June 2006 Posts

June 30

Watermelon
I love watermelon. Eating watermelon on a hot day makes me happy. And sticky. It's the best. Lucky me, I had watermelon for lunch.

Long Days & My Mom
So the last couple of days I've made a dent in my arm chair and taken napping to a whole new level. To bad there was absolutely nothing on tv. This "viral ear infection" has been slightly better than miserable. Note to self: when you're starting to feel better, wait a day or two before working out and going back to a normal schedule. At least yesterday I trekked down to the video store and got something decent to watch. "The New World" was beautiful to watch but slow and "Nanny McPhee" was thoroughly entertaining and how can I resist Colin Firth.

Living with your parents, as an adult, has it's pros and cons. In my particular situation the pros far outweigh the cons. I have my very own space, which is almost as spacious as many of my apartments, my parents don't question my comings and goings and they are amazingly supportive of my decisions. That being said, the best part of living at home is still having a mom. My mom was gone most of the time I was sick but returned Wednesday night and last night brushed my hair and massaged my aching head. My mom was given the nurture gene twice and being the only daughter I have received the bulk of the benefit. It's hard to tell a women who has devoted the better part of her life to raising and loving her children that you appreciate it. The words just aren't enough. I hope my life will be a testament to hers and that someday she'll see how much I love and appreciate her.

June 27

Hurray!!!!!! I just received the most wonderful email EVER!!!! The pathophysiology professor at CSUEB emailed and said she'd let me into her class. Why is this so great? The schools in my area don't offer patho unless you're in their nursing program but I need it to get INTO the program I want. So I was registered to take it on-line, which I was dreading. I had planned to take it on-line over the summer but the schedule didn't work out so I was going to have to take while taking Organic Chemistry & Anatomy this fall. And ONLINE!!! I'm a great classroom learner - horrible on-line learner. I've never been so thrilled to drop a class! I'm doing my happy dance.

My Favorite Day
How is it that I can feel so cruddy but as soon as I get to the MD my symptoms mysteriously disappear only to reappear as soon as I leave? I had an appointment today to do my quarterly thyroid blood test and since my ear has been killing me and I feel like I've been kicked in the head every time I move for the past three days I thought I'd mention it. Turns out I have a viral ear infection. So, I feel crappy but there's nothing we can do about it. Hmmm. Great. So on my way back I thought I'd stop by the mechanic as my car has been doing this weird stutter thing and, of course, it drives just fine for the mechanic...until the very end. I'm not crazy after all. Seems I need to replace a couple of spark plugs. I'm so glad it's just spark plugs. The funny thing was, my mechanic made a comment about how symptoms never appear when you're at the MD - cars are the same way - they always work for the mechanic. I had a little chuckle to myself. So after that lovely morning I'm grateful it's Tuesday because Tuesdays are my favorite day. Tuesdays are my "do things that make me proud of myself" day. So on Tuesdays I go to my aerobics class - my sister-in-law convinced me to take Jazzercise classes with her but that's a story for another day - and then I go to Weight Watchers. I do exercise on other days but Tuesday is set aside special for taking care of me. By the end of the day I'm motivated, proud and ready to take on another week. I just hope I feel good enough for Jazzercise tonight but if not I'll still go for a walk and get to go to WW. Tuesday is the best day.

June 26

Riddle
"If a frog falls down a fifty-foot well and has to climb his way out making three feet progress every day, but slipping back two feet every night, in how many days will he escape?"

Answer: 48 days. "The frog climbs one foot per day but on the forty-eighth day, he climbs three feet and reaches the top of the well before he can slide back again."

(Riddle taken from "The Rule of Four" by Ian Caldwell)

I feel like that frog. Two years ago I fell, over the course of a year into a deep well. My health declined, I gained 45 pounds, I accrued a lot of debt and managed to socially isolate myself. It was a pretty bad year and as time went on my desperation led to more bad decisions which led to more desperation and so on. But last December my cousins new wife introduced me to a life coach and with her help, and lots of work on my part, I hit the bottom of the hole and I started climbing out. In the beginning it was 3 steps forward 2.5 steps back but as I grew stronger so did my ability to prevent sliding. Now I'm closer to 3 steps forward .5 step back. I'm not out of the hole yet and some days I can't even see the top but I'm enjoying the trip and I'm pleased with my progress. I've learned alot in this process but most importantly I'm learning to focus on my goals and reach for my dreams. Life is wonderful when you have a goal. So, like the frog, if I stick to my goal and work on overcoming my challenges long enough one day I'll reach the top. Of course then I'll have a new challenge but that's a different story.

June 23

Swimming
I went swimming during my lunch break today. How is that possible? Well, the pool is 5 minutes away, today is casual day, my hair now goes into and ponytail and someone was smart enough to figure out how to make mascara waterproof. So I had 20 minutes to swim or try to get from one end of the pool to the other without drowning. I think the length of a standard lap pool hasn't gotten longer since I was a kid. At one point I could see a lifeguard walking toward me and heard a voice over the loud speaker and thought, "Self, he's coming for you. He thinks you're drowning and is going to try to save you." Lucky for me he was just announcing free swim. All in all it was the best lunch break I've ever had.

Okay, so maybe three posts in one day is excessive but this is all new and fun for me.

About me...
I thought I'd write a list of things about me for your entertainment and so I can numerate all the things I'm grateful for. So here goes.

25 Things About Me

1. I have 3 brothers, 3 sisters-in-law, 3 nephews and a niece or nephew on the way and my parents are still married and like each other.
2. My family (immediate and extended) has the greatest influence and impact on my life.
3. I'm a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons).
4. I still drink Diet Coke almost everyday.
5. I recently went back to school to get my nursing degree - I apply to schools this fall/winter.
6. I volunteer in an ER on Saturday nights and find it as entertaining and exciting as any night out with friends.
7. My best friend lives in CO but once I conned her into moving to CA to be my roommate.
8. I love going on my dad's boat - it's my happy place.
9. There's nothing better than having one or all of my nephews curled up on my lap.
10. Except maybe when they say my name for the first time or tell my they love me.
11. Someday I want my own kids - preferably 4 so everyone has a buddy at Disneyland.
12. I have to find the man of my dreams first.
13. I believe that men are good and dad's are essential.
14. Southern Utah is the most beautiful place I've ever been. I can breathe deeply there.
15. I love to be wet.
16. I'm not scared of heights as long as I'm attached to something.
17. In other words, I love to rock climb (but haven't in to long).
18. I'm always claustrophobic - an unhappy side effect of the 1989 Earthquake. I wasn't in a cozy spot but the image became to clear.
19. I have faith in things I'll never see in this life.
20. As much as I love taking photographs I love developing them more. I believe this is quickly and sadly becoming a lost art.
21. I drive to fast.
22. I want to learn to fly a plane.
23. Cala Lillies are my favorite flower but I'm crazy allergic to Easter Lillies.
24. I'm allergic to almost everything that blooms in UT - I was tested.
25. The older I get the more I don't know.

Starting a blog...
My first visit to a blog was "Confessions of a Student Nurse" a few months ago then came "The Adventures of the Future Dr. Cara" and now my favorites list is as long as my arm. I refer to them in daily conversation like they are my personal friends. The other night I read a lesson for one of my church manuals on the importance of keeping a journal and the thought has been weighing on my mind since. So this morning when I got an email from my sister-in-law that she started a blog "Thoughts of Purple" I thought I might as well jump on the bandwagon. So this blog will probably be as random as my days and my thoughts. If you stumble upon it, I hope you enjoy it.