Livin' my life.......in Iowa

Oh my goodness, I passed my boards!

2012-02-08T15:09:00.005-06:00

I PASSED MY BOARDS! I'M AN RN!

I'm still in a bit of shock, surprise and awe that I ACTUALLY DID IT! I was so nervous going into them.
Monday, the 6th, I left my house around 0745 and picked up my sister in Ankeny. She took the day off to head to Iowa City with me.

We stopped in Williamsburg to do some shopping beforehand and then traveled on over to Coralville, where we proceeded to have lunch at Steak & Shake. (YUMMY!) We ended up with some time to kill and found this awesome consignment store and browsed and bought there. Then the time came to find the building where I was to take my test.

Kat dropped me off and I headed inside. I realize as I'm getting on the elevator that I had grabbed the wrong paper. Luckily, she hadn't left the parking lot yet!

I get upstairs to the room and have my photo taken, my thumb scanned and both palms scanned numerous times. Then it was time....

The facilitator got me into the video-taped and audio-taped room and got me settled at a computer. After a brief overview of the way the test works, I went to work.

I closed the clock on the screen as it made me nervous. I ended up answering 75 questions and my computer turned off. 75 is the minimum for the RN NCLEX exam. I was surprised and scared.
I got logged out/signed out and called my sister to come back for me. She was surprised, as it was only about an hour and a half since she dropped me off.

Afterwards, we drove down to the University of Iowa and drove around a bit and saw the football stadium and where the Hawks play basketball. Then we started our drive back west.
Kate and I had supper at Panera then I headed home.

Today, I could log on and get "unofficial" results by paying $8. So, I did around 2 pm....and it showed I passed! HOORAY! Now I can really get serious about my job search!

Unsettled...

2012-02-03T11:41:00.000-06:00

Do you ever get that unsettled feeling? You know, the one that feels like something isn't quite right in your world?

I've been feeling like that lately and I just can't put my finger on it.

I'm bustin' my bottom studying for boards (coming up soon!), trying to eat better and exercise more, get more sleep, have some time for fun. Maybe it's stress rearing it's ugly head in a different format than what I"m accustomed to.

At times, I feel somewhat restless. I feel that I should be out doing something, anything just to not be where I am at the current time (whether it be home, in the car, grocery shopping, etc). At times, I'm bored. Normally, reading is what will cure the boredom but lately, that hasn't appealed as much. Oh, I've read books, but just because.

I have plenty to do. I don't find the motivation to do it. I'm hoping once my boards are behind me, this "fog" lifts and I can get the house in order. My plan is to go through each room and clean and declutter.

This isn't depression. It's just a funk. Seems it finds me every winter...eventually. Ready for spring or better yet, SUMMER!

"I'm Just Here For a Good Time"

2012-02-02T12:46:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday night, my sister and I went to see Lady Antebellum in concert down at the Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines).
What a great show! I bought her the tickets for Christmas, with implied 2nd ticket being mine. We had talked about going but when tickets went on sale, their ticket service had a glitch and was showing tickets available in the 300 sections....which is like the nosebleed section. No thanks.

I was a bit bummed, but since we hadn't "officially" decided to go, I emailed her and told her those were the only seats available. She told me it was probably a glitch, because tickets had only been on sale for like an hour. So, I tried later....Section108! Much better!

The tickets came just in time for Christmas. I wrapped them up in a gift card box...then wrapped it. And wrapped it AND used masking tape to tape it all up! Needless to say, Kate was E X C I T E D!

We ate out at PF Chang's before heading back downtown to park and get inside. We parked at kate's old work and walked across the Pedestrian Bridge. A little workout as we had to go uphill...

Thompson Square and Darius Rucker (former frontman for Hootie and the Blowfish) opened. Both acts were fun and I really, really enjoyed Darius. Lots of fun and he did a few Hootie songs! Memories!

Darius Rucker!

Sisters!

Lady A was rockin'! I love most of their music so it was awesome to see. I was a bit disappointed in their stage show, as it was mostly just lights and stuff up on screen. But then they said it's their first headlining tour, so I forgave them.

The Main Act!

They rocked out! They dedicated a song to a cancer survivor, brought a little girl up on stage to sing and just rocked the house.

While our seats were not spectacular, they were pretty good. We were straight back from the stage and had a good view. (We've had better seats there, but these were good!) We had a great time! Now we're looking forward to George Strait and Martina Mcbride in 3 weeks!

Before Lady A came out...

LADY ANTEBELLUM!

Dave rockin' the guitar

Hilary Scott

9 years ago today....

2012-01-31T05:03:00.001-06:00

Can't believe that today is our 9th wedding anniversary!

Earlier in the month, we "celebrated" our first date 10 years ago! We went back to Hickory Park...this time, we had a little tagalong named Isaac!

Here's the post I wrote last year....tells the story about how we got married!

Happy 9th Anniversary, Mark!

Dreams...

2012-01-26T08:33:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning, clutching the blankets, breathing heavily and felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest.

I'm not prone to nightmares but this was a bad dream!

I dreamt someone from a long time ago showed up at my parents with my aunt and uncle. Stop. Right there, it confuses me. What? I don't even get the connection there.

I immediateley recognized this person and in my dream, I was very upset, terrified and freaked out. I remember waking up and still feeling that way.

In my dream, I was hanging out with my sister and Isaac and then all of a sudden, we were in my hometown where my aunt and uncle show up with this person.

I don't recall ever having a dream that left me feeling so out of sorts. This would explain why most of the blankets were on my side of the bed.

I always wonder what dreams mean. I'm especially curious about this one!

3 pounds down!

2012-01-22T19:29:00.001-06:00

I weighed myself today. I normally weigh on Tuesdays but I was curious since I have had a few "ho-hum" days the last few days. I was down a pound, bringing me down 3 pounds overall! WHOOT! It's been 22 days since I've had regular Mountain Dew. I'm proud of that accomplishment too!

Today, Isaac and I went to the Y and swam for about 35 minutes. There were a lot of people there and I think that's why he didn't want to stay any longer.

Due to Isaac being sick last week, I didn't make it to the Y. SO, as long as the weather is good tomorrow, I plan to take my Kindle and go!

Sophie got walked last week as well, but it was cold and with Isaac being sick, we didn't venture out more than 5-10 minutes.

Thinking about a haircut, pedicure and maybe a manicure this week. I think Wednesday I'll be heading to Ankeny with my mom, but I'll try to squeeze it in. Going to a concert with my sister on Saturday night!

Scheduled my boards. 2 weeks!!! Nervous!

ear infection

2012-01-19T14:51:00.000-06:00

Isaac woke up around 130 this morning coughing and wanting to be in bed with us.
Around 3, he started crying that his right ear hurt and that he had an ear infection.

He was adamant about not going to the doctor...fear of getting a shot, I think. Well, I took him anyway and he had diagnosed himself. Yup...his right ear is pretty infected. So, he's on a 10 day course of chewable amoxicllin. Luckily, his lungs are clear. We just need to continue the nebulizer q4 until it clears up. Now with the antibiotic, it should clear up pretty quickly if it follows its usual course.

In other news, it's REALLY REALLY COLD! They are predicting snow for tomorrow...again, I'll believe it when I see it.

Typical winter...

2012-01-18T09:17:00.000-06:00

Isaac is sick. The cough is nothing new, as we battle it every winter into early spring.
It started when he was around 4 months old and was coughing constantly. The pediatrician diagnosed "RAD" (reactive airways disease), a way of saying asthma without officially diagnosing it. <==My opinion.
Asthma isn't usually diagnosed in children until age 5 or 6. I think the reasoning is because the child may grow out of it.

Anyway, we rented the nebulizer for so long from the med supply company, that our insurance just bought the machine for us. It's been a literal lifesaver.

Isaac gets this deep sounding, almost barking cough when he gets sick. It's not croup as it doesn't have the barking seal sound or the stridor. We run albuterol in the neb q4hours while he is awake. At times, I wonder if it works or not. We also have an albuterol inhaler but I don't think it's as effective as the neb, because Isaac doesn't grasp how the inhaler works. My husband also picked up a second humidifier yesterday to run in his room, in hopes that the moist air will help him kick the cough sooner. I've been listening to his lungs as well-he's a big congested.

Isaac stayed home yesterday, as his cough has gotten worse. He was running a slight temp off and on all day. When Isaac wants to stay home from school, I know he doesn't feel well! he ate very little, but did take about a two hour nap yesterday. He's home with me again today, as he woke at 4 AM and didn't really go back to sleep. He's not eating much today either.

As I research asthma, I wonder if there is more that I should be asking his nurse practitioner to look into. Things like allergies, excema and other various things may trigger asthma. We know of no allergies, but I truly wonder. A few years ago, the NP prescribed Singulair for him, which is a combo allergy/asthma drug. We had a good winter once he started that with no long-lasting coughing spells. Last winter, he was having stomach issues and the NP loosely linked it to the Singulair so we took him off it. He missed many days of preschool last winter because of the cough/wheezing/congestion. I never started him back on it this year, but now I wonder if I should.

Isaac usually picks up on his own ear infections. Last night, he said they hurt but this morning, he said they hurt but he doesn't want to go to the doctor. I don't know if he's faking the ears or if he thinks he'll get a shot. (Now anytime near the Wal-Mart pharmacy he asks if he's getting a flu shot!)

I'll just continue to watch him today and encourage rest, fluids and monitor for a fever. We'll do the nebulizer every 4 and pray that we have a good day so he gets back to school tomorrow.

For now, he is content to sit on the couch with a blanket and watch Wall-E (over and over and over...)

So far...

2012-01-15T19:02:00.000-06:00

It's already 2 weeks into the new year! That means about 14 days of my "new" eating habits.

It's going ok, I'd say. Some days I am right on track with my calorie consumption and other days, I just want to give up and eat whatever I want and not care. Then I stop to remind myself that is how I got to this weight in the first place.

I'm really working on drinking water. The first 10 or so days, it was pretty easy. The last few, I've struggled to even drink one or two glasses. Today, I bought some mixes for my water so I hope to get back on track with that.

It's been 15 days and no Mountain Dew! I've had a couple diet Dew's but have successfully left the regular on the shelf.

I've walked the dog a lot. The last few days that were warm we walked much longer. The days when it's been cold, I try to stay out at least 10-15 minutes to get some exercise in. This past Friday, Isaac and I went to the Y and swam for almost an hour. I need to get to the Y this week. I have logged exercise every day since I started this!

I'm down 1.4 pounds. While not a gigantic number, it's a step in the right direction. I'm confident it will continue to go down!

I think winter is finally going to arrive.

2012-01-11T15:27:00.000-06:00

The winds are howling (gusting to around 40 mph) and it's cold. 32* but feels like 15*.

The meterologists are talking about snow. WHAT? We've practically gotten through the season without any and now we are going to get it? One to two inches was the last that I had heard.

We will see, weather man, we will see.

I actually JUST TODAY wore my winter coat for the first time this winter. For real. And a scarf. That's only because I was walking the dog.

Maybe the kids will have a day off from school...hahahahahahha. I doubt it.

If this "winter weather" happens, I'll take pictures to document that it happened.

a new year and some goals

2012-01-08T20:17:00.000-06:00

2012 has become the year for me to finally do it: lose weight.
My excuses during nursing school were many: "I have to study", "I'm too tired", "I don't have time", "I'm stressed out and I DESERVE this____________".
Well, no more!

Since Monday, I have been more conscious about what I am eating and deliberately getting more exercise. Granted, I'm walking the dog 2-3 times a day, but the steps add up! I'm using Myfitnesspal.com at my sister's suggestion. It's quite a change logging each and everything I eat and drink.

I am drinking more water. Anywhere from 2-3 bottles a day, which is up from my previous consumption of none. I'm being more deliberate in my water consumption.

My goal is to lose 4- 5 pounds/month this year. That would be a total of 60 pounds max or 48 at a minimum. I'm 5'5ish so it would be so beneficial to get rid of all this excess weight: for my knees, for my heart, to hopefully lessen the chance of diabetes down the road (strong familial history), for ME!

I debated whether or not to put my starting weight. But, I'm going to.

197.8 pounds

Yeah, 2.2 pounds from 200. Gross. Yuck. When did this happen and how did I let it happen? I've never hit that number (200) and I hope not too.

I'm also determined to kick my Mountain Dew habit once and for all this year. New Year's Eve was the last of it that I drank. I know it's all sugar and so horribly bad for me. I can't drink Diet Dew, so I'm kicking the dew habit to the curb.

I am hoping to get to the Y this week and start back there. I did well in May, going every day. I need to make that a priority again!

Wish me luck as I continue on. I know I'll slip up now and then, but I'm going to push forward and do it.

Happy New Year 2012!

2012-01-01T10:51:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that 2011 is over and we have now ushered 2012 in. 2011 seemed to fly by for me!

Isaac and I spent the day up in Humboldt yesterday celebrating Christmas with my brother and his family, my uncle and my parents. My sister was heading to eastern Iowa so she wasn't able to attend. Isaac was disappointed, but once he realized that his cousins Mike and Jake would be there, he got over it quickly!

We just had lunch and sat around chatting. All 4 boys went to the park twice-coudln't believe it was so nice yesterday! Today, it's very windy and much cooler.

Isaac got a "fun" robot from my brother's family. It makes a lot of noise and lights up-what boy wouldn't love it??

It was a good day overall. Isaac went to bed around 8, Mark and I watched some Big Bang Theory and went to bed. I stayed up until about 1120, but still awake at midnight for some reason. Probably all the soda I consumed at my parent's house...much more than I am accustomed to.

May 2012 be a great year for us all!

a few photos

2011-12-30T10:29:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve lunch at Texas Roadhouse

My sister, Kate, whom Isaac adores

Our tree, Christmas Eve night

Sophie helping

The snowman ornament Isaac made for us in kindergarten

Stompeez...he had been asking for these for months

Playing at the park in Storm Lake on Christmas Day

Some ice on the lake, but no snow

Sophie

Isaac's Power Wheels 4-wheeler we got the day after Christmas

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T21:56:00.000-06:00

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas...

I have graduated!!

2011-12-21T18:14:00.000-06:00

It's true! I did it! I graduated!

Graduation was last Thursday night at the Boone campus. My mom, sister, husband, son and friend Joyce were all there to see me!
After the graduation reception, we went back for the pinning ceremony. Isaac and Mark got to come up on stage with me for that.

I still am in shock that I DID IT!

The last three days I've been in Ankeny doing "Live Review" for the NCLEX. It was a great resource and I'm glad to have done it. Hopeful to help uphold DMACC's 100% first time pass rate when it comes time to take boards.

Preceptor finished!

2011-12-09T21:25:00.000-06:00

I am done with my preceptor!!!!!!
Finished up on Wednesday, the 7th.

What a fantastic experience.

My next to last day I got to watch a PICC (peripherally inserted centrall catheter) be placed. That was pretty cool to see and well worth staying late at the hospital for.

I spent yesterday and today finishing up my journal and got it submitted about 715 tonight. Glad it's done and complete!

I did a stint in the Boone schools this past Monday. Pretty interesting, but school nursing is not for me.

What's next...final test on Monday. Graduation on Thursday night!

It's hard to believe that I wore my royal blue DMACC scrubs for the last time this week, I won't miss the color at all! I sat in my last class lecture last night.

What an incredible journey.

(I poked my finger really bad on a couch spring-think i hit a nerve so it hurts to type and i am sorry if my splling is bad)

30 days of Thankfulness...

2011-11-30T03:19:00.029-06:00

During the month of November on Facebook, people posting a daily "I'm thankful for..." post sprang up. I didn't technically commit to it, but tried to post every day. Here was my list...

2..Thankful we don't have a lot of carpet in our house. Sophie came in with mud covering her ginormous paws.
3. Thankful that my "injury" this morning from the cat/dog fight in my bed missed my eyes-only have 3) nice scratches across the bridge of my nose. Wow, did it bleed.
4. Thankful for warm, hooded sweatshirts with a kangaroo pocket. Perfect for these chilly Iowa days!
5. Thankful for a puppy that loves to play outside and loves Isaac too.
6. Today I'm thankful for 54* at 840 AM! Beautiful weather for early November!
7. Today I am thankful for a boy that slept all night....in his own bed.
8. Today, I'm so thankful for my DMACC classmates. We've laughed, we've cried, we've worked hard to get this far together.....Congratulations to all of us for making it this far. In another month, we'll be RN's!
9. I am thankful for a God that loves me unconditionally and will see me through. "If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it." So very true as I head into my final test today.
10. Today I am thankful to have passed what I view as the most difficult nursing class I've taken. It was difficult, stressful, tiring...but I did it.
11. Thankful for our veterans today.
12. Today I'm thankful for a happy and healthy 5 year old.
13. Thankful to be moving into my preceptor this week. This is one of the last pieces of schoolwork before graduation...
14. Thankful for my heritage today. Although after seeing them run rabbits on an obstacle course on Amazing Race last night, it makes me wonder about the Danish side of the family....
15. Thankful to know that Graduation is a month away. A MONTH AWAY!
16. This sounds silly, but I am thankful for a comfortable bed/pillow! I was very tired and sore after yesterday and I feel good today!
17. Thankful for all my friends today-near, dear and far away.
18. Thankful for these royal blue scrubs today. They tell you stories about my journey to becoming an RN. These scrubs are getting me to the finish line.
19. Today I am thankful for Starbucks, my sister and ISU Football.
20. Today I am thankful for my crockpot!
21. Thankful for the opportunity to practice nursing on the unit that has become my favorite (of all our rotations!). The people and nursing staff on the oncology unit are fantastic! (Yes, oncology=cancer).
22. Thankful for my sister who helped us out last night by watching Isaac. He had a lot of fun and got to see his beloved Kate.
23. Thankful for a day to spend at home baking and getting ready to head north
24. Thankful for many things today. A God who loves me. A healthy family. Friends and family to love and to love me back and the freedom to celebrate this day. Happy Thanksgiving!
25. Thankful for a boy who slept in today! (7 AM!)

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T13:58:00.000-06:00

Can't believe that Thanksgiving has came and went!

I made a pumpkin pie and a chocolate desert to take to my parent's yesterday. I also tried a recipe for Texas Roadhouse butter that I found on Pinterest (yum!)
My sister, Isaac and I headed to my parent's yesterday morning. Her husband had to work and Mark had a lot of homework to do so it was just the three of us. My brother and his family had to cancel, so it was a small group. My uncle joined us, as usual.

my mom broasted the turkey and then finished it off in the oven. It was delicious! We had the usual mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, jello, green bean casserole, candied carrots, scalloped corn, stuffing.

After lunch, my mom, sister, Isaac and I headed to the park. We stayed there about an hour and then headed to another park, where we spent another hour! We could not have asked for better weather! It was fabulous! About 65* and sunny!! YAY!

We got home about 6 last night. Isaac was pretty tired and went to bed without a fuss and then proceeded to sleep until 7 this morning. That hasn't happened for a while!

I spent last night after he was in bed working on some homework. Knocked out my philosophy paper and blog post for class for the week. I am plugging away at my preceptor journal.

This morning, Isaac and I went to Boone to hit up Wal-Mart. It was about as busy as it is on a Saturday. We got a few things and Isaac used his money to buy himself a new toy. I've been buying here and there today online for gifts. There are some good deals out there!

Tonight, Mark has to work at the hospital so I'm toying with the idea of taking Isaac to see the Festival of Trees down in Des Moines. I think we both would enjoy it a lot!

1/2 way through already!

2011-11-23T10:23:00.000-06:00

How is it that I am already 1/2 way through my preceptor hours? I guess 3) 12+ hour days will do that!
I have enjoyed every minute I've been back on the oncology floor. I'm learning a lot and getting to do a lot of things!
I've hung a lot of IV meds (Piggyback), done IV pushes, done sterile dressing changes, watched a few IV starts (my turn is coming!), and participated in overall cares for my patients.
I feel so very lucky to be where I am-I truly feel like oncology is where I am supposed to spend my nursing career!

It's easy for people to see a patient with cancer and feel sorry for them, treat them with pity, etc. On the oncology floor at MGMC, we don't see the person as their diagnosis. They are still a person and are most appreciative of the care you give to them. The families are great as well. They understand we have to ask questions, do lots of assessments, etc and are just overall fantastic.

I do 17 more hours next week, leaving me only 2 more days after that. I'm hoping to be able to board and then find a job at MGMC on the oncology floor!

You Might be a Nurse if...

2011-11-17T21:20:00.001-06:00

Source: Uploaded by user via Missy on Pinterest

Preceptor

2011-11-12T21:31:00.000-06:00

I went and met with my preceptor yesterday.

Have I mentioned how excited I am that I am on oncology?? I could jump up and down!

I think I got my schedule hashed out now and will have to run it by her on Tuesday when I'm there for my first day. She's more than willing to work with me on all the objecives and skills I had to write about.

Monday, I get to shadow a Public health nurse. Then 2 weeks after that, I get to visit the Boone County Wound Clinic. I am also going to be doing a stint with the elementary school nurse in Boone in December. I'll probably end up with a shift at one of the doctor clinic's as well.

This is such an exciting time! We have class on Thursday nights from 430-630 and that's it! Lots of online stuff goes along with the class though.

Whew, I did it

2011-11-09T16:38:00.000-06:00

Well, Adult Nursing is over and done with.

I passed. Now I get to move on to my preceptor experience! YAY!

It was a tough test. Last night was the first time I've stayed up past 11 pm studying for a test since I've been in school! I was up until 3, then couldn't get to sleep between the dog and having burns and intercranial pressure in my head.

I walked out feeling ok. While I didn't do the greatest, I passed the course. I'm happy I did.

I start my nursing seminar class tomorrow night and meet with my preceptor on Friday to start the ball rolling on that.
Monday, I work with Boone County Public Health to begin my community hours. Doing 4 hours there, 7 at an elementary school in Boone, 4 hours at the Boone Wound clinic and possibly a day at the doctor's clinic. I need 16 hours total there, but can go over. Since I'm at 15, I will either rearrange places to get to 16 or just have the extra.

We are going out to dinner to celebrate tonight!

What I read over the summer

2011-11-06T10:48:00.000-06:00

**My goal was to read 32 books (since I turn 32) from May 4-August 24 (when I start back to school)).

This was my goal for the summer. I fell one short...if only summer break had been a couple days longer, I would have made it.

*1. Ape House by Sara Gruen Finished on 5/8/11 FANTASTIC
*2. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls Finished 5/9/11 I could not put it down!
*3. Midwives by Chris Bohjalian (Finished 6/23) 3.8 stars. Sometimes hard to get into and stay with. I'm glad I have some medical background!
*4. Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Backby Todd Burpo Finished on 5/21/11. Awesome book. I read most of it while walking on the treadmill at the Y.
*5.. Dewey's Nine Lives by Vicki Myron (finished 7/11) 5 stars for sure! LOVED this book, but not as much as the first
*6. The Daughter's Walk by Jane Kirkpatrick Finished 5/15/11 I'd give this one 3.5 stars. It wasn't the greatest book I've ever read, but I wasn't going to not finish it.
*7. These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf (started and) Finished 5/15 Takes place in a pretend town in Iowa, written by an Iowan author. Good book!
*8. Waiting for Spring by R.J. Keller (finished 5/26/11) 3-stars TOPS. There are many stories weaved into this one that confuse you. You question things never to have them answered. It was hard to get through. I finished because I finally was intrigued, only took like 2/3 of the book.
*9. Summer Secrets by Barbara Freethy (finished 5/31) 3 stars. Hard to get into, hard to follow at times. Maybe if I knew more about racing/sailboats?
*10 Looking for Trouble by Erin Kern (finished 6/1) 3.5 stars A quick little read for fun
*11. Diary of a Mad Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee (finished 6/8/11). This book is not even one that should have been published. Not sure why people liked it.
*12. Faking It by Elisa Lorello (finished 6/7) 3 stars tops. It was an ok read, but I didn't like the ending.
*13. Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope by Mary Beth Chapman. (finished 6/11)I could not put this book down. I cried, I laughed. This book told the story of how Mary Beth and Steven Curtis (Christian singer) came together, married, ended up adopting 3 daughters from China and subsequently lost one adopted daughter to a horrible accident.
*14. Easily Amused by Karen McQuestion (finished 6/13) An ok read, it got to be pretty predictable.
*15. A Promise to Remember by Kathryn Cushman (Finished 6/17). 4 stars. A good story about forgiveness and how decisions we make affect others.
*16. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult. (Finished 7/3). 5 Stars! I COULD NOT put this book down. I love Jodi Picoult and this book did not disappoint! What a fantastic story.
*17. Positive Discipline A-Z by Jane Nelsen, et al. (Finished 7/8) Looking for ideas to help with our boy. Hopefully, I picked up some new tricks to try.
*18. Goldendoodles by ? I read this to learn more about our dog breed, even though she is a labradoodle.
*19. Broken Laces by Rodney Walther (finished 7/23) I couldn't put this one down!! 5 stars!
*20. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (finished 7/26). So glad I listened to several people and read this book! FANTASTIC! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN~ I started 7/25! 5 stars
*21. A discipline book but it's in my bedroom so I don't know the name.
*22. Lay My Isaac Down by...(on my Kindle)
*23. Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (finished 7/31) I love the Sookie Stackhouse series and this one was the same, yet different as the others. Many new questions are asked, some are answered.
*24. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (almost as good as The Hunger Games!)
*25. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (the final book in the Hunger Games Trilogy. I liked it, but not as much as the others.
*26. Edge of Grace by Christa Allen
*27. Charity by Christa Allen
*28. Faith by Christa Allen
**29 I deleted 2 off my Kindle w/out getting the names. So that takes me up to #30.
31. I don't remember what book it was but I do know I finished it the day before I started class.

less than a week!

2011-11-03T05:55:00.001-05:00

Wednesday night marked my last Wednesday night class. Scary, thrilling, unbelievable!
Only have class Monday morning (3 hours) and then the final test on Wednesday morning (PRAY!).

As I reflect back, I am amazed at the tenacity of myself and classmates. Clinical was HARD, class was HARDER. I've had more knowledge put into my head this semester than any other, I think. I appreciate the opportunity that I've had to pursue this crazy thought I had 3 years ago. It's hard to imagine that it's coming to an end soon.

Next Thursday, we have our RN exit exam and then start our next class. This class coincides with the preceptor and is also web-blended. From what we've been told, it's very busy and intense, but in a different way than 551.
I'm getting really excited for preceptor because I'm anxious to see what I know and how I can apply it!

Prayers are appreciated this next week! Have to pass this test to pass the class!

Halloween.

2011-11-02T12:41:00.000-05:00

Another Halloween has come and gone.
Isaac seemed to enjoy all the festivities he was a part of!

We joined a friend of mine from class and her 2 littles at the Zoo in Des Moines for Night Eyes. We've never done that and Isaac seemed to enjoy it a lot.

At his party for school, he was excited that his mom came to help!

We did trick or treat downtown in Boone. He acted like it was the best thing ever!

Trick or treat night in Ogden was the same as Boone. So, we headed to Boone for a bit and hit up our old neighborhood, his old babysitter's house and another friend of ours. Then walked around her neighborhood. We got back to Ogden and stopped at a few on the way home then walked around our neighborhood. Our house and one across the street were the only houses on our block that had lights on.

He had a great time dressing up each time as well. Can't beat buying a costume LAST year on clearance for dress-up and wanting to wear it this year. So, I was out $2 for a costume last year!

I'm glad the weather was pretty decent!

Clinical complete!

2011-11-01T18:28:00.000-05:00

I finished up my clinical rotation on telemetry today! It was a make up day since I was sick a couple weeks ago.
It was an overall good experience. I was nervous because it is the "cardiac" floor, but happy to say no one went into cardiac arrest while I was there.
The last few weeks we had 2 patients/day. The first day was a bit rough, as I had to juggle numerous medications between my two patients. The second day of clinical always went much smoother.
I learned a lot on my rotation and am lucky to have that opportunity.

Class finishes up next Wednesday, the 9th. The 10th we have our RN exit exam and start our community health class along with our preceptor. I received my preceptor assignment and was so excited to learn that I got oncology, which was my top choice. I'm looking forward to going back there and learning a lot more!

A trip to the apple orchard

2011-10-20T21:57:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, my mom, sister, Isaac and I headed to Cambridge to the apple Orchard. It's quite the orchard-they even charge admission, but I think it's well worth it!

There are animals (ducks, chickens, goats, turkeys), a giant corn pit to play in, a giant slide, a big jumping pillow, rides to the pumpkin patch.....

It was a cool day, but perfect weather for the orchard. We wandered around, had lunch, went to the pumpkin patch (and came home with 2 more...bringing us to 10!) and did some shopping. I picked up the most delicious caramel apple ever. It was coated in caramel, dipped in white chocolate, rolled in oreos and drizzled with caramel. Oh. My. Goodness.

The trip came at a perfect time, as last Friday Isaac and I used up all the apples we had to make 2 apple crisps and 2 mini-crisps. I picked up a small bag of honey crisp apples that I am undecided what to do with. Probably eat since they are delicious!

The corn pit

Isaac and his beloved Aunt Kate sling-shotting apples

The giant jumping pillow

So close!

2011-10-20T18:34:00.000-05:00

The first part of my final semester is quickly approaching! 9 November is the end...

3 more clinical days remain...one is a makeup since I didn't feel well at all yesterday. Having 2 patients isn't much more difficult that 1. This week, I had a total of 25 meds...for 2 patients! That's a lot of meds! The majority went to one patient. Last week was a light week, med wise. Have had no iv meds since leaving oncology.
This past Tuesday was a half day at clinical. We got to go down to the simulation lab at DMU and do a simulation! It was an ER, another student and I were the nurses and we had 5 med students as the doctors. Pretty cool scenario! The manequin had vital signs, "breathed" and even talked (the sim person).

We are still waiting on preceptor assignments. I'm getting anxious to know where i end up! I think I've mentioned that I want oncology. Fingers crossed!

3 weeks of clinical left!!

2011-10-07T15:45:00.000-05:00

WOW! I can hardly believe that there is only 3 weeks of clinical left! I believe this past week marked the mid-term for us!

Had our first week on the telemetry (cardiac) floor this week. It's quite different than oncology. Next week, we will have 2 patients/week.

On Wednesday, after discharging my patient, I got to go to the cardiac catherization (cardiac cath) lab to watch a procedure. It's pretty amazing what doctors can do!

Had another test this past Monday and grades came in last night. Another decent grade, a little less than than the first, but enough to bring me up 5% overall! Test #3 is this coming Monday!

2011-09-23T20:47:00.000-05:00

Another week down! It seems to go quickly at times and other times, it feels like the semester just started! Only one more week on oncology then the switch to telemetry. I'll learn a lot there, but I'm nervous!
The other day, I hung 6 IVPB and did another IV push. Good experience!

The other night during class, we went down and got to tour the cardiac cath lab. Pretty neat to see!

Last weekend, Isaac, my sister and I headed to my parents house. We spent Friday night there and then Saturday morning, the three of us along with mom, headed up to Spencer, home of the Clay County Fair.
My sister and i have some great memories from there and we decided to take Isaac too!

It was cold and chilly that day! My sister wearing Isaac's new Perry the Platypus hat.( lots of looks and comments)
We went through the buildings and shopped. I picked up some fantastic apple cinnamon jam and apple butter. Isaac got a new mini pillow pet-a triceratops.

Isaac rode some rides and had a lot of fun!

Today, 23 September, I picked him up from school like I do on Fridays. He said he wanted to go home, but I told him we had one place to go first......

This is the 3rd year we've rode Thomas the Tank Engine. I've found by going on a Friday, you save $3/person! He had fun AND I got out of there without spending a bunch of money on overpriced Thomas stuff.

Week 3 is in the bag!

2011-09-15T14:13:00.000-05:00

Wow!
It's hard to believe that I'm already 3 weeks into 5th term! I've been busy, busy, busy!!

I'm currently doing clinical on oncology. I'd been looking forward to this particular rotation.

I LOVE IT!

The people are fantastic and I'm learning new things and getting to do new skills.

I finally hung 2 IVPB (IV piggyback meds) this week! I did an IV push! I've now d/c'd a picc line! I've flushed ports.

I like oncology so much that I when I requested my preceptor assignment, oncology was my #1 choice!
One of my patients from last week told my primary nurse that I was doing a great job, was a great nurse and he was pleased to have me! NICE!

As for class.......Class is Monday mornings 830-1130 and then Wednesday nights 4-7 (after clinical). Wednesdays are super long days but only about 5ish more weeks of clinical.

We had our first test this past Monday. I felt pretty confident going in and walked out not feeling like I failed. Grades came back yesterday and I did fantastic!

Preceptor starts in November so I'm anxious to find out if I get my top choice or if I am placed somewhere else.

First week complete!

2011-08-27T12:39:00.000-05:00

Isaac LOVES school! He's come home every day excited about what he's done and the adventures he's had.

The bus came for him on Wednesday and I was there as well. I wanted to make sure he got on the bus and got to daycare all right. He loves riding the bus! On Thursday, he forgot to give the driver his ticket so he needs to remember to give 2 on Monday (they are pre-paid so it's not like we didn't pay for the ride!)

He had his first school breakfast on Thursday, with me taking him into the gym and seeing how it goes. I left him there to eat his breakfast. On Friday, I dropped him off at the gate and made sure he told the teacher on duty that he was going to eat breakfast. I was so proud to see my little pre-k'er walk into school by himself. He told me later that breakfast went great.

Friday, he had music class. He thought the teacher's guitar was pretty neat. I picked him up from school and we went to the library, had lunch and he accompanied me to get a pedicure. He thought it was pretty cool. Friday afternoons will be our fun time together: library, lunch, park, etc.

It appears that my boy is going to love school! I am thankful for that, as I believe a solid education is a needed attribute!

a new beginning...

2011-08-24T08:59:00.000-05:00

Today is the day!

Isaac starts school! We decided with his birthday being in July to send him to Optional (pre, prep, whatever you want to call it) kindergarten. This means he goes every day from 8-11.

We met his teacher this past Monday night (Mrs. "Hansom" as Isaac pronounces it) and saw his locker, classroom and school. He said he was going to be shy but he was totally the opposite, as usual! His teacher seems extremely nice and is very eager for her students to learn.

**Just got home from dropping Isaac off at school. It was good to see the routine. I walked him to the playground, where they wait with their class until 8 (unless the student is eating breakfast. Isaac will start that tomorrow). The principal spoke a little bit, I got teary eyed (but didn't cry!) and then we went inside. I walked with him to his classroom, he put his backpack (Cars 2), hat and sunglasses in his locker and went on in. He sat down to write his name (check in) then like an after thought, got up and gave me a hug, told me good-bye.

I am excited for him to start school. He seems to love to learn new things and he's so eager!

I'll meet him at school at 11 to make sure he gets on the bus to get to daycare. Even though I'm still home for a few days, we are going to get him started on the bus routine so he knows what's going on.

Adventureland

2011-08-15T11:36:00.000-05:00

My sister Kat (Kate) was able to get discounted tickets ($20!!) to Adventureland through her work this summer. I hadn't planned on going until Isaac saw a commercial and asked when we were going. Knowing Kate could save us some bucks, I asked her to get 3 tickets (a savings of $40) and then we waited to find a date.
This past Saturday, Kate, Isaac and I trekked off to Adventureland. Isaac had been talking about roller coasters all week and was really excited to go on them
I had researched already and found he could go on the all the ones I liked-and NOT the Dragon (the one that goes upside down. Whew-I hate that one)

Picked up my sister around 940ish and we got to the park around 10. I've never had to wait to get into the parking lot before, but that day we did! We paid our $5, found a spot and continued on to the gate.

Sister and I had a plan-go counter-clockwise around the park so we could hit the coasters before the lines got too long. So, we actually went on the log ride first. Isaac was a bit nervous, but said he loved it. He sat in the back with Kat, while I sat in the front and got soaked right away. They snap photos of you so we decided to take a look. The picture is taken right after coming down the big hill. I had ducked down to avoid the big splash-Isaac's face was priceless so we plunked down too much money for 2 magnets to remember it.

Then we headed over to the Tornado. As you can tell, Isaac was plenty tall to ride. We got in line and waited about 15-20 minutes. Not bad, really. He again decided to ride with Kate. We had the last 2 seats on the entire coaster. Click went the seat belt, down came the lap bar and we were off.
I would turn around on occasion to look at him-he looked terrified. The first thing he said when he got off was "it was scary and bumpy and I don't want to ride it ever again". Ha Sad to me though since that meant I didn't get to hit up my favorite roller coaster there-The Outlaw.

We road the Sky Glider several times (all but 1 time he rode with his aunt). We spent too much money on 35 cent stuffed animals but Isaac loved it. He came home with a fox, 2 octopus, a penguin, a frog, a plastic hammer (someone gave to us) and a monkey inside a banana.

Waited in way to long of a line for lunch. We had tacos and lemonade and then dessert was mini donuts. Yummy!

We thought there would be less people there because 1-The State Fair 2-the straw polls were going on up in Ames and 3-it wasn't hot. The weather seemed to be bipolar, as my sister called it. The sun would shine and it would be hot. Then the wind blew in some dark clouds and it cooled off. Then the sun, wind, etc, repeat. We got there at 10 and left the park at 630. It was a fun, full day!

Driving back to my sister's house, we drove by Bonanza (Anyone remember those?) Yes, there is still one left in DSM so of course, we had to go! Memories of our great aunt and family dinners there. This was a pretty nice place, with a really nice salad bar. Isaac of course was to entranced with the raisins and Goldfish crackers to eat any of the cheeseburger he wanted.

Isaac and I got home about 830. he had a quick shower and was in bed by 9. He was tired and I was happy he had slept in until 730 that morning.

Isaac and I are going again Wednesday with my friend Jess and her family. Isaac will love having someone else to ride the rides with.

The rides we rode:
1-The Log ride (Isaac loved it)
2-The tornado
3-The Sky Glider
4-Bumper cars
5-sawmill splash
6-Ferris wheel
7-Isaac rode the Frog Hopper
8-The kiddi semis
9-Infant Ocean
10-the kid airplanes
11-the train
12-Kate and Isaac rode the Carousel

I was sad we didn't get to go on the Space Shot (Sister and I love it) but Isaac was too short and no one else to watch him. Overall, we had a fantastic time!

Thanks for going with us, Kate!

In honor of my 32nd birthday....32 things you may not know about me!

2011-07-19T06:49:00.022-05:00

Yep. Today is my 32nd birthday. Wow, I feel really old.

1. I created and perfected my own chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's tasty!
2. I was an army wife for almost 8 1/2 years before Mark got out. We lived through one deployment.
3. I was born on a Tuesday.
4. I LOVE the Iowa State Fair. I haven't missed a year since I was about 18 (which was also the first time I went!)
5. I do not like amusement park rides that spin around.
6. I do like roller coasters.
7. I got glasses in 4th grade. I wore them until my first year of college (1997!)
8. I have an AA from Iowa Central Community College (Liberal Arts/general studies), a BS in Housing and the Near Environment from Iowa State University and will have my AA in nursing (RN) in December (God willing!)
9. I ADORE books. I love to read. I wonder sometimes how many books I've read in my lifetime.
10. I've only broken one bone in my life. I broke my right clavicle (collar bone) when I was a bit over 1. I fell down some stairs in my walker.
11. I love wearing flip flops, even though they do horrible things to my feet.
12. I am afraid of fire. Like a house fire, mostly. I don't mind campfires but an out of control fire, no thanks.
13. I was 25ish and taking swim lessons. I still can't swim.
14. I like the Beatles.
15. Mark and I lived about 8 blocks away from each other in Ankeny. Before we ever met!
16. I started cooking/baking around age 10.
17. My mom bakes me a homemade chocolate angel food cake every year for my birthday.
18. I've had 2 of my 3 cats longer than I've known my husband.
19, I tried to join the Air Force when I was 19. They told me that I was mostly deaf in one ear. I saw an audiologist outside the military which proved that I am not/was not deaf in one ear. They still didn't want me.
20. I still got to see Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX when my sister graduated basic training.
21. I used to want to be an English teacher or environmental engineer.
22. I almost went to UNI. *GASP*
23. Now I say I bleed cardinal and gold. GO ISU!
24. I'm looking forward to taking Isaac to his first Iowa State Football game. Hopefully, this fall!
25. I bought myself a dozen roses in honor of my birthday.
26. I've enjoyed my time being a SAHM with Isaac the last 5 years. I think it was great for him and for me!
27. I'm looking forward to finishing school in December.
28. I do most of my shopping online, but I do enjoy going to the mall once in a while!>
29. I love Target!
30. I went tubing for the first time this summer. It was a blast!
31. I have a crazy memory. I remember things from when I was pretty small and just random bits of life.
32. I love my boys! (But I bet you knew that!)

#50 and news

2011-07-14T10:42:00.000-05:00

Well, this is post #50! Slow going, but that's ok. I'm not in a race.

Can't believe summer is already half over!
So far, we have
*gotten a dog (Sophie, a 6 month old labradoodle)
*moved to a different place in Ogden
*celebrated a 5th birthday Phineas and Ferb style
*gone boating/tubing/swimming
*went swimming at the Boone pool
*went to Don Williams and introduced Sophie to the water
*went to the zoo 2 times
*Celebrated the 4th of July in Humboldt with grandma, grandpa and Kate
*got through a minor surgery (Isaac)
*read a lot of books

We've been staying busy and trying to have lots of fun.
Isaac is really enjoying having a dog and so am I. She likes (we think?) to swim when she's on the boat. She does laps around the boat.

Isaac loves to go tubing and swim off the boat. It's been fun watching his swim skills develop as he's taking lessons at the YMCA this summer.

Not sure what else is going to be on our agenda for the summer.....we'll play it by ear!

An old song

2011-06-10T15:44:00.000-05:00

I heard a song today while I was out and about and it brought back a lot of memories...and made me cry. It reminded me of Mark's deployment and how I felt being by myself, with him thousands of miles away.
The first time I heard this song, I remember thinking that it's exactly my thoughts and what a wife of a deployed solider goes through. I learned how to get through a lot of things alone during that 18 months.
I'd like to say that the deployment (while it sucked), helped me become more reliant upon myself. I was the one in charge of our home, finances, yard, cars, etc while Mark was gone. I am not afraid to admit that I was scared, lonely, sad and sometimes angry at the Army for making MY husband go to Iraq.

As our time as an Army family comes to a close, this song is for all the military families who are living through a deployment. "Come home soon...."

"Come Home Soon" performed by SheDaisy
I put away the groceries
And I take my daily bread
I dream of your arms around me
As I tuck the kids in bed

I don't know what you're doin'
And I don't know where you are
But I look up at that great big sky
And I hope you're wishin' on that same
bright star

I wonder, I pray

And I sleep alone
I cry alone
And it's so hard livin' here on my own
So please, come home soon
(Come home soon)

I know that we're together
Even though we're far apart
And I'll wear our lucky penny 'round my neck
Pressed to my heart

I wonder, I pray

[Bridge:]
I still imagine your touch
It's beautiful missing something that much
But sometimes love needs a fighting chance
So I'll wait my turn until it's our turn to dance

I wonder, I pray

I sleep alone
I cry alone
Without you this house is not a home
So please, come home soon

I walk alone
I try alone
I'll wait for you, don't want to die alone
So please, come home soon

Come home soon
Come home soon

a dip in the pool

2011-06-05T09:38:00.000-05:00

Friday, the 3rd, it was HOT!

So, I picked Isaac up from school and we went to the Boone Pool. It was the first time we've been there this summer (well, it only opened a week ago!) and he was excited!

I was too, since I like it to be really steamy outside if I'm going to the pool! The temps were high, the water was cold!

It was still pretty busy at 330 when we got there. He wanted to go in the "big boy" pool, rather than the smaller one. I told him that in the big pool he can't have his hippo (inner tube) and I wasn't going to hold onto him the whole time. It starts at 4', I believe. The smaller pool is 2'6" to around 3' so it's perfect.

I gave him his new pool toys-diving sticks and 2 little plastic squid that you can dive after. He had a blast doing that....for about 1 1/2 hours!

I soaked up some sun, waded with Isaac and just sat on the edge watching him. Oh, it was fantastic!

I am hoping to get to the pool at least three times this week since the forecast says it's supposed to hit the mid-90's!

Ike starts swim lessons at the Y tomorrow night. 4 nights/week for two weeks per session. We chose to go that route since the time works better with our schedules. I hope he does ok and listens to his instructor!

He loves to dive under, swim underwater, tries to backfloat and just in general loves the water.

I'll say this-I don't think he got any of those skills from either of his parents!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-01T17:15:00.000-05:00

Why does it seem like kids always get sick on the weekend and/or holidays??

This past Saturday night, Isaac woke up around 1230 crying and not acting right. He had told Mark that his (left) ear hurt. He was running a slight temp at that time.

With Isaac's history, we figured ear infection. He had a double ear infection about 1 1/2 months ago. Before that, it had been almost 1 1/2 YEARS since his last one!

I was actually thinking clearly enough to remember that Ames has an Urgent Care. So, we made plans to head there in the AM. Isaac slept in my bed with his dad and I slept in his.

We took him to Ames in the morning. Apparently, you have to have an appointment for Urgent care. So, we were there at 10, appointment at 1215. It was 10:10. So...we went to Target to kill some time. Then we went to Hickory Park for lunch and to kill more time.

Isaac looked like he did not feel well at all. He wouldn't eat (except for 4 cherries) and had some chocolate milk. Poor baby!

We got to the clinic around 10 minutes to noon and were out of there by 10 after 12! Just as we suspected: ear infection in BOTH ears. Isaac even told the doctor he had an ear infection. His temp was 101.4 at that time.

so, a 10 day course of Augementin and he's on the path to health.

He was disappointed that we didn't get to go the zoo on Sunday like we planned. But, he and I went on Monday then met up with my mom and sister for lunch.

Looking at him now, you would have never known!

SUMMER TIME!

2011-05-22T16:40:00.000-05:00

It's summer time for me! Yay!
Classes have been done about 2 1/2 weeks now and it's been GREAT to have the time off.

The last semester was a tough one. I enjoyed it, but it was mentally and physically draining. Between clinicals in Des Moines for 5 weeks (I think), regular clinicals and classes, I was tired. Overall, I did well.

My skills class gave me a scare, as I hadn't done as well as I had hoped on the last exam. That grade brought my overall grade down to a 79, need 78 to pass. I had a HUGE comp skills exam to get through that was going to make or break my grade.
I was so nervous going into the comp skills that I walked out feeling I hadn't passed. Praise God that when grades posted I had done well enough to pass, not only the skils exam, but the class. God was with me!

Come August, I will be in my "5th" term of the program. That means GRADUATION in December! YAY! Sadly, a good friend of mine didn't pass a couple classes so she won't be continuing on with us. We'll miss her a lot!!

I've been spending my days cleaning house, purging, packing. Packing? Yes! We are MOVING! We found a 3 bedroom house here in Ogden that will not only give us more room, but a little more in the bank every month.
We've signed the lease and will take possession on 15 June, moving in on the 20th. I am pretty excited as it's very close to the library, post office and grocery store!

What else.....

We put our boat in the water a couple weeks ago. The weather was perfect and it was great to be out there. I'm looking forward to many hours on the lake this summer! Isaac was excited he got to drive again.

Isaac lost his first tooth last weekend! He was pretty excited!

My own personal summer reading program is well underway. I've read 5 books so far since the end of the term and looking at finishing 32 by the time the semester starts. It's daunting but I hope I can do it.

almost there!

2011-04-28T14:57:00.000-05:00

Less than 1 week and this semester is under my belt. Hard to believe that there is only one semester left!

Regular clinicals are over now. I had a good experience in OB-stood in on a C-section so that was cool. I have a makeup day next week in peds.

Time right now is being dedicated to the books. 2 finals next week (Monday and Wednesday) and a pretty big skills exam on Monday. That's what I am most nervous about right now.

1 more month!

2011-04-04T14:51:00.000-05:00

1 more month and the 4th term of my nursing education is finished! Then one term to go and finish up in December!

I finish up my clinical rotations on the OB floor at Mary Greeley. Excited to get back and hopefully get in on a C-section this time around.

Mental Health rotation was in Des Moines at Iowa Lutheran. I wasn't a fan of the drive but the rotation itself was interesting, to say the least. 2 other ladies from class and I carpooled so we each drove 3 times, which was nice. I have my last day at MG mental health tomorrow-we go there 2 days.

Not sure what the summer is going to hold but I do know: LOTS of books! Bike riding! Boating!

I am an LPN!

2011-04-04T14:47:00.000-05:00

YES! I am an LPN! I have my license to prove it!

18 March was my scheduled date to test for my license.

I was nervous! The GPS put me completely in the wrong area. For some reason, I ended up in the 7000 block of the road, rather than the 3000 block. Glad I was plenty early!

I found the location and got myself checked in: photo, hand scans, fingerprints. Then I sat to wait. Then the proctor could not verify my hand scan, although he had my drivers' license, a photo and me right in front of him! I was like, "Oh man, this is bad!"

I finally got in and went through the initial set up/directions of the NCLEX program. I was there for about an hour, all the while being videotaped/sound monitored. Nerve-wracking, to say the least.

I called Mark when I was done and he was confident I passed. Me-not so sure. I barely had over the bear minimum (85) questions when my test stopped.

All weekend long, Mark tried to convince me I passed. On Sunday afternoon, we were able to pay $8 and get "unofficial results". Well....I PASSED! I was in shock and disbelief! The following Friday, my license was in the mail! I haven't even received my "official results" yet!

I am glad it's behind me! I now have the experience of testing and will be more confident when I take my RN boards next year!

Happy 8th Anniversary...our wedding story

2011-01-31T14:11:00.000-06:00

I sit here today, on my 8th wedding anniversary just in amazement how my life has changed in the last 8 years!

It was really cold that day and it's snowing today!

>>>
Back at the beginning of the Iraq war, units were being called up and leaving quickly. Meaning: you got notified and were normally gone within a week.

Mark and I had been together just a little over 1 year at that point. He had bought the house in Boone and we were living there running the "Madsen Motel" as Mark called it. Life was clicking along, I was working in Boone as well.

Mark went to January 03 drill as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary. Sunday night, he told me they were being deployed, "so, you wanna get married". WHAT? Deployment? Marriage? Oh my goodness. I remember just being in complete and utter shock. So, what did I say? Yes, of course!

The next day was a whirlwind of phone calls, plans being made, ideas being thought of, paperwork being done. Mark got one of the few guys working that day to go along with us to the courthouse to apply for our marriage license. I called my mom and remember asking her if she had plans later in the week (Friday, to be exact). She wondered why-I told her that I was getting married and to call up to our church and talk to Pastor R and get it arranged.

This was only Monday and the rest of the week was spent at work, making plans in the evening, trips to Ames to the mall for clothes/rings and dinner.

By Friday morning, we were both exhausted. I still didn't have anything to wear but a friend of mine from CDS did my makeup and lent me a skirt and blouse. My friend Sara skipped one of her vet school classes so she could head up to Humboldt with us. She did my hair at my parents house before heading up to church. My sister Kat also skipped a class or two at Iowa Central to be home too.

Friday evening, 5:00 pm we are at the church. In attendance: my parents, Mark's parents, his 2 brothers, future sister in law, my sister, her boyfriend, my brother and his 2 boys, our friend Steve (best man), Joyce, Sara, my great-aunt Luella, my mom's friend whom I'd known forever, Donette, and my long-time friend from Humboldt, Amy. Pretty small group. It was a pretty short and sweet ceremony. My sister stood up for me. My mom was able to find sunflowers at the end of January so my sister and I could each have a bouquet!

We just had dinner in the reception hall at the church. We had broasted chicken, cheesy potatoes and cake. I think I might be missing something? My mom got all the food together on a week's notice and even thought to get a cake!

I remember clearly my nephew Michael (5) asked if he could come spend the night at my house that night. (He often came and spent the night with us). Um, nope bud. We're exhausted and Mark has to head down to Camp Dodge early the next morning. We got home and fell into bed that night, just to wake the next morning to see the space ship exploding as it took off.

While Mark spent the remainder of that weekend at Camp Dodge preparing for a deployment, Michael did indeed come and spend the weekend with me.

I don't clearly remember the chain of events, but as you know, Mark's unit did not leave in January 2003. They deployed in April, 2006.

It's hard to believe that it's already been 8 years of marriage. It hasn't always been smooth sailing, but I know there is no one else more suited for me! Happy Anniversary, Mark and here's to many more!

2 weeks in...1 test done

2011-01-22T10:03:00.000-06:00

I have already finished up the first 2 weeks of my 4th term! The first week was spent mostly in the lab learning how to start IV's and push meds through. Intense week! On top of that, Isaac was sick and we ended up going to Urgent Care at 6 pm one night for his cough/wheezing/breathing. Luckily, he's on the mend and feeling better!

I'm doing my clinicals on the pediatric floor this round. We are now functioning as an RN so we can do all the IV bag changes, meds, etc.

The first test got out of the way yesterday. I always think the first one is the hardest since you never know what to expect. Unusual for me, I was one of the last to finish. Hope that's a good sign!

It's cold and white outside. At least the sun is shining and it's not -30* like yesterday.

Have homework, housework and errands today then a birthday party to attend tomorrow.

Stay warm!

Getting ready...

2011-01-07T09:24:00.000-06:00

Well, in 3 days I start the second year of my nursing education! hard to believe! It's been a much-needed break these last 24 days.
I'm ready, excited and nervous to go! We'll be picking up a few new to our class students so our class will get a little bigger.

My clinical rotation starts in Pediatrics again. Then we move to Mental Health in Des Moines and finish the semester with OB. I'm looking forward to clinicals, as that's where we put our knowledge to the test!

>>>>>>
Christmas was great. Isaac was spoiled but plays with most of all his gifts. He especially loves Hi-Ho Cheerio from my sister. We play nearly every day. He also got a Penguin Pillow Pet that goes everywhere with him, including Wal-Mart, the grocery store and every car ride, even if only to the library!

Mark bought be a Kindle, which I LOVE! He kept giving me the impression that I wasn't going to get one so I was somewhat disappointed and resigned myself to the Sara Palin book he said he bought for me (I don't like her). Mark and I exchanged gifts after Isaac went to bed on Christmas Eve. He bought me an orange ceramic reusable coffee mug (LOVE IT!) and a book. I knew it was a book from the wrap and what I felt.
I opened it up and indeed, it was Sara Palin. I was really sad and disappointed. I opened it up, hoping to find an IOU or a gift card or something. Well, lo and behold in the middle of the book was my Kindle! He cut out a part of the book and made a spot to nestle the Kindle inside! He's so sneaky, tricky and creative! He always does something out of the ordinary with my gifts. He also included a lighted leather cover for it. I take it everywhere! It's so handy and fits right in my purse!

I stayed busy over break. I cleaned the house, did laundry, cleaned most of the carpets. It's nice going into the next semester knowing that the house is somewhat clean.

Today would be a good day to read, but I want/need to finish up the laundry and clean Isaac's room (again).

Happy 2011!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T14:47:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe that today is Christmas Eve! We got about 3-4" of snow overnight and it's still snowing! I love snow at Christmastime. I remember growing up many years where we were hoping to have snow for Christmas.
Last year, we were bombarded by a snowstorm that thwarted our plans. Hopefully it will cooperate tomorrow!

I did it! I graduated last week! I'll get my diploma in around 6 weeks. Many of my classmates walked across the stage as well. What an exciting time! I've been off school a week already and am keeping busy! I've enjoying the time away from the books, let me tell you! I've done laundy, cleaned bedrooms, cleaned the carpets, read two books and am looking forward to more relaxing!

I went up to my parents this past Tuesday and did some baking with my mom. My friend Melissa dropped in as well. SHe's home from Kuwait for Christmas so it was great to see her and have her help! It wasn't as large a baking year as usual, but we accomplished a lot and had fun.

Merry Christmas to all!

Here is our Christmas letter:

In January, I started my first semester of the LPN program at the DMACC campus in Boone. Now, 11 months later, I am set to graduate with my LPN on 16 December! What a great time I’ve had. I’ve learned so much, enjoyed my clinical rotations and have met some great new people! By this time next year, I will be completing the coursework for my RN!

Isaac started full-time daycare in January, as well. The transition seemed to go well and we switched daycare centers in mid-February. His new program has a preschool curriculum built in and he’s learning so much! He loves his friends and asks to go every day.

In May, we made the decision to put our house in Boone up for sale and downsize. We felt it was a good time to do it as I was done with the semester and had time to get it done. We packed up our house, rented a moving truck and moved to Ogden. It’s a much smaller place, but much easier on upkeep! Technically, our house never went “up for sale” as our neighbor’s daughter was interested. On my birthday in July, we got the call that her mortgage went through and we’d close in August! What an answer to prayer.

Isaac celebrated his 4^th birthday this year! He received a bike for his birthday and has already worn out the training wheels! He rode it every day for hours at a time! He knows most of the people and kids in our neighborhood-and they know him! Isaac also had his first “sleepover” at our friend Jessica’s house. Isaac had a great weekend swimming and playing while mom and dad finished up at the Boone house.

Other than riding his bike, Isaac still loves Thomas the Train, riding his John Deere tractor, Curious George and going to the library. We purchased a boat in late July and spent many weekends down at Saylorville Lake as a family. Isaac absolutely loves boating! He always wanted to go swimming, no matter the temperature. We’re looking forward to late spring already so we can get back out on the water.

Mark is still busy with work and the National Guard. He is also a part-time student at DMACC, as well. With a much smaller home and no yard work, he has time to relax now!

We wish you and yours the best for 2011! Much love to you all!

5 days, 2 finals and an exit exam....

2010-12-11T15:57:00.000-06:00

Yup. It's true.
In 5 days, I will have completed my LPN year. SO EXCITED.
I have 2 tests left: one Monday morning and the other Thursday morning. Thursday afternoon, I have the LPN exit exam. Graduation is Thursday night!

One class if completed already. I have to make up one clinical day because I didn't go yesterday. Isaac was pretty much up all night Thursday so I didn't want to be caring for patients on 1-2 hours of sleep.

It's a cold, blustery day here. We woke up to a trace amount of snow on the ground. Now the wind has picked up. The weathermen were saying 4-6" of snow for our area, but unless it's coming later, they are wrong.

Stay warm!

2 weeks! Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

2010-11-29T15:11:00.000-06:00

December 16.
December 16.
That is the day that I am FINISHED with my LPN year of nursing school! WOW! It's 18 days away!

I have a lot to get done between now and then. Today, I just finished a massive paper, along with submitting 3 online assignments. Glad to get all those out of the way!

We're getting pretty excited in class, although our stress levels are through the roof right now! SO CLOSE!

Thanksgiving break was good. We had a total of 6 days off, since we did not have our Wednesday class and we never have class on Mondays! What a much needed break! Wednesday, Isaac and I hung out. Thursday,we stayed home due to Wed's weather. I cleaned house and did laundry. That night, I headed to Ankeny to be ready to Black Friday shop with my sister.

We went to Jordan Creek Mall at Midnight. MIDNIGHT! It was crazy busy, but fun. I'd never go out at midnight again but now i can say I have. We shopped and shopped. We were back to her place by 0630 and sleeping by 7! It was pure craziness on our part!

The weather keeps flip-flopping so you never know what's happening. It was 53* yesterday, 49* today and supposed to be 30* tomorrow. Crazy Iowa weather!

Got our Christmas tree up and decorated. Isaac is pretty excited! He also got a little tree for his room and is enjoying that too!

Wish me luck (and sleep!) these next couple weeks! Lots to do!

4ish weeks!?!

2010-11-14T10:03:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that it's almost time for LPN graduation! Hard to believe! We have 3 weeks left of clinical with about 4 weeks left of classwork. Whew! This next month is going to be BUSY!

Classes are going well. I'm doing well in my coursework, which is a relief. This semester, the grading is a bit higher, as you have to maintain an 80%, rather than 78%, to pass. We have a test of somekind on 16 December that is sort of a pre-cursor to boards and is a good indication of how you will do on your boards. What a way to head into Christmas break!

I've enjoyed my clinical rotations for the most part. I've done pediatrics and OB at Mary Greeley in Ames, spent some time at Boone County hospital and one of the nursing homes there. This past week, my group is back at Mary Greeley to finish out the semester. What a diverse group of patients/clients I've had! I've learned lots of new things and seen things I've never seen before.

Around the homefront, things are going ok. Last weekend, both my guys were sick. Mark was first. Sunday afternoon, Isaac went to lay down since he felt tired after riding his bike and playing outside in the morning. By about 1230, he was throwing up in his bed. So not fun! That continued with even the smallest sips of water. Later, the diarrhea kicked in and by about 5-6 pm, we were getting worried about dehydration. After a call to First Nurse, we headed to Ames to the ER. They gave him some meds, which allowed him to keep Pedialyte down and prevent an IV for fluids. Very relieved! He stayed home 2/5 days last week since he wasn't feeling so hot.

Northern Iowa saw snow yesterday, but we only had some rain, high winds and an occasional snowflake. I'm not looking forward to winter and the snow.

Today, I'm baking and putting stuff in the freezer. 3 loaves of banana bread at this time, contemplating chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies. We shall see.

Isaac had a good Halloween. He actually dressed up and wore his costume (Black Spiderman) to go trick or treating this year. On the 30th, we walked all over town here for 2 hours. He got gobs and gobs of candy. As we were walking, "Mom, my legs are tired" LOL It was fun. Sunday night, we headed to Boone. My intent was to hit some friends houses and then come home. Well, we spent 2 hours in Boone too! More candy and quite the tired boy. He literally fell into bed that night.

Isn't it hard to believe that Christmas is now less than 6 weeks away? Where has 2010 gone? Crazy! We need to get through Thanksgiving first. I have 6 days off, due to the schedule! Awesome! DMACC is closing early on the Wednesday before, so rather than have 1 1/2 hours of a 3 hour theory class, there is no class! Obviously no class Thursday or Friday, but Mondays are my usual day off. 6 days! YAY!

chug, chug, chug..

2010-10-12T20:33:00.000-05:00

Another school week is underway, another test finished. Today's test got the last "first test" out of the way for my 3rd class. Glad it's done.

Center Grove Orchard was a blast! Isaac seemed to love every second of it and there was lots to see and do! My sister took the pictures, since my camera somehow grew legs and walked away. Hopefully, pictures soon!

The weather has been gorgeous! 80's in October is something I can live with!

Isaac's new "pet" is a praying mantis that my friend Sara caught yesterday. He took it to school today and was a pretty popular boy in his class! We (I mean, I!) caught 2 grasshoppers for it this afternoon. It had a light snack of the bigger one and at last check, the smaller hopper was still alive. We'll see by morning what's happening!

Isaac and I were discussing milk the other day. I asked him where white milk came from. He told me cows. Great! "Isaac, where does chocolate milk come from?", I asked. "The grocery store!" was his enthusiastic reply. I sure do love my boy!!

fall! Pumpkins! School!

2010-10-09T21:51:00.000-05:00

Life is just plucking right along here at home. Got some more school cranked out, including the first 2 tests of the semester back to back the last week in September. Ugh. That was a horrible week full of stress. But, I got through them both, passed them both and am moving on.

I finished up my OB clinical a couple weeks ago. Oh my goodness, I loved it. I wasn't sure if I would but I really enjoyed interacting with the new families and of course the babies! I got to witness one mom get an epidural and then they were my patients the next day. I learned how to swaddle a baby...only 4 years too late! LOL

Now we are at Boone County hospital. It's a skilled floor. We had our first week (2 days) just yesterday and Thursday. It's such a different facility than what I worked on in Ames. It was different and very, very busy! I guess we got lazy this time around in Ames since we didn't do a whole lot. I left the 2 days very stiff and sore! Next week, I get to spend a day in same-day surgery! Excited for that!

A few weeks ago, Isaac and I went to ride Thomas the Train. Much the same as last year, but by going on Friday, I saved like $6. He loved it of course. It was a reward for having a good week at preschool and doing well going to bed/staying in bed all night for the week.

Last weekend, Isaac and I met my mom at the apple orchard up in Fort Dodge. We got to go on a hayride, sample apples, he played games and picked out a pumpkin. Lots of fun! He had a good time and luckily, it was about 30 degrees warmer than last year when we went!

I can't believe this is really fall! The high today was 88*! Craziness! I worked on a paper for school and spent most of the day inside at the desk. Around 4 though, Isaac and I walked up to the post office. I needed to do some stretching and moving around. I sure felt a lot better afterwards! Got my paper finished up after supper. Tomorrow it's supposed to be warm again! Maybe we'll continue this weather trend until March?? :)

Tomorrow, Isaac, my sister and I are heading to Center Grove Orchard. I've heard lots of good things about it and am really looking forward to it.

Isaac has started going to bed much better at night! Hooray! I put together a "treasure box" that he gets to choose something from in the morning if he's good at bedtime. It's just little trinkets like stickers or stuff from the dollar bin at Target, but it's working!!

I'm keeping busy with school, Isaac, keeping up around the house and trying to fit in a little bit of reading. I didn't quite make my summer reading goal of 25 books by the time school started, but I did make it to 23!

week 4

2010-09-14T19:23:00.000-05:00

Week 4 of term 2 is underway! It's going so quickly!

I started my clinical rotation at the pediatric unit at Mary Greeley in Ames. That's already finished and my group moves on to OB this week! Excited for it, more than I thought I'd be! I liked peds, but unfortunately not as much as I'd hoped.
We found out last week we get to scrub in for a surgery during one of our clinical days so I'm looking forward to that!

I think we're still adjusting to this new school schedule. Isaac is thinking anywhere from 3 AM on is a good time to get up. Mom and dad sure don't think so! Bedtimes seem to be getting a little better, thanks in part to his sticker rewards. If he goes to bed with no fuss, he gets a sticker in the morning. If he stays in his bed all night, a sticker. If he gets dressed by himself in the morning, another sticker. He loves putting them on his shirt and showing his friends at school.

Ike bumped up to the 4 year old classroom at his daycare last week. He missed his friends and seems to have adjusted quite well to the new classroom, teachers and routine. I think he misses his old teachers though, as he told me today he got a hug from one of his old teachers.

He's found new friends in our neighborhood and is quickly becoming known to everyone else. Seems everyone knows Isaac! He loves riding his bike (with wagon attached) between our driveway, our neighbors and to the 2 houses across the street. He's getting very good at remembering to look both ways before going.

I couldn't ask for a better group of classmates! They are all so encouraging and are always willing to lend an ear or help out with assignments. We're a class of 15 (down from 23) so we are pretty close. We help drag each other along!

Pufferbilly Days was this past weekend. Mark had drill so Isaac and I went to the parade with "Grandma Joyce" and her 2 daughters and 4 grandkids. It was a shorter than usual parade this year, but Isaac still had fun. We went out the fairgrounds and rode the rides. Isaac, being fearless, wanted to go on everything including the Sizzler and the ride I call the flying bathtubs. He did all the kiddy rides and got mom on bathtub thing. It spun around high in the air and you could spin your tub. He loved it. Mom...not so much. I'm just too old for those things! I was so nauseous afterwards! Ugh.

Ended up with bronchitis last week. Bleh. Seems I can't stay healthy lately. I'm hoping it's not an indication of the winter...

school's in session

2010-08-30T20:09:00.000-05:00

I've had one class day and one clinical day so far. Both were all right. I was most excited to see my classmates again!

It's going to be a busy, busy semester. Only 11 credit hours, but they will be full. 2 days of clinical each week (Thursday 7-3 and Friday 7-1230). Class Tuesday and Wednesday.

Not much else to report on the school front, as it just started.

Isaac is loving having a neighbor boy next door to play with. They play a lot and they play HARD! Saturday night, Isaac was in bed before 8 because he was just wiped out. We had been on the lake briefly, after picking up the boat at Bass Pro then he spent about 3 1/2-4 hours riding bikes, playing in the sprinkler and just running around with the neighbor boy. Too bad it didn't happen again Sunday night or tonight!

We checked out a church here in Ogden yesterday. It was a great little place and we'll probably go back. Isaac was singing a song yesterday afternoon that he learned in church that morning!

Hard to believe Labor Day weekend is this coming weekend. Summer flew by and before you know it, we'll be seeing the snowflakes fall!

Summer is flying by!

2010-08-07T17:47:00.000-05:00

I'm still alive!

July was a busy month! Isaac turned 4, I had a birthday, we had a birthday party and miscellaneous other stuff happened.

Our house is sold! We close at the end of the month! That was awesome news-came on my birthday!

We purchased a boat this last week. We've already been out 3 times and have had a blast! I even drove it. Can't wait until next summer when we can be out more in it!

Only a few weeks left until school starts. I'm ready, but I'm not.

July 3rd already?

2010-07-03T12:19:00.000-05:00

Wow! Where has the summer gone? I can't believe tomorrow is already the 4th of July then on Monday, Isaac turns 4!

Nothing much happening around here. Cleaning, organizing, reading books (11 so far in about a month, with a goal of at least 25 by the time the fall semester starts), seeing family, trying to stay cool...

Today would have been my Great-Aunt Edna's 100th birthday. She favored my sister, but I still miss her. She passed away in 1993 or 1994. I can't remember any more. My sister and I were just talking about her old house the other day. That place held a lot of memories for us!

Highway 30 is closed due to flooding of the Des Moines River. They aren't expecting to open it until 7 July at the earliest. It's been closed since last Monday. It's a big bummer to have to drive around, adds time onto any trip east from here.

Yesterday, Isaac and I went over to Ames to Fire Station #2 for story time and a tour. Needless to say, he LOVED it. He loved walking by the fire station in Boone and always requested to drive by.

It's been warming up lately so Isaac has been playing a lot in the sprinkler and we've been to the Humboldt pool once while we were up visiting grandma and grandpa. Hoping to get to the Boone pool soon as well as try out the new aquatic center in Ames.

He stays home with me one day/week from daycare. We have to pay whether he's there or not this summer (or we lose our spot) so we have opted to send him so he can keep learning! So far, we've been to Humboldt, spent some time with Aunt Kate in Ames and this next week, I'm thinking we'll maybe head to Don Williams park, which isn't to far from here.
He's been doing great at the daycare so we've been so pleased with that! He can now spell his name and we are working on writing at least his name. We've taught him what town he lives in and he know what street, although it's mispronounced.

Happy 4th of July!

settled

2010-06-21T18:10:00.001-05:00

I think we're settled :) I was organizing in the garage today and hopefully, by the end of the week my bedroom will be put all the way back together!

We may have a potential buyer for our house already! Pray that she'll like our house and decide it's just what she needs. We haven't even listed it yet, as the painting is still continuing.

We've had lots of rain lately. It sure gets old fast. Isaac tends to be a bit afraid of the thunder and lightening so we're dealing with that.

The cats have adjusted. Dazey and Jesse normally go out for a few minutes every day and apparently, that was all it took to make Jesse a happy kitty!

It's 2 weeks until Isaac's 4th birthday. I'm in birthday mode, planning a party and treats for his daycare/preschool class and his party here. Toy Story theme! It'll be fun!

I've been a reading fool, as I've read 8 books in about 10 days. That makes for 9 since school has been out. I've made 3 trips to the Boone library to get books! We've visited the library here and Isaac likes it. It's smaller than Boone's, but that is ok! They still have a train table and puzzles to play with, so it's all good! My goal is to read 25 books by the time I go back to school in August.

That's all the news from here!

Moved.

2010-06-14T14:09:00.000-05:00

We have moved and I'm glad that it's over, for the most part! We still have the basement to clean out, but that will come shortly!

It was crazy! I got a nasty case of strep throat 3 days before we moved. It was ugly. So, I lost one packing day to a 101* fever and the ickies that come with strep.

We hired a moving company to move the big stuff and are so happy we did! They were polite, courteous, on-time and nothing was broken. They were very friendly too.

Isaac spent the day with a friend of ours, his "Gramma Joyce". It was a relief to have him out from under foot, as we weren't sure how he'd react to seeing everything come out of the house. Before he came to Ogden that day, his room was set up and waiting for him. He didn't seem too concerned, but bedtime has been a struggle ever since we moved. i'm hoping it will wear off soon!

I had most of our stuff put away by Tuesday of last week. (well, the stuff that was here anyway). I'm still actually bringing "my kitchen" over from Boone. The house is getting painted so I'm trying to stay out of their way, although they should finish up this week. We have a few more things to get finished then the sign will be in the yard.

Isaac likes the backyard. It kinda has some boundaries so he knows where he can play. I got him a little chair and he likes to sit back there watching the cars go by on Highway 30 and having a snack. We'll get his sandbox over here soon.

I especially like that my washing machine and dryer are handy! I mean, no more dragging laundry up and down the stairs-gotta love that! Makes me more motivated to get it washed, dried and put away!

Ogden is a pretty small, friendly town. We visited the library the other day and they were very friendly. Isaac enjoyed it-they have a Thomas train table here too, just like in Boone. the grocery store is pretty small, so I anticipate doing most of my grocery shopping in Boone or Ames. We ended up getting a post office box so that will be a nice walk and/or bike ride to get the mail. (at least when it's not raining!)

My cats seemed to adjust ok. We left them at the house overnight the day we moved and brought them here Sunday. They spent that first day mostly under our bed. They quickly discovered hiding places and love the screen door!

I think everyone is getting pretty tired of all this rain lately. It makes Isaac crazy that he can't play outside and makes me crazy that he's going crazy!

3 weeks from today, Isaac turns 4! He wants a "Buzz Lightyear" birthday party so that's what we will have. I think we're going to head to the zoo on his birthday and the Friday before, they are having a special story time at one of the fire stations in Ames so I think we'll head to that because he loves fire trucks and always wants to go by the fire department.

busy. tired. busy. tired

2010-05-20T12:21:00.000-05:00

I'm keeping busy cleaning, purging, packing, throwing out, watering the lawn. My list seems to keep getting bigger, rather than smaller!

I got my plants planted on Tuesday (thanks Mom!). I've been dragging my hose and sprinkler all over my backyard to water the grass patch stuff.

I've taken 2 carloads of stuff to Goodwill. I've packed up a bunch. I had 2 garbage cans overflowing on trash day. I've been busy!

Isaac has been sleeping erratically lately. The last 2 days, he was up at 3 to be changed. Yesterday, he slept until 8. The day before, was 7. He crawled in bed with me and was back asleep instantly for another 45 minutes! Today: 5:30. I'm tired because I'm working my tail off during the day and then staying up to late at night.

Been selling stuff on Craigslist. Trying to save myself a trip to the consignment store if I can!

The contractor that is working on our bathroom has been here today. It will be nice to get that project done.

It's cooler today than it has been the last few days. I hope we get the rain they are talking about. It's pretty windy, so maybe it will blow the rain our way. I am tired of watering!

Looking forward to Mark getting home tomorrow!

the week in review

2010-05-15T07:13:00.001-05:00

Last Sunday, my sister, Isaac and I went north to join my parents for dinner then headed to their place. The 3 of us stayed in a hotel, which was Isaac's first experience. Needless to say, none of us got much sleep that night.
Monday, we went to our parents to begin cleaning/throwing out. Isaac was really well behaved, considering he didn't get much sleep. We found my brothers old tractors and that kept him occupied for quite a while.
Isaac and I went home Monday night, only for me to return on Tuesday while Isaac was at preschool. We got rid of a lot more stuff and loaded up the back of my car with stuff to donate to the Free Store (www.freestore.org). They run a warehouse with donated items for victims of domestic violence. They were happy for our donation!
Wednesday, I cleaned my office here at home. Lots of work!
Thursday, I worked in the living room.
Friday, I got to see Mark for a bit. He flew into town for about an hour so I ran out to work to see him.

Getting a house ready to sell is a lot of work! We have a contractor coming soon to finish our downstairs bathroom. I'm purging/cleaning/throwing out. It's amazing how much stuff we can accumulate!
3 weeks from today, the majority of our stuff is being moved. We're renting a townhouse.
We decided to sell our house for many reasons, the biggest being that within about 5 years, we want to get out of Iowa. Another reason is with me in school full time, Mark working full time and everything else we have going on, it's hard to keep up on maintenance, regular household tasks and try to stay on top of homework. The place we renting is about the size of our current downstairs, all on one level with a 2 car garage. Less space=less mess (I hope)

Finally got to work outside a bit the last couple days. I bought some plants for the backyard as well as some grass patch stuff, as I got a little zealous with weed killer and ended up killing big patches of our lawn. OOPS!

Isaac was awake at 4:30 today, after sleeping until 8 Thursday and 7 yesterday. I have a feeling it will be a long day, but I'm thinking long naps for both of us are in order today. We have to head to Mark's cousin's graduation party tonight and I teach at church tomorrow so we have a couple busy days ahead.

Next week, I'll continue with what I've been working on at home, except my cat Dazey has a vet appointment Monday and Isaac has a dentist appointment on Thursday.

Happy new week!

Happy Mama's Day!

2010-05-09T09:45:00.001-05:00

This is my 5th Mother's Day! Technically, the 4th with Isaac physically here, but I was his mama when he was in utero, right?!

It's amazing what I've learned the last few years.
I was a first time parent, with a husband that was halfway around the world for the first 14 months of our son's life. I learned that I am stronger than I know, have more independence in me than I thought and am capable of raising a healthy boy, keeping our home together and realized that I CAN DO WHATEVER I PUT MY MIND TO!

My house may not always be the most tidy, our meals may sometimes consist of grilled cheese 2x/week, the laundry may not always be folded, but my boy knows he is loved! He's loved more than he knows. It makes me laugh when Mark tells him he loves him. "I know Dad" is the answer in return. How awesome for Isaac to know! I never get tired of telling him that I love him.

The days where Isaac won't listen, he's been disciplined many times, instances of grinding crackers into the carpet...one day, I'll look back and be glad for these days, as they are so short and fleeting.

He'll be 4 in less than 2 short months. Where has the time gone? Where has my baby gone? He's learning to be a "big boy" and getting to be so independent, but that's what we moms want for our children, right?

Happy Mother's Day!

Term 1:Complete!

2010-05-08T10:05:00.001-05:00

YES! It's official. My semester ended on 5 May. I was relieved to take the test, have my clinical eval and walk out of DMACC free for the summer! It was a good semester, busy, crazy, fun, stressful. I met some awesome new people and we've all gotten to be pretty good friends, I think.

I'm excited for the fall term, but glad to have the summer off! Some of my classmates have classes to take, like Speech or Microbiology. Sorry for you girls! I'm actually finished with all the non-nursing coursework, which is an awesome feeling. Next term is 3 classes and 2 days of clinical.

My sister graduated from ISU yesterday! They sure do the ceremony differently than when I graduated from there in 2002! It was great to see all those people graduating and I know Kathryn is excited to be done. Isaac and I are heading to her place today for a celebration BBQ. Isaac is excited to see Kate, Grandma, and his cousins "Big" Jacob and Michael. I wish it were warmer though. Hard to want to be outside when it's only 50*!

Our downstairs bathroom is going to be completed soon! We finally got a contractor in and he'll finish it up. Can't wait for it to be finished. Isaac doesn't yet understand that he needs to go upstairs to go to the bathroom. Sure, he could use the one down here, but there is a hole in the floor, drywall everywhere and pretty much torn up.

Isaac has decided that wake up time is "the earlier the better". The last day of my clinical, he was up at 3 AM. He thought he should get up and have breakfast, watch a movie, etc. We've had some 4 AM, 5 AM, 6 AM wake ups too. Yesterday, it was 7:30, but that's only because he was up at 3:30. Took a lot of convincing to get him back to bed. Today, 6:30. *sigh*

Isaac is really coming along with his letters and numbers. We can tell a huge difference from when he started at Childcare Junction back at the end of February. Every day, he has a new "best friend", stemming from who he saw walking in at the same time with him. He loves it when dad drops him off and even better, picks him up!

Lots of plans for this summer, the least of which is having fun! I'm hoping to go to Adventureland at least once, the zoo a few times, maybe head to Omaha to the Henry Doorley Zoo and of course, swimming!

We'll be heading up north tomorrow for Mother's Day. Kat is going with us up to my parents. We're taking our parents out to dinner and then spending Monday/Tuesday cleaning/throwing out/organizing. Their house needs it badly and we have the time. I guess that's their Mother's Day, Father's Day, anniversary and birthday gifts all rolled into one!

my boy

2010-04-18T13:37:00.001-05:00

sunny skies and spring!

2010-04-05T13:21:00.000-05:00

Spring has finally arrived! YAY! We've had a couple of 80* days last week, along with some t-storms. It's so uplifting to see sunshine, flowers, and green grass! No more snow!

Have had 2 clinical days now. The first one was rough-mainly because we were still learning the charting system, our way around the floor, the meds, etc. Last week went better and I felt more comfortable. My two patients were complete opposites, so they were very different experiences each week. Still enjoying it but have my eye on the end of the semester! (5 weeks!)

Celebrated Easter with Mark's family yesterday. And actually, Christmas too! It was a good day and Isaac behaved pretty well, for the most part.

He's still LOVING preschool/daycare. He's learning so much, he blows me away. He's decided lately though to get up at random times: 3:30 AM, 4:30, 5:15, etc. Hard to get him back to bed after that so last week was LONG and tiring. Last night, he was in bed by 730 (meaning dad and mom were downstairs) and slept straight through until about 6:30! YAY! Easter Sunday he woke up at 7:30, but only after getting up at 3:30 for a while.

Isaac was pretty happy with Easter Basket. He got a new Curious George movie, some candy, some rubber bugs, sunglasses, a new raincoat, bubbles, and coins in his eggs. Even though it's not raining, he had to wear the new raincoat to school today to show his friends. We went to the town Easter egg hunt Saturday morning and he had lots of fun.

Now onto homework...this was my way of procrastinating for a little bit! :)

Spring Break

2010-03-17T14:30:00.000-05:00

We got Isaac's trike out the other day! We didn't go far because it was windy, but was nice to be outside for a bit!

SPRING BREAK! It seemed as if we would never get here! I was so ready for break when it came!
Today is Wednesday, so it's day 3.
Monday-I cleaned my bedroom, folded laundry, put laundry away, sorted stuff for Goodwill. Amazing how good you feel when you sleep in a CLEAN CLEAN bedroom!
Tuesday, my mom, sister, Isaac and I went to the Science Center in Des Moines. Isaac seemed to enjoy it. I've been there before and I must say that it doesn't excite me, but wanted to do something for Isaac.
Today, I've cleaned both bathrooms, including the floors. I got a Shark Steam Floor cleaning thing and LOVE IT! You can use it on wood and linoleum. Which is excellent, since the bedrooms are wood, the bathroom and kitchen are linoleum. Makes the floor super clean!

The sun is shining brightly! I Have a few windows open, although it's only 54*. Mark jokes that I open windows when it's above freezing. I try to wait until it hits at least 50*.

Had orientation for clinical last week. Went well, no patient contact. Just learned their computer system, drug dispensing system and where to find stuff. I'm excited for next week because we actually get to work with people! (Not so excited about being to Ames by 7 AM, though. )

One of these days we need to get out and pick up the branches and sticks that came down in the yard over the winter. All the snow is just about gone and in another month we can burn. I'm excited for spring!

This is on the way home from Ankeny. It's a field!Another field!

1/2 way!

2010-03-09T08:57:00.000-06:00

Wow! Last week, I finished up the first half of my first semester! I did well in both classes and was pretty pleased with my grades. We have now started our Nursing Practice class that coincides with the clinical (that I start TOMORROW!). It's going to be a pretty intense class, with classwork, outside stuff, clinical, etc. But next week is Spring Break!

It's been raining here the last 3-4 days. At least it's not snow! And we can see some spots of grass! Hopefully, spring will arrive soon and it will warm up!

Isaac continues to love his new preschool. Can't wait to go every day. They have been playing outside the last week or so (when the temps were warm enough) so he's totally loving that he gets to play in the snow!

It's my "day off" but I have a lot of stuff to accomplish: school work, laundry, cleaning up the house a bit, etc etc. You know, the stuff that gets neglected during the school week! I'm off and running!

Moving Forward!

2010-02-26T09:59:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that I am about halfway through my first semester of the PN program! It's gone by fast, yet slow at times. Next week, we have a test in each class (2) and then a day off (we are going to go vent our frustrations by playing laser tag) and then start our Med-Surg class on Friday. This is the class that will coincide with our clinical. I'm excited for clinicals! I'm pulling high B's in both classes so it really helps my confidence level!

It is an in-service day today for the college so I'm home. Working on the last little bit of homework, getting test guides put together, housework. Fun times!

Isaac started a new daycare/"preschool" this past Monday. He seems to love it and we are so glad! He's transitioned very well (and quickly!) and can't wait to go every day. There are new kids to play with, he gets to play on a computer, a sand table, and if it ever warms up again, they play outside (as the weather permits). It's nice that it's like 1 block from DMACC so he's really close by and I can pop in for lunch if I wanted!

We haven't had any snow for about 2 weeks now, although we were supposed to get some last weekend. I'm not complaining! It's been cold this week, but NO SNOW! Warmer temps on the way next week, but I hear there is a storm coming in for next weekend. Of course there is because I *might* have plans. Never fails!

Taken on Feb. 20, 2010. Isaac and I played outside for a little bit that day!

Nothing else really exciting happening around here! We're anxious for spring, warmer temps and Spring Break!

just sayin'...

2010-02-15T12:44:00.000-06:00

I'm REALLY REALLY tired of the snow. And cold. And plain old winter in general.

More snow last week, more snow this past Saturday (because I had plans of course) into yesterday and more snow overnight!
Local schools have had 10-11 snow days! Some districts around us are extending the school day, others are considering classes on Saturdays!

My check off went well last week. I got 96/100 and my 4 points were pretty stupid mistakes. Grr. I'm pulling B's in both classes and am pretty excited for clinicals to start in about 3 weeks.

Spent Saturday afternoon down in Des Moines with some girls from high school. Did some shopping, had dinner, caught up. Then I drove home in snow, which is never fun. 40 mph on the Interstate! I was finally into Boone County before I could do 60 mph! That's unusual because normally Boone County is horrible about clearing the highway.

Today is a get everything caught up for school/at home day. Isaac is at day care, which allows me to do school work and other chores undisturbed. Pretty much caught up for the week for classes, except for practicing my med/eye check off tomorrow AM.

We signed Isaac up for soccer this spring. I hope he likes it and I think it'll be fun to watch a bunch of 3-4 year olds running around trying to play soccer!

Week 4 going into Week 5

2010-02-08T13:44:00.000-06:00

About a 1/4 of the semester is behind me already!

Things are going well. I'm enjoying my classes and enjoying getting to know the others in my class. With all the assessments we are learning, we will know each other pretty well in two years!

Tomorrow (Tuesday, hopefully?) is our first "check-off". We are going to be doing a head-toe assessment on our community partner. We need to attain 90% on all our check offs in order to pass the class. This is a big one, as it is literally head to toe. WIth the weather we are having today and into tomorrow, there is a possibility that it may be pushed back.

Yeah...weather. Snow yesterday was supposed to amount to half an inch. We got over 2". Today it's snowing and every weatherman has a different guess as to the amount. So, I'll just say we're supposed to get a lot (I'd say we have about 4-5" as of 1:30 CST) and then the winds are to pick up tonight and into tomorrow.
They are saying that we may beat the snow record from 1961/1962. I guess the amount then was 59". I would think this storm may put us near or over! I've lost track of all the snow, it's just gotten so old.

This was taken from our driveway on Christmas Day. (It was snowing then too!)

Today @ 1:30 PM CST

My feet were covered when I stepped out to take the photo. Brrrr.....

Here's hoping that spring comes quickly!

Week 3

2010-01-28T15:19:00.000-06:00

Well, tomorrow marks the end of Week 3 for Semester 1 of the nursing program.
Week one was hectic and busy, although I was done by noon each day. The second week started the "regular' schedule, but we had a snow day and a delayed start the next so we didn't have a "full" week until this week.
Classes (2) are going ok. I already knew some of the girls in my class and am meeting new ones. We're a class of 23-24 women. Wide range of ages, backgrounds, family situations, etc.

I have class Tuesday-Friday, with every Monday off. I use that day to either catch up or get ahead with homework. Oh, and to run the errands I don't have time to do! Wednesdays I'm on campus until 4, Tuesdays until 3, Thursdays until noon and only until 11 on Fridays.

I'm excited for the upcoming weeks. We get to break out our really *cool* (cough, cough) blue nursing scrubs. We start clinicals mid-March and that is what I am most looking forward to.

Isaac is in daycare full time and it's been a bit of an adjustment for him. I think we're still figuring out schedules/time with mom and dad/weekends but it's getting better.

Sunday is our 7th wedding anniversary! WOW! It's hard to believe!

I've been oriented.

2010-01-10T09:43:00.000-06:00

Well, nearly 2 months have passed since I've blogged.

*Had a major winter storm that closed schools and postponed my final presentation in Microbiology. Got a B.
*Had another storm right before Christmas, not allowing us to travel on Christmas Day. We stayed home and enjoyed our time together.
*Had my family over the day after Christmas for Christmas.
*Watched ISU win the Insight.com bowl on New Year's Eve. (Did not stay up until Midnight that night though-too tired).
*Went to Orientation for the nursing program that I start TOMORROW! I'm excited and nervous.
*Currently dealing with Isaac's coughing/breathing issues. Friday night, I was up about 3 1/2 hours with him, took him to doc Saturday morning and was told to continue the nebulizer treatments. He slept better last night (about 8 hours before I heard him coughing, 6 hours for me!)
*Excited to go see The Lion King next Sunday with my mom and sister!
*Did I mention the cold snap that we've been experiencing? It's cold, but a warmup is on the way! OH, and we had more snow this week!

Brownies in the oven from my new cookbook. Can't wait to try them!

Cute!

2009-11-17T11:58:00.001-06:00

I forgot to put this in the previous post:

At night, Isaac chooses a Bible story or two to read from his toddler Bible and then we talk about it and pray. Last week, after our story about Baby Moses....

"Isaac, who made the animals? "God".

"Who made Isaac?" "Mom and dad!"

"Isaac, who made the fish?" "Wal-Mart"!!

Oh my, I was laughing!

The other night, we prayed for the "Wal-Mart fish" too. Gotta love him!

The icks

2009-11-17T11:48:00.004-06:00

I just love that picture. Isaac was just messing around one morning and found some training pants. Took off his pj pants and put them on himself. Then he made a new "bed" on the floor for himself too.

The icks have invaded here. I have a cough/congestion/sore throat, Mark has the cough/sore throat and Isaac has had a cough over a week. That means lots of nebulizer treatments for him. He seemed to have a temp one day last week, but it didn't last long. I just hope we can all get over this by Thanksgiving.

We are almost done with our Christmas shopping! YAY! Mark and I had a date night on Sunday and went out to dinner and did some shopping. I think we have 3 people left to shop for! Awesome! We've never been done this early. We are waiting on a few things to be delivered, but they are ordered!

I had CPR training last Saturday. It's a good skill to have (and required for the RN program) but I sure hope I never have to use it.

My super great husband bought and installed my new dishwasher over the weekend. YAY! The other one we had was just not doing a good job anymore no matter what we did. Not sure if it was the dishwasher, the hard water here or a combo of both. So far, this one is working fabulously!

Hard to believe that this semester is almost over. We have class only 2 days next week, due to Thanksgiving. Then a week of lab/lecture and then during finals week, we have a group presentation and a final test. I'm done on December 11 and start spring semester January 11! I about had a heart attack when I saw my spring semester bill today! I still need to get my lab coat and uniforms but will probably wait until break to make that trip to Des Moines.

The weather has cooled off but the sun is shining! That makes me happy!

Open windows in November!

2009-11-05T12:29:00.002-06:00

It's currently 58* degrees here! WOW! I love to prolong closing up my windows for winter. Today is a perfect day to open the curtains, blinds and windows!!

Isaac and I took advantage of the nice weather and walked up to the library this morning. He loves to walk "to the train tracks" and then play at the library too.

I enjoy Thursdays and Fridays when Isaac is home for me. It almost always involves our library trip, sometimes a trip to Ames but always lots of time together! I'll certainly miss this time when I'm in class M-F next semester.

Last night when he was in the bathtub, he asked me where his little sister was. I told him, "Isaac, you don't have a little sister." He goes, "Oh." So cute! It's not the first time he's asked for a brother or sister!

Yesterday while Isaac was at daycare, I cleaned my kitchen and made up 4 batches of tetrazzini. It was nice having a "down" day after the HUGE test we had in microbiology on Tuesday. Ugh, it was horrid. We just watched the movie "Outbreak" in class yesterday and that rounded out the school week. I made homemade applesauce in the crockpot last night as well. I'm hoping to come up with some easy freezer-type meals to do ahead of time so once classes start in January, I can just pull something out the night before. I've made up a bunch of muffin mix so that's been fun to experiment with. I've made chocolate chip, banana, and apple/cinnamon. All were quite tasty!

This afternoon, Isaac (and I hope me) are getting the H1N1 shot. He falls right into the category where they suggest kids get them. Along with his breathing issues, the H1N1 could really wreak havoc on him.

No big plans for the upcoming weekend. My mom is coming Saturday for a bit, hopefully we'll get to church Saturday night and then Sunday, I'm observing in one of the classes at church. Mark and I are going to be "permanent" helpers-2/weekends a month we'll serve in the nursery area. Mark has drill this weekend so Isaac and I will get a lot of time together.

I think the weather is supposed to stay nice so hopefully, we can get out to enjoy it!

Halloween...or lack thereof

2009-10-31T18:16:00.004-05:00

Here I sit, with about 45 minutes left of Trick or Treat night. Isaac wanted to be Spiderman. So, I looked and looked and finally found the right costume.

Thursday night there was Trick or Treat uptown at the local stores. I thought we could go to that...get used to the costume and even maybe call it a year. Nope. Ike refused to put his costume on. So, I left it hanging up where he could see it in hopes that he would decide to wear it today.

Honestly, he's having fun handing out the pencils/bubbles/suckers here at home! He wouldn't put the costume on so I guess we're set for next year! The bubbles and pencils are actually going over pretty well!

In 1 hour, 20 minutes, we have had 23 trick or treaters. Saw some neat costumes (a Quaker woman!), a couple dressed up dogs and one mom carrying her beer can with her.

Oh well, there's always next year I guess.

Rain Rain...

2009-10-15T13:30:00.002-05:00

I'm tired of rain. It's rained off and on for the last couple weeks. Blah. The temps are cold, below average for this time of year in Iowa. Doesn't make me look forward to winter at all.

Staying busy. In fact, I should be doing something right now during quiet time. I have pulled the chairs and table off the "dining area" to be swept and mopped so that will be done as soon as I finish this.

Had a tree trimmed in the backyard. Mark cut down a small tree and trimmed some others around our yard. My burn pile was pretty big. Now we are replacing the front sidewalk. At least the weather is supposed to warm up on Saturday when they intend to pour it.

School is school. I feel like there is never enough time in lab to get my labs done! Stain this, find this under the microscope, fill this out, observe this....Glad I don't want to be a researcher or something.

I got my flu shot today. I didn't get one last year but know I need it for the RN program. We were at Walmart and they were doing a clinic so I did it. Isaac still hasn't had one as his pediatrician's office has been out for 1 month+ now. He's been relatively healthy so far, so I hope to keep it that way.

I can't believe we're halfway through October already! Isaac is going to be Spiderman for Halloween. It's his newest obsession, along with dinosaurs.

At the end of September, we went and rode Thomas the Train. I'm glad I won the tickets because everything was inflated in price! $7 for a mylar balloon! Took a friend of ours, along with her 3 year old grandson. The boys had a great time.

Off to mop...

Randomness

2009-09-25T11:13:00.002-05:00

I'm feeling random today.

*had a pretty decent week at school. On Monday, we had our first micro exam. No grade yet.

Tuesday was a 2 hour lecture day and Wednesday was lab. One of my slides has to be redone so that is a little aggravating.

*Fall tv has started. We don't have cable so it's nice to have some options to watch again after Isaac goes to bed. We record them to our computer then transfer to the tv. We tend to watch the show the night after it originally aired, but that's ok!

*The weather is finally cooling off. It was strange having 80* temps through the middle of September!

*Had a big tree limb come down on Monday. Right onto the neighbor's cable wire. Ooops. Got it back up and the tree will be trimmed in the next week.

No big plans on the agenda this weekend, other than riding Thomas the Train with Isaac. I won 4 tickets so we are doing that Sunday, along with a friend of ours and her 3 year old grandson. Isaac seems to be excited about it!

Yay! It came

2009-09-16T09:44:00.001-05:00

After JUST discussing this with some students in my microbiology class and my husband, I got some GREAT mail today!

My acceptance letter into the RN program for January 2010 came! I'm so excited, relieved, nervous, scared, and happy all at the same time!!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-08T21:59:00.004-05:00

What a weekend.

Saturday, I was stuffed up alternating with a runny nose. By the evening time, I was miserable. Sunday, I felt pretty crummy as well, same as Saturday but with some dizziness thrown in. Ick. I hate taking sinus meds and this time was no exception. I had some very strange dreams.

Woke up Monday feeling good so went ahead with plans of taking Isaac to the DSM zoo. My mom came along and we had fun. Isaac had a free pass and while we were waiting in line to pay, a kid handed my mom a coupon: Buy one adult admission, get one free. Awesome. So it cost $9.95 for the 3 of us to get into the zoo!

We decided to be rebels and went around the opposite way of the way we (and everyone else) go. Isaac loved watching the eagles and red panda, then the Gibbons and giraffes. He growled like a tiger when we saw them. Cute! We fed the ducks and you should have heard my boy laugh! Unfortunately, the train wasn't running and Isaac was pretty disappointed. But we got past that without any tantrum or fit.

It was back to the grind today. Went to the Y this AM, Ike to daycare and I had micro this afternoon.

I'm stuffed up again tonight and didn't sleep well last night so off to bed I go.

4 days in

2009-09-04T14:38:00.002-05:00

I have survived 4 days of microbiology. So far, so good. It ended up being Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, rather than the MWF like I thought. Good thing our daycare is flexible!

My lab partner was in my anatomy class this past spring so we were happy to team up again. We are both looking at acceptance into the RN program in January (we hope).

Other than the start of classes for me and a new daycare schedule for Ike, things are pretty much the same around here.

It's Labor Day weekend which is usually the "official" end of summer. I'm not sure if Iowa had a summer? We had one week of 95+* temps back in June and I think that was the hottest it got all summer. Needless to say, we didn't hit the pool much. I'm thinking maybe a trip to the zoo this weekend since Ike received a pass from participating on the library's summer reading program.

I started working out at the Y this week. So far, so good. The first two days I thought I was going to die! I ran/walked/jogged on the track the first day and then the second day, the same but only on the treadmill. Yesterday, I started on the treadmill then did some time on the stairclimber thing. Today's workout felt good, especially after my sister reminded me the other day to stretch beforehand! Next week, I will increase my workout time a bit. I didn't want to start out at say, an hour, just to wimp out and quit. So, it was about 35 minutes + cooldown this week.

We helped some friends get ready to move to Texas last weekend. They have a little girl who is 3 months younger than Ike. Every time we are near their street, he asks to go to "Ava's" house. It's hard to explain to a 3 year old why his friend isn't around anymore. :(

As I look around, I have 3 cats napping in various places and a little monkey who SHOULD be napping but is up wandering around his room. He was up early so without a nap, we'll be hoping for an early bedtime!

summer is coming to a close

2009-08-24T20:05:00.004-05:00

*sigh* It's true. Summer is nearly over.

Schools have started and I start fall term on Wednesday. I am only taking Microbiology this fall, but that will be enough. Science classes are not my cup of tea. After this semester though, I should be in the RN program. By taking all the non-nursing classes beforehand, it means less of a work load once I'm actually in the program.

Went to the Iowa State Fair last week with my mom and Ike. Ike loved it and convinced his mama and grammie to go on the sky glider. The boy has no fear. He loved it. He's a people watcher too, as he was content to spend a lot of time in his stroller. He saw cows and horses, tractors, a train and a lot of other various things.

Last week, my husband was doing army things, so Ike and I were on our own. Ike was exceptionally good. This week is starting out a total 180 from that. He's been ornery and cranky all day. He was up around 6:30 and saw dad out the door, who is doing army things again this week. We went and had lunch with my sister (first day back @ ISU) and got some groceries @ Walmart then we got home and he took about a 3 hour nap. I relish the quiet time and he certainly needed it.

After dinner, we played in the backyard and got toys picked up. Ike saw his first toad-wouldn't touch it but was interested. He spent time "talking" to the dogs across the alley.

Heading to my parents tomorrow. Ike is excited-he gets to see papa and gramma. I get to help clean the fridge :) and other random things I find to do.

the boy loves his John Deere

2009-08-17T13:11:00.003-05:00

I'm not exactly sure where the obsession came from, but Ike LOVES John Deere tractors. His 3rd birthday party theme was John Deere, he got a lot of JD toys, and mom and dad got him a JD battery-powered ride on tractor.

Gramma got him the hat. This is the first day he would actually wear it. He wore it all the way to the library and then wore it home too!

movies

2009-08-15T08:34:00.002-05:00

I took Ike to his first movie the other night. We saw Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

There is a 2nd run theater in Ames that only charges $1.50/movie. I figured we'd try it and if he doesn't do well/didn't like it, we could leave and not be out a ton of money.

He was more interested in the arcade games in the lobby at first. Then we got some popcorn and soda and went in. He was pretty antsy.

The preview stuff had been running for a few minutes when he wanted to go home. Ugh! I thought i'd at least get to see some of it! He settled down and sat down next to me.

Then the predicted "potty". Well, we go, he looks, washes his hands and then finds booster seats outside the theater. So we grab one.

He did really well for about the first 30-45 minutes of the movie. Then he started to get antsy. He kept going from one seat to another in our little 5 seat section.

But we got through the whole thing! I just think we'll wait for our next movie experience!

summer days

2009-08-11T08:52:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, a long-time friend of mine came to visit. She's home for summer. She teaches at an all-girl school over in Kuwait. She was home at Christmastime, but it was nice to get together again!

We didn't do much. Went and had some lunch, played with Isaac, while he napped, we hung out and chatted. After Isaac's nap, we went for a walk to the bakery then wandered around a bit. She stayed for dinner then left afterwards. Isaac and I spent more time outside, riding his tractor and playing at the park for a while.

It's to bad that "summer" waited so long to arrive. We haven't really had much heat this summer at all, except for a few days back in June. School will be starting soon and I'm going to take advantage of the short break I have before then!

hi!

2009-08-09T15:05:00.004-05:00

Hi,

This is about my 3rd attempt at setting up a blog. A personal blog, I mean.

I'm a "cat blogger". that means, my cats have a blog to blog about their lives.

I'm just a born and raised Iowa girl, living in a smallish town with her husband, 3 year old son and 3 cats. I'm a part time student at our local community college and will (hopefully) be a full-time student come January. I'm currently finishing up all my non-nursing classes so that I can enter into the RN program. All the pre-reqs are done so now it's just a waiting game.

I love the color orange. I recently decided that lime green draws me in too.

At times, I'm pretty random so you'll never know what you'll find here!