Catch Up #3 - Nursing School

I finished nursing school!!!!!! Yay!! It was two years worth of cramming, empathy, irritation, tears, smiles, laughs, realization and gratitude. Graduation was a bittersweet day. I have met four women who have become like sisters. I know that we will be in touch and continue a lifelong friendship.

The week before graduation, I got a phone call to put in an application for a position at the facility that I have longed to work at for years. A few days later, I got called for an interview!!! That evening, I received another call with the offer of a job!!!!!!! Cannot believe that I am so blessed. My first day is going to be June 23. So very excited to be a nurse at the birthing center that I have held in awe.

Catch Up #2 - 30 by 30 Progress

It's been a while since I updated on my list of 30 things to complete before I turn 30. That birthday is now less than a year away, so I'd better hop skip to it!!! Here's my last post on the progress. And below is the update.....

1. Run a half marathon - I completed the Nike Women's Half Marathon on 10/17/10. I hope to run the same half marathon this year. 
                                                      UPDATE!! I did run it again....in 2011 AND 2013!!!!!

2. Begin (and hopefully finish) nursing school - I've been moving up the wait list for our local Junior College program FAST. It's looking like I may be able to start the 2 year program this January. If not January, then for sure August of 2012. This means that pending I don't drop out, I will finish before my 30th birthday : ) 

                                                              I graduated nursing school on May 20, 2014.

3. Visit New Orleans again - putting this on my list may have been a little ambitious. I'm hopeful that this trip might take place the summer after I graduate from nursing school, meaning that I will still be 29.

This is still looking ambitious. We just did a trip to Vegas, and have a vacation planned to Mexico in August.
4. Go backpacking at Five Lakes Basin - maybe next summer.

5. Grow a garden - see #4. Do you think a topsy turvey tomato plant counts????

6. Become a wake boarder - to do this, I must wakeboard. Updates to come.

7. Hike Bishops Peak - hoping to cross this off the next time we go to SLO.

8. Bake something from scratch - I seriously can't believe I haven't done this yet. 

9. Organize all of my photos and place into albums - I'm hoping to do this when we unpack all of our belongings that are currently in storage due to the house remodel.

10. De-clutter and simplify my home - I consider this in progress because we had to clear out 90% of our homes contents. Whilst doing so, I got rid of a lot of stuff. When we move back in, I plan to do another round of clean out and declutter.

This is complete as much as it's ever going to be. I have realized that no matter what, there will always be "stuff". I don't have it in excess, but it's there. I'm human.

11. Take a California road trip - I should probably decide WHERE in California I want to go, as this would be something good to cross off next Spring or Summer : )

12. Learn yoga and meditation - In progress. I've learned some meditation, and I love it. Still trying to get my butt to a yoga class!

Several yoga classes have been attended. And you know what? I don't really love it. It's okay, but if I'm hauling my butt to the gym, I like a little more action!!! Meditation has helped me settle down in the evenings. I am by no means an expert, but the little I do know works for me!!

13. Go wine tasting - finally went last January to Amador County with my girls and LOVED it!!

14. See a Broadway show

Saw and LOVED Rock of Ages!!!!! I WANNA ROCK!!!!!
15. Compile a cookbook of all of my favorite recipes - I took the easy way out with this one a started a recipe blog. Soooo, I guess it will never really be complete since I'm always adding stuff. However, I met my goal of compiling all the recipes I enjoy, so there.

16. Learn to drive and launch our boat

17. Have one day of shopping where I buy whatever I want - I'm hoping I can do this once I'm a nurse.

18. Visit Las Vegas - this ALMOST happened last May, but then we decided to save the money to put toward the house project. Someday....

Done May 1-4 2014. Matt and I went and did the strip sight seeing and also attended supercross motorcycle racing finals. It was a blast!

19. Treat my Mom to a spa day - again, once I'm a nurse. Maybe this will happen on the same day as the shopping : )

20. Play a round of golf with my husband  - I've done this a few times now. It's fun to be out in the sunshine doing something different and active with Matt!

21. Eat rattlesnake

22. Learn to barbecue - I now do the majority of the grilling. I've mastered, veggies (mushrooms, peppers, asparagus, squash), fish, tri tip and chicken. One last thing is pork!

23. Open a retirement fund

24. Get reacquainted with the piano

25. Landscape our backyard - I've thought about this A LOT since starting the house project. Once that's done, I'm sure this will be the next thing we tackle.

26. Go to an amusement park with my husband - honestly? I was at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with him at the beginning of May. I feel like this kind of counts, but at the same time it doesn't because we didn't go on any rides and that's the whole reason that I want to go to an amusement park with him.

For my birthday in 2013, we went to six flags. It was a blast!
27. Learn to make my own green cleaning solutions - in progress. I have the recipes, now I just need to take the final plunge and actually make and use them. Would help if I had a house to clean.

I made the recipes.........annnnnnnd, they didn't work for crap!!! May consider doing some more experimentation in the future, but for now, I'm okay with using the chemicals!
28. Ride a trail on my bike - completed in Tahoe last summer.

29. Find a skin care regimen - love me some Mary Kay because I'm hip like that!

30. Reinvent my wardrobe - in progress. One factor of this is funds. I do feel like I'm dressing more like a 26 year old and less like a 19 year old. That is a good thing.


Well, 14 down, 16 to go!!!!! Guess I'll be busy these next 10 months!!!!

Catch Up #1 - Our House!

Since the last 'real' post I did, I haven't updated with pictures of our home. To make this guy short and sweet, you can see progress posts here, here,here, here, here, here, and here. Whew!!! That's a lot of links, but ya know? It was a long ass project!!! Sooooo, anyway, here's what the joint looks like now. We're pretty happy with it. Now onto the yard!

The kitchen. All we really did in here and the laundry room was paint and replace flooring.

Upstairs bathroom. It is two separate areas, one with the sinks and another with the toilet and tub/shower.

Here's the additional tub/shower and toilet area.

The entry/hall to the stairs and master

Living room - don't mind my FIL and sweet hubby!! Where the two french doors are is where the fireplace (on the left) and sliding glass door (on the right) used to be.

Dining area.

Transition area from living to dining.

Where the new fireplace is. In this picture, it isn't completely finished. We covered it with cedar and it has a really nice beachy look. To top it off, we installed a concrete hearth with a ton of colored broken glass in it.

Powder room off of the entry hall. Some more concrete on the floors and counter.

Master bedroom. Love our french doors.

Different angle of master.

My, I mean our, amazing closet!

Master bathroom.

It's Been a Long, Long Time...

.....too long, infact, to catch up on everything that's happened in the last nine months. In short, our house is 99% complete, I had eight months off of everything - work, school, every day life, I started nursing school in August 2012.

Essentially, I had a wonderful eight month vacation. To be a "stay at home wife" for that period of time, and just have a break was such a gift. No big blabber happenings to tell, just a lot of time in my new home, being with family and friends, and enjoying life. Loved it.

Then, on August 13th, I started my first semester of nursing school. Boy, I was ready, but I wasn't. It is seriously such a committment to undertake this program. And that was just the first semester (I'm now in my second week of the second semester, but that's an entirely different post!). The start of nursing school was slow, but steady. I learned a ton, and made some lifelong friends. I interacted with patients in ways that I've dreamed of, and in ways that were nightmares. But, one thing held true the entire time. I loved it. I loved the labs, the lectures, the studying, giving meds, helping people. I loved the looks on patient's faces when I walked into their room and I could tell they were glad to see me because I was there to help or I had an answer to a question, or I was there to bring them something they needed.

Now, in second semester, I am dealing with that and more. Classmates that do or don't mesh. Family issues of my peers that are causing them to second guess whether they can do the program. Every day circumstances that affect how we all study, deal, live.

Nursing school is my life right now, or so it seems. Really, my life is my husband, my family, my friends. This is a two year snippet of my life that will be challenging, will have many successes and heartbreaks, will bring new friends and trivialities. No matter what it is though, I want to have record. To remember it. So, that's why I'm back. Before, I thought I no longer had the time for this blog. Now, I realize that this blog, in years to come, may help to pass the time.

House Update

Our house has definitley come a long way these last couple of months. I think the pictures really say it all!

This is the master bedroom. With our master tub in the middle of the room. It's not like this anymore, but I don't have an updated picture right now. I love the color of this room and all of the natural light.

 This is the kitchen (duh). First, the flooring is awesome. I'm so glad that we decided to go with a lighter color flooring than we had before. Also, the accent red color under the cabinets give the room a little punch and I feel like it makes the cabinets and counter top look richer.

The living room....we had cabinets made and installed for either side of the fireplace. LOVE. The storage is killer and it completely sets off our living room. We still need to get the stone put onto the fireplace and purchase a television to hang above it.

The rest of the living room. I think the wall color in here is exceptional. All of the light is great too. I'm so glad that I was able to talk my husband into two French doors instead of one.

The dining area. Our house in really open. You can get a pretty good idea from the picture above how things lay out. Our kitchen is to the right in the picture. Any way, back to the dining area. I love love love our new dining set. I'd been eyeing it since last April and finally purchased it in December. I think it looks great with everything else! And the light fixture in here is also a favorite.

Master bathroom. This area actually consists of two separate rooms. The first is the one you see here, with a double vanity and large soaking tub.

And here's our master shower, which is in the second room. I love the way all of the tile turned out. Also note the super cool shower floor!

The huge window in our stairway. Really opens this area up and makes it light and bright.

So there you have it! I'm so glad to have flooring and toilets and showers and such. I'll do another update soon with pictures of how things look now. There have been a few more changes and things seem more put together!

Playing Catch Up...

Where, oh where to begin? I guess I'll just start with an in general "what's been going on the last two months".....

• We moved back into our home on January 7th. And it is sooooooo nice to be home again. While we're ever grateful to those that let us barge in our their lives and homes for eight months, it definitely took it's toll. The house isn't finished, but it's at least livable. A post on the house coming soon!
• On January 4th, I worked my last day at Roudybush. After being employed there for 8+ years, it was bittersweet. I've adjusted to not having a job for the first time since age 16 quite nicely!!
• I am still on the wait list for nursing school and will start the program this August. In the meantime, I'm taking two classes this semester to stay in the groove of school and take up a little spare time since I'm not working.
• We had a nice holiday season. Family, friends and food pretty much sum it up!
• Matt's stepsister, Alex, is getting married May 19th and I'm a bridesmaid. I'm looking forward to her shower, bachelorette party, and of course, the wedding!
• I'm back on the Weight Watcher's train. Over the course of living out of boxes, I gained about 8 pounds. I'd like to get that back off, plus about 10 or so more.

That's the scoop!!!

Well Hello There!

It's been two months and two days since my last post. Not that anyone cares, but ya know, that's kind of a long time. So, why the absence? I really don't know. Basically, it comes down to the fact that we scrambled the last week of December and into January to make our house livable. An update on the old house coming soon. Also, my last day at work was January fourth, and as awful as it sounds that's where I did a lot of blogging because I was in front of a computer all day long. I'll try to be better as I adjust to my new life that does not involve 8 hours at a desk daily. Have a great day and stay tuned for some much more interesting posts : )

Survey Says...

Wrapping paper or gift bags?

I use both, but prefer wrapping paper!

Real tree or Artificial?
It's been real up to this point. I told the hubs that I'm investing in artificial during the sales this year.

When do you put up the tree?
After Thanksgiving, typically within the first week of December.
When do you take the tree down?
After new years

Do you like eggnog?
Not so much....
Favorite gift received as a child?
Barbie's Dream House
Hardest person to buy for?
Father in Law

Easiest person to buy for?
Husband or nephews and nieces
Do you have a nativity scene?
No...
Mail or email Christmas cards?
Neither. I don't partake in Christmas cards
Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Pot and pans - that's house stuff
Favorite Christmas Movie (not cartoon)?
Toss up between National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story
When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Late August/ Early September
Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Any and all appetizers

Lights on the tree (colored or clear)?
Clear

Favorite Christmas song? Carol of the Bells

Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Home
Angel, star or ribbon on top of tree?
I like stars!
Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Both!!
Turkey or ham on Christmas day?
Prime rib

What do you want for Christmas this year?
Besides the obvious of a happy, healthy family, I'd love an upholstered headboard, a new camera, matching desks for Matt and I, and a trip to Florida!
Eggnog, hot chocolate, or apple cider?
Hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps mixed in!
How does Santa get into your house? Chimney or magic key?
Chimney

Christmas Memories

I have fond memories of Christmas. Every year was the same, but different. Here is a sampling of some Christmas memories that I have and treasure....

*When I was five, my Uncle Chuck got me the blond kid sister doll. She had lavender, striped overalls and long hair in braids. I named her Patsy. I think she's still in my Mom's attic somewhere.

*My favorite ornament is a glass Care Bear sitting on a cloud. It plays a little tune at the press of a button. Apparently, this ornament was gifted to me by the neighbor on my first Christmas.

*Growing up, my Mom always had an artificial tree. I think this is why going "tree hunting" isn't an important tradition to me. I'd much rather haul a tree out of storage, still decorate it and enjoy it, and then pack it back up without tracking needles everywhere and ruining my vacuum.

*The Christmas when I was 8, I wanted a puppy sooooooooo bad. We had two dogs, and my parents were not budging. On Christmas morning, there was no puppy. I went into the kitchen to get something and heard my five year old brother calling to me that there was one more present. I ran in, expecting my beloved pup to be there. Upon walking in the room, our German Shepherd, Sadie, popped out from under some left over gift wrap. At the time, I didn't think much of it. Looking back, it makes me feel special to know that my brother knew how much I wanted a puppy, and that he acknowledged that at the age of 5 in his own little way : )

*I have always, always looked at presents under the tree in the weeks leading up to opening them. Even still, when I walk into my Mom's house, I head straight for the tree to see if there's any new presents.

*One year for Christmas, I wanted Western Barbie. I spied a gift under the tree that was the size and shape of a Barbie box. I proceeded to tear the corner of the package ever so slightly, and got caught red handed. I didn't get that gift until my birthday in March. And it was, indeed, Western Barbie.

*I have wonderful memories of family on Christmas Eve and Morning. For a long time, we would eat clam chowder from a local restaurant called Morrison's on Christmas Eve. My parents, brother and Papa were always there. Then, when Papa and Dad passed away, we continued to be together. Now, traditions have changed slightly, but we still spend time and cherish it. Love that.

What are your Christmas Memories???

Midweek Confessions

E over at E, Myself, and I is starting a new link up party!! Go over to her page and check it out along with all of her other awesome posts about everything from decorating to her adorable son : )



Here are my confessions this week.....

• I'm pissed that our house isn't decorated for Christmas. And I'm also pissed that it probably won't be at all this year. The remodel has taken it's toll in all aspects of life, and even though I know it will be worth it, I miss my tree and exterior lights and mantel decor. Dang it!!!
• I didn't take the final for my pathophysiology class. And I'm not sorry. You see, we're allowed to drop our lowest test score. I chose to not take the final, and drop the "zero" grade. This made my semester end an entire week earlier. That's why I'm not sorry.
• I have not run since the half marathon in October. I'm a little sorry about that, but not enough to actually run (yet).
• There are only 11 more days after today that I will coming to my office. This = big excitement!
• All I want for dinner tonight is nachos and movie theatre popcorn. Depending on the condition of my tummy after eating that, I might throw in some sour patch kids. No wonder a year ago I had 40 pounds to lose (half way there!!)
• On that note, I haven't counted Weight Watcher points since July. AT ALL. However, I haven't gained any weight. 'Tis good. 'Tis not good that I fell off the wagon. Will climb back on soon (notice the intentional non-commitment to a date?)
• I could have easily stayed in bed until noon today.

What are your confessions this week???

House Stuff

The house is coming along. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Here's what we have left to do:

• Finish installing wood flooring
• Finishing painting trip (living, dining, kitchen, hallway), doors (French doors, laundry room door, and front door) and window trim (21 windows in all, some big, some small)
• Tear old siding off of garage
• Hang new siding and paint it (this will definitely be something we tackle AFTER we move in)
• The tile in the master bath needs to be finished (we hired someone else to do this, thank goodness) Should be all done by Christmas
• Get the bathroom vanities and entertainment center cabinets installed. This is going to be after Christmas. We're having 3 bathroom cabinets built and painted and an entire wall of cabinets, uppers and lowers, built and painted. From what I hear, they're all built, just not painted. And our cabinet makers close the entire week of Christmas. Goody, goody gumdrops. Oh well. The final product is going to be amazing!
• Get concrete flooring installed in powder room along with a matching counter top.
• Install closet systems - this is really only a big deal for the master closet because it's HUGE and it's going to be a pretty intricate little built in system.

Here's some pictures of the progress (cell phone ones, so bear with me on the quality!):

This is when the drywall was being installed. It was so exciting to not see bare studs anymore!

Texture, paint AND light switches!!!

My wonderful husband installing the toilet in the upstairs bathroom.

Carpet went in this last weekend. It looks amazing.

Matt began installing our laminate. We're having this type of flooring in the laundry room (as seen above), kitchen, dining room, living room, and hallway. I am in LOVE with it : )

So.....I'm kind of done trying to estimate when we will move back in. I think I've finally convinced Matt that it's better to wait until the inside is completely done - with the exception of window trim and the powder room. Basically, I want to be able to stand at a bathroom vanity and brush my teeth, do my hair and makeup, wash my face, etc. I would also like to hang my clothes in the master closet and sleep in the master bedroom. Is that too much to ask? I'm optimistic that we will be able to move back in between Christmas and New Year's....

Manic Monday

My weekend didn't start out so great. You see, I was supposed to go to Scottsdale to see my amazing friend, Bonnie, and her family. Thursday afternoon, about 16 hours before my plane was to leave, I got a phone call. Bonnie's son had been puking since that morning. We decided it would be best to postpone my trip, so as to make sure I wouldn't get sick and also that she would be able to adequately care for her sons without being in a martini induced haze as is the case with most of my visits. It's a good thing I decided not to go. Bonnie was sick herself by Friday night, and her other son got it the following day. I'm sad to have not gotten to see them, but am very much looking forward to my new trip in January.

Aside from the above, my weekend included lots of painting (almost there, some baseboard and doors and window trip left to do!). I'll have a post with a couple of pictures soon.

It also included a fight with the husband. We're fine now, but I just have to say I DESPISE being mad at Matt and fighting with him. Especially when it's his doing, and HE needs to be the one to apologize. At least when I'm the "bad guy", once I get over fuming I can be the one to go to him and eat crow when I'm ready. But, it's really shitty when you have no control over how or when an apology (that is very much deserved!!!) is handed out. Talk about a waste of a Sunday morning. BLAH!!

That's all for now. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I'm boring, I know.

Arizona Trip!

Currently, I'm in Scottsdale enjoying some much needed quality time with my dear friend Bonnie and her family!! More updates to come when I return. I promise I won't let the month of November be a pre-cursor to how this blog will be maintained : )

Christmas Wish List

Midweek confessions

E is holding another episode of midweek confessions, which I love. Plus, there's a button now : ) Hopefully soon there will be a link up too!!

• I should feel guilty about leaving my husband alone to work on our unfinished home for 3 days, but I don't. I'm really looking forward to my trip to Arizona to see one of my besties and her family.
• Sometimes, I think it will be weird to not live with someone. We've been out of our home since June 6th, and are currently at my father in laws house. It's wonderful. People like to make us dinner and take our fresh laundry out of the dryer and fold it for us. Read: I'm getting spoiled and may want to move back home.
• Christmas spirit seems non-existent this year. I'm really looking forward to next year.
• I will not have a job in January. I'm excited.

Guess that's it for this week!!

Jury Duty

On November 7th, I had to appear for jury selection. Guess what? They selected me. Yes, me. Out of 122 people, I became juror number 9. And the last 3 weeks have been me juggling everything that I was already trying to keep together plus now this.

I don't really care to discuss the actual trial. I will say that it was interesting, that I learned some things, and that I have a new respect for the judicial system. Aside from that, at this point in time I'm, frankly, sick of it.

Back to regularly scheduled programming!! Here's a bullet recap of what's been going on since my disappearance:

• I only have two weeks left of school = happiness
• I will more than likely only be at my current job until January = scary, exciting, wondrous
• The house is still coming along. Paint is done, hopefully tile and carpet will be complete within the next couple of weeks. Maybe even our laminate flooring!
• Thanksgiving was good this year. We have a lot to be very thankful for.
• Matt and I both have colds right now = misery

That's it for now. Hopefully I can get some pictures of the house progress up before too long : )

Midweek Confessions

E is starting a new Wednesday blog party. And she's awesome, so I wanted to participate. Plus, it's a fun way to ease back into blogging after being gone almost a month (EEK!). Here are my confessions...

• When I first became a juror 27 days ago, I was excited. Now, I'm glad it's over.
• I have not exercised since October 16th when I ran a half marathon.
• Cooking is missing from my life. I can't wait to have a kitchen again. And to sleep in my own house.
• I just applied for 5 other jobs, whilst sitting at my desk at my current job. Winning.

Head over to E's Blog and check out her confessions and all around awesome writing : )

House Inspiration

It's getting to the phase of our house project that I'm beginning to think about design and colors. So exciting. For fun, here is some inspiration that I've found via Pinterest the past few weeks....

I've loved this living room since I saw it about a year ago in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. I think the colors are great, and the room is comfortable. Hoping to get my living room to look like this.

Our dining room is part of our living room, and I think this fits in with the photo of the living. I like that the chairs and table don't match perfectly and that everything is pretty neutral.

We have a window seat in our loft area that will have some form of pillows and cushions. I like the colors used here, but feel like there may be a few too many pillows : )

I want marble looking tile and floor in our master bath. Even though I love this aqua paint color, I'm thinking a dark gray might work better for us. Might use the aqua in one of the other baths.

Love everything about this bedroom. We will have French doors, and we won't have hardwood. But the colors in our room will definitely be similar to this.

And let's not forget the closet. With a closet space that is about 12x7, we're definitely planning on installing some type of organization system like the one above. I cannot wait for built in shoe racks and a place to store my hand bags!!

Hopefully within the next few months, we'll be putting the finishing touches on our abode and I'll be sharing the beautiful outcome with you. Stay tuned!