Catch Up: CHRISTMAS AND NYE!

CHRISTMAS BREAK: I cooked, a lot. From homemade pizza (crispy crust anyone?) to steak to pecan pie to... well, I don't even remember because I was in a food coma. Since I had nothing else to do (yay! no school!), I cooked, and it was glorious.

In other news, Ryan and I went to NYC on December 23 and 24. Everyone says there is something about New York at Christmas time and I can confirm it's the truth! Buildings are dressed in bows and the night is a shimmer of sparkling lights. Despite freezing temperatures, our trip was top notch. We enjoyed the city, grabbed some chop sticks and gobbled up some amazingly delicious sushi, watched masses of people on the Trump skating rink, and fought the crowds to see the window displays on 5th street. We also found some deals at Gap while on 5th street. Thick winter sweaters for 8 bucks? Yes please! My winter wear doubled in that trip!

I'm not sure I brushed my hair Christmas morning...

You can't go wrong with Beatles Rockband.

We take the festivities very seriously. Antlers and santa hat are a must.

Ryan and I ditched NYC (before the HUGE snow storm, may I add!) and enjoyed Christmas at home in our apartment. It was nice to relax, open presents, eat popcorn, play games, and catch up on TV shows (Prison Break!). 

NEW YEAR'S EVE: Ryan and I played Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Wii...until 6 in the morning. We were in a particularly stressful part of the game around 12:00am...so it wasn't really a "Happy New Year!" until maybe 1:00am. DK, isn't that supposed to be for kids, you say? Flying a barrel holding an ape and a monkey through a cave full of gigantor-monster-sized bats is no easy task! However, I'm happy to say we reigned victorious the day before Spring semester began. It felt good knowing we have a jungle full of bananas again. 

Catch Up: FALL!

FALL: Packed full of work, but much more manageable since we had an entire semester (unlike summer when we had 4 weeks for 2 classes, 6 weeks for pharmacology, and 4 weeks for another set of classes...all meshed together. I'm not even sure what happened in summer. I got to Fall semester and felt like a survivor...of some terrible tragedy or something) In between 15 credits, 20 hours of clinic a week (...I am exerting self control to not discuss clinic. I'll just say that one was particularly difficult, but not in the good way), Ryan and I found time to pick apples and pumpkins at a local farm, make ourselves Thanksgiving dinner, and watch a movie or two in a theater (tickets are 10 bucks for the early showing?? Geez.).

My handsome husband and his awesome sunglasses.
RIP Awesome Sunglasses. We miss you.

The best part of fall semester was probably Labor and Delivery. I can definitely see myself in that area of nursing. I loved the babies, the process, the joy, the relief, the overall sense of accomplishment (well, more for the mothers than for me) of that rotation. It seems that in a lot of areas of nursing, you just work with the patient that is assigned to you for a little while, but you don't always see the full picture and the outcomes (though sometimes it might be better). However, in L&D there is a beginning, middle, and end...and more often than not, it is a happy ending. I love it!

It was very windy, excuse the horn coming out of my head.
Check out my broken pinky finger. 

We got a visit from my brother, sister in law, and their adorable toddler in October! We went to NYC, Statue of Liberty, NJ, and PA (to see our little apartment). I was a blast to hang out for a couple days! Ok, that was the one of the best parts of the fall. I just love my sibling's kids...I want to squeeze them and take them home.

We, also, were able to go down to Baltimore to meet Ryan's dad while he was on business. We walked around the city, ate at Hard Rock, and just enjoyed the company. It was quick but fun...until we hit a deer on the way home (around 2 am maybe?). Luckily, I have some serious race car driving skills, and I swerved just enough so there was little damage to the car (we only lost a side mirror, not bad right?! The deer had large antlers even!).

The Good
(Terrible quality, I didn't realize our new point and shoot was on some weird mode)

The Bad.
We did not hit the deer, the deer hit us.  You can guess what the red is...

Our last visit was with a couple friends from Boise. They were in Ohio and we met them half way - in Pittsburg. We went to a science museum that boasted entrance into a retired government submarine parked in the adjacent river. I certainly would not vacation in one, but it was amazing to see the smallness and efficiency of the rooms, hallways, and bathrooms, and offices. The day earlier, we wandered around the city, went to a a local spot to catch a show (which reminded me, no...everyone..the importance of a good deodorant), and ate at a terrible Italian restaurant that we are sure was haunted. If I had died in a restaurant that had tasteless pesto pasta that was only edible with 60 oz of Parmesan cheese poured on top, I might haunt the place too. It's just a theory, though. Anyway, it had been a while since we had hung out with any old friends and it was clearly good for our souls.

Somewhere in the midst of all that stuff and school, Fall disappeared leaving only a couple pictures, some Dean's List grades, and an old calendar behind.

Catch Up: SUMMER!

SUMMER: I started nursing school and realized quickly that I will have no life until it ends in August 2011. My summer consisted mostly of Pharmacology (nearly 3000 page book condensed to 6 weeks - 9 tests total. The last test covered 25 chapters and we were only taught approximately 3 of them). I am not sure I completely recovered from that course until mid-fall.

When the semester was over, I had 10 days to make up for my long lost summer. Ryan and I went to Viriginia Beach...and went camping. We packed up our little Hyundai, grabbed some supplies (like a tent), and started driving. Camping by the beach seemed so lovely, until we arrived. We were welcomed by 100% humidity, drizzling rain, and a damp ground. My poor hair didn't stand a chance. I was wild woman for a couple days. But, being the champ that I am, I helped set up camp and start a fire. This is the only day we took pictures, simply because I was probably in fight or flight response the rest of the trip (and I was afraid of killing my precious camera with the salt cloud hovering over our site).

See how wet it was when we arrived? The mat in front of our tent is soaked.

The rest of the days were drowned in rain and intense heat/humidity. The tent, although having mesh 'windows' on all four sides, kept the air completely stagnant and the only relief from this painful weather was to lie completely still on the damp sheets that covered our blow up mattress (I like the finer things in life). We only had one day that was sunny and gorgeous, and instead of sticking around the camping site or the camp site's beach, we drove to the pier at Virginia Beach. We sat on the sand, burned, watched schools (is that the correct term?) of dolphins swim close by, waded in the ocean, and indulged in all you can eat seafood. That evening we welcomed a cool breeze and sat on a grassy area listening to a pretty decent cover band. It was fabulous. We had a couple hours the next day that were nice, but we were both too burned to do anything else but read. I certainly was not reading in the tent, so we decided to invest in a beach umbrella and relax by the ocean. That was one of the best moments of the trip.

Then we trekked back to the muggy tent.

And then I think we both decided that sometimes it is just worth it to get the motel room.

First Anniversary, Reviewed

My mom was kind enough to pack our top tier while we were on our honeymoon in Hawaii.
How the scroll work stayed in place, I have no idea. Thanks, Mom!

Last May, Ryan and I celebrated our first year of marriage! What an eventful year - Ryan getting his first real post-school job, moving across the country, applying and being accepted to nursing school (I had been in school 1 week by our anniversary). While we didn't do much on our anniversary, we did get to enjoy our year old red velvet cake. Neither Ryan or I could have been completely sure that it tasted just like it did on our wedding day, since we each only had 2 bites of the fresh one before it was swiped from our table (I believe we were summoned to take sunset photos?). We pulled out our engraved serving set and our champagne glasses, and reminisced for the remainder of the night. We particularly enjoyed laughing over some of day's happy surprises and funny mishaps (luckily we're both pretty easy going, so we never worried about those things too much).  We, also, remembered the fun quirky gems that were intentionally embedded through out our ceremony...We had a great deal of fun customizing our vows to reflect our relationship and personality.

The wedding was lovely....but it was the sunny Hawaiian Honeymoon that was difficult to remember without running to the nearest red-eye flight out to Maui...I guess Hawaii has that effect on people. 

I certainly look forward to more happy surprises, funny mishaps, and Hawaiian beaches. 

Love you, Mister.

Hello? Anyone?

Hello! Despite the echoes of a blog not updated for, well, a good 9 months or more - I am back for a moment to tell everyone that I am still alive (maybe to remind myself that I am alive?). Especially feeling alive now that the groundhog predicts that spring is on the way. This winter has put quite a damper on my cheer, and I hope that groundhog is right, I just can't wait another 6 weeks to see the sun again. I thrive on sun, y'know? But, I digress.

Well, let's see...What have we missed over the last spring, summer, fall, um, winter...and spring?

Details on the way!

Nursing School, Part I

I have to apologize in advance for the quality of my writing. Right now, it's for the sake of my grade on Friday's test.

Two weeks ago, I drove through open yellow fields, dark wooded areas, and old housing developments to an unfamiliar campus. I had been there before, but only for an interview and to pay some bills. This time, I was there to begin my life as a Student Nurse. Awkwardly, I sat down with my backpack next to me while I waited for more people to arrive to this empty auditorium. Close to 20 minutes later, all the seats tucked behind the tables were filled and the hall buzzed with excited voices. With 42 people in the class, we all exchanged names twenty times, promising to remember each other's by the end of the first semester, at least... We followed outline for the day which included lunch, nursing clubs, faculty introductions, and 150 other things and finally finished at 4:30pm. By the end of the day, I was bombarded with so many silly specifics of the university and protocols, I was sure of only one thing - it was going to be strenuous.

Today, I have finished two tests, made at least a handful of friends, learned where the copier and the best printer is hiding, figured out where the best parking spots are located (depending on day), realized my teacher's personalities and how they figure into their teaching and tests (psychology, anyone?), and where to get all my lecture notes online (I would like to make my own version of Blackboard, Angel, whatever. It would be super organized and user-friendly. Thank you very much).  I have to say that although a bit overwhelming, it has been enjoyable. For once in my education, I have not been dreading what I have to learn. I might dread the test or what I think the test will be, but so far I have not felt uninterested! Can I get a hallelujah?! Seriously people, this is a miracle. I can learn whatever you want me to, but when it comes to what I want to learn - you'll get 100%. 

However, this is just the beginning... So in a couple months when I'm whining and crying about my life, please gently (or not) remind me of my undying optimism. 

Thank you in advance.

Part II continues on a day when I don't have to study like a mad woman.

PS. Should I check for grammar and spelling errors? Maybe. Will I tonight? Nope. Will I during Part II? Yes, and I probably will grieve a bit. Ah well.

Caution: Midnight realizations ahead

Life will not always happen as you wish or thought it would. 

Of course, this is a simple idea that has been preached over and over again. There are times, though, that these little gems of wisdom don't mean much to me until I experience them myself. Last night, while reading up on the realities of nursing school I thought against my personal protocol, It would have been great to attend Nursing School while we were in Boise. I try to never play the "If-Only" game with myself. "If only I would have been able to go there" or "If only I had been able to do that" or what ever the case may be. I find I just cause myself to become stuck in anger and frustration, ignoring real solutions and hindering personal growth. 

The point is, I wound up playing that game. I wound up remembering the times I played that game while I was in a specialized educational program in a small town in Idaho. At the time, I thought, If only family, friends, or Ryan could come and live here with me to keep me focused and help balance my life while I endure this schooling that is not what I thought it would be. I saw all the locals and married people in my class going home to a cute little place and a husband/family who kept them afloat. I have to admit, I was jealous of their immediate support. (I had overwhelming support, by the way, but it was 3 hours away. Still, I couldn't have done it at all with out them.) Obviously, my career took a different route than what I planned and it is totally okay with me. (Life -1, Katherine - 0)

However, on the route I imagined, I married a wonderful man. I don't know how I managed to wrangle him in, but I must have been on my A game (and that doesn't happen often). Thank goodness he still loves me despite my crazy antics, silly obsessions, and wicked hair days completely unrelated to said A game. (Life -1, Katherine -1)

Close to a year later, we are 2,000 miles away from the city that had been my home for 5 years (and Ryan's hometown). So, of course, it would have been more comfortable to go to nursing school surrounded by the family and friends we adore. But, we needed to find our place in the world, make our own path, and break away for better opportunities and career choices. It's a bit different than I may have thought 5 years ago or even 2 years ago, but nothing that we can't manage. Nothing that going home to cozy apartment and a brilliant, hilarious, handsome husband can't fix. Or homemade fudge brownies, for that matter. Just sayin'. So, bring it on nursing school in PA. (Life - 2, Katherine - 2)

I had to add this for some reason. In all it's imperfection, I just love it. (Life - 2, Katherine - 3)

WE WIN.

What can I say, I get satisfaction in the little things.