Thursday, October 1, 2009

Blessings

We finally have a manager for our nursing unit! Tyler comes home from school in Jacksonville tonight! God has blessed us with the ability to take care of several surprise financial needs! Tyler received an extra scholarship for being so smart! I was rewarded with a gift certificate for working extra to admit patients! I have my requirements for my Florida nursing license figured out! I have a week off after this Sunday! And best of all.....I get to meet my new little niece next week.

Just felt like sharing some good news. = )

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Down Time

I really should be asleep.....but I'm not quite ready to crawl into an empty bed just yet. (I sleep better when Tyler isn't in another state going to school since he answers the phone, the door, and keeps the bad guys away).

One of our new (a.ka. yicky) policies at work lately is that we have to sign a copy of our time card. (You're not supposed to get paid if you don't but I don't think that has been enforced.....yet). Since Ty has been in class I've tried to schedule my work nights while he's off at school. The only tricky part is that I still have to work some weekend shifts (because of another policy).

The point is that when Ty is gone I get bored and sometimes I go to the hospital to work extra. Because of our time card signing policy I noticed I actually worked 99 hours last pay period (two weeks). Okay, really only 87 because I was sick one night that I was actually supposed to work. That might not seem alot but at the same time my work nights come in 12 hour shifts with a good night meaning you get a full 30 minute (unpaid) lunch break. (Yeah, right. As if people sleep in hospitals).

That said....I'm really excited about getting to have some time off next week to go to Florida with my husband and relax. I've only gotta work two more shifts until I'm going to be off for a week. YAY! Not quite sure what the plans are other than meeting my adorable new niece Dallas Julia......but what's better than having time to relax and spend with family?

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Up All Night

One perk to being a nurse at a hospital is that though the shifts can be long and grueling (at times) is that I don't have to work many of them. Right now I only have to work three nights a week AND since my floor has self scheduling.....I get to pick which three nights! This comes in quite handy if I know that something is going on a month in advance. Overall, I love the flexibility and it is a blessing that has allowed me the ability to schedule myself to work when my sweetbean (the husband also known as Tyler) is off to school in Jacksonville.....which is three hours away from here. Pooey!

I'm still working on getting a Florida nursing license so I can work legally down there and until that happens I just get to tough it out by myself half a week until Tyler comes home. Not really too bad when I am working since my routine is pretty much wake up, get ready for work, eat, go to work, come home, get ready for bed, sleep, and repeat as needed.

But the bummer in all this is that usually I have one night off where I am not working. I guess if I was married for a bajillion years with a half dozen kids I'd like, no CRAVE, this quiet time. But for the present I have to find ways to keep myself entertained.

The first part of my night has been no problem since I wake up usually around 6 pm (remember, I'm night shift *wink*). At this time other normal day walkers I know, including my husband, are awake for me to chat with on the phone or the net. Then I usually tackle the chores but that usually takes no time. But after that it's sometimes a struggle to keep occupied. I've finished a couple books, worked on some puzzles, played video games to the point where I need someone here to do the hard bits...... So what can I do all night to keep myself entertained, out of trouble, and out of Wal Mart?

Right now I think I will work a bit on my mailing list, I love sending snail mail to peoples but I'd appreciate ideas for some projects or something crafty that would be a challenge for me to complete each week. Any thoughts?

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

FINALLY!!!

The Georgia Board of Nursing has me listed as Kelly Marie Ryan!!!! This means I can sign with my married name at work! *YAYS*

Friday, August 21, 2009

Socialized Healthcare Rant

I do not believe in socialized healthcare. Have an issue with that and you may as well stop reading from this point on.

One of my biggest issues with socialized medicine is that it creates a generic stamp for how each CONDITION, mind you, not each person, should be treated. People are individuals, and more so are their bodies, and therefore health care should be tailored to the individual. (On a side note for perhaps a much longer rant, I also believe that each person's mind is different and therefore that education should be tailored to the individual. That is all on that matter for now).

Also, as long as hospitals, which on a basic level are businesses as it takes money to keep a hospital (and just about anything) open, have to compete for people to choose to come for care, procedures, etc, then hospitals must compete with each other in order to provide better services, more qualified personnel, more procedures, ect. If a hospital is going to get a certain amount of payout from the government regardless of whether they care for 2 or 200 people why would they bother competing with other hospitals to provide better care?

Well, if you want to know what prompted this rant, it was a quote from Obama posted as status on my friend Megan's facebook page:

"These are all fabrications that have been put out there in order to discourage people from meeting what I consider to be a core ethical and moral obligation, and that is to look out for each other." ~Obama discussing healthcare critics. Now, who here thinks that having the government pass laws based on their idea of morality is a *good* thing?

My response, which may further illustrate some of my views, is as follows:

I thought the morals of the men and women comprising the government should be all the morality that the government has...or at least that the government is not the decider of what is moral. And what business does the government have in healthcare? None. It is up to the individual to decide if they want a large screen television or an annual annual check up with their doctor. It is each person's choice to smoke, sit on their bums rather than commit any form of exercise, or to consume high calorie, high fat, prefabricated foodstuffs than to do what is necessary to keep themselves at their optimal level of health.

As a healthcare provider and someone who has spent the time and money on my education to become a nurse, what right does any other person have to demand my services for free?!?!?! If I had chosen to the learn the skills of an mechanic would people not EXPECT me to charge exorbitant prices?? I say the government should make it mandatory that EVERYONE is entitled to free oil changes at any place offering the sale of auto supplies and that ALL places offering auto supplies be forced to offer oil changing services. After all, it a ethical and moral obligation of the government whatever.... Okay, over and out.

People should take responsibility for their own actions. That is all and thanks muches for reading.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Updates!

Okay............so I may have been a bit slack on this blogging thing but in my defense, we've been busy. When I'm not working we're usually getting things set up for our eventual move to Florida (ha! I thought I'd never), kinda organizing our life, doing errands, and travelling.

Since the last blog we have gotten my glasses which I think are awesome and taken Tyler for his eye appointment. Prolly post a picture once we both actually have our glasses.

We've spent the last several days down in Jacksonville getting the house there tidied up a bit and getting things set up for Tyler's eventual return (August 24th) to school. *sniff* I will miss him when he isn't here everyday. On the way there we got a ticket for "failure to move." There were several troopers and utility vehicles driving along the grass/interstate and we could not get over a lane even though we slowed down because there was a white car blocking us. So one of the last troopers decided to follow us over to the other side of the interstate once that white car was out of the way and we finally made it into the next lane. I really believe we deserved a warning at the most. Driving back was a bit less exciting until we went through what was prolly the closest thing I've ever been to a hurricane. (And I'm voluntarily moving to Florida *wink*).

I have to say the time in Florida was much more fun than the coming and going. We took care of some things at UNF and had a night to eat out and play games with Josh and Lena who are one of the sweetest couples we know. I was able to spend time with Angela (and consequently baby Dallas) and have lunch with her and that guy she married who's really hyped about becoming a daddy. They have decorated Dallas's room so beautifully and it has to be one of the most girliest rooms ever. And of course it was fun to hang out with Tyler's parents and meet the neighbors. And it was so cute to be able to watch Tyler cuddle with the puppies.

And last before our trip to Jacksonville we were able to make a lot of progress on getting my Florida nursing license which as you may've read about before has been a bit of a challenge. The sum total for getting everything (hopefully) done that was required not including postal fees, gas, and time spent running around because of misleading instructions is as follows:

Georgia License Name Change: $25.00
Florida License Application: $223.00
*License Verification: $30.00
Fingerprint Cards: $4.00
Fingerprinting Services: $5.00

Grand Total: $287.00

*License verification since being a registered nurse means that they don't have the time to check for my name and license number (which they have on MULTIPLE documents by now).

Overall it didn't cost as much as I thought. All we do know is cross our fingers, eyes, and toes while hopping on one foot (I think I'll just pray) that we get approved without further documentation or fees. Then I start applying for jobs at the hospitals we've been checking out.

Will keep y'all updated as updates develop. (Or until I write one really long post).

Oh, and football PREseason has officially started. I miss my husband already. *wink*

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

A Visual Disturbance

I was so excited when we got up this morning (which is odd enough since we usually wake up in the evening being on night shift and all). I was going to get new glasses! *YAYS* It has been about >5< years since my last exam and my glasses were so kaput that I've had a wire holding one side together for the last year since the stripping in the screw's hole wore out. I was indeed a bit (A LOT) embarrassed as I showed my old frames to the gal who helped us . (Us since Tyler helped me as I can't see well enough without visual aid to actually see what I was trying on).

We picked out something more stylish which will somewhat match our wedding bands. I can hardly wait until we can pick them up next week! Also, the gal who helped us was so sweet that she managed to put some specially weird screw into my decrepit pair of frames which is quite an improvement until then.

Dr. Deal and staff were so awesome because the dilation solution NEVER stung and I didn't have to do that annoying puff test at all (they had a different test for glaucoma). My eyes were feeling so weird from the numbing agent put in them before they were dilated. It made watching the explanations and various adds (Nike makes glasses now!!!!) on their television after my exam more interesting than usual.

The part where we were explained how light comes through the lens of the eye to hit the optical nerve which sends the information to our brain for translation started some thought processes. Just think about how much most of us know about the people we love and the outside world from what we see. How we take in so much of our life experiences throught sight, which we so easily take for granted.

It has me in awe to think that so much of my comprehension relies on a little bitty nerve doing it's job properly. It's possible to live without vision. Sure, cause those in the medical profession say that when it comes down to it you could live without tonsils, an appendix, a gall bladder, part of a liver, a kidney, part of a lung, even a (small) part of the heart after a heart attack.... and we do know that blind people can function in society. But when you think about it, there are SO many ways for something to not work right, for things to go wrong, of all the conditions, illnesses, ailments.....it could be a bit depressing. And then the gift of sight, which most of us have to varying degrees, relies on the function of such a small nerve that could otherwise seem so insignificant? And even more amazing is how our bodies even as they break down are able to compensate to keep us functioning up to a certain extent. What an intricately designed work is the human body and how amazing a creator is the God who constructed it. And no matter how insignificant one can feel, you can still be a part of the body of Christ, a part of God's family, and to Him you are beloved and anything BUT insignificant. After all, He thought you were worth dying for. ; )

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The Dazedoodler

Put a writing utensil in my hand and some bitty doodle will come to life. If we hadn't finally tossed my old notes from nursing school (eradicating the evidence) when Tyler moved in after the wedding you would have seen how little notes I took. The title of this blog comes from the true story that during looooong lectures (or short ones) my time-challenged attention span force me to either fall asleep or doodle. (I had professors who would ask me what I had drawn that day). After all, if I had not become a nurse, I would have gone to art school.

I've been doodling my whole life. And after twenty-something odd years of doing this I've developed quite a knack for it. It just comes natural. It's something I enjoy immensely and now that has been amplified by having a loving, supportive husband who enhances my cranial emesis with his own crazy talent. You can see a bit of this as my blog changes. The title is a computer enhanced version of my plain black and white scritchings. My sweet Tyler took the time to smooth out the lines an colourize the rest of it. All in all, I am quite pleased. = )

Hopefully at some point I will have the surrounding edges filled with some of my more adorable (in my opinion) characters that I've become quite fond of doodling. Each character has their own bit of history and perhaps something shall come of it some day....

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Vertically Challenged

It's nice to have just a couple days off to stay home and relax. Work on some projects and things we just can't do anywhere else.

Last week when we went to Augusta to visit my brother and his sweet (and energetic family) Tyler took the camera though he somehow managed to never have it when we needed it. Tyler and Scott (my brother) had a blast playing Gears of War together while I was able to hang out with Jessica and the kids. All of us some friends went to the field to play some good ol' fashioned baseball. It had been YEARS since I last played but I'm still a decent player and managed to make it on base several times. Tyler impressively hit a couple triples and even some home runs. Short game due to the heat though but Ty and I were able to take our niece (Ana who is 7) and nephew (Zander, affectionately called "Zee," who is 3) to get ice cream. It was so much fun to watch Tyler try to eat his rapidly melting ice cream while trying to entertain Zee.

And this past Sunday we had a fun time this weekend going to a family reunion on Tyler's Nana's side of the family. My husband of course, as is his custom, left the camera at home so no pictures. But it was neat getting to meet everyone and the food was DELICIOUS. We were also able to fish a bit with Uncle BK and cousin Frank (on Ty's side). Well, at least Tyler tried to teach me how to fish. I think we may have to get a pole or two of our own and practice more. Either that or stick to fishing at the grocery store. Guaranteed catch every time!

And then lastly on Sunday we were able to meet my Uncle Steve, who is a trucker, at a nearby truck stop. We had fun chatting with him and had more ice cream. It was good to see him and he can still pick me up over his shoulders. Hopefully we'll be able to pop up to North Carolina to see him and his fiance before school starts back for Tyler this fall.

BUT now we get to the title of this blog, vertically challenged. Being that we still have a few days off to relax, do chores, and other errands around our apartment I decided to get my little blue duster thing and wipe some dangly cobwebs off the ceiling. I have a fairly low tolerance (almost none) for clutter and dust anywhere other than our desks so I had to eliminate these randomly spaced dust danglers from our ceiling before I could vacuum. Without using the stool I have to jump from my tip toes four or five times while swatting maniacly to get one of these little dust danglers down. My Tyler, on the other hand, came along and JUST REACHED up with his fingers and PLUCKED the danglers from the ceiling. Ty's height has never bothered me but something about him being able to reach up and touch our ceiling without his heels ever leaving the floor both amuses and irks me. Oh thee well. I love Ty even if I get to be short compared to him. ♥

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Fingerprint Frustrations

In preparation for our eventual move to Florida I need to obtain a Florida nursing license so that I may work (and all those years of education I still have to pay for don't go to waste). It seems like the Florida board needs everything EXCEPT the kitchen sink, our firstborn, a DNA sample, and the toenail clippings of the doctor who delivered me. Okay...that might be an exaggeration...

Firstly it cost $223.00 JUST to apply for a license. Then there is a laundry list of things I have to do which the simplest of these things would seem to be having my fingerprints put on cards and mailing them to the nursing board. It says simple enough just go down to your local law enforcement center and get fingerprinted on a specific type of card. Should be easy enough. NOT.

We talked to someone at the police station in Florida when visiting family. Down there they said we needed a written order, almost like a prescription, to be fingerprinted. WELL....the Board simply said just go down to see the cops and get it done. So we tried going to the police station here at home........well they fingerprint BUT only if you provide your own cards. They sent us over to the UPS store which by the way will NEVER apparently give you actual cards because their fingerprinting service is all digital and inkless. Not to mention you also have to register through a site (supposedly takes about an hour) that will electronically send your fingerprints to the requester IF you have an order number from said requester. (Nursing board fails to have an order number). They did mention that a larger UPS store in Savannah (an hour away) MIGHT have cards, be able to print cards, or offer more help.

Checking back it looks like the Florida board does happen to offer an opportunity to order the appropriate fingerprint cards through their own site, which of course I will also need to spend time inputting all my demographic data and after paying a fee I will have to wait for the cards to arrive, again go to the police station, and mail them in.

Obtaining fingerprint cards seems just about like obtaining the Holy Grail.

*sigh*

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Fun Time!

Yay! For feeling better! I've been feeling much better this last week which is great since we just had a couple of Tyler's Florida friends come up to hang out with us and play games. Our gamefest with Jared and Nathan included:

1. Left 4 Dead
2. Last Night on Earth
3. Settlers of Catan
4. Citadels
5. Monty Python Flux

The guys also played some other random video games as I baked yummy jelly cookies. I need to practice my first person shooter skills as the guys had another objective during Left 4 Dead gameplay which was keep-Kelly-from-being-eaten-by-zombie-hordes. We had a blast though!

It was a good way to relax after working Sunday and then cleaning like a crazed Mary Poppins without the magic Monday after having been sick the whole week before. Praise God for feeling better! And we are prolly going to have some fun time when we go to Florida next week to take care of some business stuff (which includes checking into getting a valid Florida nursing license as so far the only things they have not required besides a DNA sample is the kitchen sink, a leg, our firstborn, the cat, and the soul of an unsuspecting visitor).

Also what I think will be fun is the giveaway Angela is hosting. It is unlikely that anyone who reads this blog does not know who she is BUT just in case.....Angela is my recently acquired really sweet, fashionably wise sister-in-law who is expecting my soonly-to-be-acquired new niece Dallas! And if you did not know, I am REALLY excited about meeting Dallas this year and my sweetbean of a husband, Tyler, has had a challenge keeping me out of the baby sections (and keeping the cutsie baby girl stuff out of our cart).

So if you would like check her giveaway out here!


God bless and have some fun! = )

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Yuck

Head colds, sinus infections, allergy attacks......whatever you would like to dub them....are YUCK. Especially since both Tyler and I have them. A little blessing came today though because we thought we were going to need to figure out how to open our air circulator thingie and replace the filter. Typically once every three months someone comes to vacuum the grossness off the filter *cringes* BUT this person actually came and REPLACED the filter. YAY!

And because of our yuckinesses we had a very quick trip to Jacksonville yesterday. We had meant to stay over night and do some yard work and visit people but it's better to be home and just rest up. Not to mention we would not have found out about the filter being replaced otherwise.

Our trip was a productive one looking into our financial future and to sum up all the technical boring stuff it looks like though things might be kinda tight the next month or so that we are going to be doing pretty well in the long run. AND because of the economy's condition we did discover that there might be one more reason for us to move to Florida before the end of December. Even though we are finding fewer reasons to stay here we are still praying over the decisions we are facing.

My only other irritation besides the yuckiness is that a sweet nurse tech (prolly one of our best) has decided that if she tells everyone I am pregnant that it will come true. She hopes that having a baby means we would stay put (which in reality means we would try to move closer to family as of immediately). I have at this point stopped her from spreading this false information with the threat of flooding her locker and mailbox with empty chocolate wrappers. Score one for me!

Other than that we just have to start crossing things off our seemingly never ending to do list before company comes next week. Therefore toodles for now and God bless!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Praying, Planning, Preparing

I suppose it's been a little while since I've blogged....and a lot has happened since then!

We had a lovely visit from Tyler's parents who brought the rest of our things up from Florida. We are STILL organizing, cleaning, arranging, throwing things away....but we are having a blast living together. It is such a blessing to have your best friend live at home with you.

I have seen all the Terminator movies so far in preparation for a future date night with Tyler when we go see Terminator Salvation. We enjoy cooking together and it has been nice using the table set that Dustin and Angela gave us while watching those movies. Which reminds me that I am only about a third of the way through the thank-you notes.....

Last week we had a lovely visit with Tyler's Nana and Mom in Perry. Yay! for yardsaling. Boo! for losing so badly in Pinochle. We had a blast though. I found a really nice iron hook rack for 50¢ and Tyler found an awesome steel printed poster of the Black Knight's Security System! Guaranteed that none shall pass!

We are really looking forward to some visiting and visitations in the next couple months. We are going to go meet my parents (a lot of prayer here, please) and hopefully get to North Carolina so Tyler can meet some more of my family. It will prolly be a while before we can get all the way to Pennsylvania. We hope to see more of Nana as she is so close. My brothers will hopefully be coming this summer to spend time with us and go to the beach since we are just an hour away and I believe some friends of Tyler's are going to pop up from Florida. And of course family is always welcome. *hint hint* Just more motivation to get things organized!

And far as work goes......it has been superfantasticular coming home from work and having someone to greet me! I was blessed to ease back into working after having been gone a month but the last several days we have been getting slammed. We are also going through quite a few changes! I do not like the additional paperwork we have to do but hopefully our accuity research project which will occur over the next five months will show we really do have a need for a smaller nurse-patient ratio. For a cardiac floor right now on nights we have seven patients for every nurse and fourteen patients for every nurse tech. We really could use another tech at least!

The BIGGEST news is that Mata, our clinical supervisor, over our ICU, PCU, and telemetry units is resigning so she can move back to Florida at the beginning of July so she can be with her family. *YIKES* As of yet we have no clue as to whom shall attempt to fill her shoes. Our clinical supervisor is the person who manages us and takes care of our needs for just about anything. Basically our spokesperson if we are being treated unfairly. She also manages our schedule. We have been blessed with self scheduling so far which is really nice because we basically get to pick which six shifts out of a two-week pay period we want to work. This allows us the ability to schedule our life instead of having to schedule our lives around how we work.

Tyler and I have been planning to follow Mata's example and move to Florida sometime next year before our lease runs out. We were hoping to transfer to another HMA (the company that owns us) hospital. This would keep a lot of things simple with trying to find another job, the transfer of benefits, and such. The only thing I would need to do obtained a Florida nursing license. HOWEVER.........it appears that there are no HMA hospitals near any of our friends or family. We are still praying about it but Tyler and I are really considering looking at other hospitals and not transferring to an HMA facility at all. This means we will need LOTS of prayer and research on where we may go. This also mean that exactly when we can move is a bit undecided. So much to consider!!

Anyways, more updates to come in the future! God bless and love ya!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Just the beginning...

Isn't it strange how you never pick up on your own habits and methods until someone else moves in with you? Married, honeymooned, and now I think we can finally begin to answer that infamous question, "So how do you like married life?" Mind you only begin to answer that question cause it's going to take a lifetime to learn all of Ty's little quirks and preferences. It still takes some getting used to when people say "Mrs. Ryan" or ask "how's your husband?"

It's weird having him here instead of Tyler calling me and talking to me all day. It's also amusing to attempt to distract Tyler with kisses while he is fiddling with anything electronic or untangling (I believe in plug and play). I have to say Tyler's expression was absolutely precious when he saw the condition of my cords, electronics, and unalphabetized music/movie collections.

Though we have our little quabbles (which are mostly like: "Why did/do you do that?!?!?!" follow by "Because >insert dramatic explanation here<." and ending with "Oh!") we have had a lot of fun cleaning and cooking together. And as proof I'm going to offer photos! Last night we cooked lasagna. Originally I was going to bake lasagna for Tyler but he couldn't resist being the man and stepping in to season the beef as I was cooking it with onions, garlic seasoned mushrooms, and blackened bell peppers. Much more fun to cook together.
Next is a picture of Tyler's slice of lasagna on one of our new plates with our new silverware. Just plain ol' bread for dipping cause we decided to bake cookies instead of biscuits.


As you can see my husband enjoys using our new silverware:And lastly here are a couple of pictures of the cowgirl cookies we made. We called'em cowgirl because we did not put the nuts in them since I am allergic. They turned out delish and best of all we have something for mom and dad when they come to visit tomorrow!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

EASY POST

WOW! So I am married now. Had the honeymoon. Just moved back in with my handsome husband Tyler today. SOOOO much and now we have a ton of things to do and are about to run out the door (as soon as I do my hair and Ty finishes the current progect he is doing). The wedding went amazingly and you can check it out over here at Angela's blog. She is the one who tagged me by the way and the lovely person you have to thank for the following:



Rules for this award:
  1. List 7 things that make you "awe-summm."
  2. Pass the award onto 7 bloggers that you love.
  3. Tag those bloggers to let them know they are now Queens too (and link back to the Queen who tagged you).
1. I am 27 years old today!
2. I am a cardiac nurse.
3. I LOVE to doodle and have been told I do so very well.
4. My husband liked the breakfast I pulled together this morning even though I had to wing it cause we have yet to get groceries.
5. I can get lost even with a GPS. (I have named my GPS George Percival Sullivan).
6. I can make really yummy cookies which I usually love delivering to my nursemates on my nights off.
7. I have the ability to lose something that was in my hand instantaneously.

Mention the person who tagged you.
  1. Complete the list of 8's.
  2. Tag eight of your wonderful bloggy friends!
8 things I look forward to:
  1. Finishing assembling the apartment with Tyler.
  2. Introducing Tyler to people I know.
  3. Mom and Dad visiting on Saturday. (And bringing our bed).
  4. Having nicely organized and functioning electronics. (Thanks to Tyler).
  5. Sending out glitter and stickers with all the thank you notes we have to write.
  6. Playing video games with Tyler after everything is set up.
  7. Decorating the apartment with Tyler.
  8. Having a lifetime of fun-filled adventures with Tyler! ♥
8 things I did yesterday:
  1. Packed up most of Tyler's belongings into two vehicles.
  2. Said goodbye to mom and all the puppies. = (
  3. Drove home with Tyler.
  4. Made a list of all the things we need to do today that we have not yet.
  5. Unpacked the car.
  6. Watched Tyler start setting up the electronics after only being home 15 minutes.
  7. Decorated the bathroom while Tyler finished with the electronics.
  8. Logged on to facebook.
8 things I wish I could do:
  1. Make the laundry do itself.
  2. Find all the things we need to get on sale for half price or less today.
  3. Remember where I left things after I sit them down.
  4. Visit family more often.
  5. Reconcile with my parents and start anew happily.
  6. Snap my fingers and have my style itself instantly.
  7. Make the dishes do themselves.
  8. Fast forward through all necessary paperwork.
8 shows I watch:
  1. LOST
8 bloggers I tag:
  1. Dustin
I tag Dustin because Angela did and I can. Not tagging anyone else cause we have to run. Pictures and posts another time. Blessings all! ♥ TOODLES!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

So close!

So close to wedding day and I have been sick with fever and sinus infection. This really is suck beansy! My grandparents arrive later this afternoon and we plan to drive down to Florida early Wednesday morning. I am so excited.....I just wanna feel better. I am still a bit anxy about everything...mayhap a bit more since being sick. Last thing I wanna do is say "I do" and coat the groom in boogies. *yucks* I have to go out and get more medicines. Nyquil by the way is NAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTY! and it makes me unconscious for at least four hours. Dayquil is not much better far as flavour goes.

Friday, May 1, 2009

One Week

One week from today I will be a married lady.........and I just now finished moving into my apartment since I left Augusta last March.....well sorta....somethings will be shoved into the appropriate over-sized tupperware until a later date. (Meaning AFTER I am a married lady).

I am so excited....and anxy....I have had a breakout of hives everyday this week. There is just so much spinning through my head I feel like I could do laundry in there. But do you know what calms me down for the most part? Prayer and Tyler. Especially those two combined. And I hafta say that Tyler is a sweet, supportive, encouraging spouse-to-soonly-be. I hope his brother has mercy on him at his bachelor's party.

I am quite happy all the wedding stuff that was ordered arrived this week. I now know the location of the post office!

And lastly if you ever feel a bit bummed something that cheers me up is a tube of glitter and the spray air in a can (meant to clean your keyboard). Spray air spreads glitter like pigs spread the flu. (Okay.....that was lame).

Still lots to finish cleaning and packing.

God bless ya!

Friday, April 24, 2009

Quick Wedding Update

Two weeks. TWO WEEKS. TWO. WEEKS. TWO WEEKS. Two weeks and I will be a married woman. I have a cousin who is coming to visit and help me clean up. (Mostly cause he wants out of the house and to meet Tyler. Hanging out with me is just a side bonus). But two weeks and I will be married. Excitement and feeling like a possible freak out could happen any moment......though I am mostly calm...it's just like that feeling you get when you're watching a zombie movie and you know someone is about to get eaten but you just can't quite tell who or at what precise moment...you just know it's going to happen. The anticipation is building. Oh, and I found out one of my fave persons (Sharon) who first exposed me to Florida (a state which a few years ago I mostly despised thinking of it as little more than a swamp filled, gator infested, hurricane trap with a few overrated beaches interspersed) is coming to the wedding. I am SO excited about this. She is a lovely older than me (by maybe 20 years) Christian woman whom I admire. We worked together in youth ministry for many years and she is one of the people I think God placed in my life so I would come to know Him. So I am really excited she is coming. I need to avoid baby sections. I blame it all on Dallas but I cannot decide what to get her so I am trying to avoid these sections in stores or else I feel I may come home with more than I intend. Can hardly wait to meet her. But well, baby sections are full of really cute, colourful, cuddly things. Which I suppose is good cause from my understanding babies are supposed to be cute and cuddly. (From a nursing perspective colourful, too. Acrocyanosis FTW! Not really ftw, but it makes me feel smart to use a word most people have to look up.) *sticks tongue out*

I sure hope everything I have ordered arrives on time. I am so excited and nervous and just can hardly believe it will be two weeks. I only work six days out of the next two weeks. Two sets of three twelve (if only) hour shifts. I may end up working in the ICU during one more shift. First time floated to that unit two nights ago. I had three supposedly easy patients. Night was going well til one of them coded. The man literally just stopped breathing while I and resp therapy tried to get his O2 increased. Watching someone turn blue as you do everything you can to keep them from doing that will definitely get your heart pumping (especially when the heart stops beating after that). The ICU staff we have are very knowledgable and helpful and it was a successful code. Now what is funny about this is that I volunteered to go to ICU that night instead of taking the hall with the patients I had the night before. My nursemate Cindy was supposed to go but I let her talk me into going cause I needed the learning experience. That morning when I left I found a yellow sticky on my car from Cindy "I got out of here before you got me." I also had found out that night Cindy is the one who always takes the parking spot I like which is another reason she was quick to leave. (It's just a parking spot and I am flexible, but it added to the humour). I have a plan to get her back though. *grins impishly*

And I have to say God has blessed me with some humourous, fun to work with, knowledgable, supportive nursemates on the floor. I really enjoy working with people and love our little hospital.....I just hate paper work and having seven patients I don't feel I can give enough time and attention.

Also as a wedding gift Tyler and I might be getting a ferret whom we shall name Twitch and teach neat tricks to.....and I figure if a ferrent can survive us and we have learn enough watching Dustin and Angela with Dallas maybe in a few years I will get over my fear of pregnancy exit strategies......BUT ANYWAYS.....JUST TWO WEEKS!!!!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Wal-Mart and other musings

I go to Wal-mart twice a month. I usually go in the wee hours when they're stocking and spend usually about three hours and a lot more money than I was hoping I would. It's my big night out as when I'm not out of town visiting family I stick to strictly night shiftiness. Which means most stores are closed by the time I am fully awake and functional. (Takes me longer to reach this state when I don't have to work or be anywhere in particular). But mostly I shop as if the zombie uprising is gonna happen tomorrow.

So on this trip I found out that Wal-mart (at least the one here) has decided to stop stocking my favorite fragrance (Healing Garden Lavendar...which supposedly has a calming effect) and the deodorant I love to use (Ban). The Wal-Mart powers that be have decided I should be smelly. I dislike being smelly. Therefore....after the last of what I have has run out I shall be forced to find alternate means of obtaining what I want. I guess that means I may have to wake up one day and try something new. *sticks tongue out*

I also picked out and Easter scrub set being that I work on Sunday. The pants are most definitely black but the top is white with black ties.......and pretty pink and purple flowers. Very cheerful.

And even more shockingly......I got a hair thingie. It's a Vidal Sassoon twirly brush that supposedly curls your hair as you blow dry it. Yeah. We'll see how that works out.

I also bought two new house plants. As you may know, or are soon to find out, I don't do so well with houseplants. These plants are meant to be the replacements for a couple of my latest victims. I originally had five, but now with these ones I now have a total of 3.25 plants. You may do the math if you wish. For your viewing pleasure, this is a long dead spider plant I had during nursing school. I tried to use my mad nurz skillz but being that I mentioned the plant is long dead......it didn't work.
And lately it seems that people everywhere are popping up pregnant! How is this happening???? Via faceboook I have found out several people I know are preggo. A couple girls at work are of the same condition. I even touched one of their pregnant bellies (baby girl inside). And of course there is Angela. *smiles* I wonder if houseplants get pregnant. Have I ever mentioned that the only course I could not handle in college was botany? The only thing I wanna know about plants are will they give me a rash, can I eat them, and if I eat them will they give me a rash. But back to the pregnant people. I think there is an epidemic. All of them seem to be going to deliver this fall. Maybe we should contact the CDC in Atlanta. (In all seriousness, I hope everyone delivers happily, healthily, and painlessly. Babies are blessings).

And before I grab snugglebunny (who cannot get pregnant as he is a boy and made of stuffing) and head off to bed.......there are 27 days after this until the wedding. At what point do I start freaking out?!?!?! So exciting!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

That's My King!

That's My King! I LOVE this video. It was shared by my dear British Becky who is a sweet lady and a faithful servant of our King. So I had to share it because it highlights just how awesome our King is.....and when you think about it.....how amazing is it that someone so majestic, so pure, so high, so mighty should love us? We who are weak, broken, and pathetic on our own? How awesome is it for Him to have given His life for ours? To know that God looks at Christ and pardons us? How awesome is that? Just something to think about as we celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of our King this coming weekend.

Once upon a time when I was a Sunday school teacher (and before I knew Christ personally) during an Easter lesson one of my students asked me a question that caught my attention. He wanted to know that if God demanded a perfect sacrifice, why did He wait til Jesus was all grown up to have Him die on the cross? Why didn't God just kill Jesus when He was a baby? I had to admit I was quiet for a minute. But what I told him was that Christ had to grow up to show us how to live, so that we had an example to follow. Also because Christ had to submit to God's will. He had to choose to die for us. That question still causes me to stop and think sometimes.

And now....in sillier thoughts.....I baked a decent apple pie using a new recipe. I added a caramel flavoured syrup to the crust. I would have taken to my gals who were working on the night shift but we had a horrible rain storm last night and I admit it was a bit scary. I sure wish someone/anyone lived close enough to eat the things I bake and try out my new recipes. But praise God for the rain and His many blessings. (And also for an apartment that smells really nice)!!! L♥ve yas!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Je Ne Sais Pas

Possibly my favourite French phrase because it sounds nice and it made me seem really smart in French class when I would answer Mr. Caudle with "I don't know" in the appropriate language. That is what life seems a lot like lately: I don't know. And it does kinda freak me out. A LOT. Commitment and not knowing do that for me. And it could be the realization that I'm going to be someone's wife in about just a month and even though all the wedding plans are seeming to come together the actual reality of it's more than just one day I'm preparing for.....it's a lifetime which is sorta a long commitment. Well, not sorta....it IS.

And well, I wish I could say the wedding day and life happily ever after is something I had always dreamed about (least if I had dreamed about the wedding planning woulda prolly gone a lot smoother). Never really thought much about marriage because I just figured it wouldn't happen for whatever reason. And I was content being single, too. Not to mention that commitment to most things just wasn't my style. Being committed demands your time, effort, best and not being so scared of failing. Not mucking things up (Phrase I like to use because when we were little we would visit Grandma Conner's house and wade for crawdads and other slimy things in the creek behind the house. If you didn't walk just perfectly you would make the water mucky with all the stuff from the bottom of the creek making it impossible to see what you would need to do to catch critters) is a lot easier when you don't even try. But marriage had always seemed the WORST sort of commitment because you have to really pay attention to someone else in such a way that you just don't do with most people. And if ya muck that up then things are just ubermucky from that point on.

But God is great, God is good, and God has a sense of humor. Best of all He has plans for a future (Jeremiah 29 :11) for even a wayward, stubborn child.

At some point a while ago I "met" my fiancee online via a facebook group. I disliked him intently to put it nicely and I let him know that, too. Often. But what I love about Tyler is that even though I was harshly honest with him, he was still so compassionate and would listen to my rants, raves, and struggles. And it was his love for God and the mission work God directed him that really drew my attention to him and made me want to converse with him (eventually a promise to teach me to play spades that would later be fulfilled after I was his girlfriend for more than a month). Typically I do not engage in conversation with people I dislike but I love talking about God and how He has changed a person's life.

Even when I was short with him Tyler would be patient with me, too. Another thing I admired was Tyler's honesty.....though he can be brutal with it at times. Not to mention Tyler is genuinely sweet deep down, is a hard worker, and dedicated to those things he is passionate about (especially God and his family). And Tyler reminds me that I am a child of God, became a friend who not only prayed for me but would pray with me, and would remind me that I am a beautiful person inside, outside, upside down (maybe that's a bit silly, but Tyler has a quirky sense of humor that makes me smile/laugh even when I don't want to). So after a while I started thinking of Tyler as a friend. He has been a good friend but eventually I started praying to God to make him go away. I would pray for God to make Tyler hate me cause I did not want to muck up such a great friendship (rather end it than develop it further because it's pointless in my opinion to start relationships with someone you cannot see yourself marrying from the get go and the best way to avoid marrying someone is to avoid relationships). Guess that wasn't God's plan.

Eventually I mentioned to Tyler that I had affections for him that I did not want. I thought that might make him go away. Didn't work. If anything he was still just as sweet, caring, patient, etc as ever. Twas irksome. It was funny cause Tyler would mention things about being in relationships and I would hyperventilate. Literally. And he would sweetly talk me through getting my breathing under control. (If we were chatting online and I stopped typing for too long he would call to remind me to breathe slowly). At one point we took a three day break to consider whether or not a relationship was something we should pursue. That came and passed and nothing happened except we both realized life was more fun/seemed a bit better when the other was there. So about a week later we were chatting online about the possibility of a relationship when I suddenly realized that I was not having a panic attack. Tyler instantly called and asked me to be his girlfriend.....at which point I had a panic attack.

Since then things have developed weirdly but we have grown in our friendship and our relationship. (Kinda silly to use both phrases in the same sentence being that a friendship is a form of a relationship but ya know what I mean.....hopefully). We have been incredibly blessed. We have had to have breaks from each other to focus on His will for us as individuals and us together as a team. And we have been blessed with some positive examples of Godly couples and friends who have prayed for us.

And then Tyler proposed with explosives and an Ipod. The Ipod was expected, the explosives were kinda sorta, and the proposal? Not. At. ALL. Which leads me to this current state of realization that I am about to be this man's wife and that is a prolly a code red level of commitment (pretty sure code red is high alert) which has a lot of responsibilities and prolly going to have a lot of "je ne sais pas" moments. But that is okay I have been spending some time with God (which is always a smart thing to do) and considering somethings. And I have felt a calling to not only become this man's wife but to become his support because he is going to be called to ministry. Don't know what he's going to be called to do or when or how. I just know Tyler is going to be called to do something in God's time and that I am to prepare my heart not to be just a wife but to be a Godly woman first so I can be the Godly wife he needs. If that makes sense. Might not cause I haven't been to sleep yet.....but well, the fact remains that I should be in full blown panic attack.

But I'm not. Because even though I don't know, in whatever language you prefer it, many things what I do know is that God knows and is in control. What could be more comforting?

And well, I will have to tell you about how I've felt called as it relates to my recent visit to Perry, music I've been listening to, and one of dad's most recent posts another time. I really have to go to sleep now. God bless. *smiles*

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Exhausted/Blessed

So thank the Lord I made it home safely from Florida at seven in the morning last Friday. I got unpacked, slept, and worked that night. Thank the Lord again that it was a good night at work....and thank Him even more cause the next two nights I worked were good, too. Sleep all day but I have the whole list of errands and chores to do.....which I did go pay off somethings, pick up somethings, and then get groceries....after which I come home, put the cold things away, and then lay down on the couch and talk to my sweetbean (Tyler) about wedding plans, the future. We pray and then he goes to bed. So I lie there a few minutes and think about all the things I need to finish: wedding invitations, putting the groceries away, putting the clean clothes away, going out for change so I can wash all the dirty clothes (then putting those away), organizing the closet, taking out all the trash, all the cleaning, vacuuming, dishes, tending to the almost dead houseplants, pens pals that need responses, drawings I owe people, etc.....when I fall asleep and wake up the next day at 8:50 am. Thank the Lord again for my being the only one to see how much of a slob I can be.....and more so thank Him for much needed rest and having stuff to do to keep me busy and more so for people to care for. And I will finish putting away the dishes this morning while I listen to praise songs before I get ready to go back to bed.....cause I work these next two nights. And thank God for my crazy work schedule even though my boss forced me to change everything to meet the two weekend quota (that doesn't seem to apply to all employees) as I now will be scheduled to go back to Florida when my wedding dress will be ready for the next fitting and when Tyler will be in the same town. And thank God for friends and family who are so helpful and thoughtful. I've been so blessed with friends, family, and co-workers who are kind to me and full of advice. This makes me think of the song Sheltering Trees by Newsong. My favourite line is "We all need sheltering trees, friends in our lives who get down on their knees, lift us up before the King of Kings." Thanks y'all! God bless and catch ya on the flip side.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Why Not

Because copy and paste is a wonderful thing, I'm not quite ready to go to bed, and I still have chores to do....

1. Did you date someone from your High School?
Yes. The only other guy I dated other than the one I'm marrying.

2. Did you marry someone from your High School? After my first relationship which lasted about three months I intended to never marry. So nope.

3. Did you carpool to school?
I wasn't allowed to....so it was the big yellow bus for me.

4. What kind of car did you have? I didn't have one. Couple years after highschool I bought the family car from my parents. It was a 1994 blue green Ford Escort station wagon. I loved it. I eventually totalled it I guess in a very comical way. I hope the pictures are never developed.

5. What kind of car do you have now? A charcoal blue 2008 Toyota Carola S! And it rawks! I call him Beo.

6. It's Saturday night now you're....prolly working if I'm not out of town visiting family.

7. It is Saturday night then you're....prolly cleaning my room, studying, or pretending to study and doodling while rocking to music.

8. What kind of job did you have in high school?
The only job I was allowed to have was to be the nursery attendant at church. I did a lot of volunteer work through our church though, too.

9. What kind of job do you have now?
I am a registered nurse at a fairly decent community hospital. I'm nightshift which means I have street cred cause I'm tough like that. (Actually it means I get to clean up whatever didn't happen during the dayshift).

10. Were you a party animal?
IF there was ever a party going on I was prolly in the corner doodling.

11. Were you considered a flirt?
I really was just being nice cause I was too naive to flirt intentionally.

12. Were you in a band, orchestra, or choir?
Because of where my school was I was not allowed to participate in after school events.

13. Were you a nerd?
I went to a magnet school. I think we all were.

14. Did you get suspended or expelled?
I never got sent to the principal's office unless I had to decorate the bullentin board/display.

15. Can you sing the fight song?
We had a golf team...AND a tennis team...what was there to fight for????

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)?
Mrs. Alberty for anatomy whom I had as a teacher in middle school. She was a no-nonsense let's have fun and learn something kinda teacher who really cared about her students. Mr. Price who taught economics and a special world history class that I got to be in. He threw out the text book first week of school and made us do research and teach each other about what we learned. Very hands on but well guided class. He also helped me get mostly over my fear (I would practially stop breathing) of public speaking through his jokes and by shining his laser pointer on my papers/nose/textbook. Mr. Grabowskii and Mrs. Smith who were lit/English teachers that really got the class involved and cared about their students. Mrs. Mealing who taught anatomy and for whom I drew the picture of SuperSperm. I really hope that thing never resurfaces. You would have been in that class that day to understand. Mr. Caudle whom let me paint and draw in his class. He kinda taught French but mostly talked about his weird family. It sucked that he always picked me to go up in front of the class because I had such a good pronounciation. Mrs. Gray was lab technology. Because of her I learned how to do urinalysis the classic way and for that reason I shall never drink beer. Had to love the skeeter house. Mrs. Miller who taught my professions class. Good frigid beans I cannot remember what it was called but basically we learned the paper pushing aspect of the medical field. And because of her I finally had learned to type 21 words a minute. I started out at five. Coach Carter. She kept us fit and really kept up with intramurals since lunch hour recreation was the only really form of sports we had. She also was really forgiving that time I put the kickball into one of the ceiling lights even though she called me out. Mrs. Watkins who taught biology and let us make our own sauerkraut. She was the keeper of Satan mouse, Harry Tarantula, and the ginormous red eyed cockroaches. She also would step out the room and let us have scripture readings on most days. I prolly should have just named the teachers I didn't like because there weren't any.

17. Where did you sit during lunch?
Usually at the lunch table with my friends who were all a lot less naive than I was...or in the court yard on bright sunny days.

18. What was your school's full name?
A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet Highschool. Yeah, it was a killer to fill that out on forms for college.

19. When did you graduate?
2001 and we gave ourselves trophies for being such an epic class. (I think I might have it somewhere still if I have not lost it in the move).

20. What was your school mascot?
We were the Panthers! Though our principal would insist on us being the Jaguars.

21. If you could go back and do it again, would you?
I would skip the complete freshman year and maybe just visit a couple of the epic times.

22. Did you have fun at Prom?
Fo sho! I went with Ally, Vernee, and Amy. We had a blast and completely eliminated all those prom pressures. We met up with Shannon there. She actually had a boy to go with. TRAITOR!
*kidding*

23. Do you still talk to the person you went to prom with?
Only Vernee.....though through facebook I have kinda reconnected with Shannon.

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion?
Yeppers. Mostly to show off my amazing husband at that time. I will prolly have to bring a copy of the marriage license because no one will believe that I found someone "good enough" to marry (and Tyler is much more awesome than good enough). Everyone thought I was very sweet and such a good girl but good gravy beans did I have them fooled. *grins impishly*

25. Do you still talk to people from school?
Mostly through facebook. It's a lot harder now that I don't live there. But I still keep up with Vernee, Cassie, Krystle, Tom, John, as well as a couple others. Cassie and Krystle are going to be my bridesmaids. And if Vernee can come I may let her be the flower girl. *KIDDING cause she would annihilate me if she ever read that*

26. School colors?
Purple and white, royal and pure, to you dear Johnson, we shall always be true! Part of our alma mater and I still have my Barney purple graduation cap and gown. I nearly fell out of my seat laughing when Prof. Balogh suggested that we just wear our highschool cap and gowns for college graduation.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Shopping!

Shopping is much more fun when you've got someone to go with even though I did have fun going out yesterday. First I went to Hobby Lobby. I picked up oodles of stickers for a scrapbook I am making of things that happened in my relationship with Tyler the first year or so.....I figure in the event that we procreate someday the offspring will enjoy this if they aren't too busy trying to take over the world with their father. *smiles* I also picked up a rain check for all the butterflies I want to use for wedding decorating. I also picked up a veil. It's cute but not quite what I was hoping for so I may keep looking for that.

Then I went to TJ Max which is a pretty neat random store. I found the shoes I will wear on my wedding day. They go epically with the dress (I know cause I tried everything on last night and proceeded to dance around like a little girl) and they are Skechers. Rubber soles for the win! They are really comfortable, too, and this was quite a surprising find. I also got stuck in the baby section, too. There is so much cuteness in that section for a really good price! Dustin and Angela need to find out if beanie baby is a boy or girl stat! And I almost made it all the way to the check out with the coolest thing ever. It was this thing you put the baby in so you can carry the baby on your back or on your chest and keep your arms free. Awesome idea because I know moms and dads need all the free hands they can get. But what was even cooler was that this thing fits into a carseat or straps to a chair so that if you go over to a person's house who has no babies or baby shaped things to sit in you can still sit your baby upright in it. And the baby girl on the package had the cutest smile! I put it back for now because I was unsure of what design to get at the moment. Plus, I think it will be neat to shop for beanie baby with Tyler.

Lastly I went to Wal-mart. I picked up a better straight edge paper cutter because I wore mine out. I also picked up some double sided tape and a really cute heart top and blue bottomed scrub set. I think my wardrobe consists mainly of scrubs now. Though I will say that since I have moved out and all I've started wearing brighter coloured clothes. I pretty much used to buy just black and blue things. My closet looked like a bruise. I've actually picked out pick and light brown tops. It's neat to see the colour change and that was kinda random. I also picked up a black ink cartridge because guess what? We used up all the ink printing wedding invitations. Go figure. The only thing that sucked about going to Wal-mart was some creepy guy winked at me and then proceeded to follow me out of the store whistling something strange. I stopped to put the cart up so that he could go out the store first. I was kinda nervous about leaving the store (because I also left my cell phone at home which was unusual) but at that moment some little old man started walking out to his car and talking to me about the coming rain. It just made me feel better. Course I did have to go back to Wal-mart to get the correct printer cartridge later. I got a 40 something or other and I needed a 30 version. But that was okay because I the cartridge I needed cost less so I treated myself to a DVD/CD of the David Crowder Band Remedy Club tour that was on sale. I love the CD. It has one of my favorite songs to dance to on it: Foreverandever Etc. The music video for this is epic as it has cute animation and Voltronesque band members fighting evil Nazish squirrels.

And in other news when I got home I was thinking it will be neat after Tyler and I marry because he will live here and then I will have someone to go shopping with and better yet help carry everything upstairs! But that also got me thinking about what else I am looking forward to after we're married: spending time with Tyler! For the most part I really enjoy spending time with Tyler (not so much when he farts) and I am looking forward to arranging furniture, decorating, playing video games, watching movies, exploring, travelling, snuggling, and going on walks with him. I know marriage isn't going to be cinchy all the time but I think with Tyler it will be fantasticular.

God bless and catch ya on the flip side. Soonly. *sticks tongue out*

Job satisfaction, please? And other stuff...

I used to love going into work. Taking care of people. I still love caring for people but it just seems like I don't get to do much of that lately and it's frustrating. We're short on help and we get a bunch of new policies dumped on us all at once instead of introducing one thing at a time and letting a majority of the people get used to it before introducing another. It seems as if the work load is increasing though we are still expected to finish on time. I prolly should not even mention being frustrated because I am sure I signed something in my initial contract that states I should never become a disgruntled employee or else.......not that I'm disgruntled......yet....

There is also something work related that I need prayer about if y'all don't mind. Other than the actual working conditions....though hopefully there is to be some improvements soonly. And in spite of everything, I have to thank God for keeping me employed in the rough times and for co-workers who keep the nights tolerable...and for the rough times that make us appreciate those good ones.

In other news....not quite sure where the wedding plans are at....cause we're at so many different spots with different things. It's been fun but it's still a lot of work. I think I now understand why people should only get married once. *KIDDING* (But I really do plan to only marry once)> So much yet to be done and it's LESS THAN TWO months away!!!!!!!! I'm not sure when the panic should set in but I think we'll get a lot more accomplished with this next trip. I just need to schedule my times on and off from work carefully this next month cause it seems I need to be so many places. Good news is that we're getting RSVP's back from people.....and I've heard that some people were even amused by the glitter. (Oddly enough Tyler was the one that put all the glitter in the envelopes...though I did mention which ones he should put extra glitter in...yay for teamwork!!!)

And lastly, I will say I am REALLY hyped about Dustin and Angela's beanie baby (though he or she is looking less like a bean). Why? Well, after this May that baby will be a neice or nephew that I may actually get to see before he or she is three or four years old. Babies are kinda neat and baby things are really cute (I keep "accidentally" wandering the baby aisle at Wal-mart/other randoms shops) but as for my cousins, nieces, nephews, God children, I did not get to see them until they were three or four. Well, I did see Alyssa I think twice when she was a baby. *sigh*

And last night I had a fun break as I drove down to Jacksonville go to dinner and a movie with Tyler. That really cheered me up. We saw Coraline. NOT what I thought it was going to be....it was actually kinda scary. There's Tim Burton for ya. But the theme was a good one, things are not always at they seem and at some point you have to be content with what ya have.

I'll work on the shorter blog thing next time. *sticks tongue out*

Friday, February 27, 2009

Just Thinking

These last several years have seen many changes. It seems my family grew apart. We welcomed a new baby and wept over the death of some loved ones. Both my brothers moved out and entered relationships with women they plan on marrying. Eventually. *sticks tongue out* I graduated from nursing school, moved out, and started working as a nurse. Talk about a culture shock for a girl who had previously only been away from her family for five days in her life and had no idea what she was capable of doing on her own. (Though I was never really alone).

I've experienced a lot of firsts such as roller coasters, getting a car, driving on roads that have more than two lanes, climbing up a wall which wasn't nearly as terrifying as going down it, eating things (like lobster, pickled okra, etc), buying a new computer (which thankfully was prepped by Tyler), new games, decorating my own apartment.....

...and then when I was least expecting it (technically I was trying to avoid it indefinitely if not forever) I entered a relationship with a man whom I shall be spending the rest of my life with after we marry in May. Getting ready for a wedding creates a whole new list of first time experiences that fortunately will remain once in a lifetime experiences. His family is almost a polar opposite of mine but very loving and weird (mostly it's the males who are weird). And his family is expanding further cause there's gonna be a baby this year, too!

Now thinking on all this I've realized how life can be a bit scary but also how wonderful and loving is our God. (And patient, too, to put up with stubborn creatures like me). When I think back on these happenings I'm kinda shocked at how far I've come, how much I've grown, and what there still is to face. But really thinking about marriage (all Tyler's fault) and babies (all Dustin and Angela's fault) I realize there are a LOT of new responsibilities. (*wink*) It seems overwhelming a bit cause I'm about to share my life with some weird man and I have never even had to share a room with someone else (the benefit of being the only girl).

Tyler is always reminding me about the importance of words in my life. Words are powerful. John 1 :14 I listen to music nearly all the time and the real point of this blog (my next goal is to write a SHORT blog post) is to share a song that comforts me. I am also going to link some scripture with the lyrics. Hopefully that works out. The song is You're My Little Girl by Go Fish. (I LOVE that name). Lyrics and scripture are as follows and God bless ya:

The ones you love they let you down
And I want you to know that I�m sorry
The choices that they made were wrong Proverbs 1:7
You were caught in the middle and I�'m sorry

So when the anger and the pain
Get the best of you
I know it seems like you�re all alone Deuteronomy 31:8
But I am feeling it too

Chorus
'Cuz you're my little girl
You�re the one that I created Jeremiah 1: 5
No one in this world could ever be like you
When you're cryin' in the night Psalm 18: 6
All you need to do is call me
I�ll be there for you
'Cuz you�re my little girl

When you're lookin in the mirror
I hope you're likin' what you see
Because no matter what you're feelin'
You're perfect to me

Because I see you as a child John 1:12-13
Blameless in my sight 2 Corinthians 5:17
Just spend some time with me
And I�ll make everything alright

Chorus

Bridge
I know you don't deserve what you've been through
I know it doesn't seem fair
I know that there are times you think you're alone
But you've got to know that I will be there, be there


Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Still a N00b

Second post.....I've clicked on random tabs....and well....at least I know how to post. Sad thing is I should be sleeping now. The last two nights at work certainly challenged me as a nurse and as person. I left late both nights and was so tired that most of the sleeping I did today was in the car. Have you ever been so worn out and tired that you cannot sleep? That's why I started checking out this blog thing.

Anyhow, far as goings on....I spent some time in Florida and managed to get much accomplished with the help of Tyler and his mom. We know who is going to do the cake and have a basic idea on how most of the decorating will be done for the wedding and reception. My trunk is still full of the flowers we are going to use for the bouquets for the bridesmaids and some other decorating. I have NO CLUE what sort of bouquet I want to carry. We still need a photographer. Still need a third bridesmaid. I kinda feel pushed to ask someone other than my two besties who don't think they can make it and yet I feel it awkward to ask anyone else at this point. We ordered our rings. They are epically cool. I think it's neat that Tyler and I have the same ring size though his hands are bigger with longer, skinny fingers than my short, chubby fingers. It's weird because for every one thing we get done there seems to be a dozen more things to figure out. I will admit that the more we get accomplished the more at ease I feel.

Then after I came home and worked for a couple of days Tyler and my grandparents came to spend the weekend with me. This was exciting because I have never really hosted anything at home. I never had any friends over or slumber parties or anything growing up so I had no clue what to do! Angela (Tyler's sister-in-law) gave me some quite helpful advice about what to do and what to serve. Tyler was an amazing help when he was here, too. He even did the dishes and took out the trash without asking! He also cooked these amazingly juicy hamburgers that everyone loved. We all went to Savannah for a day just to check out the visitor's center and walk the Riverfront. It was beautiful and much fun as we were able to walk aboard a modernized sail boat. Tyler and I went to an amazing concert. We saw George Winston, my fave pianist, play the piano in a way I have never seen. He actually reached into the piano and played directly on the strings at several points!! He also played the guitar and harmonica. A very talented musician and we're using his music during the wedding. Also a major accomplishment was that my Gramma brought her address book so that Tyler and I could spend a whole day working on invitations. I will admit that I was fairly lazy and let Tyler do most of the work. For being such a hard worker I let him pour the glitter in the envelops. *smiles*

All in all I have to say that I feel like we're making progress. I do not feel nearly as overwhelmed about the actual wedding. I think I am blessed to have so many people in Tyler's family that are willing to help. I think I am freaking out a little bit about the fact that I will be married. That means Tyler will have to put up with me until we die. Or are raptured. Whatever comes first. Just the idea of being a wife is starting to sink in a bit. That is the thing I dislike about chick flicks. The gal gets a guy and they marry at which point life is amazing and all problems seem to be solved. But if you survive the ceremony what happens next??? The wedding for better or worse is one day. Marriage is a life time. Most of my friends never married and I know I don't want to mimic most of the marriages in my family. How does one even be a good wife let alone a Godly wife? I've been praying on this and plan to keep praying on this.

Anyhow.....I still have a bajillion bean's worth of questions and need a nap. So God bless and catch ya on the flip side.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

N00b

My first blog. Who woulda thunk it? If you couldn't tell I've not written a blog (unless you count the thingie on my hasn't-been-checked-in-I-dunno-how-long myspace account) before...so this shall be rather blah until I can figure things out...which could be a while...

Why am I doing this? Per suggestion of my future mom-in-law! She sent me the link to my future sister-in-law's blog (which has a pretty set up which you can see for yourself). The suggestion was that this would be a neat way to keep up to date on what is going on with loved ones' lives and to record all the pre-wedding happenings....(I suppose I shall introduce myself and get into that)...so that I shall have a nice little log of all my thoughts. And I have had OODLES to think about!

I suppose there is a place that I could tell you (whomever you are.....I'm not really sure who is supposed to OR who will read this thing) details about myself. BUT until I figure out where that is I shall just cover the basics here. *smiles*

Firstly, I'm a Christian who has a lot to learn and is looking forward to a life time of learning. Mayhap I shall share my testimony on here at some point. I am hoping (and praying) to become brave enough to share my love for such an amazing Saviour on a mission trip someday.

Secondly, I'm a nurse. I work nightshift on a telemetry unit which means most of the patients I care for have cardiac issues. Nightshift means I'm prolly asleep when you're up and I'm pale from the lack of solar exposure. (Not to mention that driving during the day sucks beans cause there are actually other people on the road and GLARE! Plus side is stores other than Wal-mart are actually OPEN). This is another area in which I am looking forward to a lifetime of learning. Being a nurse has developed a bit of a germophobic side to my personality. I LOVE GermX. I have tripled the supply of GermX I carry with me since I started dating my fiance. I may have to buy stock in the company.

Thirdly, I love my family and I am going to be starting a new family with a wonderful man! Yup, if you hadn't figured it out yet........I'm getting married this year! On May 8th! To a Tyler Ryan! ♥♥♥ Yes, I'm going to be learning for a lifetime in this area, too! But what a blessing! I am so excited and nervous and bajillions of beans worth of other feelings. And I have never had to make so many decisions or answer so many questions since I took my nursing boards! Actually.....the NCLEX didn't have nearly the amount of questions on it that I had to answer when I bought my wedding dress. I have never owned such a beautiful or expensive dress, either. And I did not realize that wedding cake was so expensive either! And as a nurse I KNOW what will happen to that cake after about an hour! Good gravy beans! But well, in the end, I am only going to do this wedding thing ONCE and I'm blessed to share such a happy event with Tyler and other loved ones. But seriously, this is only going to happen once. *grins* I'll have to tell you all about my Tyler and how he convinced me to be his girlfriend. (It's really cooler than frigid arctic beans that I'm going to be his wife).

Other basic information includes a shorter than average attention span, lack of grace (as demonstrated by my inability to walk without taking a trip), fondess for expressing myself in terms of beans, a tendency to ramble when I don't know what else to say, a quirky sense of humour, generalized weirdness, and affinities for tea, Tinkerbell, glitter, hand sanitizer, books, and duct tape.

And that's about it. God bless til the next time!