My dirty house

Well, today I feel so great because I finally did some house work. Jeff is so great and helped me out so much as well. Since school has started I haven't even cleaned my bathroom...gross! But we got to it and did bathrooms, dusted, vacuumed, I did laundry, dishes and I've even done some homework today! I love to feel like I've accomplished something and now my house is clean!! Well, at least for a few days but it was worth it!

Who ever reads this I just also want to ask for you guys to pray for my grandpa, he's just been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. His CT scan came back saying that it hasn't spread yet which is wonderful new... meaning he can go for surgery to remove the cancer and his esophagus. It's really a serious surgery. Pray for both my grandpa and grandma.

Weekends

Finally, the weekend has arrived. During the week I feel so crazy and exhausted that I don't get any of my homework done. Wed, Thur, Fri I just want to come home, eat and watch whatever addicting TV show that there is on that night, but I ususally end up dozing off anyways. Why do I get so tired when all I really do all day is drive and visit clients in their homes. I don't understand but my only guess is that I hate driving and I do it for at least 2 hours a day and then for the majority of my clinical day. It is crazy how far the Cardston home care nurses drive. On Thursday, we were only 10 minutes away from Pincher Creek and we went to a bunch of different Hutterite colonies. It was pretty cool but still too much driving!
But, it's the weekend, time for homework, relaxing and soccer! I guess I also need to deal with work calling every hour too but right now I'm just hanging on to sanity without having to go to work at the moment.
Okay, I need to get back to some paper writing. This year will go on forever, it feels like! Have a good one!

Bethany

Home Care

Wow, has this week ever been crazy. I have no idea how I'm going to finish this semester. I finally had a full week of clinical well Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I'm out in Cardston doing Home Care and I really enjoy it. In a rural town we get to do a lot more hands on and actually seeing clients rather than just paperwork. but i'm not enjoying the getting up at 5am to get there on time! I'm feeling super sleep deprived. Plus I have all my stinking homework to do and haven't even started my one paper! Then of course work wants me to come in all weekend...no way am I doing that! Well, I just want to ask everyone one reading this to pray for Jeff and I and our future. There will be lots of changes coming up again this year with jobs and where in the world we end up. Pray that Jeff finds the right job in the right place. Have a great weekend!!

Wedding Bells

This vase tipped over just as Denea was given away, and got the paper all wet! Amanda was sad that all her hard work got blown away.
The boys and Sheldon posing.
Amanda and Ryan were able to come from the island. We had lots of fun together. Amanda and I got a little lost driving back to our hotel the one night but still had a good time!
Me and my sexy honey!
The wedding was beautiful, especially the bride and the flowers (Amanda, Mom, Grandma, Paula and I did them!) I had to do the bouquets and was stressed out, but I think they looked nice. I think my new calling in life is a florist! Forget nursing!

Now we are happy to be home and need some time to recover...and catch up on homework. But of course now I'm procrastinating and blogging my homework day away!

Happy Birthday

Well, my birthday isn't for another 3+ weeks but my wonderful husband Jeff surprised me early with my gift. Since we've been married I told Jeff that for his gift to me when we have babies I really want a rocking chair because all moms should have one. Well, I didn't really think he was listening but he got me a rocking chair for my birthday and it's not just any rocking chair...he made it himself! Right now he's working at a furniture manufacturing factory and he found the design and got one of the guys to help him make it. So now I have this gorgeous, solid oak rocking chair that my husband made for me. Now all we need is babies! Well, we're not working on it yet but maybe when I'm done school.

Speaking of school, I'm already tired of it even thought it's been going well so far. I'm in a regular nursing class learning about management isues, I have an addictions class which is so interesting and I'll learn a lot and then clinical will start on October 4 and I'll be in cardston with home care. I haven't really had a community rotation so I'm sure I'll learn tons.

Me tired of doing homework.

Dumb, dumb, dumb

So, I'm dumb. This past weekend and you all know we took the youth group camping to Sylvan Lake and I was trying to hard to not forget any of the food or camping stuff that i totally forgot my camera. So if anyone is reading this and has pictures of the weekend...please send them to me! But we had an awesome time playing volleyball, sitting on the beach, swimming in the freezing water, playing cards, go carts, hiking and sitting around the camp fire.

Of course there are always things that go unexpectedly on youth trips. First of all we were stuck in traffic for 2 hours in calgary because of a huge accident on deerfoot but thank goodness we were quite far behind it. Plus we had a pretty fun time anyways and our drivers were so amazing... I would have been freaking out... well I probably was anyways. then we went to the sylvan lake waterslide on the Saturday and they were closed! There website said they were open until the end of September but it was wrong!! We still had a great time and in true CDCC fashion... it rained on Sunday morning. We haven't had one trip yet where it hasn't rained! Luckily it was only for the one morning!

Finally a weekend.

Since I worked the entire long weekend, I decided to take yesterday and today off as a replacement even though I felt really guilty about it. I think that people will think I'm lazy because I didn't work today or yesterday because after all we DID just have a long weekend but in reality I didn't. I worked a few nights and felt like I was goin to die afterwards... I didn't eat when I got home or wake up to eat at lunch and felt so nauseated for the rest of the day! Yuck! So I've learnt my lesson and should pull my act together. I'm also very excited because this weekend we start youth with our campout weekend. Jeff and I did the grocery shopping tonight and packed up the trailer a bit. I'm so excited because I haven't been camping since the May long weekend (because I work every weekend) and I wanted to go camping lots the year, which didn't happen. But at least I can relax this weekend and have so much fun with the youth. I love those guys so much and they are absolutely great. This trip is going to be sweet. We are going to Sylan Lake and doing all kinds of fun stuff there. I'll post pictures when we get back.

School is fun...and by fun I mean not fun.

So I just found out my clinical placement for the fall and guess what I'm on 4B the cardiac unit that I work on!! Really this is a pretty awesome thing because I know all the staff and the routine but I don't think it would give me a very well rounded education that I've been hoping for. Really the U of L hasn't given me the education I've been hoping for at all. Why am I paying thousands of dollar to do problem based learning which really means " you pay us lots of money so that you can teach yourselves everything that you need to know." What a rip off. I'm just dumb and should have whined and said I can't do medical because I work there! I just don't like to be a whiner but look at me now. I have to blog my frustration to the world. All I have to keep telling myself is that it will work out and I'll be a great nurse. I'm just worried that I'll end up working in the hospital for my entire life and not even know about all the other opportunities that are out there for nurses to do becuase I've always worked on a medical floor. then again maybe it is my calling in life to be a cardiac nurse and save the lives of the critically ill. I don't know... I wish I knew what I'm supposed to do with this nursing degree! If someone would like to tell me what area of nursing I'm meant to be in it would be greatly appreciated! My dream would be to be a school nurse but I don't think there is such a thing anymore, or I'd like to maybe teach nursing to others one day. The problem is there is just too many options. I will just have to pray that God leads me in the right direction and that he will use me wherever I end up!

Leaks and toilets

On Sunday I suddenely got violently sick! It was unreal how much one person can throw up and i was so disgusted.To top it all off I had a scheduled shift at the hospital which never happens and I had to call in sick. That's happened twice now and I've been sick only twice since the spring semester has been finished. But now I'm really turned off food and it is such a chore to actually eat something. I'm sure it won't last for long though because I'm a foodacholic. Exciting news, we finally got our brand new WHITE toilet and sink in our bathroom and our beautiful non gray lino as well. But the down stairs toilet is continuing to lead. Apparently old toilets don't seal as well after you take them off. I'm feeling like a handy man now that Justin, my brother in law showed me how to remove a toilet and not make a mess but I'm still no good at replacing anything. Demolishing things is always more fun and a lot more quick.

Schools OUT!

I am just so excited because my summer class is finished! I didn't realize how excited i was until I handed in that final exam, stepped out the door and couldn't stop smiling. What a relief. Now I'll be able to have a lighter course load in the fall and hopefully learn all the many nursing skills and knowledge that I need in order to graduate and actually be a good nurse. I've realized that there is so much to know and I feel so inadequate the majority of the time. So I suppose I'll just keep on learning for probably the rest of my life but thats not a bad thing. So from now until Sept 11 when I start school again I'll just be working my tail off and cleaning my house once the lino is in, which will be Monday!

What a week!

I'm always amazed at how life always seems to catch up on me. I think I have things under control and then wham... it sneaks up on me. But I'm extremly happy because
1) Jeff is finally home from his vacation on the island. He had a great time and was happy to see his brothe Ryan
2) I just finished my last assignment for my summer class. I probably won't do great on it but... who cares... it's done and I'm not going to think about it any more.
3) only one week left in my class
4) I finally got another shift at the hospital ( Iwonder how long work will be on my highlight of the week list)
5) only a few more days until our lino gets put in and i can start putting our house back together.

Missing You

My honey went to visit his brother on Vancouver Island today and left me behind. I was so disappointed that I couldn't go because I have a summer class right now and am trying to study and finish an assignment.But it is great that Jeff finally gets some holidays from wonderful Braman Furniture and relax for awhile. We left Lethbridge for Calgary at 0230. Way too early! After I dropped Jeff and his brother Nick at the airport I had an amazing drive home watching the sun rise. I've never been to Calgary and back before 0700. What an experience. Well sweetie, I hope you are having a great time with your bros and I'll be thinking of you tonight when it is our usual snuggle time! Hugs and kisses.

Ode to Janessa!

Love ya babe!

This is for you JJ!

Sorry, right now my computer is being gay and won't let me post any pictures. I'll try again after my class. Sorry Janessa!!

Table for sale

Yesterday, Jeff and I went and found new lino to put in our two bathrooms. It was quite the exciting event as those bathroom need new flooring so bad. As you all know the downstairs bathroom was demolished by Cooper the dog and the upstairs bathroom has looked like someone stabbed the lino repeatedly since we have owned the house. But alas, I found out the lino can't be put in until Aug 14 becuase the company we hired can't do it until then. Sigh... So we can't get the upstairs toilet put back in until after that and the house will just remain a little messy. I just like to get things done and I guess that renovating has taught me to just be a little more patient. I think it as also made me just relax a bit more about the appearance of my home. I like to be neat and organized but I should just give it up for now because it is just not working. Right now Jeff and I are sleeping in the basement becuase it is just too hot upstairs and our living room has our old kitchen table in it. my house is just in disarray. Oh if anyone wants our old kitchen table let me know. we are trying to get rid of it! Anyways, bye for now.

Crazy

The dog tore up more lino. I'm gonna lose it.

Flowers and Puppies

So last night was so much fun. The concert was great and it was nice to be able to dance and laugh with Jeff as well as make fun of drunk people. Stabilo put on a great concert. When we saw them in Calgary the played Rocky Raccoon by the Beatles which was so sweet... my two favorite bands rolled into one. But they didn't have time and really they should be showing off their own music but it would have made my day.
Other than that, I'm just waiting for the phone to call to go to work. Being casual can have it's benefits like today is my third day off in a row but then I mostly end up working weekends. ON the other hand I rarely put in full time. One pay period I did work full time and I was so tired. I now have gained so much respect for Jeff as he works full time every week at a job that he doesn't like at all. Plus he's been there for two and a half years. His determination and hard work ethic amaze me as he provides for us. I just pray that as soon as I'm done school he will find the job of his dreams because he sure does deserve it.
I've also been amazing myself. I planted flowers in my dirt in the back yard and some have miraculously have stared to grow! I feel like a gardener. Even though a few have died already it has not deterred my enthusiasm.
Lastly I have picture of the puppy. I'm ready to kill him. He's already tried to rip up our brand new carpet, he's torn up lino in the bathroom, chewed the crap out of our plunger handle and peed in the house once. He has now become an outside dog for the remainder of his stay!

Fun and Games

So tonight I'm so pumped because Jeff and I are going to the Our Lady Peace concert but guess who's opening for them... Stabilo! Anyways, the band stayed at my parents house and got into town last night. Even though it was late we wanted to see Chris so we headed over and hung out for a bit. It's always nice to see my cousin! Anyways we had fun showing the guys the giant gong at the Japanese gardens and of course they had to ring it! Did anyone hear it last night... that was Jesse and Chris. Crazy guys! Well, they are all pretty cool and if you can still get tickets for tonight you should go becuase it's going to be one amazing concert!!

Nothing much.

So...life right now isn't all that interesting. I realized this when the highlight of my week was receiving our new garbage can from the city. You know, the big plastic one that the special truck picks up with this arm and dumps into the truck. Yes, once again technology is replacing humans. Isn't it wonderful? I suppose that this week should be interesting. I'm working this weekend and that always leaves me with fun and interesting stories and Jeff and I are taking care of his mom's dog Cooper. He's crazy and has too much energy. How will I ever be able to be a mom to a bunch of kids when I can't even keep up to a dog. Everyone ... when I do get pregnant... pray for me because I'll need the extra help! Speaking of prego... I went to my friend Kristi's baby shower. She's having a baby girl and it's so exciting. She's going to be such a great mom and she's so cute. We went swimming and Kristi wore her bikini. I think it is so awesome when pregnant women aren't afraid to show their belly. Anyways enough baby talk.

Operas

A few months ago Jeff told me that I had to make sure that I booked July 7th off of work because he had a surprise for me. Well I asked so many times what it was and he would never tell me. Well, it ended up that Jeff got tickets for us to go to Calgary to see The Phantom of the Opera! I was so excited because I'd never seen it before but I love the sound track and the movie. Plus my husband HATED the movie and I would have never guessed in a million years that he would do this for me. He is so thoughtful and wonderful. Anyways the play was amazing and absolutely perfect. The singing, acting, sets... it all was what I hoped for and more. I think I am totally hooked on live performances! It was also a good trip because I actually drove in Calgary which I'm terrified of but I've decided I need to face my fears! Anyways, in the end Jeff actually liked the play a lot and we both had a great evening!