Pediatrics!!!

Tattoos, My Opinion

2010-07-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

First of all, I really hate a badly done tattoo. Like the above. *shiver* Have you seen this yet? How awful for the person who got it. Yikes.

I have three tattoos. Yep. It's true. I love them each. They all mean something to ME. However not all tattoos need to have some heartfelt deep meaning. I don't think that's true at all. Some people (usually those with no tattoos) think that if a tat doesn't have some major deep hidden meaning then it's a bad tat. I have to get something straight here and now. I want to clear the air over a couple of things.

1. Just because a girl has a lower back tattoo does NOT mean she is a tramp. First of all I had mine way before Wedding Crashers came out. Do not gather your words of wisdom from movies that have Will Ferrell in them. I have a lower back tat it's true. I love it and chose the location simply because a.) I find it sexy. b.) It was the best location on my body that if I want I can cover so I can go to work. People only know I have this tattoo if I choose to expose it. You would NEVER know it's there otherwise.

2. Not every tattoo has a deep meaning. I have covered this before. Ironically all of mine do mean something to me....the last one I just had done, has the most meaning for sure.

3. Finally the third thing please STOP telling us how it will look when we are old. We do not care. Your ass will sag and get wrinkly when you're old too. (No I have no ass tats and never plan on that) We don't care if it gets faded when we're 70. We don't care if the words are harder to read when we are 85. Honestly aren't we all gonna be wrinkly old bags anyway??? So who cares?

I do not have plans to get anymore tattoos. I have three and I'm done. I can cover each one so that no one will ever be able to see them when I work. I show them when I want, and expose them when I want. It works for me. So how about you? Any tattoos out there?

Stormy Skies

2010-07-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I drove home trying to beat a storm quite literally. The skies were dark and cloudy. Yet the cool thing was how this storm presented itself. It was dark and cloudy under me and behind me. Towards home it was blue skies and pretty much gorgeous. There was yet another storm behind it I think. Regardless it looked pretty cool. I got some great shots of it I think. It caught up with me as I pulled up to the house. The lightening was pretty amazing too. The clouds were so low. You could literally see each bolt clearly across the sky. It was gorgeous.

Used to Love This Song! Happy Friday Night Folks :)

2010-07-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

Remember the Yoplait Smoothies?

2010-07-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

I really loved them. It was such a wonderful thing to find after I had my wisdom teeth out. I had my doubts about them. The package looked small but surprisingly it was more than enough! I have my kids now begging for more. I actually see it as a really convenient package to have around. I get a craving and honestly it takes about all of 3 minutes to whip up.

Anyway after I made my last post I was sent a sample of a NEW flavor by Yoplait (as required by the FTC guidelines)! They had seen my post and offered to give me a sample, to try out the new flavor. The new flavor is Blueberry Pomegranite by the way. It was awesome. I loved it too. Now my only problem is I'm hooked. Now that it's summer I really enjoy a great smoothie.

If you don't want to go the route of whipping it up the easy way I found some awesome recipes:

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food/entertaining/frozen-drink-recipes?src=recipe_footer

I have to say I like the easy route AND the homemade route. It's just a matter of how much time you have. As for the Yoplait smoothies however, the package is full of berries. It's not like you aren't getting as good of deal. You really are.

Now that I have said all of this I want to STRESS this is not a paid post. It's not an advertisement. It's my opinion. I loved the smoothies and so I wrote about them. There are so many paid posts out there it's hard to tell anymore. Ask me any questions and I will tell ya what I think!

Ok I have to also say a shot of Tequilla added to ANY smoothie can only make it that much better! Rum is good too. Ha!
No I haven't done it yet....but yes I do intend to try it.

(The text for this blog post is publishing all messed up. However when I go to edit, it is all the same. I am getting annoyed.)

Tomatoes

2010-07-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

I love tomatoes. I planted some this year. I don't really do the garden thing but I wanted tomatoes so bad. With my dad now gone, I don't know who will give me all the tomatoes I can eat. He always did. I miss him. I couldn't stand the idea of a summer without tomatoes so I just took it upon myself. So far I have gotten 3 red ones. I am pretty excited. I can't wait until I get more.

Other than the excitement of fresh garden tomatoes, things have been good. I have gotten out a few weekends in a row and had a great time. My oldest daughter has actually babysat for a short period of time twice. I love that I am beginning to be able to trust her with that responsibility. We are thinking of doing a Poker Run this weekend. I'll have to hire my usual sitter for that one. It's a long day on the bike. I absolutely love it. I haven't gotten enough time on the bike since about 2007!

I also had the opportunity to go to a local fair. That was a good time too. I do NOT want summer vacation to end. I am holding on to the last pieces of it until August 17th.....when nursing school will be calling me back. I do Peds/OB this year which will be cool. I also do Psych. We'll see how that goes.

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-04T14:02:00.001-07:00

Have a great one to all my blog readers out there. Not sure yet what I'll do tonight. Hoping to see some fireworks somehow. What are your plans? Cookouts? Anything good happening?

My New Tattoo

2010-06-29T12:59:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting a violet ribbon since I became a cancer survivor. I went through a lot and this was sort of my own symbol of beating it...winning the fight. It's a reminder of all I went through. When I was diagnosed they didn't think I would last 3 weeks without treatment. It was a difficult time combined with the fact that I did indeed feel like I was dying.

I came back, kicked cancer's ass and here I am today. I got my tattoo, spent the day on the Harley and even got a rather funny looking sunburn to top it all off. It was a good day. I had a great time out singing at the end of the night with my favorite local Karaoke DJ, Dennis.

I'm proud of what I have accomplished. Now I'm going to be starting my second semester in Nursing College. Who knew 3 years ago that I would be here today?

I do miss my dad though. He lost his battle. It's so wrong that he lost his battle right after I won mine. It's like cancer is there to remind you, that though you won, he can still take your family....your friends....and yeah even come back for you. It's always there. My dad's ribbon is almost identical to mine. Mine is violet, his is purple. So I got the tattoo for both of us. (And no my dad did not approve of tattoos, just so no one thinks he did haha) But I got it anyway. I wanted it as a tribute to him with his initials and birth year and the year he died. On the other side, is Survivor 08....the year I was declared in remission. Yeah it means a lot to me. I have wanted it for a long time and now I am so happy to finally have it!!! :)