our house!

some pictures of our house :]

the keyboard downstairs

downstairs/fireplace

downstairs

bedroom

new TV from the Lucias

tony eating dinner

deck/flower planters

view from our porch!

front door

front view

dinning room table and buffet

kitchen

tony + living room

office

the simple things in life

today I remembered the joy of some of the simple things in life as I enjoyed a wonderful dinner and amazing company with my husband, my best friend and her husband, and my sister, brother, and mother.

the conversation was lively and engaging, intelligent and silly, and the food was merely the background to our fellowship.

it was a wonderful end to today.

ode to polyester

oh polyester

how terrible you are

yet I must wear you constantly

the Marriott uniform

the terrible chorale dress

oh the sweat cannot escape you of polyester, it merely remains close to my skin and prevents cooling

oh the air cannot come inside, you impermeable fabric

you flatter my body not

you cling during the heat

you make me miserable when I wear you

and make me want to take you off as soon as I put you on

you do not breathe like my friend cotton, yet you remain easy to care for and unwrinkled during all times

oh polyester, how I hate and love you.

especially in black

the stress

Is squishing me

la la study, la la study

Today has been a productive day of studying (except for this part clearly).

I have found a good pattern. But if I leave the house at all, it throws things off. Never mind about that.

So today I did lots of prep tests, and complete some chores, and added to my significantly large stack of flash cards, and printed out a 14 page very slimmed down drug review.

I am still behind schedule, but have accepted the fact that I could push push push, but that just doesn't really lead to any good. I have been doing better by not feeling pressure to slam through tests, and learning more.

So I think it's possible that I will not finish ALL the questions, unless some tests are shorter than planned, but maybe I will depending on how much studying I want to to in the last days before the test.

On a good note, the nursing admin from Evans contacted me today (as I was literally about to) to follow up about the NCLEX and employment there, so it sounds like I have not been forgotten and that I still have an excellent possibility for a job there. Exciting. Nothing worse than passing, then still getting turned now for jobs.

So for now, I go take the tilapia out of the microwave after defrosting, and do 1 more review test before I start dinner.

saga update

we couldn't return them. so now we're stuck. and both of us like our verizon ones better. i wonder if i can sell them online and make profit or if i should just keep them as back up/alternative and swallow the cost.

i'm just frustrated about it all. and tired.

The Cell Phone Case Saga

I am frustrated, not goin' lie.

I most certainly went to the Verizon main store today near us, and not only do they have cheaper cases, but an almost equal selection to the stupid rip off cell phone store (and obviously way better than the verizon mall kiosk), and we get our 25% off, making them almost $7 cheaper to get one at Verizon, plus I like mine better anyways.

Now I am just hoping that the stupid scheming little man at the generic cell phone kiosk will take his crappy overpriced product back after not even helping us pick anything out. I mean more power to him for having his own business and such, but if other business will take things back and you know, issue things like receipts regularly, than so should they.

So for now I hope that we can take the other ones back (have to wait until Tony gets home with his) and keep the ones from Verizon, but if we can't, we will either have to return the Verizon ones or try to sell the other ones online to keep from losing so much money.

Poo.

I should have trusted my instincts and waited to go back to the store before purchasing.

Such is how I shop... it's a saga.

old one from generic kiosk for me

new one from Verizon I picked for tony

new one from Verizon for me

Insomnia

For as long as I can remember, I have had a little insomnia. Not terribly chronic, and possibly directly related to caffeine, but about once every month or so, there is a night where I cannot only sleep, but am not really sleepy at all. I know I need to sleep, mentally, and because I always want to cry on these nights which has no relationship to anything except that my body needs rest, but my mind is not on track with that plan.

I guess there is hope for me on the graveyard shift as a new grad RN.

This is the first night since being married that this has happened, and it was amazing to realize how lucky I am that at 1:30 am I can crawl into bed and tell Tony I am not sleepy and he will still wake up enough to say "sorry honey" and roll over and put his arm around me to make me feel better. He also listens when I tell him I'm scared to be a nurse.

So I laid there for a while, envious of his ability to sleep, but then decided to fuel my internet addiction while being unable to sleep.

We bought new cell phone cases tonight. This is the 3rd for me. Erin convinced me to buy a hard case after my slide in "pouch" style I first got, and I liked it, until I dropped it and it cracked, and I glued it back together 3 times until the glue just wouldn't take anymore, and I decided this was a chance to try something new, and possibly improved.

But Verizon was closed by the time we got there, so we hit up the mall for the Verizon kiosk, which was alright, then went down to the generic cell phone booth and both got silicone cases. Pics to follow.

I am having a small about of buyer's remorse after reviewing Verizon's website and seeing that there was a silicone case available online/at the store for less than what we paid (which was less than the kiosk) especially with our 25% discount. I might still go check it out tomorrow and see what the deal it. If in store it is that price, then all for it. If just online, I probably won't feel so bad. This is the problem with me shopping.

Cest la vie, I tell myself, even though I am still thinking about it hours later.

Tony keeps me grounded and continually tells me we made the right decision and that he likes the one I got better anyways because it's more "me." I am pretty lucky.

And so for now, I stay awake. I even made the dog stay in the bedroom to get some shut eye (not that she isn't lazy all day). I used to take OTC "sleeping pills" which is pretty much benadryl in a different package, but I have cut them out since being post nursing school, especially since I really just stay home most the time.

The productive thing to do is to study more for the NCLEX, but who really absorbs things at this hour anyways?

'nuff said

These, are the Days of our Lives

I blame Erin for getting me into Days of our Lives, and I won't lie, I am addicted. Brad and Tony have to put up with it too if I don't get to watch it before they get home.

I love the drama, and how you root for the good and bad, the complete breakdown in good relationship techniques, and the semi-mob like activities that occur in this town.

I also enjoy the fact that everyone has amazing houses, yet hardly ever works, and the foliage everywhere is perfection, which cannot all exist in the same town. Really.

There are people who have been watching this show for decades, and can tell you the whole family tree- it's insane. Lately they have been doing little trivia bits during the show's commercials and it's amazing to hear things like "I joined the cast in 1990, who else joined in that year?" How many TV shows do you know that have lasted more than 10 years?

Soap operas are truly a genera of their own, and I have been sucked in. Erin and I joke about the day when we will say to our nurse "I can't miss my stories" haha.... we are the few who actually understand and enjoy those patients.

I think that these TV shows bring a little bit more joy and reality to one's life and that's what makes people fall in love with them. I am known to shot at Athena (our dog) "dunh dunh dunh" or "kiss her!" just because I get caught up in it all.

I miss watching Days with Erin... stupid NCLEX prep is getting in the way of that, because that is the best.

You think watercooler talk about "The Office" is good? You should listen to us go on about Days. There's drama, murder, framing, crimes, passionate love scenes, terrible music, amazing dates, cute babies, romance, action, great scenery, crazy people, and much more.

So, that is one of the highlights of my day , watching this soap opera, and remember how much more ridiculous and crazy my life could be and appreciating my "normalcy" for what it is.

Home Sweet Home

As my day winds down, I realize how much I enjoy having a home of our own and just simply cooking dinner for Tony and I and sitting down and enjoying a home cooked meal together almost every night. It keeps me thinking of how to mix it up while keeping it healthy, low cal, and balanced. Tony sometimes even gets to come home for lunch, which as I said to him this morning. "Is the best part of my day among the awful studying." After dinner, I love to take a walk with him and Athena around our neighborhood seeing who else is out and about, checking out other people's yards, exploring our area, and being active.

I hope I still enjoy this all a few years down the road :]

I am a lucky woman, I have to remind myself of that.

The Ice Cream Man

Like clockwork, there is an Ice Cream Man that drives by every afternoon playing his little tune throughout the neighborhood. It's not the best thing heard in the neighborhood, but not the worst. His music started just as I created this blog, so I thought, what a great way to start things off.