Turning 27 on the Trail...

So, its only a little over a week late, but here is the blog about my birthday. It was so much fun!! What a great day I had from start to finish. Luke took me to dinner on Friday night at Sullivan's Steakhouse to eat my favorite meal - filet mignon. Amazing. And then, on your birthday, they bring you a sparkler to your table!! Now, I am not sure if you know how I feel about sparklers, but I LOVE them. You can see my New Years Eve pictures from last year if you need photographic proof. So I had the most wonderful cheesecake to accompany my sparkler and it was a great, great dinner.

Then, my favorite thing ever...the fireplace!! Only this fire was made so much better by the presents that went along with it!! I have a hard time focusing on anything else now that I have the new ipod touch and I used my new pink digital camera the night of my birthday to take pictures. The most amazing gifts ever!! I got new pajamas, scarf and gloves, Burt's Bees stuff...I have the best friends.

Woke up super early on Saturday because I was so excited that it was my birthday...apparently forgetting that I was turning 27 and not 7. Went to Whole Foods because I wanted grits...delicious. And then of course, I went back to sleep around 10 because 8am just doesn't do well for me. Ran a few errands and then people came over to meet up before the race!!

Got to the Trail of Lights and it was such a fun time It wasn't that cold and it was so fun to see all of my friends and to see this amazing light display. I love Christmas lights and these were unreal. We ended up walking most of the race because it was so crowded with strollers and kids and dogs...and because we were far too interested in chatting than getting an exercise. Of course there were some runners in the group - good for them.

After the race, we all went to dinner and a few more people met up with us to eat. We kept having to add more chairs to our original table. I felt pretty special that that many people wanted to come and celebrate my birthday with me. I had a blast at dinner and loved getting to sit around and talk and laugh with my favorite people. It was truly a wonderful day.

Thanks to everyone who came out for my birthday and did the run and came to dinner and celebrated. 27 started off so great...its gonna be a good year for sure!!

JLake

He is never funnier than when he does SNL. I have watched this over and over and I still laugh aloud every single time...

Tis the Season!!

Yes, yes, the holidays are here, but more importantly...its the time of the year for EGG NOG!! And of course I have already bought my second half gallon of it because I cannot get enough. My theory is that you have to stock up in these next 6 weeks, regardless of the fat content, because then it is gone until next November. That is really sad. I love to have a glass in the middle of the day, and then a little nightcap before bed. I might start a petition to get egg nog in the stores year round. Although, then I might not be able to button my pants...maybe this is for the best.

The other great thing about this season (again, a special item to eat) is Little Debbie's Christmas Tree Cakes. Amazing!! I hate that these arent around all year too. Put them in the fridge and enjoy them cold...what a treat!! Its amazing I really can still button my pants.



Other than that, just getting my house ready for the visit from my parents on Thursday. They are going to do Thanksgiving with my brothers on Wednesday night and then drive here Thanksgiving morning. I have a LOT of cleaning to do before my mom walks in the door. I am a little nervous about that. I just made a great cleaning playlist and I am about to get really serious about it. Or at least that is my plan. We will see how late I am up on Wednesday doing last minute cleaning things.

I am really excited about my parents coming down though. I have been in Austin for a year and a half now and they have yet to visit and I haven't seen them since June so I think we are going to have so much fun. My dad and I are going to put up the Christmas lights on Friday...or possibly Saturday depending on the weather. I don't know how much help I will be with that, but that is why Luke is coming back from Beaumont early...hahahaha. Maybe my mom and I can just watch and bring out snacks or something. That would be great!!

Better start cleaning!!!

He's Baaaaack!!

Oh Tony Romo how I have missed you so much for the past 4 weeks. I am not sure if I can really attribute the Cowboys win tonight to his return as quarterback because Marion Barber seemed to carry the entire team, but I like to think that the morale of the team was lifted by having number 9 back on the field. My morale was certainly lifted because I was getting tired of seeing them lose!! They didn't play a very good first half against the Redskins tonight, but came back in the second half and ended up getting the win. Yea!!

This past weekend was super cold in Austin...meaning more fires!! And lots of sweatpants and knee socks. I actually got a all my laundry done and even cleaned my room and mopped the kitchen and everything. Weird. What came over me?? Saturday night I went over to Kathryn's house for a rockin' slumber party. It was just as much fun as I knew it would be getting to sit around and dance and be silly and laugh and talk with Kat. It was fun to have a girly night and we stayed up til almost 4am because we couldn't stop talking. Crazy.

And now back to work. I am working tonight, tomorrow night, and Tuesday night. At least I get them out of the way early in the week and then I have off until next Sunday. I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is next week!! That is so insane. I really have to clean my house because my parents are coming in town and it is definitely not mom-friendly at the moment. Oops. I am really excited for my parents to come down and I already have quite the list of things that I want my mom to make to eat while she is here. And then on Friday we are going to attempt to put Christmas lights up on my house. I hope my dad wants to come back in January and help me take them down!! There are already a few houses on my street who put theirs up this past weekend so now I am feeling the pressure!!

My birthday is 27 days away!!

I loooove Fireplaces!!

So, last weekend it was actually cold here. As in, need a jacket, wish I had worn gloves out cause my hands were freezing...cold. I actually really enjoy cold weather if I am prepared for it. I like all the clothes that it brings and the hot chocolate and the fact that you can build fires in the fireplace!! And that is exactly what we did!! After spending Friday night sitting outside at the Flying Saucer (no one knows why we were outside when it was freezing), we decided that on Saturday night when it was even colder, it was the perfect night to make a fire!! It was so great. I could seriously sit and stare at a fire all day long. And I kind of did. I think we sat there on the floor in front of the fire for about 4 hours and just talked. It was a great night and now I want a fire every night. Hahahaha.

Other than that, not a whole lot has been going on lately. I worked Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday night this week so I am off from the hospital until Sunday, but I do have to babysit on Thursday all day. And then Kathryn and I have a slumber party planned for Saturday night because T.A. is out of town. I am so excited to get to hang out with her...I know we are almost 27, but apparently never too old to have a sleepover.

Here is a picture of me and Luke freezing outside at the Saucer on Friday night...

Back in Action...

I have been sick since Wednesday night and it wasn't good. I would so rather have a cold than to have the throw ups. Luckily, I am back to feeling relatively normal and am enjoying the gorgeous day we are having in Austin. I got up pretty early for me and have been running errands and being productive all morning. It has actually made me really want to take a nap!! I figure its allowed because I have already accomplished so much on my day off.

Other than being sick, things have been good and gotten back to a sense of routine and normalcy which is sometimes underrated. Kathryn and I did the 'Light the Night Walk' at the hospital and got to see a lot of favorite patients who are now in remission and were able to wear their Survivor t-shirts this year. Camryn was there and she has hair now!! Little pigtails!!



Halloween came and went and although I hate dressing up and doing all of that, I ended up being talked into it this year. We went to a party at Stephen's house and had a great time.

Every Saturday and Sunday has been consumed by football for the past few weeks and its been great!! Although UT had a big loss last week and that did not go over well with the city of Austin. And of course the Cowboys lost to the Giants, but I knew that was going to happen with Romo still out of the picture. I am thankful they don't have a game this week and he will be back next week. Thank goodness...I don't know how much longer I can watch them lose.

Going to the UT game tomorrow...my first time to go to a game here!! I am pretty excited. Although they are playing Baylor and it should be a blow out, but I know Jana and I will have fun anyway.

I cannot believe it is already November!! I need to start thinking about Christmas presents for people!! I love the holidays, I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving and of course my birthday!!

OMG, new BFFs!!

This is hysterical.

I Must Have This!!

So, I Tivo Oprah. I am not too ashamed to admit it. And I just watched her show and she pushed this product the entire show and I must have one. I seriously need one. Its the Amazon Kindle - an electronic book reader. It is seriously unreal. What a great invention. I am going to start saving my money now!!

http://astore.amazon.com/webtreset-20/detail/B000FI73MA

Dennis Quaid Wants Coffee!!

This totally cracked me up on the Ellen show yesterday. Staged or not, it was hilarious.

Robin's Birthday Celebration...

Robin's birthday was on Friday and so we had all planned to celebrate on Saturday with a day trip to a local winery followed by dinner there. It was Texas/OU weekend so we couldn't leave Austin until the UT game was over...luckily UT won or I am sure we would have had some unhappy people on the trip. We headed out to Dripping Springs which is about half an hour outside of Austin to the Mandola Winery. It was a beautiful day outside and it was very green there which was a nice change from the dead grass in my front yard.

We got to the place a little too early for the tour so everyone decided to do a little wine tasting first. I want to like wine so badly. I have been to so many wine tastings and really tried so many different kinds and I just don't think I can do it. I am confident there has to be a wine out there for me, but I think that it might have to taste like Coco Cola in order for me to remotely enjoy it. I only managed to try a couple of different kinds before I gracefully bowed out, but the others tried all 9 kinds that were offered. This put everyone in a great mood before the tour!! The tour took like 15 minutes...clearly this is no Napa Valley. Hahaha. It was interesting to see the process though and our group asked the most questions.

Then we bought a couple of bottles of wine and went outside and sat around and just chatted and laughed took way too many pictures. We decided that some people might need some food to go along with their wine so we headed inside to dinner.

Dinner was excellent and hysterical. Apparently a little too hysterical as we were scolded by two different patrons of the restaurant telling our table that we were too loud and one very older gentlemen went as far as to call us "borderline obnoxious." Very nice. The manager came over and apologized to us and encouraged us to carry on because we were obviously having a great time. We were playing games and just laughing a little too loudly I guess. Oops. Then we sang Happy Birthday to Robin, had some gelato and called it a day.

Everyone went home to catch the LSU football which was clearly not worth the drive or the rush because the Tigers didn't even show up to play. Oh well. I think Robin had a great birthday and it was something fun and different to do.

Only 2 more months and it will be my turn to join her in being 27...

The Boys.

I love them. I am so happy that football season is upon us again and it is so much more fun when the Cowboys are winning. They have only disappointed me once this season and that was last week against the Redskins. I could not believe that we lost the game by 2 points, but we are 4-1 so I am still pretty happy thus far. I love to watch the pre-game shows and hear everyone predict them to win and predict them to go all the way and say that they are the best team in the NFL. It is music to my ears. Although, it is probably a tease because we have to actually make it past the first play off game to get anywhere and we seem to have a huge problem doing that. I am really hoping that this is our year. It has been a long time coming.

I worked last night, but really wanted to watch the game today so I set my alarm and made myself get up around 3 in order to watch the Cowboys play the Bengals. I thought for sure this was going to be such a blow out because the Bengals have yet to win a game this season and their quaterback was out. Unfortunately for us, they put Carson Palmer back in. I am not sure if the Cowboys just got comfortable or too cocky or lazy or what, but we were winning 17-0 and then we just let them come back and score and score and score. All of the sudden, it didn't look like such a no brainer and I was actually concerned that we weren't going to pull it off. They then needed a 2 point conversion to tie us and thankfully didn't get it. We ended up getting past their onside kick trickery and T.O. scored an amazing touchdown and then Tony Romo through a touchdown intended for Witten, but magically caught by Crayton and victory was ours. Thank goodness. So, the Bengals have still yet to win a game and we go up to 4-1. Feels good.

I am back at work tonight and then have to go home and sleep and get up again and work a third night in a row. No fun. I am just very tired, but I think it is supposed to rain most of the day so that will be nice for sleeping. I wasn't able to get much sleep today so I have been struggling most of the night. Luckily I am in the homestretch and I cannot wait to get in bed!!

I am babysitting for Addison on Wednesday this week instead of Friday so that is kind of nice because I will have Friday and Saturday off. Friday is Robin's birthday so that means pedicures for sure!! And then Saturday we are going to the winery to celebrate and take a tour and have dinner...should be really fun. Then we come back early to watch the LSU/Florida game that night. I am loving having Robin as a roommate...its nice that she works the same hours I do because we can both sleep all day and understand it and not feel bad about it. We finally have made it to the grocery store and are starting the running. Plus, when I decide at 4am that I am starving and I find out that she is in her room starving too, we can make Taco Cabana runs together. What a great perk!!

Being Sick is No Fun

Especially when you get a cold when it is still 90 degrees outside. I hate that. You don't even want to sit around and drink tea and eat soup because you are still sweating from running out to buy the soup. I was working on Tuesday night and around 3am started sneezing and sniffling and I thought it was just allergies, but I was wrong. I got home from work and laid in bed from 7am-9am just miserable and not able to fall asleep. Robin brought me from NyQuil and I was able to sleep fitfully for a few hours, but was up and on the couch by mid-afternoon. I knew I couldn't go into work that night because I couldn't risk getting any of our patients sick and I wasn't sure I could make it a full 12 hour shift anyway. So I called in and took permanent residence on the couch for the night. I was in and out of sleep due to the NyQuil. I was drinking gallons of water to try and stay hydrated and flush out my system. It was not a good night. I couldn't hear out of my ears or breathe through my nose. Finally around 5am, I went back to my bed and attempted to get some sleep there. Woke up feeling a little better, but still not 100%. Laid around for most of the day and then had to go babysit. I felt like I couldn't cancel because it was last minute and because I really needed the money since I had called in sick to work. So I babysat and then came home and tried to sleep without the aid of NyQuil. Unsuccessful. I was wide awake by 6am this morning and I am not feeling all that great today either. I am feeling better, just not myself yet. I just took a little nap and am planning on taking it easy the rest of the day so I can actually go back to work tomorrow night. I work the next 3 nights so I need to be rested and back up to normal before I try and do that.

Other than that, not a lot going on. Work, work, work...

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

We have been celebrating all month at work and although we have silly dress up days and it sometimes seems more about not having to wear scrubs and getting to wear t-shirts, I wanted to just take a minute to mention how important it really is. Mainly because it has so greatly affected my life over the past year. I just had my one year anniversary at Dell a few weeks back and I cannot believe I have been there over a year already. It is hands down the greatest job I have ever had and it flew by with so many blessings and rewards. Childhood cancer is one of those things that you hope never personally affects you and yet I have chosen a career where I am asking it to affect me every day. Sometimes it is a positive effect and sometimes it is so very negative. I just think sometimes people view it as something that they know someone who knows someone who had cancer when they were little or who's child or sibling had cancer. I know a lot of people aren't directly affected by it, but I feel almost lucky to be. This past year has meant a great deal to me because I have been let into so many of my patients lives and families. I have my girls that I just love and keep adding to - Caitlyn, Kathy, Camryn, Perla, Veronica, Yazmin, Sara, Alden. I know this list will continue to grow and change and I know that some of them will grow up and not even remember that they were ever a part of my life, but I also know for a fact that I will never forget their faces or their stories and the impact that they have had on mine. I have dealt with the loss of Veronica and the heartbreak and absolute crushing weight of having her pass away and the re-thinking of if this is even the right job for me. I do believe God put me in this job for a reason and I know that I learn something every day from different patients. A 17 year old who texts me pictures of her chest tube because I am away at camp and can't be there to see it in person. A 3 year old who is in awe of a room I filled with bubbles and proclaims it a "bubble miracle." A 12 year old with the attitude and wisdom of someone so much older. A 2 year old who names her IV pole, Stanley, and then is shocked to see that everyone has a Stanley. These are the moments that make my life and that I am actually getting paid to enjoy and experience. These are the lives that I am supposedly helping out and contributing to and making better when in all reality, I feel as though their contribution to mine has been so much greater. So I just wanted to take a moment and recognize the fact that it is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and to encourage you to be aware and to be thankful for your life and those around you, and really just to put down on paper how grateful I am for the lives of those children that are affected by cancer. I love each and every little bald one of them.

Roomie Robin!!

So...the roommate dilemma has been solved...and Robin moved in!! I am so excited about this!! She has been homeless for about a month now and living back and forth between people's houses while trying to figure out where her boyfriend is going to get a job and move and things still aren't settled, so she has committed to living with me for at least a few months. Super exciting!! I think it is going to be so fun...we both work nights and so we are well aware of day sleeping and being quiet and thinking that it is totally okay to wake up at 4pm. I am relieved to have someone in the house and to not be stressing about it anymore and even more fun that it is someone I actually know and genuinely like!! She moved in 2 days ago and I keep referring to everything as roommate this and roommate that - I think she might want to move out if I keep that up. Hahahaha. I cant help it, I am happy to have her here!! Yea for roomies!!

Lone Star Girls Weekend!!

So, this past weekend was one of the best weekends ever. Hands down. We laughed so hard and ate great food and danced constantly - so much fun. The weekend started on Friday with a quick drive to Dallas and met up with the girls who had just gotten in from California and then we headed out to meet Lindsay's dad who was going to show us around an oil rig. None of us had ever been on one, and since this was the Cali girls first trip to Texas, we wanted to make sure that we gave them the full experience. So, we took a tour of an oil rig - got to go up on it and see how everything works, it was actually pretty interesting and made much more fun by the fact that Lindsay got everyone hot pink hard hats with our initials on them. Hilarious. We wore them in the truck on the way to the rig and on the way home - imagine passing 7 girls on the highway, crammed into a pick-up truck, all wearing hot pink hard hats. We were quite the group.



After the oil rig, we went back to Lindsay's and got ready to head down to the Ft. Worth Stockyards for the night. We donned our cowboy boots and got ready to show these L.A. girls what real cowboys look like. We went and had BBQ for dinner - so good...and then went to a place called the White Elephant Saloon where we listened to live music and watched people chain smoke and two-step. It made for quite the people watching atmosphere and I think everyone had a great time. Besides the smoke burning our eyes, the bar was super fun and very Texas. We went back to Lindsay's and hung out and chatted till way too late and everyone was pretty happy about getting to bed.

Saturday we woke up and were all moving pretty slow so we just went to breakfast in our sweatpants - it was raining from Hurricane Ike so it was actually perfect. Then we went back and packed up our stuff and headed to the hotel. Welcome to the Hotel Zaza. Amazing. We walked in looking quite scrubby all in our sweats and we were staying in the nicest suite in the hotel and the hotel staff was a little confused by us. When asked what room we were staying in, we said 7 and they replied, oh 207, and we said, no 7. And then he said...oooooh, you guys are going to have a good time. Our hotel room was named The Last Czar and it was ridiculously fancy and swanky and beautiful. We were all completely taken aback by how amazing it was and were perfectly happy to camp out there for the rest of the day. Apparently it is where Jessica Simpson stays when she is in town...oooh la la. So, we all put on hotel robes and ordered room service and sat around drinking champagne. Living the good life basically.



Then we decided to get dressed and go downstairs to the hotel restaurant for dinner because we had no intentions of leaving this amazing place all night. We put on our dresses and heels and headed down for an amazing dinner. Everyone had steak and lamb and salmon and we had champagne and desserts. Sooooo good. We couldn't stop eating and we were there for hours just talking and laughing and having the best time. I could definitely get used to that life. Then we were leaving dinner to head back up to our hotel room where we were planning on resuming the dance party we were having before dinner and we passed by a wedding reception that was going on in the hotel. The music was so fun and we were dancing in the hallway when a few of the guests invited us in to dance. I am not sure what made us think it was okay to take them up on it, but we did. And into the wedding reception we go. We are dancing for a couple of songs when we realize that we are definitely crashing a wedding and we don't want to upset the bride so we think the smartest thing to do is leave. We do and then the bride comes out and chases us into the lobby and tells us to come back and dance. Well, you don't have to ask us twice. We go back in and dance for quite some time, even requesting songs. We had the best time and found it all so hysterical.



Then back up to the room and we continued to dance before we were all ready to collapse into the amazingly comfortable beds. It was like heaven to sleep in these beds. Then Sunday came and we went to brunch downstairs before having to leave the hotel. And then after brunch it was pretty much time for everyone to go their separate ways. I was pretty sad to leave, but I had such a great weekend that it was okay. I drove back to Austin and had to work...yuck. Anyway, the weekend was fabulous and I cannot wait until we do it again. The Cali girls want to make in an annual thing here in Texas and we are planning on heading out to L.A. to do a weekend out there very soon. I can't wait!!

Pre-Blog

Never fear, a Lone Star Girls Weekend 2008 recap blog is coming soon...I just got back last night and had to go straight to work, then proceeded to sleep all day and wake up to a full Tivo to which I have been focusing my attention on. Now I am headed to Kathryn's house for a slumber party and to watch the rest of the Cowboys/Eagles game!! We are winning thus far so it is going to be a great night!! I will definitely write about the weekend tomorrow and post pictures...there is much to tell and many great pictures that captured it all. It was one of the best weekends I have ever had. I miss the girls so much already.

What a weekend...

Well, after I got the tire problem solved on Friday, I thought I was in the clear as far as the car goes. Of course I would be completely wrong. Regardless, I get up and drive to Dallas on Saturday for the Counting Crows concert and I was not disappointed. It was totally worth the drive and the concert itself was so surreal and amazing. But, as soon as I got into town, I kept hearing this weird noise on my front tire, only to realize that the tread had completely come off the tire and so I was going to be stranded for the night and have to get a new tire before driving back to Austin. The only place open on a Sunday?? Walmart. So, at 7am on Sunday morning, I was in line at the Walmart Auto Center with the locals and the jolly elderly man who kept trying to force his Walmart coffee on me. No thank you sir...oh okay, fine, give me the dang coffee. The early bird did get the worm in this case though because I was in and out, 100 dollars later, with my new Goodyear tire and on the road back to Austin, in under an hour. Stupid tires.

The concert itself was unbelievable. Maroon 5 opened for the Counting Crows and put on a great show...I thoroughly enjoyed them. Then my band came out and I was speechless. I sat there and stared in awe through the entire concert. It was so amazing to see them live and so different than hearing their albums. It was acoustic and wonderful and mesmerizing. Definitely a life goal accomplished and it exceeded my expectations.

I came back and napped and then worked overnight Sunday, got up Monday and didn't really do anything. I am low on money with the tires on my car falling apart one at a time, so I just hung around my house and avoided the heat and spending money. I did the exact same thing today. I have yet to leave my house or even get dressed. I showered because I thought I had to go to work, but I ended up being canceled. That is okay with me, tomorrow is a long day. I am in the clicnic at 8am for the day and then I will come home and take a quick nap and then I work overnight tomorrow night. Off on Thursday and I will be packing and getting ready because I leave for Girls Weekend on Friday!! I am so excited!! I have been looking forward to this for a long time...it should be a blast!!

Here is the video that I took with my digital camera at the concert of my favorite song...the video isn't that great, but it still makes me happy every time that I watch it.

Counting Crows!!

On may way...in just a few short hours, I will be seeing this....

Still feels like summer...

So I took Addison for a little swim in her baby pool today. Adorable. She had such a great time splashing around and just sat there with a huge smile on her face the whole time. It was a great way to pass an hour and wear her out. Plus, with the weather as hot as it is still, there isn't a whole lot else to do if we are going to be out of the air conditioning.

The day went by really quickly, especially considering I was dreading it because I only slept about 3 hours last night. I was exhausted when I woke up, but its hard to stay miserable when you walk in the door and a 10 month old starts clapping for you. And this is why I continue to babysit - its so good for my self esteem!! Also, I got to take care of the whole tire fiasco while I was watching her, so I was getting paid to go and get my tire fixed. After lunch, I took Addi to Discount Tire and she was a gem!! We had to wait well over and hour and she just sat and played and laughed and talked the whole time...I was so proud of her. Turns out my tire had a "huge piece of metal" in it, but was able to be patched which was amazing news. Mainly because a patch is free. So, the tire is fixed and the world is good again. Took an overly sleepy baby home put her down for a nap and I laid down and took one too. Everyone woke up in a much better mood. Went for a swim and then had dinner and the day was over.

I got home and had intentions of being social tonight, but the tiredness set in almost as soon as I walked in the door. So I spent the night watching TV and reading and listening to music and it has been wonderful. I just took a bath and now I am going to get in bed early and get a great night of sleep. Tomorrow is a big day!! I am gonna head to Dallas and try and see a few people and then its concert time!! I am ridiculously excited!!

One other piece of good news from today - I have been trying to pick up extra hours in our Hemoc Clinic that is attached to the hospital. It is where our patients go for all outpatient appointments and where they go if they aren't sick enough to come to us. I have been trying to get in touch with them and just pick up one or two days a week there for some extra money and a change of scenery. I thought it would be fun to see how the clinic runs especially since I want to get my NP and will more than likely end up in a clinic. So, the lady called me today and I am going to start working there on Wednesdays!! I am very excited about this and am really looking forward to starting next week. It looks like things might actually be turning around for me...phew.

Bacon!!

Today was the day of puppy-sitting!! I got to watch sweet baby Bacon, the littlest and cutest pug ever. My friend Kerry entrusted me while she was at class and work all day and I had the best time. I just held him the whole day and he napped and played and walked and fell over, it was so adorable. It made me want a puppy so badly, but I am not sure Lexi can handle it. She was super jealous all day and at first very afraid of this teeny little thing. I am sure she would get used to it if there was one always around...and oh my gosh are they so cute!! So that was pretty much my entire day and it was great.

Until I got ready to leave for work and noticed the flat tire on my car. Ugh!! Who have I wronged to have this terrible karma coming my way this past week?? I don't get it at all!! Regardless, it turned out okay because I have amazing friends. I called Alyssa in a panic and asked her if she could give me a ride to work and not only did she do that, but she brought her husband, Paul, back over to my house and he put my spare on and then they went above and beyond and brought my car up to me at work. It was seriously so sweet and so amazing. I was very thankful. So tomorrow I will be able to get to babysitting and then I will just take Addison with me to try and get the tire patched or to get a new one. Keep your fingers crossed for just a patch. New tires aren't really in the budget these days.

Other than that, the roommate search is still on, hopefully I will know something by this weekend. Debating driving to Wichita Falls tomorrow now that the tire thing has come up. We shall see. Then its onto Counting Crows on Saturday!! Yea!!!! So pumped!!

It's been a rough week...

Well, a lot has happened in the past few days. A lot. I went to work on Thursday night only to come home to find out that my little brother had decided to move out of our house. And by decided, I mean, just up and left while I was gone. I came home to an empty room with a note. It was shocking to say the least. Regardless, my world sort of turned upside down and I was very worried and hurt and upset, and honestly, still am, but I realize that I don't seem to have a choice in the matter and I have to get over it. Keaton has decided to stay in Wichita Falls...a decision I hope he doesn't regret, but am afraid that he will. Oh well, I guess only time will tell.

So, now I am kind of stuck. Left with a huge house, a rent I cannot pay alone, and 11 months left on a lease. Looks like I am on the roommate hunt. To be honest, a hunt I never wanted to be on again. I gave up living alone solely to live with Keaton, but I don't really have much of a choice here. So, I am hoping something works out in the next few days because I am getting stressed about money and bills and everything else. I have a few options and I am going to try and make the best out of whatever situation comes out of this. Fingers crossed!!

I had a pretty uneventful Labor Day Weekend. I had to work on Friday night and then was still all messed up from the move out so I just kind of walked around shell shocked all day. Then Saturday was lazy for most of the day and babysat for Addison all night...till 2am!! And Sunday I did much of the same lazy and sleeping and napping because I had to work on Sunday night. Got off work Monday morning and went to sleep, woke up and gave Kathryn a call to hang out and she invited me out on the boat!! So exciting. I was so happy to have the rest of the day free so I could spend the day on a boat and in the sun. It was a great day on the lake, I seriously really needed that. I haven't seen Kat in so long and I really have missed her. If only Sarah was still around...

Working the rest of the week, staying busy and trying to figure out the roommate thing. My friend Kerry got a new puppy - a little bitty Pug named Bacon and he is seriously adorable. I went over and saw him after work tonight and I wanted to take him home with me. Good news is that I get to babysit him all day Thursday while she is at school and work!! I am so stinking excited!! I will take many many pictures and post one because everyone needs to see how adorable he is. I love puppies!! And then Friday I babysit for Addi all day and then I think I am going to drive home to WFalls. After this week, I wouldn't mind being able to see my mom and dad and just kind of relax with them. Then on Saturday...a life long goal will be achieved when I go to the Counting Crows concert!!!!! Ahhhhh!!! I absolutely cannot wait!! I am going to try and stop by and visit Julie and see baby Avery-Kate because I haven't seen her since she was 5 days old and she is almost 6 months now!! Crazy!! Then it is just back to work on Sunday...same ol' same ol'. I am glad that I have fun things to look forward to this weekend...I need that. And a present. Hahahahaha.

Back to Reality.

Summer is officially over. That is unfortunate. School starts tomorrow and then before I know it, it is going to be December. Which I guess isn't a terrible thing because I love the month of December, but still...where has this year gone!?? I had one last hurrah last week with Brandon in town. I was off work for almost a week and that was pretty amazing. I got to play and do fun summer things and take naps and sleep in and just hang out so it was perfect timing before getting back to the real world and full time work and school. Oh well.

Brandon came in town on Tuesday and we did all kinds of fun things - we went to San Antonio for the day, it would have been way better, but it was so dang hot that we were just sweating the whole time. We floated the river on Saturday with Keaton and his friends and Alyssa and Paul. We went out, we ate out, we went to the movies. It was a really good time. I think I could always not work and be okay with it. Hahahaha.

And then it was back to work and having to get things done. I worked Monday and then Monday night we went out for a girl I work with, Catherine, her birthday. It was really fun, but I was paranoid the whole time because I had to get up today at 6:3o to go babysit Addison for the day. I haven't woken up before 7am in so long. I wasn't really able to fall asleep because I am used to being on a night schedule, but I managed to survive the day. And I am exhausted tonight so I am sure I can fall asleep early. I am watching her again all day tomorrow. She is 9 months old and absolutely adorable. Starting next week, I will watch her every Friday. It was actually really nice to sort of be living my old lifestyle as a nanny for the day. It made me miss it. Wearing sweatpants to work, eating other people's food, watching daytime TV, taking naps....all while getting paid. It really is the perfect job.

It has been raining here for the past few days and its been really nice because it has made it in the 90 degree range as opposed to over 100. I am ready for summer weather to be over way more than actual summer itself. I don't really mind school, I just mind being too busy to really ever enjoy anything else. I am sure it will fly by though...it always does. I have a lot of fun things happening in September so that will make it more bearable as well. I need to start planning a trip home for the weekend - I feel like I haven't been back to Wichita Falls in a while or seen my parents in a long time. It is looking like it might be October before that happens though. That's too bad.

Porch Party!!

So, last night (well, many hours ago because I am working and therefore writing this at 4am) was our house party to show everyone the new place. I had set a date in order to trick myself into unpacking because I would have to before people showed up. I should have known that I know myself better than that and of course I was unpacking all day Friday and Saturday up until about 2 hours before anyone came over. Oh well, at least it got me motivated to get it done. I typically work better with a deadline anyway.

With all the boxes gone and things actually in their right place, I was amazed at how much even more I loved the house!! It looks so great and put together now. There are a few bits and pieces of furniture that I need to purchase or acquire somehow, but overall, it is getting there. So I was excited for people to be able to see it because only a few people have. People started arriving around 9 and we just kind of sat around and hung out, watched Michael Phelps win his millionth gold medal and then just hung out. People came and went and I was so thankful to my friends who came. It was a good time. I am going to have to have a dinner and have over Alyssa and Kathryn because they were both out of town, but that's okay. It was hard to pick a date where everyone would be around.

I think it was really good for Keaton too because I don't know how much he feels like Austin is where he lives now, but a lot of his new friends and co-workers came and hung out and kept talking about how awesome our house is and I think it made him proud to show it off. I am hoping this makes him a little more excited about living down here. He seemed to have a really good time and then had had the day off today so that was nice for him.

We have both been staying busy with work, we actually got to hang out a little bit on Saturday before the party and that was the first time I have sat down and chatted with him in quite some time. I feel like our paths just barely cross these days. I am old and he goes out and is social or I work the night shift and he works the day shift. Regardless, it was good to actually get to see him this weekend quite a bit and get to hang out with the kid.

I work overnight tonight - obviously - and then back again tomorrow night. I am actually hoping to get canceled tomorrow night because Brandon is coming in town at noon on Tuesday and I don't want to be all groggy and grouchy trying to pick him up from the airport. Plus, I will be a terrible host and not wanting to show him around Austin at all if I am functioning on only 4 hours of sleep. We only have 5 patients on the unit right now so it looks pretty promising.

So yeah, Brandon gets in on Tuesday and then I am off pretty much the rest of the week! I have an 8 hour shift on Wed and then we are just going to play and do fun Austin things all week while he is here. It is his first trip to Texas so I am going to hopefully send him back to Philly with a great first impression. Its always a lot of pressure to show someone around...especially when I don't even feel like I know Austin that well myself. Oh well, I am sure it is going to be great. Lots of pictures to come from the week I am sure. I didn't manage to take a single picture from the party last night - I am not sure how that happened and I am a little disappointed in myself. Highly unlike me.

A Loser No More!!

I finally got out of the house and was social this past week...take that Keaton!! Alas, he wasn't around to see that I was cool and have friends and could actually leave the couch and do more than read and work, but that's okay because I had a great time. Keaton was in WFalls till Tuesday afternoon so I had the house to myself all weekend. I am housesitting for Susan so I was kind of back and forth between her place and mine making sure all animals were fed and happy and taken care of. I have a hard time sleeping in a strange house, but I managed to stay over there till 3 or 4am most nights. Just to keep the animals company. And then I was reminded of why I have a strong dislike for cats. I am allergic to cats and so is my dad, or at least this was the excuse to why we could never have one growing up, and I was always pretty okay with that. I have never really cared for cats as a species so I didn't feel as though I was missing out. And after spending a few days with Cocoa...I realized that I was DEFINITELY not missing out. I wake up the first morning of my housesitting experience to find feathers...everywhere!! I was so confused until I realized that it was a BIRD!! The cat had brought in a bird and mauled it. It was probably the grossest and most horrific thing I have ever seen...definitely ever woken up to. I panicked and called Alyssa at work because she has a cat who does this and I knew she would know what to do. And thank goodness I did, she recommended vacuuming up the feathers which was brilliant because I was planning on sweeping them into a dust pan or something. I don't care that I am getting paid to do this...I am not getting paid enough to clean up dead birds. It was horrible. Luckily I made it through and got it all picked up. Gross. So gross. But don't start thinking that things got better...day 2 I searched around and everything was fine, but on day 3...ANOTHER BIRD!! What kind of crazy hunter cat is this!?? And why wasn't I forewarned about this?? So bad. Regardless, tonight is my last night of doing this and I am just praying for no dead animals to be waiting for me in the morning. Fingers crossed.

Onto more happier things...wow. On Friday night we decided that we were going to go out on the town and so we got all dressed up and ready to go out. It had been a while since we had gone out so I was pretty excited about getting out and dancing. Plus I had gotten my haircut that afternoon so it already looked awesome and that made me want to go out in public too. I cut about 6 inches off my hair so it was a bit of a change for me. Me and Robin, Alyssa, Kristen and Jayna all went out and it was a super fun night. So fun that Alyssa and I actually lasted past 1am we never do that!!

Then Saturday, I went to lunch with Alyssa and Kristen and Kathy!! Kathy is one of our patients who went and had a bone marrow transplant a few months ago and is finally allowed out in public...to a point. So we have been dying to see her and lunch was amazing. I felt bad for her because she almost didn't even get to eat with all the questions we were asking her. It was so great to see her and she looks amazing and is doing amazing and it really made my day to see her and spend time with her.

Sunday, Alyssa and I went to Barton Springs to lay out and swim and we had a great time. We almost got too lazy to go, but I had never been and have heard all about it and so I was glad that we finally got moving and went out there. It turned out to be amazing to lay outside and I had such a great time. A seriously great weekend all around - I rarely have that many days off work so I am happy with myself for taking advantage of them. Then I had to get home and nap because I worked overnight on Sunday. The night went by super fast and next thing I knew I was back in bed on Monday morning.

Then Monday, after sleeping most of the day, I met up with Alyssa and Paul at Alamo Drafthouse to see Pineapple Express. I had also never been to this amazing movie theater that served me fried cheese and a soda during my movie so I was pretty happy. The movie was amusing and the food was awesome. What a great way to spend my Monday afternoon.

So, overall, the week has been really great. I had to work yesterday and tonight and I am off tomorrow so I really need to get some things done. The house party is Saturday night and I still have so much unpacking and organizing to do before anyone can come over. Luckily I have the whole day off on Saturday too. Phew. Keaton is back so I will make him help too. Hahahaha. Gotta get to bed so I can get up early and get started on getting things done!!

And this is why...

I will always be single. Hahahahahaha. Lexi loves the new house mainly because she gets to sleep in my bed again. At my old apartment, the bed was upstairs and she couldn't get up them so she had to sleep in her crate. For being such a hyper dog, she is so lazy as soon as she gets on my bed. She gets under the covers and then in the mornings, I have to physically pick her up to take her outside. I think she would lay there all day if I let her. That is why I know she is definitely my dog.

I have finally begun the unpacking process. Its going to be a long one for sure. I got all of my clothes washed and organized and put away and I have begun on the kitchen. The bathroom is done and thats about it. I need to start putting away all the little knick knacks and books and whatnot. I am just dreading it.

Also, I have come to realize that I am a 26 year old with a 22 year old son. I have become my father in that when Keaton doesn't come home at night, I sit on the couch and "rest my eyes" waiting for him to come in the front door. I am a worrier by nature anyway and this is definitely not helping that at all. I try to parent him and he just grunts and walks away. I think I have officially lost my role as the cool older sister and have now becoming some nagging girl who lives in the same house he does. Every night he will ask what I am doing and I am usually working and then coming home and reading or something and I think he is disappointed in that. I am old and he doesn't realize that. I cannot stay out late every night and the nights that he is out past 4am are killing me!! I know he can take care of himself, but I seriously cannot relax till I know he is home. Not to mention that I find myself setting my alarm to check and make sure that he gets up for work. Yeah, being a parent isn't that great. I knew I only liked kids under the age of 5 for a reason.

I have Friday and Saturday off of work this week and I am going to try and finish unpacking while also trying to have a social life - maybe he won't think I am such a loser then. Although, he is going home to WFalls for the weekend so he won't even know. I have plans with Kathryn and Alyssa in the next few days and I am excited to hang out and relax and maybe even get to go to the pool or something. I am also starting to house sit for Susan for the next week while she and her family are in Colorado. I feel like its an easy way to make a little extra money because we all know I am poor. Plus she has an amazing bathtub!!!

Its been 8 years...

Since Keaton and I have lived in the same house. That is a long time. When I left home, he was 15 years old. A lot of people asked me if I thought we were going to have a hard time living together and it honestly was not something I was ever worried about. And it has been just fine. He and I get along really well, we always have, so I am actually really enjoying him being around. It is more of an adjustment for me to get used to not living alone than to living with my brother. My only complaint would be that he has never really had to pay bills so he doesn't understand the concept. I will go and buy groceries and he will eat them or I will come home at 1am to him sleeping and every single light in the house being on. He doesn't realize that toilet paper doesn't just magically appear and that you actually have to go and buy it. I am hoping that in due time, he figures these things out. Either way, we are having a good time and getting along just fine.

I am beginning the unpacking process tonight. No fun. I was supposed to work overnight, but I got canceled because we have hardly any patients on the unit and I guess it was my turn. That kind of stinks because I am so poor, but oh well. I have no excuse to not unpack now...plus it has been nice to have the entire day off. And I actually feel motivated to unpack and start getting organized. Yea!!

Lindsay came in town this weekend so I was able to hang out with her yesterday and grab lunch and then meet up with her again after I got off work last night. I was so glad to see her and we had a blast. I am planning to get up to Ft. Worth to see her for her birthday weekend in September, I am really looking forward to that.

Keaton started his job this weekend and seems to like it okay. Of course Keaton doesn't say much so I don't really know any details, but I am hoping that once he gets busy with work, he will meet other people and be busy and will start enjoying it a lot. At least he is not sitting at home every day now and he will be getting a paycheck which is big news.

Other than that, just trying to get settled...register for school, keep working and then we are having a house party on the 16th so I definitely have to be unpacked by then!!

Finally!!

I am moved out of my old apartment. It was a long and drawn out process (made only that way by yours truly), but I am only living at one address now. Feels good. I am super excited to be settled and have all of my stuff in one house, but I am depressed when I look around and just see box after box covering my living room/dining room/kitchen/bedroom. Where did all of this stuff come from?? I mean, seriously!! So now I guess I have to do some serious unpacking and organizing of all of my stuff, but at least it is all here now. That is something.

In other news, Keaton got a job today!! Yea!! He is going to be working at this really fun Tex-Mex restaurant that is literally 7 blocks from our house called Trudys. He got the job today and actually starts tomorrow and then works all weekend. I think it might be a little bit of a rude awakening for him to actually have to get up and go to work seeing as how he hasn't done that in about 6 months, but I definitely think it is a good thing. He has been getting bored sitting around and doing nothing, plus he needs to start supporting himself. So I am excited and proud of him...I just hope he likes it and sticks with it!!

I have had the past 2 days off to clean and try and get things done, but I was having a hard time getting motivated. Luckily for me, I work better with a deadline and have managed to knock it out in a pretty timely fashion today. I have to work all weekend so I guess the unpacking part will have to be put on hold, but that is more than okay with me. Lindsay is coming in town this weekend and I am so excited to see her!! I felt like I was seeing her fairly regularly for a while there and then I haven't seen her in what seems to be like forever, but I think is only around a month or so. Regardless, it will be super fun to have her in Austin. I love having visitors.

It is so hot here that I absolutely hate going outside. It is currently after 6pm and still 101 degrees outside. That is just ridiculous. I am already extremely ready for Fall to start...this weather makes me hate Texas.

Not a whole lot going on lately, just trying to get settled. I hoping that now that I am moved into the house and once I start getting paid again and get the money situation caught back up that I will be able to start going out and being social again. I feel like I haven't been able to spend any money lately so I just kind of do nothing and eat sandwiches. Hahahaha. That is okay, totally worth it for the house and I know in a few weeks it will all balance back out again. I have a fun August planned out with visitors and the housewarming party and then already things to do in September. Plus I gotta register for school and finish my last two classes. Busy per usual...

Camp.

So, I took well over 200 pictures at camp and decided it might just be easier to send out an email about how amazing it was and the experience that I had there. There was just too much to say and far too many pictures to put on a blog. It was a week that changed my life and a week that I will never forget. I could probably go on for days about how amazing it was, but the pictures are up on my flickr website and I am happy to show them or talk about it with anyone who asks.

In other news, I am finally caught up on sleep and feeling like a normal person. As fun as camp was, it really took it out of me. Between that and getting back and trying to move, I was barely functioning. I am feeling like myself and happy to be back in my own bed with my own normal routine.

As far as moving goes, we are almost there. I mean, I have to be completely out of my house by Thursday, so I don't really have much of a choice. I have been taking a few carloads a day back and forth and I just keep wondering when the stuff is all actually going to be gone. It seriously just seems neverending to me. I am about to head over to the old apartment right now and try and get another load before showering and napping and working tonight.

I cannot wait to be all unpacked and settled and for people to come over and see our awesome new house!! It has been so fun having Keaton here and I think he really likes it. He already has a few friends down here and so he has been able to hang out and get a little bit of a feel for Austin. I think he is going to have a blast living here. And I am happy to have him!!

Quick Update...

I just got back from camp and I had to move immediately the next morning so I am exhausted and don't have internet at my new house till Friday...I will definitely write a blog and update and tell everything that I loved about camp and go on and on about how great my new house is, but at the moment I should be packing up the rest of my closet and then going back to the new house to unpack and continue washing all my clothes from camp that smell like jello and old milk. Gross. Will write soon...

Ahhh...Philly...

Well, I just got back from a fabulous weekend in Philadelphia. I had to work on the 4th of July here in Austin, but I hopped on a plane at 6am on Saturday morning to head back to the City of Brotherly Love. I wasn't really sure what to think about this trip to Philly, but I was excited about getting up there.

Of course it wouldn't be a trip without some funny moments happening all before 10am. I get to the airport and my eyes are barely open, but I manage to find my gate and sit there and wait it out. We board the plane and as they are going over the safety rules, I decided that although Lindsay thinks I could be a flight attendant, I don't think that my voice does that necessary raise of an octave to sound like I care when people ask stupid questions. And here is this weird new thing they are doing on airplanes...no pillows, but they seem to think that a blanket is a substitute for that. A little strange. The first flight was just a quick little hop over to Dallas and uneventful. The second flight made me laugh from the get go. So, here I am flying to Philly on July 4th weekend and my flight number was 1776. Am I the only one who found that extremely ironic and amusing?? Flying to the city where the Declaration of Independence was signed on flight 1776!? And if that wasn't good enough...our pilot comes on over the loud speaker to introduce himself and his name was Tony Stoner. Um, Stoner?? That makes me a little nervous, but also slightly funny. He was really funny and kept interjecting things on the loud speaker throughout the flight. It was rather enjoyable except for the fact that it was 7am and all I really wanted to do was sleep. Either way, we made it safe and sound to Philly...yea!!

Get off the plane and let the fun begin. The weather was a little debatable when I got there, but it got really nice later on in the day. I was so happy to just be actually walking around a city again...despite the fact that I have crazy blisters all over my feet and my legs and calves are actually super sore - I really really did love the walking aspect of the weekend. I am just not used to it anymore. Being in a city like that just makes me smile. Walking around is so underrated. So Saturday was spent napping and getting reacquainted with the city. Hotel swimming and just general hanging out. Saturday night was super fun - Angela came and hung out for a while, a little old school time with the DJing on the computer and lots of laughing. Then we went out for the night...caused a little drama, tried to avoid a little drama and basically just had an overall awesome time dancing and being silly. Then of course there was the late night WaWa run - ahhh, I have missed those so much. I was pretty happy to get in bed to be honest, it had been a looooong day.

Sunday I got up and go to do my all time favorite thing ever- brunch!! Especially brunch in Philadelphia. I am pretty sure I invented that tradition. Grits? Check. Bacon? Check. Pancakes? Check. It was perfection. The weather was really nice so the walk was amazing and brunch was sooooo delicious. Then I went over to see the new baby in the Mansukhani household. Satya is just beautiful and just as cute as Alok was when he was a new baby. She was much chubbier than he was at the age, but man, Anita and Mahesh make really cute kids. Alok was so big and talked so much and was just so funny. It's so crazy hear him talking because I basically raised him and he is a little boy now. I had such a great time getting to see all of them. Then I went out and played in the rain. And by played, I mean, got literally soaked to the bone and it was great. It was warm rain and we walked so many blocks in it. Sunday night was the probably one of my favorite nights in Philadelphia...EVER!! And I lived there for 2 years. We somehow climbed up on top of the roof of the Windsor Hotel...24 stories up!! And we just sat up there and hung out and enjoyed the ridiculous view. I, being the mom I usually am, had to be strongly convinced that it was a good idea to go up there, but I am really glad that I did. It was honestly breathtaking. After sitting up on top of the city for a while, we decided that we needed to do a little fountain swimming. So, we got down and got our suits on and ran over to Love Park and went swimming in the fountain. It was AMAZING!! We seriously were laughing so hard and we had a blast. I honestly loved this night so much. So much.

Monday was a perfectly wonderful and semi-lazy day. Sleeping in, lunching, wandering, it was perfect. I went over to see Lucy and Rose for dinner and I could not get over how big they are now!! My little twins are little girls with long curly hair and hilarious vocabularies. They remembered me and that made me so happy. I could have sat there all day and just listened to them talk and played with them. They are adorable. Alas, they had to go to sleep, but I had a wonderful time getting to see them. I miss those girls. Then it was out on the town for the night. Good Dog and my favorite chicken cordon blue strips. I have been thinking about eating those for like a year now. So good. I love Good Dog. It is just such a normal and relaxed place to hang out. It was super fun and then we called it an early night because I decided that walking around the city wears me out. I am not used to that at all.

Tuesday was my super lazy day. I laid in bed all day and watched TV and it was amazing. I walked up to Center City for lunch and did a little shopping and wandering just because I miss that sort of thing. Luckily for me I didn't really find anything that I desperately had to have because I didn't have a lot of money to spend anyway. Then it was back for a little more laying around then off to Cantina for dinner. Ahhh nachos. My favorite. Cantina was such a good time and we thought about going out afterwards, but decided since I had a 6am flight, maybe we would just watch a movie instead. I am glad we made that choice because there were people out on Tuesday night that I have no desire to really see. Plus, I had way more fun watching movies. Then I had to get up super early to catch my flight. No fun.

Got back to Austin around 10:30 and came home to take a little nap before work. It was one of those moments where I couldn't remember ever being that tired. I almost had to call into work because I was so miserable. I managed to actually make it and survive. Thank goodness. I need the money so I had to work.

I seriously had the greatest weekend. It was exactly what I needed and I am sad that I had to come back. I am glad to be back in Austin and back to my routine and my own bed and my own apartment, but man, I really miss Philadelphia.

And now I am super stressed because I have to work overnight tonight and then back to work again tomorrow at 3 and then I leave for camp at 8am on Saturday!! Oh my goodness! How am I ever going to get everything done?? I need to do laundry and pack and pick up a few things to bring with me. I am way overwhelmed. I leave on Saturday morning and don't get back until next Saturday and that is MOVING DAY!! So much to do. Wow. I will be so much more relaxed come August when I am out of the my current apartment and all moved and settled. It is going to be a busy two weeks, but exciting nonetheless.

Boxes everywhere!!

I actually have started packing. I am so impressed with myself I can't even begin to explain it. I had the past two days off and Tuesday I spent most of the day on my couch, crying at the television - don't ask, but I wasn't sure I was going to make the most of my time because I hardly got any packing done. Wednesday though, I was super motivated and I just started going and it was awesome. I packed boxes and boxes. My whole kitchen and all my books and picture frames and DVDs. Now the majority of things to get packed up are clothes, and well, I can't really do those yet. Regardless, I think it is going to be a fairly quick move. Especially since I am going to have movers come and do all of my big things...that should take 2 or 3 hours tops. Yea!! I cannot believe that it is coming up so soon. I cannot wait to be settled and sleeping in my new house. And I really cannot wait for Keaton to get down here. Although, I think he is going to be in for a rude awakening because I will not be having any of that sleeping all day and sitting around business. I am far too busy to be living with someone who doesn't do anything.

I was back at work today and of course we are still super slow and there are no patients which means I got sent home again at 7 tonight. I was really frustrated because I really need the money, but I would have rather gone home today than tomorrow because its a holiday and I get time and a half and I definitely need that money. I am just going to try to go in a little early and stay at little late tomorrow to make up for it. I don't ever want to hope for sick kids, but I really need to start making my hours or I am never gonna be able to pay my bills. I haven't babysat in so long and that is not helping the situation either.

So I guess that means I don't really have plans for the 4th because I will be spending the day at the hospital which I am more than okay with. I am going to have fun later in the weekend. Yea!! Maybe I will be able to see the fireworks from the windows at work, they said last year that they could. That would be fun for me and for the kids.

Other than that I have just been trying to stay awake. I am not sure what is wrong with me as of late, but I cannot seem to ever keep my eyes open. I think that I am getting enough sleep, but maybe not. I am stressed about a lot of things - moving and money and overbooking myself this month, so sometimes when I get in bed my mind is racing and I can't really relax right away to be able to fall asleep, but it just seems that no matter when I go to bed and when I wake up that I almost always need a nap like an hour later. And even tonight at work I was basically falling asleep sitting up. Its only 9:00 and all of my friends are going out and I am so tempted to just go get in my bed instead. When did I become a huge loser!?? Maybe I am just old...which is also too bad.

I love pool parties!!

Yesterday was such a great great day. We had a going away pool party for a girl that we work with who is a traveling nurse and her assignment is up this week so she is moving to Portland. So on Saturday afternoon, we all met up and spent the day at the pool...eating and just hanging out. It was so great. I made 7 Layer Dip and it was gone in about 20 minutes. We literally spent all day outside until the sun went down. It was so nice. It made me actually love summer in Texas for the first time this summer. Hahaha. The heat is much more bearable when you are in a pool. It was such a great day and so much fun. We ended up going back and sitting on the porch for a while and then cooking another round of hot dogs and hamburgers and then playing Wii for a while. It was my first Wii experience and I am not going to lie...I am a VERY good bowler. I was made for this game. So, it was a really amazing day and so nice to be off work and just be able to hang out with girls that I really enjoy and be able to relax all day long. It made me want to have way more days off though.

Then today I had to work and I was having a hard time getting motivated to get up and get dressed, but I managed. I got to work and found out that we had 2 patients on the whole entire unit!! Are you kidding me?? 2 patients! That is seriously insane. So, obviously I got sent home at 7 because they didn't need me to work. There was going to be only 2 nurses on the floor tonight too. That is just so crazy to me. So, then I decided that I needed to be productive and do something with my free night and so I went over to Kristen's house and picked up a bunch of boxes. She just moved into a new house so now that she is unpacked, I am taking the boxes and packing up my apartment too. Although, I got the boxes home and didn't manage to do anything with them. Hahahaha...they are still in my car. But it started storming here and my electricity went out for a while so I decided that I definitely couldn't pack in the dark. I am glad to have the boxes though because I am off work on Tuesday and Wednesday and that will give me plenty of time to get some things packed up. I just realized that I really need to get on the ball because I don't have that many days till moving day and I am going to be gone for a lot of those days. That is my new goal for the week - start packing!! Ugh...I hate packing.

Other than that, I just worked every single day last week and was super tired and super hot. I am working again tomorrow - I hope. And then the two days off to pack apparently. I cannot wait to move though, I am seriously so ready to get settled into the new house. I am ready for Keaton to come down and for him to love Austin and get to hang out. It is going to be the best time!!

Another one is finished!!

Today was Yazmin's last round of chemo and now she is cancer free and out the door...only to come back to see us as a visitor!! It is so incredibly exciting to see people go through this journey and to be done and go back to living their life. I can clearly remember the day she came in and was diagnosed and it is so crazy to me that her treatment is already over. I am sure it went by much slower for her, but for those of us at the hospital, it just seemed to fly by. She was an awesome patient and responded fairly well to everything we threw at her and now she can go to dance camp and be a senior in high school and grow her hair back and just let leukemia be part of her past. Although, I keep telling her she should stay bald because she looks stunning.

So, because of that, work was great last night. Her mom made a huge dinner for all of us and it was just laid back and we got to hang out and laugh. We were a little short staffed as a unit so I got talked into staying a 12 hour shift instead of my scheduled 8 hour one. I usually don't mind that and I can definitely use the money these days. Plus, once you make it past about 11:00, you are just kind of sitting there anyway...although last night was a little crazy and busy till after midnight.

I am glad to have the whole day off today though. I slept in pretty amazingly and then have been having a hard time getting moving today. I came downstairs and had breakfast and after listening to music on my computer for about an hour, I decided I wanted to go back up and get back in bed. Hahahaha. I am lazy. So I ended up reading for a while and then taking another little nap, which was pretty awesome. My only goal for the day as far as being productive was to get my laundry done and for a little bit there, I didn't think I was going to make it and get it done, but alas, I woke up and got moving and my laundry is currently washing. This is probably my last time to have to do laundry at the laundromat!! I cannot wait to have my own washer and dryer in my house!! Yea!! So, I just have to dry my laundry and then I am going to head over to Sarah's house to hang out with everyone and sit around and be sad that she is leaving.

I cannot believe that she is actually moving tomorrow morning. I am strongly in denial about it. I don't really think it is going to hit any of us until she is actually gone for a little bit and we realize we can't call her to hang out. I have said goodbye to the Robison's before when I left for Florida, but it was hard then. Then again, we survived 8 years of living in different states, we can definitely survive 3. And plus, I still have Kathryn...hahaha. One twin is better than no twins. So, that is my big plan for the night...sit on the floor of their entirely packed up apartment and just laugh and hang out. Then I have a ridiculously long week of work - I work Monday through Friday...blah. But it is like "camp" week at work so we get to dress up everyday and not have to wear scrubs everyday...which is always awesome.

This summer is going by super fast, but I am kind of glad because I am ready to get back in school and get finished and also ready for it to quit being so dang miserably hot outside. I seriously hate walking outside...you just start sweating immediately. It's no fun at all. Oh well, I guess that is what I get for moving back to Texas.

Sunburnt!!

That pretty much sums it up for me these days...I am so sunburned!! It has actually been a couple of days now so it is definitely getting better, but it even hurts me when I am sleeping. I went to Deep Eddy the other day with Alyssa and apparently we are retarded because we both got incredibly sunburned, despite sunscreen and whatnot. I think it was just much hotter than we both thought and we were going back and forth between the pool and just sitting there chatting and not really realizing how much sun we were getting. Either way, I hate getting sunburned, I am too old for that nonsense. It didn't seem that bad right when I left, but it just got progressively worse as the day went one and now here I am on Saturday still complaining about it. Hopefully in the next day or so it won't actually hurt to have a shirt on.

In other news, I have just been working every single day and coming home and sleeping and working again. Not a whole lot going on. I went and took pictures of the house on Thursday and it just made me that much more excited to get moved in. I am dreading packing and all of the money I need to come up with, but I am so ridiculously excited about living there. I think it is going to be so great!! Keaton should be coming down really soon and hopefully finding a job right away and then before you know it, we will be all settled in the new house. Yea!!

I got my cabin assignment for Camp Discovery this week and I will have the Yellow Girls - I think they are in the 10 year old range. I was hoping to have kids a little older, but I am just thankful I don't have the 7 year olds who will get homesick and all of that. I am really getting excited about going though, its only a few weeks away now. I think it is going to be quite the experience and quite exhausting. I did just find out that they have nap time every day though...that made me so happy. I will definitely be participating.

Work is great...Alden finally got to go home, I am so excited for her. I kind of miss seeing her face, but she has to come back for her next round of chemo soon so I am so glad that she is getting to enjoy her own bed for a little while. Yazmin is getting her last round of chemo this weekend, she will be out and home free tomorrow and completely done!! It's crazy that she is already done, it went by so fast. I am sure not for her, but I am just so used to having her and her family around. I am so happy for her to be able to get back to her normal life and go to her senior year of high school and do dance team and whatnot. We just got a new little 5 year old diagnosis yesterday, Grace...she is pretty adorable too. I just love my job because they still act like kids...she was way more concerned about going to the playroom than getting her first round of chemo. It didn't slow her down one bit.

I have the day off tomorrow and I am really looking forward to it. I am going to church and them gonna relax for a bit, but then I am headed over to Sarah and Ryan's apartment. They are all packed up and headed on the road bright and early Monday morning for Alabama. I am so so so sad. I think I am in denial that she is actually leaving, but we are going to sit around their empty apartment tomorrow night and just hang out before they go. I think Kat is going to take it much harder than she thinks. 3 years is a really long time!! It looks like I will need to start looking at plane tickets to Fultondale, Alabama.

That is my new porch swing...I think it might become my favorite thing about my new house...once this weather cools off a bit, its going to be an awesome place to sit and hang out. Can't wait!!!

Take Yourself Back to Work Day...

Oh my goodness how I have missed my little bald kiddos. I haven't worked in so long and I was actually really happy to put my scrubs back on today and see all those adorable faces. A lot of times if you are gone for 3 days you come back to a whole different set of patients, but on our floor, most of them stay for so long that you can almost count on them being there for a stretch of time. So, I was able to get there today and see my cute little Alden and she was in a great mood!! She hasn't been running around and wanting to be an 11 year old pretty much since she got diagnosed, but today she was out with her friends playing in the play room...that was so much fun to see. Plus, she is finally used to her bald head so she wasn't even wearing her hat today. She has the cutest face so she looks amazing bald - even though she doesn't believe us when we say that and she hates it. I have really grown to love her family and their faith and just how close they are and how dedicated to their daughters they are. They are fun to be around and they are so grateful and humble...it makes me stop and remember how lucky I am on a daily basis. I also got to see little miss Sara today, my 3 year old cheerleader, but she was feeling terrible so she was just wandering the halls in her Beauty and the Beast nightgown looking miserable. I feel so bad for them when they are having rough days...it is so hard to watch. I am hoping that she kicks this fever and is back to her perky self tomorrow.

I went to Ft. Worth last night to meet up with my friend Adam from college and then to see Lindsay. I had to babysit beforehand so I didn't get on the road until almost 4 which was a little later than I had planned on, but that was okay until I got stuck in traffic for so long!! It was so frustrating!! Once I got moving, the drive went really quickly, but the first hour was so hot and miserable. So Lindsay and Allison and I went to dinner and met up with Adam and his girlfriend...we had a great dinner and then walked across the street to a sports bar and sat outside and chatted and watch the Celtics just completely outplay the Lakers. That was such a crazy game...it was like the Lakers weren't even playing last night. I thought that Boston would win, but I didn't think that it would be that big of a blowout. Then we called it a night relatively early and I went back to Lindsay's and was able to sleep on my pillow for the first time in 3 weeks!! I was so happy to get my pillow back...tonight is going to be great. Yea!! Got up this morning and drove back with enough time to get a little nap in and relax before work.

I have to work the rest of the week, but I don't really mind because I need the money and I need to keep busy and get off my couch!! Hahaha. I am supposed to be going tomorrow morning to take pictures of the inside of me and Keaton's new house and I am really excited!! I want to be able to show everyone how cute and great it is inside. Then Alyssa and I have plans to go lay out at Deep Eddy - apparently it is some natural springs pool that is big in Austin...it will obviously be my first time, I am sure I will take a picture. Hahahahahaha. I am excited about laying in the sun and relaxing and getting my tan on a little bit. It is much overdue.

Other than that, not a whole lot going on...trying to save money, trying to avoid the heat and really excited about sleeping on my pillow tonight!!

I am wearing my 'praying for Alden' bracelet and it reminds me to pray for her and all my kids battling cancer every time I see it on my wrist. What a great idea and what a great reminder...

Sudden Death!!!

What a CRAZY day for golf!! I thought yesterday was a little insane with the tying putt at 18 to send it into a playoff, but today was even crazier. Tiger held the lead for most of the day and then just let it slip away, but managed to birdie 18 and force Rocco to make a par and then it went into SUDDEN DEATH!! That is soooo crazy. I dont think I have ever watched a sudden death golf match, and I am not sure I ever want to again. I seriously could not breathe. I was way too nervous to ever have to watch that sort of thing again. I was so happy that Tiger won, but then of course I got girly and felt really bad for Rocco. He just seems so sweet and likable and just so jolly...so genuinely happy to be playing and so I felt bad that he went through all of that and then had to walk away with second place. I am sure he was thrilled regardless...his world ranking went from 158th to 47th just after this one tournament. Its probably a good thing that its finally over though because I have done absolutely nothing for the past 3 days while watching the US Open.

Well, that isn't true...I haven't been completely useless. I had a lunch date with Sarah and Kathryn, but I was having a hard time focusing because I kept hoping to be able to make it back to my house to see the end of the playoff round!! I was getting texts keeping me updated which was amazing, but almost worse because then I just knew that Tiger was up and then tied and then down and I wasn't sure what was going on and I needed to be watching it!!! Ahhh!! But lunch with my girls was great, per usual. I cannot believe that Sarah is moving on Monday. What are we going to do without her here?? I don't think it is going to set in for any of us until she is actually gone for a while. Stupid Alabama. After lunch we ran to Restoration Hardware because she needed to return something and then I drove like a maniac to get home so I could see what was happening with Tiger and Rocco. I made it home for the 17th hole and then was able to watch the rest of it until the trophy ceremony. Seriously...so happy.

But seriously...sooo good its over. I need to get off this couch and move on with my life. Tomorrow I am getting up and babysitting for Susan's kids for a couple of hours and then hitting the road to Ft. Worth. I am actually really excited to go there for the night. I am going to get to see my friend Adam from college who I haven't seen in years and who is so great, so I think that will be so fun. We are gonna grab dinner and then meet up with Lindsay and Allison and maybe go out for a little bit in Ft. Worth. I am excited to see Lindsay too, I am disappointed we didn't get to spend the weekend together at Bonnaroo, so it will be fun to hang out for a little bit in person. Plus...I get to get my pillow back!! Finally!! It has been at least 3 weeks and I really need that amazing pillow back. So, all good things to come out of the day then. Mainly that I won't be sitting on my couch all day again. Phew. And maybe I will have something more exciting to say than to just recap Sportscenter every single day on here. Hahahahaha.

I put my favorite picture of Tiger Woods on here. It's a picture of him holding his daughter Sam. I just thought it was so sweet that after he won today he went over and held her. It is his first year as a Dad on Father's Day and I think because this was such a big tournament for him and his own father, it was probably really special that he won this year. Clearly that is just me reading way too much into it and being a creep about how much I love Tiger and his late father, Earl. But I do really believe that this US Open on Father's Day is always the most special to him. Plus, Nike always makes amazing commercials with Tiger and his dad that I love every year!! Nothing will top the British Open commercial where Tiger is like 5 and playing on the course, but this one was pretty good too...