Full Circle

I'm sitting here at work (it probably seems like I'm always at work, not so, I just tend to think more when it's 3am and there's nothing else to do). Anyway, I'm trying to fill out an application to go back to BYU-Idaho. So that made me think of a story.

Let me tell you a story. When I was but a young (and very immature) girl, I went to college. I went to college in Minnesota for a few years and floundered and floundered and floundered my time and money away. (I had fun though.) So when I thought I had done all the floundering I could possibly do, I went to BYU-Idaho (formerly known as Ricks College - who the heck is Rick anyway). I started out pretty good there.....and then I got preoccupied and I started to flounder again. Flounder my time and my money and my grades, that is. I floundered so much that they (Rick) told me to leave..."and don't cha come back no more no more no more no more, hit the road Jack (lynita) and don't cha co-me back no more", he said.

Wow, that hurt. I was so upset, I didn't know what to do with myself. I felt like a total failure. As a matter of fact, I WAS a total failure.

Sooooo, as my life went on, this failure thing started to really affect me. It affected my self- esteem, it affected my relationships, it even affected my marriage. So, one day, I woke up, after having three kids, and decided. That was it. I wasn't gonna feel like this anymore. I decided to go back to school and prove to MYSELF that I WAS NO FAILURE.

So, I did. I went to school. I did my very best in every class I took. (I even WENT to every class.) I did it with three very small children. I did it while I did daycare and transcriptions from my home. I did it through ectopic pregnancies and surgeries and sprained whoozits and whatcha-ma-call-its. I DID IT. I got my RN. I graduated with some very impressive grade-age. (Hey, it's hard to spell words that aren't really words.)

Now, as I sit here, filling out my application for the bachelors RN degree from BYU-Idaho (well, okay, obviously I've taken a break from filling out my application because I'm here now talking to you), I just find it kind of ironic, that I could get a bachelors degree from the very place that told me to get out and never come back. By the way, this isn't the first time I've tried to fill out the application. I think I've printed it off at least 9 times since I graduated. Quite honestly, I think I'm a little scared to go back there. (I wouldn't actually, physically go back there. It's an online program.) I'm afraid they might just tell me to go away again.

So...wish me luck. I HOPE I get up the nerve to apply.... and I hope they let me back in.

It's A Boy!

Tonia (my sister) had her little baby boy today. I think his Aunt (that's me) and his 2 older sisters are IN LOVE. He's adorable, and as you may not know, I have a real soft spot for little boys.

They named him Adam.

Tonia always looks so beautiful after she has her babies. I love you, Tonia, and I'm sooo proud of you

Party's Over!

Well, the party's over. My leg is almost healed, my cold has warmed up, my birthday has come and gone and so I must .....GO BACK TO WORK. :( It's been two weeks since I've worked, and let me tell ya, it's been HEAVENLY. I was so happy to be a little under the weather so I could actually take a break. Is there something wrong with that???

So typically, when I come to work I have one or two kids and nothing much to do but blog and watch a little tv. (after I've taken incredibly awesome care of my patients and their worried parents and made everybody smile, of course) So tonight when I mozied in to work, I was very much looking forward to getting everybody a popsicle and sitting down to watch the finale of American Idol. BUT NO....not for a single minute did I get to watch. I had to ask one of the parents who won..... VERY ANTICLIMACTIC. But hey, at least my guy, KRIS, won. Yay! Whoohooo! Hip Hip hooray!

Alrighty then, back to work I go. (I've got 5 patients and an orienting nurse who decided she was done at 0200 instead of 0600, so I'm on my own.)

YIPPIE KI-YAY IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

Well, really my birthday is on Tuesday, but my hub "surprised" me, wisked me away, and took me down to Southern Utah for a weekend getaway. He planned this horseback riding tour. It was great. We rode up to the top of a cliff and back. This was my hubs first horseback riding experience. I was pretty impressed, he didn't fall off or anything. (well, he almost fell off, but he didn't.)

I tried to tell my hub that the bright yellow canary colored sweatshirt would scare the horses, and he actually bought it, but then I felt guilty and told him that I was really worried more about the cowboy tour guides kicking us off the ranch when he walked up in his bright yellow AE sweatshirt and his expensive loafer dress shoes (they said to wear something with a heel, so he did). Anyway, we had a great time and I really do love my hub.

After a long, three hour horseback ride we headed over to the Sky Ridge B&B for some much needed R&R in the hot tub, as well as some much needed Benadryl. (After I broke out in hives from the horses.)

Then on Saturday we drove through the Capital Reef National Park and took in the beautiful scenery. We would have hiked through it, except I am still gimping around on my injured calf muscle and we both had some seriously sore bums from galloping down the mountain on Big Ben and Dante (our horsies).

We couldn’t believe our luck when we almost got pulled over on the way there AND the way back. It seemed like this cop had it in for us; like he was just waiting for us to get caught in his little speed trap ……..
.......OR WAS HE?????

Let's Talk American Idol

This has to be the best "talent" year ever. I love all these guys. Danny Gokey has a great raspy voice, and who can top his story. (losing his wife and moving forward with his life) Then there is Adam Lambert, new king of rock. I've never heard anybody sing those high notes without bursting a blood vessel. Plus he has such a mellow personality. Last, but not least, my personal favorite, Kris Allen. I'm in love with that bluesy voice with his acoustic guitar. I think he is probably the underdog of the three but I want him to win anyway. Can't wait to see what happens.

Mothers Day

I slept in late for Mothers Day while my kids put the finishing touches on my Mothers Day cards. (All homemade and adorable)

Then when I came downstairs they each (including my husband) handed me their card and a gift. They gave me these Willow Tree figures. I love them. So sweet.

Don't ask me where they got their thoughtfulness from.... A few days before Mothers Day I talked to my sisters about what we should get for our MOM. We decided to give her a Peony bush in a pot, because she loves peonies and she keeps killing them off in the ground. We thought the pot would help. Soooo, Tonia was going to pick up the plant and Shana was getting the pot. My assignment was to get the DIRT. I said to Tonia, ooohhh, so I'm giving Mom dirt for Mothers Day? Yes. So we had a barbeque on saturday and I came with dirt in hand. (Well, not literally, it was in bags.) But when my sisters got there, they had forgotten the plant and pot at home. So, I looked incredibly ungrateful giving my Mom DIRT for Mothers Day. :( Not Cool. So today I took my AWESOME, INCREDIBLE, SMART, LOVING Mom out for lunch to make up for the DIRT.

btw, I lost 1 POUND this week; only 9 more to go. ;)

Don't Try This At Home

Crack the Egg. This is what happens when the cousins come to visit. Noah is in the middle. Hunter, Jacob, Tyson and Erica are the bouncers. We didn't get a video of the back flip one.

Ooooh, Progress Already

Hey, I actually did better with all your support. Like, last night at work I ate raw peas all night instead of the normal IV infusion of oreo cookies I usually eat. (I really hate raw peas, but the nurse I worked with offered them to me. So I ate every last one without even making a "yucky" face.) Then tonight for supper, I made the most oooozy gooooozy pizza you've ever seen.

But, instead of eating the pizza with my family, I ate this instead.

5 year plan

Let me tell ya the difference between me and my husband..... My husbands idea of a 5 year plan is to; refinance our house, pay off all our debts, get a large supply of food storage, and lose less money in the stock market. (basically the Dave Ramsey total money makeover/Glenn Beck preparedness plan) My idea of a 5 year plan is to........WIN THE HGTV GREEN HOME GIVEAWAY. $750,000 dollars, insto presto. Personally, I think my plan sounds alot easier and alot more fun.

btw, don't any of you get any ideas. Don't even think about trying to win it yourselves. It's all mine. Heehee.

Gettin' my MOJO back

I've been trying to lose some weight over the past few months with really no avail. So here's my idea. If I tell the whole blogging world (okay, the three of you who read my blog) that I have a goal, maybe I will feel obligated to report on it and maybe, just maybe, you will leave me encouraging comments to check my progress. Good Idea? We'll see. So, my goal is to lose 10 pounds by July 1st. That's realistic right? 5 pounds a month. So here's how I picture it going down. I will tell you how I did that day, and you will tell me whatever the helk you want about how I did. Okay, deal? Deal. Maybe I'll even post a before and after picture in July. :) I'm serious now. I need your help. All comments welcome. Now let me just wipe the cheesy quesedilla goo off my face and lets get to it.

My Happy Journal Post

I know, that was dumb of me to delete my last post. But, after I woke up for the day, my husband called and said he didn't realize that I was sooo desperately sad. Well, that wasn't exactly the point. The point was that I'm not sooo desperately happy either. So, I felt like he disapproved. Isn't that ironic. Anyway, I erased it. Then I felt bad about that so I tried to recreate it. Well, turns out it's very difficult to recreate something I wrote at 4 o'clock in the am. Sorry, my bad. Anyway, I'll try to give the jist of it again, because I really do believe it.

I was at work reading blogs last night. (Don't think I'm a slacker, there was really nothing else to do.) Anyway, I came to the conclusion that bloggers across America are perfect. Their kids are perfect, their spouses are perfect, and even their hair is perfect. So, I wanted to just lay it out there. I'm NOT perfect. I put up a good facade on my blog. It's like my "happy journal". It's the one where I brag about my kids and husband and all that is good and holy. However, I have another journal. It's the one I hide in my bedroom for no one else to see. The one I write in when I'm sad and angry and pensive and every other emotion besides "blissfully happy". (Hey, I think I remembered that part.)

I think that's the jist of it, and I will try not to delete anymore posts.

I gots me a boo-boo.

Soooooo, about a week ago, Dan and I went to play tennis. We played for literally 3minutes when I said, "Ouch, I think I have a cramp in my biarticulate gastrocnemius muscle." (okay, I probably said calf muscle) So Dan was kind of annoyed and we stopped playing. I came home, put my leg up, iced it and wrapped it in an ace bandage. (because I'm a nurse and that's what we do). Anyway, I thought it was pretty much fine, so on Monday we took the boys out to play tennis. Everything was going just dandy. The boys and I were up on Dan a couple of points in a competitive game of 21. Then, all of the sudden, I felt my gastrocnemius muscle break apart like a piece of wood at a Karate tournament. OUCH*@*^&%. That was it, I could no longer walk. So I hobbled home and nursed my ouwie. I looked up my prognosis online. It looks like probably a stage 2 tear. No problem. I can handle it. It should be as good as new in only 4 to 6 weeks. So I've tried to rest as much as possible, although I did have to work the next night. Not fun! So here is a video of me resting with my boys.

I don't know why, but today it hurts even worse.

Went to a Funeral

Today we went to a funeral for my MIL's brother, Jerry. He died last week in his sleep. What a way to go. I hope when it's my time to go, it's that easy. Dan and I sang "Abide with Me" and Jerry's son, Darrell gave an incredibly well thought out, well composed talk. I think Darrell helped alot of people appreciate his father in a new light. I've always believed the saying that, man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart. Thank you, Darrell, for helping all of us catch a glimpse of Jerry's heart.

Hunter's Hawaii Presentation

Great Job Hunter! If I were your teacher I'd give you an A++ for the great work and for being sooo darn CUTE. Love ya!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup for the Soul

We made the noodles from scratch. Yum, I love homemade egg noodles.
Don't let the tears and sad faces fool you. The boys LOVED chopping the onions for me.

Just a little more Chicken.

....And waalaa, homemade chicken noodle soup, that Noah will actually eat. It's a miracle I tell ya. Those of you that have ever had the privilege of trying to feed Noah, you know how miraculous this is. Ya know the saying, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." Well it looks like the way to Noahs heart is letting him make his own supper.

btw, Jake deserves some credit too. He chopped some awesome onions and, of course, he ate the soup, cuz he eats EVERYTHING. (preferably with Chulula sauce on it)

Well, now I feel bad for leaving Hunter out. He didn't have time to help us. He was busy finishing his State Presentation for school tomorrow. I'll show it to you if he brings it home today. I'm sooooo impressed with his super cool, unprocrastinatory(is that a word) work ethic. :)