The Mist

2012-02-15T10:07:00.001-06:00

My dog doesn't seem to like apples. Thinks they're a transport device for peanut butter... Which, yum, but huh?

2012-02-06T12:37:00.000-06:00

Today I'm feeling like I have very little control over any aspect of my life. Scary feeling, a little sad. Frustrating. Oh, the joys of Mondays...

2011-07-26T21:08:00.001-05:00

My dog willingly eats carrots, tomatoes, and, I found out this evening, sugar snap peas. Will wonders never cease?

2011-07-25T10:44:00.001-05:00

Gracious! Everytime I hear that country song "Three Wooden Crosses" I can't keep from tearing up. I know it's coming, know ought to switch station, but don't...

2011-07-22T20:30:00.001-05:00

Is it weird that I sometimes half-wish I could call or text my puppy? I know that's crazy, but how cool would it be? Hmm...

2011-06-03T15:29:00.001-05:00

Missing times that were and some that weren't... If that made any sense. Feeling strangely down. Life catching up to me?

2011-06-03T13:50:00.001-05:00

Laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, lunch with the boytoy, visit little brother, now work...

2011-06-02T12:47:00.001-05:00

Puppy shots. Mow at home. Vac living room. Walk w grandma. Post office. Start laundry. Now on to work...

2011-06-01T15:55:00.001-05:00

Dentist. Dry cleaning. Bank. Post office. Walk w grandma. Wash car. Pick up contacts. Gas. ATM. Get candy & chewbones. Finish baby quilt. Polish shoes. Whew...

2011-05-23T02:13:00.001-05:00

When my puppy whines in the middle of the night, that's when I know I'll be a sucker mom. I want so badly to go comfort him. Haven't yet but it's been close...

Yay!

2011-05-08T23:54:00.003-05:00

Mum & Dad got me a puppy for my birthday! Woohoo! He's a shetland sheepdog, i.e., sheltie. Just yesterday turned 12 weeks old. And just freakin' adorable... see:

2011-03-17T17:07:00.001-05:00

"In the middle of my little mess I forget how big I'm blessed"... I love this song!

Withholding the love?

2011-03-14T22:01:00.003-05:00

So, I'm one of those weirdos who happens to frequent that awful place called Facebook. I've been a member since I was a freshman in college - back when you could only be "friends" with people from your actual school and could only sign up with a college-based email address (for example yourrealname.1@ou.edu which I sure hope isn't really someone's email addy). So, yeah, that has been a really long time. It was great for networking for classes in undergrad and for further fueling silly junior-high-like antics in grad school. Now I mostly just see what other people are doing. And now to get to my real point for posting tonight...

Sometimes, like when looking around on Facebook, I just really want to say "Hi" to someone or tell a friend I've been thinking about them. But then I don't really have much else to say. I guess I just want to connect with out strings attached? (And now I'm getting a deja vu feeling like I've posted something like this before? weird) It feels lame to just "like" everything someone posts but too much to reach out, sometimes after not talking much for years, and just say something lame like Hi. It also seems odd to post to my close friends "I love you" without sounding like one of those stupid valley girls who "loves" everything and nothing at the same time. I don't want to come off as fake and I do have strong platonic love for them... but... booo. Haven't solved this problem for myself yet...

So I'm chalking this post up to allergies making me weak with pseudoephedrine making me crazy. Chalk and chalk. Love ya'll! -- No, really though. After all the devastation that's going since this past week we all do need to remember those we love and tell them more often. Everyday if you get the chance. God loves you and, in a much less significant way, so do I. :)

2011-02-22T16:48:00.001-06:00

Do the pretty girl rock? Don't hate me 'cuz I'm beautiful... Hahahaha...

2011-02-16T23:47:00.001-06:00

More prayers for patience and understanding. And maybe some more sleep. Not sure how long I can live like this. -Brighter note: beautiful weather this week! :)

2011-02-14T19:42:00.001-06:00

Oh the wisdom of Beyonce... "If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it"...

Is it cobbler or cobler? Either way, the peach kind is yum...

2011-02-13T16:13:00.002-06:00

Thus far today I bathed both dogs, tidied, dusted, and vac'd the living room, did 2 loads of laundry, and baked a peach cobbler. Pretty much in that order. My coping-by-cleaning method of ignoring things seems to be working, for now anyway.
Would be sewing something but Mum's hogging the sewing machine.
Well, yes, we do happen to have at least 4 other sewing machines I could pull out and set up but that sounds like more work. Also they're dusty. And maybe a bit rusty? Probably not crusty. Or musty. Eeww. (Others that are unlikely: busty, gusty, lusty)

My to-do list is pretty big too. Keep adding to it without checking things off since most of the items seem to be weekday 9-5 type tasks, like dropping off my stuff to have my taxes done or getting my checking account at the bank changed to a different kind (since I'm a big girl now with a real job and don't have to have the student account I've been utilizing since I turned 18). Then there's the stuff I'm not sure I'll ever get around to doing - like getting any dry cleaning done. I try not to buy dry clean only clothes but sometimes it's unavoidable - like a bridesmaids dress in my closet that currently has a little chocolate spot on it. Boo. I *could* just pretend it's not there. It is such a tiny spot. In a really noticable place... argh....
I also have a to-craft list. Lots of ideas I'd like to make or attempt. Seem to go through spurts of crossing off a passel of those and then have a dry spell before another spurt. (ha. That last sentence makes me giggle)

Wow. What a boring post for a day off work. At least the weather is great - It got up to about 70 degrees Fahrenheit today when just Thursday this past week it was in the single digits! Went from wearing a ton of layers and double socks to a t-shirt and jeans all day! Whoa! :) Still boring...

2011-02-10T22:49:00.002-06:00

Just watched a show on the Cooking Channel called "Bitchin Kitchen" - Pretty funny. Informational without being too floofy. Will probably watch again :)

Another year...

2011-02-03T23:15:00.002-06:00

"Tick tick tick tick on the watch, And life's too short for me to stop, Oh baby, your time is running out, I won't let you turn around And tell me now I'm much too proud All you do is fill me up with doubt... This time, baby, I'll be bulletproof... this time, baby, I'll be bulletproof..."

I've had La Roux's Bulletproof stuck in my head for about a week now. So terribly, ironically fitting. Or something like that. What a way to start a post after so long...

Busy lately working a bunch. Still floating from store to store as needed for the big chain for which I work. And much of the time it's good. Some days truly suck but I figure that's part of life and every job has downsides. Getting to help people still outweighs the bad. And this job is enabling me to pay off my student loans, which is very high on my list of priorities right now. In fact, I noticed today (as I was paying bills, yuck) that I've paid off a little more than a third of my loans! I've only officially been out of school since June and made intern pay for June & July so it's really been about 6 months of "real" pay that went into that chunk of debt falling off. If all goes well and no new bills pop up then I might get out from under loans by this time next year. How cool would that be?!?

Something else has been dropping off lately... Since I took my NAPLEX back in July I've unintentionally lost about 15 pounds. I'm back to the weight I was when I turned 16 & got my driver's license! (Though I did gain about 5 pounds between graduation and NAPLEX from all of the study eating I did to prep for that booger of an exam.) Still fitting into all my clothes ok but now having to wear a belt more to keep from flashing everyone. I'm still eating and certainly not going without but I guess working all day on my feet and not really ever having the chance to snack resets me back to where I maybe should have been all along? I wish I could say I've been exercising but I haven't. My work schedule is still so fluid that I don't feel like there's a set time of day I could work out routinely. Excuses, excuses, I know. There are just several variables in my life right now that I have no control over that lend toward making me more apathetic about my overall health. Hopefully, soon, I'll see the light and feel inspired to be more healthy. Until then I'll stick to working hard, eating reasonably balanced meals, and drinking more water. Yeah.

Going through a rough patch attitude-wise. Not willing to share the cause here but suffice to say I've mostly been praying for understanding and acceptance. Can never have too much acceptance, the way I see it. Especially for things that I have little control over. (For graduation a dear family friend got me a piece of wall art that reads, "Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God." A wonderful ideal...) So, beyond praying I turn to sewing, cooking, cleaning, and crafting in general to keep my mind occupied. If my darling family doesn't get sick of me re-organizing every inch of the house and making a cosy for everything I might get back to okay soon. We shall see.
Until then, stay warm and be good to yourself & everyone else.

2010-10-10T13:11:00.002-05:00

Looking through the hymnal this morning at service I found several songs I liked... "All Things Bright & Beautiful" being at the top of my list, of course. "This Is My Father's World" & "Open My Eyes That I May See" rank up there. In no particular order, the others I re/found this morning: "How Happy Is Each Child Of God", "Let Us With A Gladsome Mind", "God of Our Life", "Called as Partners in Christ's Service", "Wherever I May Wander", "There's a Sweet,Sweet Spirit", "Lord of Our Growing Years".

A September Catch-up

2010-09-14T18:19:00.003-05:00

So. Done with school finally. Studied hard and passed my NAPLEX so now I'm a licensed pharmacist in the state of Oklahoma. Scary, huh?
I've been working hard and learning a lot. Now that I've accomplished that big goal I'm searching for a new one, once the dust settles and I'm on comfortable footing, of course. If one thinks about it, I've spend about a decade trying to get where I am now. Feels pretty good.
Most of my last posts have been really short and random. Seems like I've left out a lot of details about life recently but, to be honest, as everything was going on it was difficult to process all of it and regurgitate any sort of comprehendable report. I'll see what I can remember...
Finished rotations acceptably and graduated. Had a wonderful graduation party with lots of family and friends. The day of Commencement I wore a grey linen dress that I had made myself but it kicked me in the butt as we went to lunch when the zipper broke by seperating from the bottom up! Thankfully, I had clothes in the car to change into!
From there I worked a lot as a grad intern, as many hours as they would give me. Went to Las Vegas for the NAPLEX review and had a great time to boot! Elene & Rachel went too to keep me company. Saw the sights, ate the wonderful food, and studied some too.
Got back in time for Julia's wedding. Very nice and fun too. Belated Best Wishes to the gorgeous couple!
Then began about a month of studying for the Naplex... Mum drove up to Tulsa with me for the test and helped me celebrate afterward with a kick-butt mojito at lunch!
After the Naplex I worked some more as a grad intern before the state board of pharmacy let me know that I'd passed! Yay!!!!!!
Now I'm working (when I can get hours) as a full-fledged pharmacist and trying to love it. I do enjoy it a lot of the time but some days just suck. Things get messed up and people get mad. Such is life. But, hey, I'm here, I made it, and I have a job. Hallelujah! I am blessed!
In other blessed news, my little brother Dork is engaged. The lovely couple are looking forward to a November ceremony, if things go as planned. I'm looking forward to having a little sister!
That's the majority of the bigger things that have been going. Now I'm off to enjoy dinner with Skronky... Love and blessings to you!

2010-06-15T16:20:00.001-05:00

I've now been in Las Vegas for 42hours! NAPLEX review keeping me busy but we did get to walk the Strip yesterday! Saw lions at MGM, Flamingos at Flamingo, & fountain show at Bellagio. Such an interesting, different place.

2010-06-03T14:39:00.001-05:00

Is it really only Thursday? Seems like this week is creeping along. Working today...

2010-05-28T11:50:00.001-05:00

Less than 1 day left of Pharmacy college. Terribly ready to be done. I am so blessed.

2010-05-07T19:30:00.001-05:00

It's times like these that I realize how compulsive I am about time. It really is one of my biggest hurdles in dealing with other people, this anxiety I feel when they cause me to be late, even for a good cause. So. I have time-related baggage. Noted. Now time to work on getting over it...
Hopefully I'll be better at 25?

2010-04-30T12:30:00.001-05:00

Last day of rotation 8 of 9. June 5th can't get here fast enough.
Today my BFF Dawn has lived a full quarter of a century... I'll be following next week! Eeek!

There is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel

2010-03-25T20:31:00.002-05:00

Almost done with my 7th rotation (of 9, for those who are counting with me!) and very much looking forward to finishing school for good. My over-all feeling about rotations is that the majority of them are absolutely wastes of time and the few that aren't such pass much too quickly, since time flies when you're working your behind off!
Have ordered my ceremony regalia for graduation, the requisite announcements to be mailed off, and procured a job before graduating so I feel all nice and productive. I will be a pharmacist!

This last Tuesday was the "anniversary" of the day I got my acceptance letter to pharmacy school - 4 years ago! Woohoo!!!

2009-12-11T13:54:00.001-06:00

My 6th rotation is going well... Christmas shopping/planning occupies most of my free time. My little Bro will be 21 on Monday, so Happy Birthday Dork!

2009-11-25T09:34:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving ya'll!

2009-11-10T09:08:00.001-06:00

Today, for my rotation, I'm on-site downtown OKC while they film a commercial. From what I understand the theme is "don't do drugs". Interesting...

2009-10-22T21:41:00.002-05:00

Obviously, I have haven't written any posts in a while. I appologize. I could make excuses about not having the time or energy, the creativity or drive to write, or even that I'm just in the middle of rotations and that should be more than enough. I just don't get the urge to share anymore; I'm not inspired to post anything. Hope you understand.

I plan on leaving this page up until it expires per the hosting server or I feel like writing again. Either way, I still wish the best for everyone and thank you. ~M

2009-10-07T19:46:00.001-05:00

Busy at my 4th rotation, giving shots and filling rxs...

2009-09-14T19:18:00.001-05:00

Been very busy with rotation. Won 2nd & 3rd places in my category at the county fair (ladies blouses). Should be getting my winnings check for $5 by mail soon.

2009-08-17T14:28:00.001-05:00

Wow, Marie starts Kindergarten on Wednesday... Hard to believe she's old enough already!

2009-08-10T11:16:00.001-05:00

Keeping busy around the house during my time off... Trying to decide if I want to make &/or enter something in the county fair coming up... Happy Monday!

2009-08-06T00:59:00.001-05:00

I should be asleep but, alas, I am not thanks to the weather rumbling. Am enjoying my month off rotations as well as able ~The first of month was difficult as we got the call Skronky's father had passed away. He'd been battling for months but noone expected it so soon... Not hurting anymore, thankfully.

2009-07-28T09:39:00.001-05:00

Did my last shift at Poison Control on Sunday and 2 seperate callers who thought they'd ingested spoiled food wanted to drink wine to kill off the germs; Never heard of that before! (Cannot confirm or deny that such would work...)

2009-07-14T22:56:00.001-05:00

Babysat Dawn's little boy, who is now 7 months old, this past weekend ~ He's possibly the happiest baby I've ever met!
Resigned at Poison Control today in order to focus on 4th year rotations. We'll see how that goes...

2009-07-09T17:43:00.001-05:00

Had a very chill 4th without much hassle. Staying busy at rotation. Made some salsa earlier this week...

2009-07-03T13:05:00.001-05:00

Started my 2nd rotation on Wednesday... They don't keep me quite as busy as the 1st did but still interesting... Have the day off for Independence day! Yay!

2009-06-27T09:05:00.001-05:00

Successfully made rosemary bread for Skronky!
I think I did alright on that test but won't know for sure for awhile.
Back to sipping coffee & watching tv...

2009-06-25T08:22:00.001-05:00

Test this afternoon, eeeek!

2009-06-24T08:09:00.001-05:00

My father listens to trance music... I fail to understand how that makes sense. When I hear it I just feel like I have a pounding headache. Is that enjoyable?

2009-06-23T21:52:00.001-05:00

Well, figured out how to post from my phone... Of course, only needed something to help me procrastinate for my test Thursday... Love to all and happy thoughts!

short update

2009-06-13T13:51:00.003-05:00

Seems that I've been bad about posting... Apologies are likely in order. Lots of excuses and a few good reasons but still. I should be keeping up better.
Have started my first rotation for P4 year of pharmy school. I'm at a local independent pharmacy that's located in a doctors park this month. It's a really nice place to get my feet wet and start getting acclimated to the scene. They do about 150 scripts a day and do NOT have a drive-thru window so that's pretty awesome. They let me do a lot of compounding, which is fun. My only worry about the compounding is wondering what messing with all those hormones all the time will do to me in the long-run. But surely it will be just fine, right?
Am listening to Relient K alot right now. I am so digging their song Must Have Done Something Right off their newest album.
Helped with pharm graduation ceremony. Really looking forward to my turn, though I heard that I don't get to have Mum hood me. Which is something I really was looking forward to as well. Jerks.

Cakes

2009-05-20T11:15:00.003-05:00

Have to ease back into this... Been so busy for so long that I'm rather lost without deadlines and twenty things due "right now".
First, I'll share my newest forray into cakes:
My first try with marshmallow fondant (MMF)

Second shot (for a Kappa Psi meeting at school):

Next, for the May Pharmy birthdays:

Working up to my Birthday cake (my first with tiers and using royal icing):

Procrastination for finals studying

2009-05-10T11:11:00.005-05:00

Birthday down, 4 finals to go... Then I'll be back with longer posts, I promise!

Happy to finally know my rotations for the next 7 months! Woohoo! (It was agonizing to not know where I'd be in June or if I'd even have a rotation!)
My next several months, in order: Community pharmacy, ambulatory clinic, off, Co-agulation clinic, retail pharmacy, pharmacy association headquarters, & mental health clinic pharmacy.

Life is good...

2009-04-16T22:04:00.002-05:00

School is killing me slowly, precisely

2009-04-15T23:35:00.001-05:00

3 weeks of classes plus one week of finals. Then I may return...
Love to all and Congrats to Miss Julia's sister whose lovely baby was born last week! Woohoo!

Trudging though the muck & mire

2009-03-25T14:39:00.001-05:00

Spring break last week. Kept busy. It should be the last spring break I ever have…
Sorry for my lack of posting lately; Just feeling burned out with all the school stuff to keep up with and do. Feels like all of my creative energy has been zapped (or atrophied?) which is odd since the only slightly creative thing I get to do these days is cook dinner. Sigh. Someday I’ll be back…
Only ~8weeks of school left…

Whining

2009-03-09T09:48:00.001-05:00

Oh wow, so yes I am updating from class. No, I’m actively trying to ignore the lecture. If I don’t ignore the lecturer I just might chuck my coffee mug toward the podium. Making this much more difficult than it needed to be and using, for example, a research report that is completely a piece of garbage (i.e., horribly planned, poorly written, and without merit, either statistically or clinically). Seriously???
I think if I turned to violence and threw my mug I would not get my mug back. It is possible that no one would know where it came from and I could escape consequences but that is so highly unlikely in a class of >80 people – someone would notice and mention it. Ah, well. I suppose I should be nice and just ignore.
Had a busy weekend yet again. Final for module Friday afternoon followed by a bachelorette party that evening. Interviews for the next admitting class on Saturday followed by studying & slacking off. Lunch with Skronky on Sunday then off to work.
I really wish I had time to cook or bake something. We’re having a potluck lunch at school later this week so I might just have to wait until then to whip up something amazing. The parents are trying to lose weight so it sounds like it’ll be slim pickin’s at home for the next couple of weeks. (Or I’ll fend for myself a little…) It just seems so cruel to make good smelling, unhealthy food in the vicinity of those trying to not eat as much crappy food.
(It is so hard to keep from banging my head on the table – our class question girl is bantering with the inept professor, competing to see who can be the most ridiculous.)
Okay, on to more mindless surfing around the internet. Love and happy thoughts to all! (apologies for my whining)

From St. Louis to Okieland

2009-03-02T08:19:00.003-06:00

Just got in last night from St. Louis (my fraternity's regional meeting, Province, was held there this year) - Whirlwind of stuff to do and catch up on but am optimistic. Had fun so that 8 hour drive both ways was worth it, right? (My rebel group took a tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery on Saturday - Would highly recommend it if you ever go to St. Louis)
Prayers for Skronky's dad would be appreciated - He had surgery last week for a stomach tumor & is doing well recovering at the hospital. Has progressed to a clear liquids diet so that's positive.

Shot through the heart...

2009-02-18T22:00:00.003-06:00

I shot a classmate yesterday. Twice.
Yeah, so it was just using diabetic insulin needles and just injecting normal saline but it still made life more interesting than normal. And he didn't even cry! Woohoo! (To be fair, he did a great job with the shots he gave me and put up with me "bouncing" the IM shot - not sure but I think I just jabbed it too hard?)

Of course I'm only updating here right now because I have a module test tomorrow. A hard one that I'm not entirely ready for yet. But I will be by 2pm tomorrow!
Weather has been nice(r) the last few days... After we had tornadoes nearby last week it's stayed fairly pretty though windy. Prayers for those in Edmond working to rebuild after last week's freak tornadoes (in February!! I think I heard that there's been less than 50 of those in recorded history here in Okieland).

Had a great Valentine's Day with Skronky - we ate at Buffalo Wild Wings and visited the Myriad Gardens (well, and Bass Pro Shop but that was more about killing time).

Random 25

2009-02-01T01:07:00.003-06:00

This hit me from Facebook... 25 random, about me facts...

1. As apparently runs in my Kappa Psi family, I too am a little OCD… I MUST make my bed every day and things stacked in the “wrong” way really, really bother me. Oh, and people using “texting” jargon in real life (like LOL and IDK – just say the freakin’ words!!)
2. I met my boyfriend at one of his band’s shows… I’m so blessed that I chose to meet up with a high school friend that night! I shudder to think that I’d have missed out on all this if there’d just been an organic chemistry test the next day because I would have flaked on her!
3. I think I’m a different person than I was in high school but have not changed as much as some of my friends so I end up thinking maybe I didn’t change that much after all? I’m still a nerd, still baffled by the popular crowd, and still way too idealistic.
4. I actually didn’t hate high school. Am I remembering it better or was it really as bad as everyone else’s but I’m too scatterbrained to think that?
5. I really, truly love cooking. I sometimes wonder if I’d discovered this love sooner whether I’d have chosen pharmacy school over culinary school. (During horrible test weeks I really think being a chef sounds nice)
6. I cannot play a single musical instrument and am slightly jealous of those who can (especially if they can sing too).
7. The grossest food in the world is goulash. Cannot stand the stuff.
8. The respect for Dolly Parton instilled in me by my grandmum drives my mum crazy (she has tried and failed to understand it. I admit I don’t understand it at all but then I don’t try that hard. I don’t own any of her albums but if a song comes on the radio I don’t change the station, and sometimes I even sing along.)
9. I over-think most purchases that go beyond necessity. Sometimes to the point that they’re no longer in stock/style. (I'm working on this one though)
10. It would severely freak out my dad if I cut off my hair without warning him first. He would probably not talk to me for a day or two over it (if there was no warning).
11. I clean the kitchen when I’m stressed or sad. My parent’s kitchen, Skronky’s, heck – catch me at the right time and I just might clean yours! (It really freaks me out when the kitchen is a mess. I feel compelled to clean it)
12. My “backup plan” was getting a botany degree. To this day I have no idea what I would have done with one.
13. I don’t understand the reasoning behind deviled eggs. Why? Were the eggs not enough on their own that you needed to cannibalize them THEN re-stuff them with their own guts??
14. Sometimes I really miss living at our house in Norman from my Jr. year of undergrad. It was basically perfect and we got along in our own dysfunctional way just fine.
15. My best friend has pretty much moved from that title to sister. The way I figure it, we have each other to make up for me not having a sister and her having the one she does…
16. I’m darn impressed with myself when I actually complete a sewing project. I really enjoy sewing but since I don’t have much time to devote to it I let myself start something and put it off until I’ve nearly forgotten it even existed.
17. I’m loyal to a fault but if you cross me, my grudges are just as long-lived. (references on request)
18. I’ve always viewed my very close male friends as brothers. It rather cracks me up that now some of them really are fraternally related to me since I joined Kappa Psi. Also, that I’m referred to as their “brother”. Ha!
19. My grandmother collects chicken figurines and anything chicken related. I’m worried that this is some sort of dominant trait that I’ve got lurking in my DNA, ready to strike and over take my common sense any day now.
20. I read magazines from back to front. No idea why, but it makes me uncomfortable to have to read them the “right” way.
21. I’m really trying to like different kinds of wine but I’m still more drawn to the sweet, dessert-y ones.
22. I have trouble keeping myself from judging women/girls that have obviously fake nails (the longer they are, or obnoxiously painted, the harder I have to fight my bias). I don’t have a strong argument against them but still judge them.
23. When I start getting a bit of an ego about doing so well with my opportunities in life nothing brings me back to reality faster than thinking about the house where my mom grew up. My dad’s wasn’t a castle but just a tad better in comparison. Remembering visiting my grandparents when I was little brings me back to humble. I hope I never forget that, both the way it makes me feel and the way it really was.
24. I think myspace is stupid and am only on there to stay in-touch with a couple of friends from high school that I don’t know how to reach any other way.
25. I only have 7 first cousins, counting both sides of my family. Of the 6 I’ve met, I’m the oldest by several years. When I was little I used to be jealous when my friends got to go play with their cousins because I didn’t have any to play with me.

Icy

2009-01-29T09:45:00.004-06:00

School's up and going again after a couple of days out for icy winter weather. I was very surprised when my campus closed Monday at 1pm (causing me to miss four hours of lecture, such a huge loss) and stayed closed until this pretty Thursday morning. Happy as I was to skip my four hour lab Tuesday morning, by Wednesday late afternoon I was more than ready to get back to school. I didn't leave the house all day either Tues. or Wed. but the dogs told me it was cold outside.
Congrats to Skronky on his new job! Yay!
Have you heard about the conjoined twins that were born on my campus this last October (Children's medical center on campus in case you're worried that they debuted in the student union or something)? They were surgically separated last week! Isn't that something?
I'm re-certified to do CPR now... And have been re-HIPAA trained... And have taken the time to unearth from the bowels of my filing box the background check that the school did on me 3 years ago to make sure I'm a "safe" person to have around... More of the hoops we have to jump through before P4 year starts. The next thing to look forward to is learning to give immunizations. Yes, someone out there thinks they want me to be wielding needles full of antigens toward unsuspecting children and seniors. At least we get to practice on each other first (i.e. I'll be torturing one, or more, of my classmates in a couple of weeks). So if you get a hankerin' for a sore arm in a few months just shoot me an email...
After two days off school I should be rested and ready... but I'm sleepy so it's time for a quick nap and lunch before class at 1pm. Hope you're staying warm and safe.

Melancholy

2009-01-17T22:41:00.004-06:00

Busy end of the week with a crush of family events & happenings. Everyone is in a tizzy to get things done before school starts back up so we scurried about and ate too much, as usual.
Since the start of the new year it's been much the same-old-same as far as winter break days go. Lots of cooking at home, playing the pinata game, and working now & then. Putting the Christmas stuff up in the attic was a feat (or fete if you like, which could be semi-appropriate). My 93yo great-grandmother experienced a shoulder fracture last week and is still working through that recovery (which will be long, I fear, since she's still so fragile).
I've been having a lot of trouble finding motivation to get "geared-up" for the semester, which starts Tuesday for me. I still have about three hours or so of homework to finish before then. Hateful of them to assign so much busywork to be done during the break (I've already done a couple of hours worth; Blah).
My coursework for the Spring: Toxicology (working at Poison Control will only help a tiny bit), Pharmacy Practice 5 (quite a challenge, complete with lab), Drug Lit Evaluations (mostly stats and reading research papers), online Pharmacy vet course (super interesting and easy so far), and 3 Pharmaceutical Care Modules: Oncology, Dermatology, & Psychology. I think it will be an interesting semester but by no stretch a walk in the park.

Have you ever listened to a friend agonizing over a tough situation that they're living right now that you've lived already, abet with respective circumstances. A friend is dealing with some issues lately and I've been listening to him work thorough those issues (me talking won't help since I don't have any answers) as he tries to understand, cope, and figure out the next step. While listening, I've also had feelings from my own time dredged up and aired out, though now in a decidedly different light. It's amazing how time changes, well, practically everything. I've been miraculously blessed, though back then it seemed so unsure and terrible. I was unsure and terrible as well. ~Though you, hopefully, have no idea what I'm ranting about prayers for my friend would be much appreciated. Prayers for guidance, patience, hope, and confidence; those virtues that seem hardest when times are hard.

Now that I have that out there maybe I can get motivated for school?
Hope you & yours are well and enjoying the weekend! Love to all!

Good search - beneficence while searching

2009-01-12T20:33:00.003-06:00

Updating in-between calls at work - shame on me so I'll keep it short:

Try using Goodsearch.com when you need a search engine - they donate to your chosen charity for doing something you do anyway (search)! (And if you don't have a charity of your own, feel free to use one of mine: Habitat for Humanity (in your region or internationally), Make A Wish Foundation, & ASPCA (who also run the Animal Poison Control).)

Catching up to the New Year

2009-01-05T00:35:00.004-06:00

Finished out the semester well; 4 Bs & 2 As kept me happy since I promised myself before finals that all Cs would be just fine. Aiming low and achieving well - never would have thought that would be me, but here we are in pharmy school just as merry as can be. One semester left of actually-in-a-classroom classes followed by 9 months of a mythical beast called 'rotations' (assigned, spread out loosely into 12 months, somehow, that involves requesting sites that you'll never get, a white lab coat, and unspoken rules as well as several icky test things and "resume building" exercises that promise to reek of boredom). I am terribly ready to be done with school and out working. I honestly don't feel like I know much but I was always very, very good at looking things up quickly so maybe it'll all work out? (That certainly isn't very reassuring to anyone... Let's keep that part a secret, okay?) After finals Christmas hit home. No white Christmas here in Okieland but we had the freezing temperatures. The big family party with
Dad's side was fun with traditional Christmas fajitas, dirty Santa, playing spoons (which my female cousin & I are, apparently, really good at recently), and a foray by my mum & aunt into discovering how to make mulled wine at home (it seemed a lot like making hot tea to me?).
For my immediate family, on Christmas we did our usual laid-back thing at home with biscuits and gravy breakfast just after presents followed by lounging around the rest of the day, recovering from our paper cuts earlier in the day and drinks the night before. (I spent my Christmas Eve at work, since, after all, isn't saving lives a very merry thing?)
Christmas with Skronky, and later his family, was wonderful as well. I got him a cast iron dutch oven. I know what you're thinking... Horribly romantic of me. But that is what he wanted! Better than a tie, I suppose, since he doesn't often wear ties. (I "helped" him 'season' it the next day... I've never seen so much smoke billowing out of an oven!) It was nice to get to see his nephews at his family's party. The oldest one is just a few months past 2y and he's a terror (in a good way), running around everywhere and making friends wherever he goes!
This year for me the presents haul included, in no particular order: a leech jar (no leeches currently in residence), several shirts, a shoe rack, lots of candy, a flashlight, rechargable batteries, another charm for my charm bracelet (this time a celtic cross), cookies, a bird house that I won in my family's dirty santa, coffee & mug, and several books. Skronky got me the first book in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer; I've read it twice since Christmas and plan to see the movie soon. (I prefer to always read the book before the movie, strangely enough.) But please don't count me in with the crazy, diehard fans. I like this author's style and artistry but do not have any misillusions or obsessions about vampires. Promise. You'll be the first to know if/when I do...
New Year's Eve saw me at home with the fam plus Dawn, her hubby, and their 3 week-old baby boy. Rocked out the end of the old year watching her hubby play Battlefield: Bad Company while the baby hiccuped in Mum's arms and Dawn & I gossiped. Am looking forward to this new year and all the wonderful things it'll bring. Best wishes to you and yours!

Here comes Christmas...

2008-12-18T15:40:00.003-06:00

One final left for tomorrow. Looks like I'll be bringing home mostly B's with an A or two for good measure. Little brother finished his finals today and, I'm sure, is sleeping soundly after this morning's stress.

Christmas is quickly approaching and I feel unprepared for all the festivities, though am looking forward to good food and fun.
Happy Holidays to everyone and much love!

Still counting down...

2008-12-13T00:45:00.002-06:00

"Dead week." Check. One final. Check. Less than a third of Christmas shopping. Half check. Three finals... Still pending.
Happy slightly early Birthday to the Little Brother o' Mine. Can you believe I've survived two decades of him?? Or that he survived at all???

Here come the finals...

2008-12-07T10:50:00.003-06:00

Heading into the home-stretch... one week of classes plus finals week... then Christmas Break!!!!!
(For the record: Dead week never actually is Dead by any stretch of the imagination.)
OH and BOOMER SOONER!!!!! (We're just kicking butt this season in football)

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T22:43:00.005-06:00

"Mmmm... I feel lucky today..." - Mary Chapin Carpenter beat me to it. It's been a lovely week and her song about feeling lucky is just spot-on. I am so lucky.
Happy Belated Thanksgiving. Hope yours was wonderful and filling. Mine was. Had a great time with Skronky's family, eating way too much and playing with his nephews.
Man, another good song on the radio tonight - This is why I still listen to country music now and then since sometimes they get it so right! "I ain't broke, I'm broken in." But I can't find the lyrics on google. Hm...
Okay, well on to bed since I'm off to work tomorrow morning. Love to all and best wishes!

This morning...

2008-11-21T09:32:00.002-06:00

I can tell it definitely froze here last night... Here are my pictures from the garden this morning:

And the doggie boys:

November is here

2008-11-08T09:15:00.005-06:00

Keeping extremely busy with school. Had a lovely Halloween (but, strangely, few trick-or-treaters. Where did they all go??) Lots of drama at school related to all the organizations and those who run them as oligarchies. Terribly frustrating on that front. On a brighter note, I'm so thankful that the elections are over.
Current project, besides school, is to be nicer to everyone and to think before I speak or react to things. Hopefully it won't result in bottling everything up until I burst...
Hugs to all and have a lovely weekend!

Rainy rain

2008-10-22T07:58:00.002-05:00

It's one of those dreary, thunderful days - I can hear the drops beat down on the roof of the school while I sit in one of the study rooms (but not my favorite one because they're doing Internship interviews in that one, boo). Should be studying for either of my two upcoming tests but... eh.
Dawn is due soon. Her little boy is supposed to be here in December but she thinks he'll be here early (as his big sis was). Either way they're both doing well and I'm excited to be an "Aunt" again. (I just thought the other day that I don't think I'd mentioned her news on here yet since when I first found out months ago she wanted to keep it hush until she was farther along. But yay and congrats!)
Back to the grindstone...

baking up some karma cookies

2008-10-13T23:08:00.002-05:00

If you're interested in wine tasting, specifically Oklahoma wines, then I'd suggest attending this function at 50 Penn Place on Nov 15th. I am personally looking forward to it, having secured a DD and entrusted myself to mi mama & auntie who both also enjoy a nip of the vino now and then. There are even workshops offered that day that sound interesting (wine tasting with a sommelier, food & wine pairing, and how to grow grapes in Okieland). What's not to love??
I made some cookies this evening and contemplated, as they baked, how nice and homey cookies are. My chocolate chip cookies aren't pretentious or fancy but soft and flavorful (it's the added almond extract that inserts an extra unexpected kick). Cooking and baking are so like compounding in a chemistry/pharmacy lab, in my opinion, that I find it odd that many of my pharmy classmates profess to be inept at cooking. They require recipies, ingredients, measuring, mixing, and "touching up" just like the most basic of chemistry lab exercises do. Hmm... Mayhaps it is a ploy to procure free cookies? (great idea! What was I thinking??)
Had an interesting weekend with Skronky. Got to watch him work magic on some kitchen plumbing and am impressed beyond words at his newly-revealed skills. I hope to incorporated these skills into a master plan for taking over the world some day but please don't spill the beans to Skronky or he might go fishing that weekend instead. My plan working requires the utmost secrecy and discretion (causing me to rethink posting such on the internets. Yes, plural. Internets.)
That is all. Good luck and good night.

And the fun continues

2008-10-07T12:27:00.002-05:00

Done with Endo and on to GI... Had a nice Friday evening with Skronky at a friend's wedding at Tres Suenos in Luther, OK. Short, sweet, and to the point - plus open wine bar! Yay!
Good weekend (other than all the hardcore studying on Sunday). Made it through my OTC test and doing a communications class presentation. Now just keeping in the loop until our next test (next week). Funny how it goes in waves...
Bid Day last week netted my fraternity just 19 pledges total (for both campuses). Of the pledge class only 30 of them even pledged in OKC which is really, really much less than in previous years.
Nothing exciting going on in my life... just hanging in there.

Ick Endo

2008-10-01T22:33:00.001-05:00

Countdown to end of Endo Module... 2 days...
Everything else is on hold until then.
Love to all and wish me luck on that Final!

Pesto Presto!

2008-09-23T22:01:00.002-05:00

School's keeping me super busy with TBLs, tests, meetings to run/attend, an all school picnic to plan/execute, and a million little busywork projects to figure out. I'm counting down the days until this Module is done... Argh! I cannot even begin to gripe about that one since it's a mute point, the whining doesn't fix anything, and it only comes off as pettiness. Just know there is a flood of things I would like to elaborate on but dare not. Less than 10 whole days and no more of that business.
Made up some pesto tonight from basil that I scavenged from Skronky's basil-overrun garden. It's really so simple to make that I'm not sure why I haven't been making it for years (other than the fact that I have never in all my life been presented with such a plethora of basil). Tasty too.
It's Rush week for my fraternity at school thus the 'wearing of the tshirts daily' is in full swing. And free food - that's the best part. I just don't have the time this year to get to meet and know the new P1s like I did last year. Perhaps I've hit my capacity for learning new names? Let's hope otherwise. Oh and the theme this year is " The Amazing Race" from the tv show that I've never even seen half an episode of making it hard to dream up helpful ideas to contribute. Thank goodness I'm busy...
Back to studying for tomorrow's TBL on infertility and polycystic ovary syndrome - thrilling, huh?

Learning in the Garden

2008-09-13T11:58:00.003-05:00

Beautiful weather out right now- Calm, cool but not cold, a slight mist in the air. Love it! The grass has just a touch of moisture on it and Mum's roses smell divine. The hummingbirds zoom around fighting for turf. A little bloom is starting to open on one of the "Oklahoma" roses. The white zinnias stand out boldly against their own dark green foliage.
Just finished the learning objectives for my TBL ("team based learning activity") for Monday so now I'm off to visit Skronky! Hurrah for being "the good student" for once!!

"It seems as if the day was not wholly profane, in which we have given heed to some natural object."- Emerson

Optimistic snot

2008-09-09T23:06:00.002-05:00

I ab dot well. By dose is tuffy add by troat tickles. (That is pretty much how I sound)
Yay for school! The stress of starting the third week of this semester crashed around me with some sort of nasty virus or allergy or something terribly heinous in the way of a biological devil to torment my sanity. I had to call in sick for the first time ever at work (Only the 2nd time I've EVER called in sick to any job, thank you very much). Thank goodness we were somehow already scheduled to be well staffed.
It gets pretty hard to stay optimistic about school sometimes. "They" do their best to rob the experience of any fun or wonder it might have once had. Don't let that glimmer of passion or hope for your profession shine through or it will surely be dashed as quickly as only they know how.
Optimism, right?
Mum's roses are blooming beautifully outside. Our yard looks like a cute little garden park with little hidden surprises all over (oh, I meant delightful splashes of colorful roses, what did you mean? Dog poo, no, I hadn't considered that one...) The hummingbirds have been out fighting over the feeder when that blasted human thing isn't outside "reading", whatever that is. They pretty well ignore the dog-things which are loud but can't jump very high.
Looks like the little white truck might be fixed after all! Thanks to my daddy and uncle Davie we're up and running! Woohoo!! To think they work for mere pizza... 'Tis a mystery, for sure.
Back to studying Diabetes... Please don't ask me if you have any of the risk factors because I won't want to be honest, i.e. you probably do if you eat more than 1 Big Mac a week. (Internal shudder)
Love to all and to all a lovely rest of the week!

Rabies Policy

2008-09-03T08:00:00.003-05:00

So, while sitting in lecture hall during bathroom break in class I opened up my email to see if there was anything interesting, critical, or at least worth reading. I was rendered incoherent with laughter when I found this little gem forwarded from Mum (originally written by one of her co-workers so neither of us can take credit for the funny that follows):

[Medical Center on my campus] RABIES POLICY

Don’t get bit by rabid dogs. Rabid dogs are not allowed in the facilities and therefore bites by rabid dogs are not permitted. For this reason rabid patients (or patients exposed to a rabid dog bite) will not be seen or treated in the emergency departments to avoid the risk of them biting another patient/staff member.

In my defense I was caught completely off guard so, yeah, it isn't hilarious but didn't it make you smile??
Have a beautiful day!

School.

2008-09-02T08:28:00.003-05:00

School has been going full swing for about a week now meaning I'm already ready for Christmas break again. My lovely cousin is begining her first year of college out in Hawaii and my little brother is continuing his flight education at my alma mater - Best wishes to both!

Skronky just started a new job! Woohoo! Happy thoughts for him as well!!

Not much to say - every minute that I'm not studying I feel guilty for not studying... And I still need to purchase textbooks that I've been procrastinating about. Blah.
Happy Labor Day & I hope your week is lovely!

Bad Company, Sad sewing machine

2008-08-20T21:35:00.004-05:00

As I type I can hear my brother shooting bad guys on the xbox - Bad Company is the new addiction at our house. We are still baffled by some of the things the "commander" says over the "headset"... Things that sound like "Peter Taco" and "Ichi nichi". What DO those mean???
Classes start next week so I've been helping with P1 orientation recently. I'm finally more than halfway through this academic adventure - woohoo!
On the same table as my laptop sits an unhappy sewing machine. It is mad at Mum and me for unknown reasons and refuses to talk about it. Perhaps it learned a new language and is determined to only use that one, like in college language classes, that we do not understand? Maybe it feels stressed and wants a vacation? Maybe it is having identity issues and is seeking counseling outside of the home for those personal issues? Who's to say at this point but we're having a parent-teacher (um, sewer-fixer?) conference later in the week to try to address such issues. Thank goodness there are 3 other sewing machines living here to help us bridge this time of sadness and confusion.
Skronky's newest nephew was born this last Sunday! 8 pounds, 10 ounces - a big healthy boy! They're still taking suggestions on the name so forward any good ones...
Enjoyed the ropes course and leadership retreat last week. Not quite as challenging a course as last year but still pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Leaping off a telephone pole-height and width pole to grab a bandanna 4 feet away is still outside of my comfort, by the way, but I can check that off the list of things I've done.
Many other thoughts and ideas but no motivation to express them. Seems egotistical to think anyone wants to read about my musings but yet, here I am babbling on and on.

Screwtape and Sewing

2008-08-13T22:16:00.003-05:00

Busy week as summer dwindles down to the hum of the new semester starting up again.
Finished reading "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis which I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who can find a copy. Have convinced Skronky to procure for me "Herbal Remedies in Pots" which has info on "growing and making herbal remedies for common ailments" (online, used, and at a reduced price no less!) Found both of these treasures originally at my local library. Literacy wins again!
Sewing more:

After a visit to Grandmum today have even more fabric to play with but am drying up on creative ideas... Guess it's for the best then that I won't have time to sew much during school, right? I'll keep telling myself that anyway.
Going to the leadership retreat tomorrow - ropes course again so I'm looking forward to it even more.
This last weekend Skronky and I walked around downtown Norman visiting the monuments near the train tracks where they cross Main. Lots of neat. I would highly recommend at least taking a look as you drive by.
Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Fishing!

2008-08-02T16:50:00.000-05:00

Busy sewing lately...

Caught my first fish last Sunday when I went out to Skronky's Uncle's farm pond to see some of his family (and there were donkeys!!). He and his cousins were fishing so, of course, I got brought into the fun. The first one I reeled in we had to keep because he swallowed the hook (we let the rest go)! Skronky cleaned him up and ate him later in the week!

Enjoyed playing with Marie all day Tuesday - She's getting so big, so fast!
Otherwise, just been sewing, reading, watching Dad & Dork play Bad Company on Xbox. 'Tis a charmed life.
Hope everyone is well and having a lovely weekend!

Malaysian cherry vs cookies

2008-07-24T21:37:00.004-05:00

Thought about posting. Decided not to... Then changed my mind. Thus is the shambles of my decisiveness that I am left with after ten hours with Marie, the four year old child cookie-making-prodigy known-as-my-goddaughter.
I'm thinking about entering her cookies in our county free fair next month, by the way (if her mama approves). I think that would be neat even if she doesn't win (and honestly, she'll be up against eight year olds who can actually read the recipe for themselves so who, other than those biased by love, would call her the front-runner?) I might just enter one of my homemade dresses as well since there is a section for sewing as well. Fairly certain I won't be entering any livestock or woodcarvings so if anyone wants a sure-win category stick to one of those, huh?
Went camping with Skronky on Monday down at the Lake of the Arbuckles. Very pretty lake, nice on-the-water tent site, and a good time all-around. (Well, raccoons got two of our ears of corn that we carelessly left out but since that was the biggest loss we'll take it.)
My hair is currently "Malaysian cherry" which means slightly reddish. I like it. Only the month-long stuff so if you want to catch a peek you'll have to hurry!

Plaid Pancakes

2008-07-13T23:54:00.002-05:00

My mind is full this evening of random song lyrics from pop-y songs that normally make me cringe with how sickeningly cutesy they are. Ah, such is the way of karma.
After a shift at work on Friday (just one silly parent had tasted whatever the toddler ate) I enjoyed a lovely weekend with my Skronky to celebrate a tad early our 3rd anniversary as a couple. Tried out a nice cafe/bakery on Campus Corner where the Mascots' training camp stopped in for cookies (honest, 1 bobcat, a wombat, eagle, and, um, a cat[?] all trooped in for chocolate chip cookies) while we were munching on 3 kinds of pasta salad. (I had to get one of the fresh-from-the-oven brownies that were so huge that it would have been mean not to share - It was delicious!) Very nice place, will definitely be going back soon.
Looked through books and magazines at the local Border's... Found it funny that the 3 ends of the magazine aisles that faced the coffee shop area were aimed, in this order, very specifically at women of progressing ages: first the teenybopper area with fashion mags and gossip rags followed in the second end by the wedding-planning glossy pictures full of dresses and cakes finishing with recipes and gardening journals in the 3rd end. Naturally, that makes sense. Get them hooked to reading and ads early with flashy clothes and dating hints, pull them deeper while they're knocked senseless by the wedding industry, and lull them to sleep with tips on sharpening gardening tools.
Tried out a new pancake recipe. They turned out much like crepes but still very yummy. Made up very quickly and easily with only 5 ingredients!

"Shall I not call God the Beautiful, who daily showeth himself so to me in his gifts?" -Emerson

Keeping busy in the summertime...

2008-07-10T00:03:00.004-05:00

I read back over a few really, really old posts just now and it hit me anew how much I've stayed the same person over the years. In my opinion my older posts are better, more entertaining, than my newer ones. Physically I feel fine but sometimes now I just feel brain-tired and can't think of anything worth reading, much less writing, about. Maybe I just drain my "creativity" into other forms leaving nothing for here?
More sewing lately... These are all from within the last 2 weeks...

And I have a dress all cut out and ready to sew up when I get a chance. (From a beautiful Christian Dior bedsheet that I found for $.99 at a local thrift store! Eeek!!)
Since previous posting I worked all of the last weekend of June. Had several hilarious calls but the best (worst??) was a guy who called to tell me he had eaten half a tube of toothpaste on toast for dessert and now he was feeling nauseous. Big surprise, huh? I figured it was a prank call and reminded him we're an emergency hotline to which he replied that he was having an emergency so I had to treat it like a "real" call. When I told him to try some dry foods like chips or crackers to help his stomach he launched into a rant at me about how he "ain't no cracker, cracker! Whatchu thinkin'??" Got him calmed down, gave some advice (including to avoid eating that much toothpaste again), and received back the tip to "don't even start eating toothpaste on toast because it tastes so good you won't want to stop!" Gracious! So, in case you had considered it, please, oh please, don't eat the toothpaste!!! It'll taste so good you won't be able to control yourself.
Happy Late Birthday to Miss Julia!!! Woohoo!!! (And Boo since I have to work during your party.)
Love to all and to all a great (early) weekend!

Water barrel to compost barrel

2008-06-24T13:55:00.004-05:00

Been busy with all the regular old stuff. Grocery shopping, laundry, studying, cleaning house, planning what to have for dinner, brainstorming on my next sewing project. The usual suspects.

I'd like to brag for a minute about how crafty Mr. Skronky is... My granddad gave him 2 old plastic barrels since they were in the way (and not in the newest condition) to try to convert into water storage containers to catch the rainwater off the roof of his house (Skronky's original idea that trickled down until it reached Grandpa who miraculously had such barrels available). Well, we hauled the barrels to Skronky's where his distracted girlfriend managed to bust the bottoms of the barrels even worse while unloading making them even less useful for water. That was several weeks ago. This last weekend (Saturday was his birthday!) he put into action the idea to make one of the barrels into a compost bin. Some drilling, cutting, adding of hardware and the compost barrel was done! Ta-da! Kudos to his craftiness as well as his thriftiness!

Instead of my normal sewing kick I've taken a forray into cooking again. And not just cookies my dear friends. Shrimp fettucini alfredo with a side of green beans followed by a dessert of bananas foster. That's the menu for tonight! Tomorrow is looking like baked herb chicken on a mixed greens salad with feta cheese and olives. Later in the week sometime lasagna will pop in to grace our table. Those are as far as I've gotten for this week...
Skronky and I even enjoyed some sushi again this last weekend. Did California rolls (avacado, cucumber, and imitation crab meat) and a mushroom variation (mushrooms sauted with olive oil and basil with the cucumber and avacado as before). Very yummy!

Marie (my goddaughter as those of you in the know... well, know.) stayed with me last Thursday and we had such a blast at the park, making cookies, visiting Grandmum, and watching cartoons that we're doing it again this week! Four and a half year olds are the best entertainment value-wise. Keep ya busy anyway...

Well, I do hope everyone is enjoying a lovely week with all this warm weather.

"Life is a festival only to the wise." - Emerson

Grace to you and peace...

2008-06-17T11:37:00.003-05:00

Welcome to today! We've been expecting you for quite some time now...
Life's been busy and fun.
Attended a beautiful wedding Saturday for a wonderful couple - Blessings and warm wishes! (They planned everything well, kept things moving, and were just down-right adorable to boot!)
Have recently discovered several things on the "internets"...

How to make your own worm bin... Which would be awesome to keep that whole reduce-reuse-recycle movement going strong.
Kvetching open letters that crack me up - They're, frankly, addictive and I find myself composing letters in my head that would take hours to write out completely.
is wonderful to search around. I haven't posted or replied to anything yet but LOVE the idea that every one's sharing stuff to keep from sending all this "junk" to the trash heap.
Last and best, I've been thinking on religion a bit lately and was concerned that perhaps I was straying from the way I was raised since I haven't been attending a regular worship service in, admittedly, several years. Not that such would be horrible but would require much more thinking, you see (also not a bad thing). So I hopped over to The Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) to refresh my mind on what I'd been taught growing up in a Midwest Presby family. I was amazed and awed to find out that I'm still very much Presbyterian in my beliefs. It's terribly reassuring to discover anew that there are other people who believe the same things you do. Granted, I don't necessarily fit in on EVERY point but very much the majority of them. Yay! I'm very hopeful that such new found knowledge will inspire me to take the next step toward finding a new church home...

Rainy day

2008-06-09T18:46:00.003-05:00

In the search for the "next great thing" it can get difficult to always remember that *this*, here and now, is great too and worth the keeping, treasuring, and eventually remembering.

I attempted to update my blog with a nice, new template but didn't find any of theirs that I liked enough to modify for myself just yet so stuck with the same old look for now. Playing around with the html code just isn't as fun as it once was and has even turned into a bit of a burden so I'm hesitant to change around too much that I wouldn't want to have to fix a second or third time. Argh!

Cory and Jillian's wedding shower last weekend was great! Lovely, simple, and modest - it was everything a shower should be but often isn't (we even played xbox Rock Band -too much fun). Love & best wishes to the darling couple who will make their vows this next weekend!
Hope all are well and enjoying today! (Prayers for those in the flooded regions of the Midwest would be more than appropriate!)

Inspiration and influence

2008-06-06T13:11:00.002-05:00

Inspiration. Where does yours come from??
And what influences you to do the things you do, pick that shirt this morning, grab that coffee at the shop, have that dream last night, create that new masterpiece?
It's amazing to think on those things... With the world so "small" now everything is available to swarm over your head in a matter of seconds and what sticks in the mind is so variable it seems.

I hope this day sees you well and enjoying those (things, people, foods, places...) around you. Blessings, hope, & love.

How you treat the waiter = matters!

2008-06-03T00:39:00.003-05:00

Have been meaning to link to this article for a while now...

How you treat the waiter says a lot about your character

I think it's very true... So be kind to the waitstaff!

Busy Memorial Day weekend

2008-05-29T10:28:00.004-05:00

Life is pretty darn wonderful, huh? So blessed
Memorial Day weekend was full of excitement
Saturday was Stuart & Jenni's wedding out at a beautiful bed and breakfast SE of Norman. Short and sweet ceremony then food, dancing, toasts, and cake. (Playing the part of the "unloved cousins" Julie and I served up that cake within an inch of it's existance - it wasn't a pretty sight when we finished but it was done. We now know that if pharm school doesn't work out that falling back on cake cutting as a profession would not be our best bet.) Lots of dancing was enjoyed that night. Love to the happy couple and best wishes for a great honeymoon (2 weeks in Hawaii)!
Sunday was lunch at the Mont (where they have very yummy hamburgers) then I headed off to work at Poison Control for the evening. When I got there the hallway to our office was cordoned off with caution ribbon since they were buffing or waxing the floors, which they used to do by halves of the hall but now apparently take over the entire hallway to do. Since I don't know of another entrance that we can enter through (strange new building rules) I just tiptoed over the caution tape and along the side that seemed driest. Made it all the way to our door before the guy doing the waxing/buffing saw me and gave me a very mean look full of hate daggers. I sneaked into our office to find out that they'd been working on that tiny area of the hall ALL DAY already and had been told that people would be coming through to get into our office because we're a 24h-7d-a-wk place. Argh! When we went to leave late that night our door had even more caution ribbon on it (hinting to us that we should be more careful??) and when we got to our usual exit the door would not unlock to let us out!!! Coincidence? I think not! So we tiptoed back over ALL of the caution tape to get to another hallway to take elevators (since the stairway doors are often locked) to another floor to try to find another door that would open. Does this sound safe to you? If there was a fire we'd be doomed. Oh well, made it home and to bed with little other trouble.
Monday, Memorial Day, Skronky and I headed to his sister's for their family cookout-thing (on the way we stopped by the Asian market Cao Nguyen to pick up supplies for later). His nephew was very cute, as usual, and I think everyone had fun. That evening, back at Skronky's house, we made sushi for the first time. I've been intimidated by how hard I thought it would be but found it really, really easy and yummy. We made "California rolls" with avacado, cucumber, and imitation crab meat in the middle of the rice and nori, as well as other variations with carrot, sauted mushrooms, and shrimp. I forsee an addiction/obsession in the near future... We also enjoyed some edamame (soy beans) boiled so the whole meal was quite filling after sharing 3 full sushi rolls and a bunch of the beans. Yay!
Cousin Courtney is gradutating from HS today - Woohoo!!! Congrats darlin'! We'll be seeing you soon!
I know I've mentioned keeping busy with sewing so here are a few pictures to entertain...

Love to all and to all a great day!

Congrats Little Brother

2008-05-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

My little brother passed his private pilot's last check flight this last Saturday so YAY! He's got his private pilot's license!!! Woohooo!!!! Major congrats and fanfare are totally in order! He's been working really hard this last semester, putting in tons of flight time as well as tons of study time so this is a BIG YAY!!!

Sadder news:
Our kittycat died this last weekend. She was very old (almost 15y!) and seemed to be chugging along fine until about 3 weeks ago when she started to act sickish; Only downhill from there. Mum took her to the vet who returned with a very grim prognosis so they just put her down easy to keep her from lagging on in pain. Poor kitty. I still keep expecting to see her napping on my bed or sneaking in the dog door...

Moving on past 2nd...

2008-05-14T19:21:00.003-05:00

Passed each of my finals and ended with a 3.2 GPA for the semester! (2 A's, 5 B's, & 1 pass in a pass/fail elective) Woohoo!!!! I am VERY happy about how this semester turned out - much better than my 3 previous semesters of pharmy school.
My birthday party last week was fun with family and food. Cake, pie and sopapillas! Mom and I went shopping today to celebrate the end of the semester and my birthday. One mall, 2 craft stores, 2 garden centers, and one happy hour (at Sonic) was as much as we could stand before heading home. Again I am glad that neither of us is over-blessed with the love-to-shop gene. Would be miserable for the other of us.
If you're interested in a fun time this weekend near Norman, Oklahoma check out the Spring Wine Festival at Canadian River Winery on Saturday from 10am – 6pm. Looks like fun to me!

Procrastinating during Finals Week

2008-05-06T19:00:00.003-05:00

'Tis the middle of Finals Time... But thankfully my worst, most truly scary final is "done & did" and I no longer have the power or will to change/affect/effect/think about that one any more. Just Pharm Administration Mgmt and Neuro Module finals left (neither of those is cumulative or I would be sweating bullets about both) Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Not sure that I hit the mark of "a better person that has discipline and motivation out the wazoo" but I have been trying very hard. I will be so thrilled to finally be done with the semester. 'Twas mostly even a very good semester, just terribly long.

Skronky is graduating in a few days with his Bachelors degree (YaY!!!) so his mom called me up to get me in on a little grad party for him. We were to meet them at a local German restaurant for an early dinner Sunday but it was to be a surprise to Mr. Skronky so I had to fudge my tush off to keep him from figuring out where we were going. Did I mention he was driving? THAT was the most difficult part to maneuver, getting him to turn in there and park somewhere that he didn't think was our ultimate destination for the outing. I was so very nervous/anxious that he would be mad at me for keeping the secret (since he hates surprises) that apparently I seemed mad/upset most of the way there purely from trying not to talk or give anything away! Irony, huh? He wasn't mad, the food was great, and our parents finally got to meet after 2.5 years of hearing about each other. Hurrah for fun!
In other news, I'll be old soon. Very. Very. Old. Just so you know. But since it comes with cake that's okay, right? Be at my house this Friday night around 6pm and you can have a sopapilla. Yes, and probably cake. Or pie if I'm feeling sassy...
Love to all and to all a good night! (And if you have any tests this week, either scholastic or the life sort, best wishes! We all need a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card at some time or another, right?)

Mentoring Can Wait

2008-04-24T22:33:00.003-05:00

I'm supposed to be writing about my mentoring experience for a paper that is due Monday but what am I doing right now? Ha! Not writing that paper! I'm rebelling! For the next several minutes! Muahahahaha...
School makes me crazy. Add in wedding showers, beautiful weather that I don't have time to play in, plus an unhealthy lack of motivation to study for school and you get a mess that is just barely making sure to get things done in time. Okay, so I'm selling myself short a little here but just barely. That assignment that's due tomorrow? Yeah, I just wrote that tonight. So it is done slightly before it's due. Touche.
The most recent wedding showers I went to were nice, I do have to admit that. Stuart's was lovely and his reaction to the xbox that us pharm kids got for him was gratifying to say the least (his fiance didn't look *quite* as pleased as he did). Krystal's was full of sweet treats and pharmy girls; Her enthusiasm really kept the party alive. (I got her a bottle of wine, a shot glass, and a couple of cookbooks. Can you see where my priorities lie?)
Okay so back to writing that paper.... I hope to enter Finals week a better person that has discipline and motivation out the wazoo... Or at least a person who doesn't eat everything in sight and studies enough to pass. Whichever happens, Love to all and to all a good night!

Yet another day in the rut of paradise

2008-04-13T23:59:00.005-05:00

Same old rush, same old me. Nothing earth shattering has happened lately, thank goodness. Isn't that truly a blessing? A bit odd to wrap my mind around but it is a blessing to have a rut, a beloved rut, to enjoy each day with the knowledge that every now and then you can hop the curb, take a little jaunt into adventure and then hop back into that rut. Beautiful.
The dogwoods and redbuds are blooming with the daffodils. I love spring! It's this season in Oklahoma that makes me remember a tinge of regret at leaving my botany "back-up major" path for my pharmacy college goal. Just a tinge but still...
Skronky has/had morchella mushrooms in his front yard (also known as morels) this past week. Didn't notice them last year so we assume the soil was effected by all of the downed tree branches from the winter ice storm that sat there and decayed in his yard for several weeks. They're edible but I didn't really notice that they were all that flavorful or terribly special. Perhaps the wonderful taste was obscured by the other flavors in the lasagna we made this afternoon?
Helped with the Big Event for the 4th year in a row last weekend. Our little group was sent to a community center that has after school programs for the neighborhood children to aid in cleaning their crafts room and work over the flowerbeds that had gotten a little overgrown. Always a good time.
Pharmacy Celebration this Saturday was interesting. The food was decent and the company was terrific but the flower centerpieces were... tactfully, I'll say they left a little to be desired. And calling them "flower" centerpieces would be more truthful as there were precious few actual flowers in attendance. I wore a truly vintage dress (a cute little black number that my lovely aunt got for me ages ago at an estate sale - it's been biding its time for so long but it was fabulous!) and my mum's pearls so I felt like a lady out on the town. Skronky escorted me and performed his duties as squire, taking the job so seriously as to help me reach the butter across the table when I was in distress over the naked state of my bread. Such a gentleman. Everyone looked so lovely and contributed such lively conversation that we hardly minded the awards ceremony in the background. (I jest, of course we listened attentively!)
Had out-of-state family in town last week. My cousins are growing up so fast, it's amazing. I remember the very day the oldest one was born (we were out of school for a snowday) and it's so strange (in a good way) to see her now, to see how much she's grown into herself and all the nuances of her personality that are forming. (That's the sort of realization that makes me scared to be a parent someday - that I could somehow be responsible, and purportedly qualified, for helping a child form into the person they will become.)
Well off to bed and dreamland... Love and best wishes to all!

"Shall I not call God the Beautiful, who daily showeth himself so to me in his gifts?" -Emerson

Spring, sewing

2008-03-25T23:40:00.000-05:00

I ought to know better than to post when I'm like this... No, not drunk. Just moody or whiny or something. I'm tired of trying to keep score (of grades, of work, of giving, of organizations, of time, of joy, of everything) and pass muster (whatever *that* means) and just generally live up to expectations. Which is illogical and impossible yet still dangled out there like a carrot to me, the mule. Yeeeehaaawww!
Spring break came and went. Skronky is feeling better and recovering nicely at home. I spent most of the week with m'boy and my only regret is that he does not live closer to my sewing machine. Not that that makes any sense. So I suppose no regrets then.
Accomplished quite a lot of sewing during break... 6 shirts, 1 Capri lounge pants, 1 skirt for my Goddaughter, and a summery t-shirt reconstructed dress. I've been wearing the shirts and they're lovely. The best part is when people don't even notice that they're homemade - that makes me feel like I've done them well enough that it was worth the time it took since my shirts look normal enough to miss. Odd I understand but still...
I spent an abnormal amount of time arguing with the sewing machine though. Not really its fault but it did cause me to wonder for the umteenth time if I am going crazy or just coping in my own little way. Who knows?
I am entirely sick of weddings and I haven't even had the joy of attending one yet this season. That's rude of me to say but it's true none-the-less. I extend sympathy to anyone who has to attend and/or be a member of more than 2 weddings a year. I've decided that is the tolerable limit and even then they should be spaced out, such that one is in the spring and the other wisely in the fall. Quite appropriate if everyone would just listen to me... haha...
I guess I'll just finish up by putting in pictures of a few of my sewing creations to brag about (see, keeping score again!)... Love to all and apologies for my melancholy posting.

Engaged to Schadenfreude

2008-03-15T23:30:00.001-05:00

Yay! It's finally Spring Break!!! Aren't you thrilled?
Skronky had surgery yesterday on his arm/shoulder/pec to try to correct an injury sustained in the Judo ring at a tournament he was in 3 weeks ago. Been visiting him as much as possible since then to keep m'boy company and to make sure he's doing okay. I think he'll survive once he gets past the point where his shoulder spasms into pain for no apparent reason. That sucks tremendously it would seem. The doctor who performed the surgery said he hasn't seen many of these and that as best as he could find there are only 150 documented cases of this exact injury. Isn't my honey ambitious? Prayers for him would not be remiss...

So, school's held me captive the last few weeks but the hard work has been paying off... I pulled off a 95% on an exceptionally difficult essay and fill-in-the-blank Pharmacy Administration and Management exam (-I have yet to hear anyone else brag of a higher grade so for once I WIN!! Woohoo! That REALLY never happens for me, the doing really, really well on a test that isn't exceptionally easy from the outset.) That was followed by 72% on a terribly subjective Respiratory/Renal Module exam on asthma, a 100% on a smashingly simple exam in the elective I'm taking at the Allied Health building (having correctly assumed that their electives are easier than my college's own), and an earth shattering 82% on my Pharmacy Practice IV midterm - the only test that I can ever remember utilizing the ENTIRE time allotted to take the exam and then walking out nauseous beyond words only to stay anxious and nauseated for the next 12 hours or so. I was OVERJOYED to find out that, not only did I pass the exam, but I made a B!!!!! (I did a tiny Snoopy dance there in the Lounge at the computer to spite the cruel PharmPract world that had hurt me so in the past.)
So beyond taking way too many tests and trying to fit in all of the site visit hours we're required to complete my classmates have been getting engaged. As in, to be married happily ever after. I have no idea if there's something in the Starbuck's they're drinking or if it's viral but there are currently 12 out of 83 of my classmates engaged, 2 of them to each other (our overt class couple who are practically joined at the hip already. And I'm biased but I think my name for them is hilarious - "Kodd" -a merger of their names, Kim & Todd. As in, here comes Kodd! ). That may not seem like much to an outsider but when a new one hits each week it seems like an epidemic. We did not have anything like this happen last year, nor do the next upper classmen report such an excess of new sparkly rings in their P2 year, which truly lends to the theory that this is viral. Thank goodness that I'm immune (since I'm what my grandmum calls, with a bit of regret, "so independent").
I've been sewing this evening and last since Skronky is otherwise busy being in recovery. A couple of new shirts, both with puffed short sleeves that I drafted myself! Both from either free or very cheaply acquired material, which just rocks in my world. Am looking forward to more sewing this week...
[Foreshadowing word of the day: Schadenfreude which is pleasure in the misfortune of others]

At my site visit in an independent retail pharmacy today (where I transferred out a script for the first time ever! Woo!!!) I took a call from a customer who seemed to think that it was perfectly normal and appropriate to demand that we fill her expired script right now for her even though she was told four days ago that we couldn't fill it and that we'd fax her doctor about it to try to fix the problem. I believe that same doctor talked to her that very day, four days ago, and told her that she would have to come in for an appointment before he could write the script since she had not been in for over a year for her checkup. She refused to make an appointment with her doctor and decided to wait until today, Saturday, to call to berate the pharmacy staff about her prescription. It appears to me that she thinks we're just refusing to fill her script out of pure spite, not because to fill it would be breaking the law. We do have, after all, a magical medicine wand that we can wave about when there is a problem and *poof* the problem is magically resolved and everyone gets their medicine of choice, whatever kind they'd like, for free and without any pesky doctors, appointments, laws, or questions. We're just holding out on her to be mean, because we like to see people writhing in their medicine-less misery. (Please disregard my sarcasm. I'm still sore about her actually progressing to where she was yelling at me, indicating that I was personally responsible for her discomfort, discomfort which I later found out is likely due almost entirely to her choice of lifestyle. Go figure.)

And now away to bed to muddle through dreams that make no sense but are delightfully silly. Love to all and Happy Spring Break!!!

"For [in seeing reality] each man sees his own life defaced and disfigured, as the life of man is not to his imagination. Each man sees over his own experience a certain slime of error, whilst that of other men looks fair and ideal." - Emerson, from his
essay on Love

One weekend in Dallas makes a pharm student humble...

2008-02-19T10:10:00.000-06:00

Just back from Dallas, TX and a great weekend of bonding with my Brothers at Province (our regional annual meeting).

Things to do in Dallas when you're not dead but suffering through a conference:

singing - done right it can happen in cars, on the streets, in bars, in hotels, etc

enduring the rain - Yeah, you won't melt but it's not going to help your "outfit" either

walking - happens when parking is expensive +you're only 7 blocks from where you're going

laughter - inevitable, really

drinking - coffee, water, and other more exciting, more volitile liquids

bylaws - bane of any conference-attendee's existance - tends to take a horrific chunk of time

pictures - usually posed, but funnier when they're candid...

driving - 3 hours isn't a long drive when you have your Brothers to keep you awake

eating - over-indulging is the norm at these things... but beware of the spicy stuffing!

voting - Oh! That's only for the delegates! Never mind your pretty head about it!

shopping - by those who skipped meetings, who needed shoes to wear with that new dress

talking - to each other, on the phone, about deep things and the most superficial

and many other words to describe the magic, the hilarity of our stay in Dallas. But I am very glad to be back home.
This is a fairly mellow week for once at school. No tests this week but several to prepare for next week. I'm booked for 3 site visits totaling 9 hours, 16 hours of work at my job, and four hours of time spend on an interview panel for admissions. I was set for 3-4 hours of babysitting Monday but those plans fell through and I ended up watching a movie with my parents instead of studying like I should have.
Back to getting ready for my schoolday... Hope everyone enjoys a lovely week!

Cupcake addition

2008-02-04T10:17:00.000-06:00

I forgot to mention in my last post that I tried a recipe for beer cupcakes and it turned out really well! It uses a stout and after the cupcakes are baked you're left with very moist cake that really doesn't taste like beer at all! I personally wasn't a big fan of the cream cheese icing recipe that went with it (you add a couple of tablespoons of the beer to that as well) but Mum liked it... And several of my classmates with whom I shared said cupcakes enjoyed it so I guess it's a matter of preferences? (It really is nice to have somewhere I can take cupcakes, cookies, etc. to give them away so I don't eat all of them myself. College students, even those in professional/grad school, seem to really delight in free food. Can't imagine why...)
Happy Monday!

Coping mechanisms are often pretty

2008-02-03T23:34:00.000-06:00

Been terribly busy. Mostly with school.
I've started babysitting Marie on Monday nights while her mom is in evening classes. She's a hoot and at four years old she keeps me on my toes (which is very tiring after a day at school). We made cookies this last week. They were supposed to be like roll and stamp out with a cookie cutter but ended up wayyyy too soft for that so we threw the dough at the cookie sheet. So much fun.
On Wednesday I cut out a shirt pattern and sewed it up Friday night... I'm fairly pleased with my first try. It's from a scrap of red and black fabric my grandmum sent over in a box of rejects from her fabric collection so it was perfect for a first try. I am certain there will be more in the future...
Was studying up at my undergrad campus Saturday evening... I guess I had forgotten the Library closes at ten so when they kicked me out I headed to the Union. There was a wedding reception going on up on the third floor! I studied a few more hours and happened to be leaving just as the bride and groom descended the stairs to leave for the night as well. Wouldn't that be a funny place to hold a wedding and reception? I think the Great Reading Room would be pretty during the day for a wedding ceremony but for the reception? Eh... The ballroom at the Union probably wouldn't be among first picks, for me anyway. Too many other people around, and, hey, it's campus where stressful studying happens! Anyway... Congrats to the happy couple though and thank you for the music to study by (I studied in the lounge just below the ballroom).

Hope everyone has a beautiful week! Remember to breathe and smile!

Don't rush. There is a perfect moment for everything we do. ~Theognis

thoughtful cookies

2008-01-20T12:55:00.001-06:00

Ever notice how trying to get back to where you were is harder than it was to get where you are now? Am doing some deep thinking about what I am and what I want to be, as well as how to get there someday. (Not professionally or physically, of course, since those would be easier changes to enact...)

Cardiovascular module at school is keeping me humble. I really need to figure out how to use the lovely stethoscope my aunt has loaned me. Studying notes/books needs to happen as well but I find it's much more enjoyable to visit with those I love. Ah well, such is the way of the world.

Just before break ended I started reading a really old book that I picked up at a library sale - Latin for Americans First Book copyrighted in 1962. I've made it through 3 chapters and still don't know if I'll finish all the way through but can understand enough of the readings that it is rather fun. (It's like an old high school Latin textbook or at least on that level.) Just another distraction. Bully for dead languages!

Recently completely flubbed up when trying a recipe for tea cookies (that is rumored to be one of my great grandmother's) and have created a cookie that seems like a mix between a pancake and a snicker doodle. I like it. Unlike chocolate chip cookies that I love so much that I will sit and eat a dozen by myself these cookies are good but rather heavy so I only want to eat one while still enjoying the heck out of that one... I love mistakes like that, that end up being wonderful. Just what you wanted to happen without knowing it was what you wanted. It's curious how many things start out looking like a total mess and failure only to prove to be a God-send.

A beautiful form is better than a beautiful face; a beautiful behavior is better than a beautiful form: it gives a higher pleasure than statues or pictures; it is the finest of fine arts. -R.W. Emerson from his essay on Manners

wists

2008-01-13T12:33:00.000-06:00

I've discovered Wists recently... Think it's pretty darn cool that you can just pick a picture to link everything you think is awesome. (But I think they're having trouble with their server since I've been unable to access this site this weekend.)
Back to classes tomorrow. Woo.

Lost

2008-01-10T21:02:00.000-06:00

I keep meaning to post, forgetting to post, then remembering but not having time, then forgetting again... Vicious cycle.
And I'm tired. Done with the lortab and ibuprofen all the time just to keep the pain away but still can't yawn too big or it hurts my throat. But that's not why I'm tired, just a byproduct. Back to work this week. Leadership retreat today. Keeping busy.
I feel/felt bereaved today as I was told (really just confirmed what I already thought but hoped not) by the head of student affairs that I could not continue as an officer in any of the school organizations since I am now on academic probation. [Which I earned in pharmacy practice class via an ending grade of 68.76% =D for a one hour credit class. The Final was 46% of our ending grade if that gives you a clue as to why I failed.] This ruins my next year and a half since I get a lot of my enjoyment of school from being involved and helping plan events through my several organizations; Being on probation means losing my officer positions AND being ineligible to run for ones for next year as those elections are held just before we leave for the summer while I'm still on probation. I know it wouldn't be fair for them to bend the rules for me but it still hurts knowing I'm leaving people on the line to deal with this, to cover my positions while I still have so much to offer and not being involved would have little impact on my grades. Sucks. But that's life, huh?
Really that's all I have on my mind right now. I'll try to get an update on sooner that is happier and more colorful. Love to all and blessings too!

Christmas Continued

2007-12-26T15:12:00.000-06:00

Still surviving. Taking lots of naps and drinking lots of fluids...
Went for a brief shopping trip with Mum Friday to run her errands. Pushed myself a little too hard and as we were walking out of the last place it hit me that I really just wanted to go home (so thank goodness Mum doesn't have the shopping gene that induces hours of fun filled shopping) and take a nap. Saturday we picked up around the house a little and wrapped presents. (Oh I did manage to sew a few presents before my surgery and a couple after!) Out of state family arrived safely just ahead of Skronky then we headed off for our family Christmas party. It was at my great-uncle's house this year and my great-aunt went all-out on the food and decorations. (Her house is always gorgeous) Enjoyed the gift exchange and such. Went home a little early due to wearing myself out. A lot of the family ended up at our house afterward since the out-of-staters were staying with us. Yay for Apples to Apples! Sunday morning we all slept in and then Skronky and I did our Christmas since I wouldn't be able to make it for his family's party. (He got me a block of goat's milk soap base that I've been keeping my eye on to give a try sometime - Knows me too well!)
Christmas was wonderful. My favorite gift from Santa was a Dyson root 6 (ie a handheld vacuum that is basically kick butt). More fun with family and a nap or two (or ten).
I've been so blessed. Thank you to all of my friends and family who have been praying for me for a safe and fast recovery from surgery.
And love to everyone - I hope your holidays are as wonderful and blessed as possible!

Tonsil-less

2007-12-20T14:08:00.000-06:00

I'm still alive. Tonsils out. Feeling fairly well but a little weakish. Am glad they gave me a benzo before they started the harder stuff bc it's nice to not remember that stuff. Only remember the pre-op room then the "recovery" room where I apparently was very nice and wished everyone who would stop long enough to talk to me a Merry Christmas. And I bonded with the woman in the next bed over though I can't remember a bit of what we talked about. And they brought in a young guy on my other side who told Mum I was pretty or something like that so I think he was still on drugs because by that time they had this ice pack thing strapped to my head. (I really didn't understand how that would be helpful if the swelling is all on the inside of my throat but how "with it" was I to question their doings?) That or he was being sarcastic??? I was beyond caring at that point (still am). In the pre-op room I talked to the anaesthesiologist about which meds they were planning on giving me during the whole ordeal. I was pleasantly surprised to recognise several of them. And the nurse hooked me up to a bag of antibiotics that I knew about (an older class of cephalosporin)! Yay!
Now to take a nap or find something to drink. I'll decide once I get to the bottom of the stairs.
Love to all and if you feel like it leave me a message!