Catching up to the New Year

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!

Plaid Pancakes

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

Busy Memorial Day weekend

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!

Manic Monday

Called about my pictures today... He "thought he had called me already" so was surprised that I hadn't picked them up yet... So I'll be picking them up tomorrow after work since apparently they're not open today? I'll keep you posted. Since that was roughly a month ago I'm not sure I even remeber what they're supposed to look like (other than being of me, I assume)?
The fish are doing well. Just hanging out. I need to get them a couple more shrimps to keep them company (since the old ones died, remember?) but keep forgetting to pick them up. The cat has showed renewed interest in them...
No really interesting calls today. I have learned that silica gel packets are not toxic (they only say "do not eat" because they could be a choking hazard), if you take your spiriva capsule by mouth instead of with the inhaler you shouldn't have any problems, and that kids eat the weirdest stuff. This includes but is not limited to: paint balls, a whole tube of tooth paste, pesticides of many forms, household cleaners (esp sprays), plants of all sorts, vaseline, spackling paste, and dry erase markers.
No sewing accomplished this weekend. Made up some soaps that smell like my perfume and my brother's body spray (seperately, of course). Dork and I cooked dinner for Dad on Father's Day: cajun fried rice with homemade apple crisp and vanilla ice cream for dessert. I also tried out a granola bar recipe that I found on the Food Network website; turned out alright even thought I had to substitute a few things. (Had one on the way to work this morning, as a matter of fact.) Very sweet and sticky.
Apparently we're going to have a "bake-off" or two at work... sounds like fun... Yay! Now I'm off for lunch! Much love and happy thoughts for Monday!

Summer Fun

Tons of updating to get done...
Still don't have portraits back yet from photographer; Am looking forward to getting them someday before Hades freezes over...
Haven't been sewing as much lately since I found myself employed. Answering calls at the Poison Control Center is just pretty darn interesting. (Best call I've picked up, and transferred to a specialist, was a man who was bitten by a rattlesnake. A dead rattlesnake. That had been rotting in a bucket for a month until he decided to try to skin it!) So far have mostly just been training (listening to lectures, listening to calls, reviewing cases, learning the coding program, looking up info so we know how to find it ourselves, etc) but going well as far as I know.
Dork's HS graduation was at the end of May; We're all very proud of the little brother! Congrats! (Though I do have to whine and complain about the ridiculous noise-makers that thought it was alright to blow an air horn and shake cowbells during the actual ceremony part... We were in the Fieldhouse so all that noise echoed off the walls and amplified the already annoying to VERY ANNOYING! Argh!) He'll be headed off to my lovely alma mater in the fall to begin (er, continue?) his college career. Woohoo!!! Boomer, Sooner!!!! (Helped the Dork enroll last week on campus all day; funny seeing it from my angle. Introduced him to Pad Thai - YAY!)
Also at the end of May, I got to enjoy the OKC Zoo with Skronky, his sis, her baby, and her hubby. Rained on us a little but it was really a nice visit. The new Oklahoma Trails exhibit is amazing and I totally recommend that if you haven't seen the zoo in a couple of years - go now!!!! Yes! Right now!!!
We pharm kids had a birthday party for those of us lucky enough to be May babies (4 of us in our little group!) where we managed to scare Julie's little dog (1/2 dach, 1/2 Italian greyhound) and have a great time playing her wii (boxing especially).
My classmate Tyler got married the first of June; beautiful ceremony (and bride), lovely reception (enjoyed seeing my pharmy friends) and great food (he food is one of his passions so that was highly expected). Congrats and best wishes to the new Mr & Mrs!
Next I helped set up for the pharmacy college graduation then handed the new Dr.s up on stage (going up those stairs is tricky in a long robe!) the next day at grad. Short and sweet ceremony. Glad I went.
Then attended an anniversary party for Skronky's uncle (and his wife of 25 years!) at a country club in S OKC. Nice to meet more of his family and there was a chocolate fountain (so you know I was delighted to be there!) Helped his sis feed the baby some mushed up melon; proved pretty funny since he grunts and growls when you take too long to get a bite ready. After the party we headed over to his sis's for some burgers and conversation on the back porch. Skronky's dad stopped by - joined in on the fun. On the way home we swung by his mum's house for a couple of blackberry plants she picked up for Skronky's backyard and ended up playing with their black lab mix for a while. She's just big sweetie and loves it when we visit to play with her.
This last weekend Mum and I "got" to go shopping. (Neither of us possesses the 'shopping gene' so we don't engage in such often or for long periods of time...) I found a very nice pants suit that also gave me 1/2 off on a pair of dress capris so I feel that trip was worth it. Yay for pretty clothes! (And yay for infrequent shopping!)
I'll try to keep this better updated; Maybe interesting things will happen that warrant reporting?