my weekend....

wow...so apparently i was way too busy this past weekend to even blog so i need to play some catch up. it was a great weekend and i havent had days off work in so long that i was glad i chose to stay around austin and have fun.

friday...no work. i got so much done around town and around my house -dishes, errands, napping. the napping is clearly very important. it was so nice to just be able to relax and not have any obligations. and then friday night i had plans to go out with alyssa. so, out we go. we started out getting dinner at 'manuel's' downtown - awesome. i have never been there, but i have passed by it a million times and dang...it was so good. then we walked around and ended up at a place called 'betsy's bar'. i am not huge into the bar scene, but any bar that has super mario brothers and an atari, definitely okay by me. we hung out there for a while and just at on the couch and chatted and laughed. then, because we are old, we got tired and went home around 1:30. a great night all around.

saturday i woke up and did laundry right away...i knew if i didnt get it out of the way, i would have put it off all day and then had dirty scrubs all week. i went and got chuy's queso for lunch...perfection per usual. i did some more running around and getting things done - had to go to target and walmart...although now i cant even remember what i needed. then we had plans to go to rebecca's halloween party. alyssa and i had every intention of dressing up, but the night didnt go quite according to plan and we had some slight drama and hang ups which made us late to the party and therefore, we went in our regular clothes. and that was more than okay with me because i hate dressing up in costumes. although we did manage to put on some hats when we got there, just to get into the spirit of things. it was a fun time and we wished we could have stayed later, but both alyssa and i had to get up and work on sunday. boo.

so that was it for all the fun stuff...actually work on sunday was pretty good - we didnt have very many kids on the floor at all so it was a slow day which is rare and a nice thing to have every now and then.

the weather here is amazing right now...every time i go outside, i think about how much i love it and how great it is. i love fall. its cold enough for a hoodie in the morning and then by lunch, its perfect outside.

i have so much homework and school stuff going on this week, it is unreal. i have 3 tests and i havent managed to be all that responsible in studying for them and taking them in a timely fashion, so that means i have to get up tomorrow morning and go and take a test because the deadline for it is tomorrow. then i have a test with a deadline on thursday and i am pretty sure that i wont be studying for it tomorrow so i will be having to take that one on thursday. my classes got canceled for thursday though so i can just study and go up to campus and take the test and be done. phew.

i will have to write about today...tomorrow...and then get back on track. dang, this whole blogging nightly thing is pretty tricky. it was an awesome idea at first though...then i get home and get sucked into whatever programs i tivoed for the night and it becomes a lost cause.

done and done!!

my 11 days in a row working stint has officially come to an end! thank goodness! i am freaking exhausted. and yet, here i am awake at 2am. i was falling asleep at work, but now that i am home, eating chicken noodle soup and watching greys anatomy magically kept me awake for hours.

so...today. couldnt sleep in for some reason, but dont you worry, i laid in bed far longer than i needed to just because i could. it has gotten so chilly in the mornings that taking lexi out wakes me right up...i actually have to put on a sweatshirt to leave. class was boring per usual, but thats okay, i dont have to go back until tuesday. i need to get some serious studying done over the next few days and hopefully after next week i can relax a little bit as far as school goes.

then onto my last day of work...well, okay, not really last day, buy i get 2 whole days off! hahaha. i got there and had a hard time getting motivated to do any actual work. i just wanted to chat with alyssa and dance with susan and eat candy. thats no good. i ended up getting floated to a different unit halfway through my shift at 7...i was bummed about it at first because i love my floor so much, but it actually turned out okay because i was able to get my homework done...one less thing to have to do next week. today we had a hard day at work. one of our little ones went to get a kidney transplant and she was too sick to receive the transplant, so they had to send her back to us. essentially she checked back into the hospital and onto our unit to die. everyone was very upset tonight and i know its gonna be a hard few days at work waiting it out...she is only 19 months old. i cant really think about it because it kind of ruins my day. like i said, its gonna make for an awful week and a hard time waiting around.

anyway, onto happier news...i have the whole day tomorrow off and i am planning on getting things done, but also being semi-lazy. i want to sleep in forever and i need to clean my car out and take it and wash it. for some odd reason i told alyssa i would meet her to do the 3 mile run around town lake...already regretting that. then i want to be lazy and maybe nap...hahaha. then we are gonna go out tomorrow night. yea! i am really looking forward to a night out in austin...this weekend is gonna be so great!!

boo who??

look at how cute my little owl is!!! his name is 'boo who' which totally just cracks me up. my friend rebecca bought him for me as a little halloween presents and brought him to work for me. everyone was super jealous and i was super in love with my little guy. it was a great way to make me smile and make the day so great.

i woke up today and was able to lounge around for a bit and watch a little tv which was nice. today i had plans with my friend alyssa and i was really looking forward to it. she is getting married at the end of november and so i met up with her at the bridal shop where her dress is from to see what it looked liked and then we were going to go to lunch. her dress was amazing. everyone i know is getting married!! then we went and grabbed lunch and just talked and talked and i loved it. i am glad to have a new friend, i think she is amazing. then unfortunately i had to go to work...

so i went into work early for a meeting with my educator and to do some unit orientation thing which was just kind of silly, but i just do what they tell me to. then i worked for the next 8 hours and it was a pretty good night. kinda crazy at first, but then it slowed down and got much better towards the end of my shift. i am so tired from all of this working, but i am almost done...only one more day to go and then i get a couple of days off. thank goodness! i definitely deserve one.

i have tests to study for and laundry to get done...i decided not to go home for the weekend and just to stay here and go out in austin on friday night and take a couple of days for myself and clean my car and wash it and run errands and just relax. i cant wait for friday....

bittersweet....

in the words of my old boss, i am happy as a clam right now. what a great day!! i will start from the beginning...

i slept with my heat on last night for the first time and it was great because i woke up so toasty warm and happy. i stayed up super late last night getting homework done after work so i didnt even get in bed till almost 4am!! i got up around 10 and then had to rush through and do even more homework and practice my speech that i had to give today.

i rush off to class and of course my professor decides that i should go first in giving the speeches. oh well, thats fine, i went, it went just fine and now i am done. that means for the next week of classes i can just sit there and stare at other people while they give their speeches. nice. and we got out super early today so i was able to come home and eat lunch before my next class. went back to school and got my review for the test that i have to take on thursday. blah.

then onto work!! the best part of the day! it was a little crazy when i first got there, but everyone i loved was working today and that always makes me happy. ran around for the first couple of hours and then ended up going to an open house thing down in the PT area of the hospital. and by open house, i really mean, me and alyssa and merrill playing on the playground outside! it was hilarious...we were spinning around and checking out all the fun things...we originally went for the free snacks, but had way more fun than we thought we would. you might think this was the best part of work, but alas...it was not!!

so we get back up to the unit and we find out that one of our favorites, and longest staying patients, is getting discharged. i love this girl...i love her family, i love her sisters, i love everything about her. veronica has been in the hospital since the day i started working there...we pretty much checked in on the same day...2 months ago. and today she got to go home. we had made a tutu for her because she loves when we go in her room and dance and be silly and she put it on and we all danced around and celebrated and it was amazing. it was definitely bittersweet though. walking her to the car and actually saying goodbye was hard. you want them to be well enough to go home, but you love them and miss them and dont want them to leave. she was crying and it made me cry as soon as she hugged me. she has really touched my heart, her whole family has. the great news is that now she can just come back and see us as a visitor rather than a patient...we already made her promise to come show us her halloween costume next week!

so i just got home and i am in the best mood because of today. the weather is awesome outside, its in the 40s and that makes me so happy. i am looking forward to having a 3 day weekend this weekend, still debating going home or not...i want to see katherine and carly and hang out in wfalls with my mom and dad as well, but the idea of staying in austin and being lazy and getting to go out with alyssa and just hang out sounds super appealing...

what to do, what to do...

back to normal...

or at least what is normal for me...hahaha. i woke up feeling like a champ this morning. well, not so much like a champ, but definitely so much better than yesterday. i ate chicken noodle soup and i didnt throw up - therefore, game on!! i slept amazing, watched a little football and then it was back to work...

i wasnt really in the mood to work today, but it actually flew by. i was a little scatterbrained for some reason, but luckily, everything moves a little slower on sundays. i got there just as the cowboys game was starting which is always hard for me because i just want to watch the game...thats not too much to ask is it?? luckily i have my fellow fan and friend texting me updates throughout the game so i dont feel like i am missing out on too much. and even better, we won this week!! the loss was not a fun thing to experience last week.

so yeah, work...busy, good..interesting... got home and am avoiding all of the homework that is staring at me from my coffee table. its gonna be a long and busy week and i am not all that excited about it to be honest.

i need to see my best friends this week - i have had a few good voicemail conversations with them the past few days, but thats it...and thats not enough!! sarah's fiance is doing sweet things for her, kat is stressed out, stacy thinks we arent friends anymore...this is no good. i have fun plans to go to lunch with alyssa from work on wednesday and then she wants go out on friday night which actually sounds like a great time. i was supposed to go home this weekend, but i think a night out in austin with new people might be just what i need...i can always drive home on saturday...

sicky...

i feel horrible! hence the no blog last night. i had to leave work early last night because i felt so cruddy. i didnt feel great all day yesterday and then around 8:30 last night at work, i just started feeling horrible and like i was gonna throw up. i didnt even think i could stand up so i ended up going and laying down in one of the empty rooms. i just laid there and wished i could go home and more importantly, wished i wasnt sick. i ended up having a moment where i felt decent so i got up and left work early and drove home.

i got home and proceeded to just lay on my couch all night. i was dozing in and out of sleep, but i just kept wanting to throw up so i couldnt ever actually fall asleep. needless to say, i finally started throwing up around 3am and it was miserable. its been a long day, no fun at all. i hate being sick and more than anything, i hate throwing up. rebecca came and saved me and brought me some gatorade and sprite to help settle my stomach and prevent dehydration. although i am still pretty dehydrated..i can tell.

so, a day full of sleeping and half watching tv and i still dont feel a whole lot better. i had to call in sick to work tonight - which i hate. i am not sure i can go to work tomorrow if i wake up feeling this way. i hate that for myself. i would so much rather be working than sitting on my couch wishing i was dying.

i have a huge headache and i am starving, but too nervous to eat. so, its gonna be a long night - i slept all day so i am sure sleeping tonight is gonna be a challenge. looks like its gonna be me and julia roberts and richard gere tonight...pretty woman, never gets old.

what a day....

i am normally not a grouchy person, but today was just one of those days. it actually ended on a really good note and a hilarious phone conversation, but the whole day was just one thing after another. i had horrible dreams last night - super realistic ones that i couldnt get out of my head. i was almost relieved to get out of bed this morning.

i really really didnt want to go to class today, but i did cause i am paying for it and i like getting good grades. i really felt like it was a waste of my time today, but thats fine, i survived. then onto the mall to try and get my little girl, perla, a present. i couldnt find exactly what i was looking for which was super frustrating so i got nothing. then i was stuck in traffic and sweating and late getting to work. blah.

got to work and was already a bit grumpy and then just had one thing after another happen to make the day seem crazy and busy and long. i got to hang out with a few of my favorites which always brings a smile to my face and i am going to introduce a couple of them to each other tomorrow and i really think they will get along. i did get to act stupid and do silly dances with one of my favorite nurses, susan. we are a ridiculous pair together. the night wasnt all bad, it was just little things that would get me frustrated and i was kind of short fused. thats okay, i made it through and am about to go to bed.

i did find out that i have to work straight through until next thursday though!! ugh!! i specifically asked off for sunday so i could get a break since i have already worked everyday this week, but apparently no one else could work on sunday. oh well. then i have a three day weekend next weekend and i think i am gonna go see my parents and hang out with a few fun people back home. i am really gonna need a weekend of rest and relaxation after 11 straight days of working.

tomorrow brings babysitting in the morning - really wish i hadnt agreed to that - and then of course, straight on to work. at least its friday...

putting it in perspective (of a 15 year old)...

exhausted. thats how i feel today. i woke up this morning feeling pretty crappy...almost to the point of wanting to call in sick to work. i just was headachey and tired and it was bad. i came downstairs and let lexi out and then ended up dozing on the couch for about an hour. then tried to run a few errands before going into work.

work was nuts!!! when i get there, i found out that our entire computer system was down. down!?? at dell childrens medical center?? how does that happen?? it was so crazy because we dont do anything on paper anymore. all of our charts and orders are in the computer...so basically it was just all of us standing around trying to figure out how to function without computers. it was stressful and busy and honestly, not all that fun for the first 5 hours of work. luckily the computers got up and running again and all was right with the world. work was still super busy and i was running around the entire time, i dont think i sat down once...except maybe to go to the bathroom.

the best part of the night was right before i left, i went to go say goodbye to perla and let her know that i would see her tomorrow and i ended up sitting on her bed and talking to her for about 45 minutes. i am constantly humbled and blessed in my job and listening to a 15 year old battling cancer really puts so many things in perspective. her outlook on life is amazing and encouraging. she deals with things any 15 year old does - girl drama at high school and gaining weight and myspace - but here she is in front of me, no hair, throwing up from chemo and stuck in a hospital bed. and yet she is happy. all the time. she is so mature and takes nothing for granted. her perspective on life is one that i want to gain. i am jealous of her maturity and outlook and i hoping by being in her presence, it rubs off a little bit on me.

a trip to whataburger and i am home. i am happy to be putting my feet up, they actually hurt today. today was the first day i havent gone for a run in the 3 weeks since i started...dang. i just felt so horrible when i woke up. that means i definitely need to get to sleep so i can get up and run for sure before class tomorrow...another long day...

tuesdays no longer mean tacos...

but i still like them nonetheless. today was another good day...its so weird to have so many in a row. hahahaha. did the usual morning routine. the weather was awesome today, i dont think it went above 70 all day and it was kind of overcast. i loved it. it just looked like winter outside, i am very much ready for cooler weather. moreso the clothes that come along with cooler weather...

class today was so boring i was staring at the clock the entire time. i was dying to just get up and walk out, but i never have the guts for that sort of thing. i always think it is so rude when people do that. so i waited it out and was just so relieved when it was over. and in my next class we got a bit of good news with our test being postponed for a week. thank goodness...that means this week, as far as school goes, wont be insane. phew. one less thing to stress about. i mean, i still have tons of homework, but no tests.

then straight to work...i love work. it was a good day. one of my favorites, perla, was in to get her round of chemo. i love her. she is a 15 year old with a teenager's attitude towards cancer and its so refreshing and funny and just great to be around. i sat in her room and hung out so many times today just because i like talking to her so much. she asked if i was gonna be there all week and could she be my patient all week - its those little things like that that makes you get up and go back to work the next day. of course i will sit on her bed every day this week...i wouldnt trade that for anything. work went by super fast and we were busy without being crazy.

and now i am home again...and having a great night. i do hate leaving my house at 11:30 in the morning and not getting home till almost midnight. thats kinda sad. moreso for my poor lexi...although she is passed out on the couch next to me right now, so clearly so is not too bothered by it. i am wide awake and being entertained at the moment and i know i should go to bed, but its just so nice to relax on the couch...even if it is at 2am.

tomorrow brings a high of 92 - well all knew this fall weather wouldnt last, but it also is wednesday and that means halfway through the week. no school, just relaxing and doing whatever i want until work starts...nice.

home is where my bank account goes to...

today was a great great day!! i slept awesome last night, no lexi barking and waking me up before i was ready. i got up and ran, it was hard today and i hated it more than usual, but i made it. then i had some queso for lunch - perfection. then i had to go to a workshop type of thing at work, i was actually not happy about going at all, but ended up only taking 45 minutes and i am glad that i went so i look like a good employee. then...onto IKEA!!

i love IKEA. so much. i went and just had time to wander around and go up and down every aisle. thats the way you should always shop at IKEA. i really wanted to get a new rug and a floor lamp for my living room. i am just trying to buy little things slowly to complete my apartment and it is coming along quite nicely. i found a great rug and a floor lamp, as well as a few other little things...a throw for the couch and a plant for the table in the kitchen, and placemats. i was so excited about all of my purchases, i came home and immediately fixed up my apartment and then proceeded to clean the whole downstairs and then just stare at it and think about how great it looked.

alas, i had to stop staring and actually get some things done. i went to dinner and hung out and then began to do homework...blah. i am almost done with all the homework that i have to get done for the week, but mainly i need to finish something for my 12:00 class tomorrow. i am just not motivated at all.

the fun part of the week is over, tomorrow starts class and work again. i work everyday this week...all the way until saturday. i am guessing not a whole lot of interesting things are gonna happen the rest of the week, but thats okay...my apartment looks awesome!!

happy anniversary!!

so today marks the 1 year anniversary of kathryn and TA. its crazy to think that their wedding was a whole year ago. so much has happened this past year. their wedding weekend brings back a lot of memories for me - some i wish to not revisit and others i love.

onto today's activities....slept in - lovely, although i didnt get to sleep as late as i would have liked because my dog has this new thing of barking or whining in the morning around 9am when she thinks she is bored in her crate and ready to be awake. i, on the other hand, was not ready to get up so i just proceeded to yell at her from upstairs and tried to block out the barking. awesome. then i went for a run, but i just wasnt in the mood for it today...it wasnt very effective. oh well.

next on the agenda was getting a few things done before the cowboys game started....so i ran to walgreens to pick up an anniversary card for kat and TA and to get children's benadryl because i think lexi is allergic to something...she is always scratching and nothing the vet suggested is working thus far in curing it. and then i ran and picked up some queso to-go so i could enjoy it while i was sitting on my couch watching football.

so, i was completely wrong about the cowboys game being on sunday night...it was actually a 3 o'clock game. that worked out just fine for me because i had dinner plans... so, the game begins and we just completely suck from the start. we had a horrible first quarter, but managed to make a comeback in the second quarter and went into the half only down by a little bit. onto the third quarter, great plays and we are ahead of the patriots...yea!! then it was just all downhill from there. a horrible fourth quarter and we ended up losing the game by a few touchdowns. dang it. oh well, it was still a good game to watch and for the most part, i was impressed with the way they played against such a great team.

dinner time!! tonight's 'grub club' meeting was a special anniversary dinner for the ateeks. sarah really outdid herself with an awesome meal and we had such a fun time. kat and TA had just flown back in from being in san diego for the weekend...celebrating. we all got to catch up and laugh and spend a little bit of time together. we also had a fancy dessert - bananas foster...yum!!!

now i am home and relaxing and about to start on some homework that i have due on tuesday...blah. overall it was a great sunday, relaxing...somewhat productive and lots of laughing with my best friends. not bad...

starting over...

so, i used to blog...back in the old days, and now i decided that i should do it again. sometimes it is a healthy release, plus it would be nice to look back over my day and see the good things and see what i actually spent all those hours doing.

essentially i am always working or studying or going to school or trying to sleep, so this could get semi-boring, but thats okay...there could be interesting things sprinkled in.

so...today, i woke up and went for a morning run. this is my new thing, going for a run. its still growing on me, but it is getting much easier - i will admit that. doesnt mean i really like it, but i dont hate it as much as i used to. i came back and showered and was relaxing on my couch when sarah called to go veil shopping. so i met her at target where we proceeded to buy things i am sure neither one of us needed, definitely not veils... we actually managed to get out without doing too much damage. then onto 'la madeline's' for lunch. yum!! i love that french dip sandwich. then we headed over to david's bridal to look at veils, but neither one of us seemed to know what we were doing. it was a pretty unsuccessful excursion. we decided to reconvene on monday and go look at her dress so we have a better idea of what kind of veil to get.

next, home for a quick relaxation moment and a cat nap on the couch and then off to work. normally working on a saturday would slightly annoy me, but i love my job so much that i actually dont mind going in. i was there and the night was going by pretty quickly, not crazy busy, but busy enough to keep things interesting. then my favorite patient came in...caitlyn. she is an adorable 13 year old with leukemia and the best attitude i have ever seen. she should write a book someday or be a speaker of some sort. she is just amazing. i met her a few weeks ago when she was in for low platelets, and she was in tonight for a fever. luckily the fever went away really fast so she was only in tonight for about 3 hours. just enough time for hanging out and catching up and eating happy meals together. she gave me a friendship bracelet and it was so cute...that is what makes working on a saturday completely worthwhile.

then i got home around midnight and i just sank into my couch, happy to be home...happy to see my dog and happy because i have nothing to do for the next 2 days. no work, no school, nothing!! well, some homework, but that can wait until monday...hahahaha.

anyway, off to bed for now...looking forward to tomorrow and football...mainly sunday night football, the cowboys game against the patriots. two undefeated teams and john madden's commentary...what more could you ask for in a football game??