A Real, Live Update!

Boy, where does the time go? Oh wait, it's wasted studying my life away....it will all be worth it in the end, I guess. Not too much new in my life. Back in Salt Lake, got a real live steady job in the ICU at Pioneer Valley Hospital. I know, I know, Pioneer Valley? you say. Things have changed there and I think it's a great hospital. Not to mention my coworkers are freakin' amazing (for the most part). It was actually OK to have to work on Christmas Eve. Hmm...what else? I have successfully completed 18 credits of graduate school! Yeah! However, I have a feeling this semester could be the worst. I got a nice lecture from my advisor yesterday about how I should not be working full time while going to school full time. Well, guess what? That would be great, but in the real world most of us have bills to pay. I was then told that the preceptor that I have searched long and hard for since September for my clinicals this semester isn't good enough. Really? So, now I get to start all over again with that annoying process. I thought advisors were supposed to be supportive, not discouraging? Oh well. Sometimes I feel like I just want to drop out of school and forget all of it! But you know what, not only will I proceed with school AND work full time, I will kick ass and show this advisor that she's got no idea who she's talking to. Then in two years, all of these academics can kiss my butt!!! That's all.

Christmas this year was AMAZING. I was supposed to work but got called off. Which really worked out nicely because my dad showed up on Christmas Eve night and surprised me. And my mom and Brent were here. So I got to spend Christmas with both of my parents (well, all three since Brent is pretty much a parent, too) for the first time in more than twenty years. Pretty freakin' cool. I have to say, there was a time when I thought that would never happen, but I sure am glad I was wrong! I got an Amazon Kindle which I love and a Shark steam mop, among many other awesome things. It really was a great Christmas.

Well, I am about as boring as it gets, so I can't say that I have any other exciting news. Same crap, different day. Perhaps I can scrounge up a few photos to make this post a little more interesting...

BEST Halloween costume EVER!

I got my Christmas lights up and didn't even die of fright! Quite an accomplishment if I do say so myself.





My sweet Christmas tree. I never did think to get a picture with all the presents under it. Oh well.

Levi (ugly sweater winner!) Amanda, Ashlie and Bryan in their sweet sweaters.

Me and Kell enjoying the great outdoors at Alta. I didn't even break any limbs.

Summer!

It's been a while! I've been busy....but not. Work has been excruciatingly slow, but that has given me plenty of time to work on homework! Things would be so nice if I could just concentrate on school and didn't have to work! Oh well. I guess that's what I get for buying a house and a car, among other things. Really not too much is new. Brycie left for boot camp at the end of July. I can't believe he has already been gone for almost 4 weeks now! I am almost done with my first semester of grad school. I have to turn in one final case study for pathophysiology and take a final exam on Monday and then I get a whole week and a half off. Yay. Too bad the case study is a group project and one of my group members has failed to do her part in a timely manner so I am waiting on her before I can turn it in. How annoying! And, I am heading to Las Vegas again to work for a while. Like I said, work here has been pretty much non-existent. As in I worked 0 hours this week, 18 hours last week and 16 hours the week before that. So. Needless to say, that doesn't quite pay the bills! Apparently Las Vegas has quite a bit more need so I guess for now I have to go where the work is! I have been able to work a deal with my current agency so I don't even have to change employers which is sweet!! I'm excited to be able to spend time with all my friends and family in Vegas! I am, of course, sad to leave my house but I am fortunate to have some amazing neighbors who I have no doubt will keep a close watch on things. And I think it will be much better to actually have a place to come home to. I am hoping to make it home at least once a month to check things out and sleep in my own bed. And hopefully in a few months, things will pick back up around here and I can come back. Come on people, get sick!! Kidding. Anyway, headed to Milford tomorrow for my grandparent's 80th birthday celebration and then off to Vegas where riches await!!! Well, I hope they do. Anyway, here are a few random pictures from the past few months.

The start of the summer, for me at least, was Brett and Julia's wedding! What a fun weekend!!

The happy couple!

Beautiful bridesmaids!

Daniel and Marija

Ralph and Glad




Marija, me, Glad. Nobody bothered to tell me my necklace was crooked.



Me, Julia, Glad

Erin's little sister, Casse, had her baby on the 19th of July. She is such a cutie!!

Erin, Lia, and Talon

Me and Lia

And of course there was a farewell party for Bryce.

Bingham family!

Happy Summer! I can't believe it's almost over........

Got Yard?

I finally do!! And what a nightmare it was to get! Well, I guess the actual getting of the sod wasn't bad, it was everything leading up to it and the week after. UGH. I don't even want to think about it! It all started on May 2. I got sick sick sick!! It must have been a 24 hour bug or something but I just wished for death during those 24 hours! It was so nice to have an appetite again and not feel nauseous. Brent got there Monday night and on Tuesday Brent and his son finished the rock wall in the back yard. It actually went a lot quicker than I thought it would. And it turned out awesome!! I worked Wednesday and Brent and I spent the rest of the week preparing and leveling the yard (and tilling up some ginormous rocks!!!) and planting trees and bushes.

These are the before pictures of my back yard. Quite a mess. Except for the rock wall looks GREAT!

This is the planter Brent put in. I love it! He did an awesome job! All of my neighbors were jealous!

These are all of my trees and plants. Fortunately I had a certificate for these from my builder because they are NOT cheap! I only went $8.00 over and I got lots of stuff!

Trees in the front planted!!

My dad got here on Saturday night, the 8th. We picked the trencher up and were ready to go first thing Sunday morning!

Trenching! I was surprised at how quickly this went.

I didn't take too many pictures the next few days. The sprinklers ended up taking a little longer than planned and my dad had to leave. It rained on Monday, Tuesday and then off and on Wednesday and Friday so that really slowed down our progress. And I got stung by a wasp or a hornet or something on Monday! That's only the second time in my life I have ever been stung and it was NOT fun!! But we did finally get everything buried and re-leveled just in time for the sod. We were even able to get all the rest of my shrubs and flowers planted.

Ready for sod in the front!!

Flowers in the flower bed!

Sod arrived Friday afternoon, the 14th. My crew showed up at 9:00 am Saturday morning and we had the sod laid in about four hours. Not too bad! Thanks to the Linnells and Allreds! They came through for me on the sod laying and I think we made a pretty great team!

Finished product!!

The sod laying went really well. I thought I was good to go! WRONG! My sprinklers didn't work quite as planned. After a large amount of trouble shooting on my part, I decided that I was not going to be able to solve the problem on my own. Brent had to come back up and after a large amount of trouble shooting on his part, we determined that the problem was not the water pressure but water volume. So after some minor reconfigurations and changing out all of the big sprinkler heads, things seem to be working! My lawn is still a little dry from not getting as much water as it should have those first few days but it is making a come back and I have no doubt that I will have the greenest lawn in the neighborhood soon!! I am just glad this nightmare is over! I only hope that if I ever have to do this again I will be able to pay someone! I don't know if I will ever be able to move from here after all the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into things!

In the midst of all this, school started. Because I wasn't having enough stress with the yard situation! I only have one class for the moment (nursing theory, BORING). Pathophysiology starts on June 1st and Nursing informatics starts on June 8. It's sure to be a stimulating summer. NOT. I never thought I would be excited for a patho class, but I am now after all the reading I have had to do about theory! And I have no doubt that informatics won't be much better. But, they will be over in a few months and hopefully the worst will be done! Yeah right. Anyway.....headed to Julia's wedding in Vegas on Wednesday, and then up to Boise to pick up a truck on the 12th, then my birthday party on the 19th. Busy month coming up. No doubt the summer and these boring classes will be over before I know it!!

SLACKER! And...Some Big News!

Wow, I never thought I would be this big of a slacker when it came to blogging. But really, what can I say. My life is boring. And I am not even going to post any pictures to spice this up. I guess I have been lazy in all aspects of my life lately, including picture taking.

I went to Las Vegas in March and I didn't take one single picture! How pathetic. I got to see Julia, who I haven't seen in........entirely too long. Like a year and a half maybe? That's just sad. I also spent some quality time with Glad, Marija, Carrie and my mom. Brent got my landscape design for my yard done and I submitted it to my association. It was even accepted! A true miracle! Anyway, mostly I just hung with friends in Las Vegas. I ended up staying two extra days because, well, that's how I roll. It was lots of fun! The weather was perfect! Except for the wind the first few days. But seriously, I was complaining about being hot while on my way to the airport (I think it was 75 there) and then I get home to dreary, rainy, cold weather! BOO!! I was happy to drive my car even though it was absolutely filthy. When I got home I was feeling a little sorry for myself. I mean, you should feel sorry for me, too. I had just spent a week in Las Vegas, I have awesome friends, a good job, a sweet place to live, etc. etc. It is so easy to take everything great in my life for granted and just worry about stupid things that aren't a big deal in the long run anyway. Wow, enough of that tangent. So anyway, I was feeling a bit sorry for myself by the time I arrived home. I got a week's worth of mail from my mail box and began sorting through it. I noticed that there was a letter from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (which I will forevermore refer to as UMass because that is entirely too much to type) Graduate School office of admissions. It was thin. Usually when you apply to school, a thin letter is not good news. But I am getting ahead of myself since I told almost nobody that I had applied to grad school again. After applying last year, telling everyone and their dog, and then not getting in, I decided to just keep it mostly to myself. Although I am eternally grateful that I didn't get into school last year, it is still a little humiliating to have to tell people that I was wait listed. Obviously their loss, but still. So, I applied in January to UMass Amherst. It is an online Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. Apparently, a thin letter from UMass is good news because I was accepted! I'm so excited! My first class starts May 17. Obviously I will have to do real live clinicals here in Salt Lake, but I think the online thing is going to be awesome! Well, that's if I can figure out how to pay for it. I do know that grad school is expensive, especially if you are paying out of state tuition, but I am blown away by how much just my tuition is going to be this summer. I will have easily surpassed the total cost of my entire undergraduate degree within the first year. It's sickening, but it will be worth it......right?

Anyway, that's really all that's going on in my life. I am beyond anxious for nicer weather! I can't WAIT to get my yard done. Brent will hopefully be coming up in a few weeks to finish the retaining wall in my back yard and then (again, hopefully) I can get started on the fence. Which is going to cost more than my tuition this summer. Oh well. My dad will hopefully be here the second weekend in May to get the sprinkler system in. I'm hoping to do sod the same weekend. Perhaps I am a little too optimistic but I want to get it done while I have some guaranteed help here! Anyone out there reading this who wants to help..........I will even feed you lunch! :) That's a huge incentive to do several hours of backbreaking labor, I think. Regardless of what actually happens, my yard must be in by May 31st so I will be posting pictures of that, I'm sure. And knowing me, that will be the next time I update this thing! Thanks to anyone who hasn't given up on my blogging and is actually reading this. I love your comments! And I can't WAIT for Summer!!!

Holiday Wrap Up! (Just a Little Late.......)

Well, I officially suck at blogging. What can I say? So much to do, so little time! Christmas was great! I went to Cedar City and spent it with family, some of whom I don't get to see often at all. We had some seriously great food including the awesomest greasiest Christmas breakfast ever!! We had an awesome Christmas Eve dinner of bbq'd mutton steaks and my mom made the most fantastic prime rib roast for Christmas dinner. I think I probably gained 10 pounds or so. But it was definitely worth it!

Christmas Eve dinner!! Aunt Helen was there, too but I couldn't get everyone in the picture. My photography skills leave a bit to be desired...

Hicks and Sundi.

Aunt Cathy got a new iPod for Christmas!!

Hicks and his amazing (and cute) trick baby!!

Grandma Manda and Jack.

It was a rough morning for Uncle John....

Mom and Brent peeling potatoes for the BEST Christmas dinner ever!!!

I also had a little Christmas party/housewarming party a couple of weeks before Christmas. I have some great friends! We had a lot of fun, as usual.

Levi and Brekyn.

Eric, Mike, Allison and Erin. Definitely some of my favorite peeps!!

Bryce, Karsten, Tavian, Jayden, Jade, Ashlie.

Bryan and Amber.

So, after coming home for Christmas, I went to get my oil changed. I ended up coming home with a new car. I'd say I got a little more than I bargained for, huh? This was the last picture I took of my car. Obviously not a great picture but there was some guy from the dealership about to get in and drive off in it. Kind of a sad moment. Anyone who even sort of knows me knows how much I LOVED that car. I thought I would never get rid of it!!
And this is the new ride! Not a great picture, but I was in a hurry to get back to the dealership so I could get the snow tires off my old car. And ever since this day my car has been filthy thanks to all the snow and salt! So, yes, this is the same thing I had before. But I have always wanted a black Charger with black interior. And now I have one! LOVE it! This one also has remote start. Not an option that I would have at all picked out but now that I have it, I don't think I can live without it! It's so awesome in the winter time! I have had the windows tinted but I want to get new wheels. I liked the wheels on my first Charger better. Not sure if I am going to go with chrome or black on this one?

New Year's was a lot of fun!! Lots of my peeps got together for a party at Jared and Alisa's house! Always fun with these guys!!

John and H Town (aka best insurance broker EVER!!!)

Our host and hostess for the big bash!! Jared and Alisa!

Me and Alisa.

Me and Amber. My face looks totally swollen in this picture. No, I did not just have my wisdom teeth removed.

The girls!!

So, I guess that was my holiday season in a nutshell. I am finally done putting my entire house together! And by done I mean that I am going to be totally changing it tomorrow. Really. The thought kind of makes me sick, but it must be done. My dad is coming down (he was unable to make it for turkey day!) and he is bringing me a new desk, bookshelf, bed for the spare room, shelves for the basement, lawn equipment, surround sound, etc. etc.... He started driving big rigs in September and has had most of his stuff in storage. I figured it's better for him to put it in my basement which is practically empty than to waste money on a storage unit every month. And of course I get to loot through it all and use what I want! Yeah! I'm excited! Other than the mess that is sure to result. Oh well. I am also excited to see my dad!! I haven't seen him since last August. I am cooking a belated Christmas dinner tomorrow since he didn't get one out on the road. I only hope mine turns out as good as my mom's did! I have begun planning projects for springtime as well. I have to have my front yard in by May 31st and a fence around my back yard by July. I would like to have a bigger patio and a concrete pad poured on the east side of my house before the fence gets put in.........the list of projects is endless, as every homeowner knows. I can't WAIT to have a yard again!!! I'm sure I will have my work cut out for me. Hopefully it isn't another two months before I make a post again, but I am not making any promises. Hope everyone had a great January! It will be Spring before we know it!!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like.....

Well, Christmas. Cute little questionnaire I stole from Amera and Christina.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year? Hmmm....surprisingly, I don't really know. Stuff for the house is always good! A Bose speaker for my iPod (not happening, I'm sure). A bookshelf (also not happening). A blu ray player. A Dyson (another one that isn't happening). Gift cards to Home Depot and such.

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received? Anything from Amaria. She always makes cute pictures and drawings and she has also made me a really cute picture frame, although it wasn't for Christmas.

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle? I just wish I could hand make something and it would actually turn out like I picture it in my head....

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child? I got a blow up tent one year that I thought was the coolest. I also got a Cabbage Patch Kid every year from my parents.

5. What items are on your kid's wish lists this year? Well, since I don't have any kids....Amaria wants a zhu zhu hamster (who doesn't??) a Barbie Motor home and various Littlest Pet Shop things.

6. What is your favorite holiday food? I like the traditional stuff...turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie (and roll) etc. etc. etc.....

7. What will you be hand crafting for the holidays? I'm sorry to say, probably not a darn thing.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie? Probably A Christmas Story. I also like Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys.

9. Favorite holiday song? O Holy Night.

10. Favorite holiday pastime? Shopping! I just love buying things for others! I always get carried away and spend way too much!

So, I am done with everything in the house but my office! I finally got my couch and love seat from the storage unit in Las Vegas! I even splurged and bought myself the TV to go in the niche above the fireplace. And it's a perfect fit! I don't know how I watched anything but HD. What a difference! I'm excited for Christmas this year, although I don't even know what my plans are. I don't have a lot on my list (mostly big things that I'm sure I'll buy myself later). I just love this time of year! I love the snow, I love the music, I love the lights, I love the gifts! Today was the first real storm of the season (out here in EM at least) and I got to use my new snow blower! Slick as a whistle! I cleared my driveway, my neighbor's driveway and the sidewalks in less than 20 minutes. I should have made that purchase years ago! I also got to use my snow tires on the way to work this morning. Too bad it took me 1.5 hours to get there! But I felt safe the whole way there. And I guess that's what's important. So, nothing else to report. At the rate I'm going, I probably won't make another post before Christmas so everyone have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! And a Happy New Year of course! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!!

U2 360

Yes I know this concert was several weeks ago. I can't believe how busy I have been!! I have either been gone or had people in town since the second weekend after I moved into my house. So every minute I have free I am either trying to catch up on sleep or get my house organized. I have a never ending to do list!! My mom and Brent came to town Halloween weekend. We got all sorts of chores done! Brent put in my garage door opener (HUGE pain in the rear!!) installed the rest of my blinds, hung pictures, fixed my lamp etc. etc. etc.......I am having Thanksgiving at my new house this year! I'm totally excited! But kind of freaking out! I have my kitchen, living room and spare bathroom done. I have set a goal to finish my bedroom/bathroom/closet today. Which still leaves the office and spare bedroom. My dad is bringing me all sorts of fun treats when he comes down at Thanksgiving, including a queen size bed for my spare bedroom. So the pressure is on to get that room cleared out in time! I have a feeling I will just end up piling everything out of the way so that I can fit the bed in. Whatever. I have the rest of my life to get things organized, right??

So, on to the concert! U2 always puts on a good show! Our seats were not as good as I had hoped, but it was still awesome! There was also a drunk guy getting entirely too close but Marija put her anger to good use and he got thrown out! Yah! U2 is touring again next spring/summer. They have yet to announce a date in Salt Lake but I have heard rumors. Of course I will be going! I suspect that I will be on my own this time because I think I am going to spring for the expensive seats which are over $200. I know that is an exorbitant amount but U2 is my all time favorite band and I may not have many more chances to see them live! On to the pictures!!

Forget the Black Eyed Peas!!! We want U2!!!

"The Claw"

Bono.

Marija and Daniel. And his peanuts which handily doubled as a weapon against obnoxious drunk guy.

Best. Band. EVER.

During Sunday Bloody Sunday.

"One."

During my all time favorite song...."With or Without You." Absolutely amazing.