Halloween and Other Fun Stuff

I haven't blogged in a while again.  I'm in school, hence, I'm super busy.

However, I did go to a Halloween party at my good friend's house last night, and it was really fun playing dress up.  I love Halloween and making costumes.

This year, I was a ladybug. So fun.

I also made my yarn pom pom balls on my headband, so here's the link to that incase you have the urge to make some. Really easy and cute-to-boot.

Yarn Pom Pom Balls


Just thought I'd give a little update of something fun, since I've been so hit and miss with my blog as of late.

Loves!

I Win!

I win the I'm-the-worst-blogger-in-probably-the-world contest.  What ever happened to my, oh I'm going to try and blog on my trip to the UK?  Pretty much I stink at updates.

Sadly enough, I'm not going to post about my wonderful England vaca.  I plan on sharing some photos but it's hard to sum up a vacation that's just filled with lots and lots of family time with some adventures thrown in here and there.  It's just too lovely to explain.  For all of you who have family far away, you surely must understand that family time is just that- lots and lots of time spent with those who love you regardless of what you say and do.  I was tickled pink to visit for 3 weeks and I'm already saving my pennies up for my next visit (hopefully next summer with my parents).

So there ya be, I've been back at home now for just a little over 3 weeks.  Enjoying this last minute heat-wave of summer before school starts at the end of September.  Boy am I ready for YEAR 2 of nursing school!  I fixed my stethoscope in the last few days and it's like winning the lottery medically-speaking.  Oh how I can't wait to be an official little nursie!

Anyway, enough chat, here's some of my favorite pics from my trip.  Sorry for such a long delay in posting!

English cottages near my Grandma's cottage

Dartmouth

St. Giles in the Wood

Amy & I (dearest twinsie cousin)

London baby!

Cute pub near Grandma's cottage

Ate a LOT of fish & chips 

Super busy beach visited in Cornwall

Outside my Uncle Mat's restaurant in Dartmouth (call the Rockfish)

Widemouth Bay Beach in Devon

More cottages near my Grandma's

Salisbury Cathedral 

City of London Museum

Big Ben!

There ya go!! :O) 

Less Than 24 Hours!

Heyo!  I leave for the UK in under 24 hours.  I finished packing.  Praise God my massive suitcase is 50 lbs on the dot.  Hopefully by the time I use up toiletries and unpack some presents, it'll be less for the flight home!

I am borrowing my brother's camera for the trip, which I am VERY excited about because it's a Nikon, and as anyone who owns a camera knows, those things ROCK.  Here are some pics I took around my parents' house to practice.

 Pretty flowers from the garden 

 Love this one with the purple! 

 Tilly Monster.  

 Nala is the best to photograph because she thinks the camera is a "shiny" and she goes nuts over lights and flashing objects! 

 Dori.  She's such a funny dog.  

And last but not least, me Mum!  With a frying pan about to fry up some fish & chips for dinner, yum!

Alrighty dears, I'm off for now.  I've got to eat dinner and work on some more things before I go to sleep early (Dad's picking me up at my apt at 500, so I'd better get some beauty sleep!)

Promise to post soonish!  

I Forgot I had a Blog?

Oh hey.  It's only been 5 months since I've last posted anything.  A lot has happened since then.  I've been to a few weddings, finished up my first year of nursing school, stayed at my parents' beach house, visited with friends.  I gave my blog a face-lift, again.  I've read some books, watched an enormous amount of movies, including the latest Harry Potter installment (go see it, please).  My life kind of blurs together the past few months.  It happens quickly, I guess.

My most exciting and upcoming news is that I am traveling to England on July 26th, 10 days from now, to visit my family for 3 weeks.  I can't believe it's so soon (I bought my plane ticket around a month ago- so I should have known a month flies by like lightening).  I'm going solo, so it's always an adventure.  I fly from PDX to Philly to Heathrow.  Arrive on the 27th, then take a 4 hour 45 min bus ride down south to Devon, where my Grandma and some fam live.

                                                              (Devon is highlighted in red)

Roughly 24 hours of travel non-stop.  Should be fun.  I'm bringing my laptop along, so hopefully I'll get the chance to blog, as well as my brother's fancy digital camera ... I want to snap some nice pics this time around.

Anyway, thought I'd just write a little something to let everyone know that I'm alive, I'm well, and I should blog more.

Happy Saturday!

Happy Valentine's Day

I haven't written in what seems like forever.  I apologize, but my life's been a little bit nutso with school.  I thought in light of what day it is, here are the ingredients needed to whip a wonderful Love Day Special that I would gladly accept from an eligible suitor:


1) A cute card.  Handmade, of course.  Since I'm lacking in the BF department, my friend Lori gladly stepped up to the plate and crafted me a delightful little paper treat. 

Take a note boys: girls love cards.  Especially handcrafted ones.  This wins you big points. 

2) Chocolate.  Doesn't matter what sort.  I found this fantastic treasure at Market of Choice in Corvallis.  Yes, I drove to Corvallis for chocolate cake.  So sue me.  It's Valentine's Day!?!

3)  Wine.  Girls like to be wined and dined.  My adorable roomie Kristin spent Valentine's Day with me. She bought this goodness in a bottle.  Highly recommended.  Chocolate + wine, who would have thought?  It's genius! 

4) Classic poetry.  Here's a fave of mine:

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

{Elizabeth Barrett Browning}

So, mix up 1-4 and there you have it: one way to woo this little lady's heart.  Until my Prince Charming comes along, I'll gladly take on the responsibilities of romancing myself ... what girl doesn't love to feel loved, especially by herself (and God too)?

Love to you today! 

To Answer Your Questions

Here is a post about some questions you might have about me:

How was last week's Sim Lab experience?  Did you get the crazy 80 year old?  Did she throw anything?

I would have to answer that my partner, Amy, and I, did not have the 80 year old patient, Loretta.  We had Kirk.  Kirk had Diabetes Type II and pneumonia.  He ate at McDonalds every day because he worked there.  He didn't understand why he couldn't eat his "fresh potatoes", considering they weren't sweets.  Kirk needed medication, blood glucose level monitoring, an insulin shot, and Diabetes Type II education.  I'd say it was arguably the most challenging of all cases, as well as having the most background information that needed to be read and retained.  I thought we did fairly well.  Major lesson learned during this experience: check the patient's chart, for it has valuable information in it.  Shocking, I know!

My classmates who had Loretta did not have anything thrown at them (although the CNA did!!).  Loretta kept falling over though, so that was entertaining to watch them react to her.  She was played by our Sim Lab instructor.

What was your favorite activity this past weekend?

I discovered a new British TV show, called Doc Martin.  I love it.  It takes place in a small Cornish village, and the doctor is fiesty and witty.  It's on Netflix instant queue, perhaps you should take a gander at it.

I also went over to my parent's house on Friday night and ate steak.  I love me some steak.  I also love spending time with my parents.  They are lovely.

What annoys you right now?


My keyboard cover keeps chipping.  I have a 2007 Mac, which happens to be prone to this problem.  I refuse to pay for a new cover, so I keep fluff and bits out of my computer by placing tape on the cover.  It looks pretty ghetto, but I'm too cheap to buy a new cover.

What has God been teaching you this past week?


Breathe!  Relax.  Stop worrying about tomorrow, for it will worry about itself (Matthew 6:34).  Pray, pray, pray, pray, and then, pray some more.  Try and be positive, despite your frustrations.  Be thankful that God is a faithful, loving God.  He cares about my dreams, my longings, my worries.  Be patient, and remember His timing is perfect (this is a continual lesson in my life).

What are you looking forward to this week?


1.  It's week 5 in school.  Finishing this week means I'm half way done with the quarter!
2.  Community group: we are serving this week, and I love getting out into the community!
3.  My good friend, Lorilyn, is turning 26 this week!  She's having a birthday bash on Saturday night.  I'm looking forward to it.  Who doesn't love a birthday party?

Alrighty dears, I'm off to watch Doc Martin, read, and sleep.  Night night.

A Penny For My Thoughts

Tonight, I will share my random thoughts, purely because it's fun to know someone's random thoughts, right?

1.  Tomorrow I have my first real "SIM Lab" experience at school.  This is where we, as little student nurses, go into a mock patient setting and get to utilize some of the skills we've been working on for the past few months.  There are four possible scenarios.  One includes an angered 80 year old woman (rumored to have an "incident", of which, I believe, is an over thrown table or something of that accord).  I really hope I get that situation.  I wonder what I will do?!  The scary part about this whole experience is that we are video-streamed into the next room, which is where the remaining students analyze and critique our every move.  Slightly nerve wrecking, yes.  Wouldn't you feel odd being watched?  Nursing school likes to keep us students on our toes.  It probably sends our instructors home in stitches, cracking up over our responses and reactions.  My face will most likely narrate ALL my emotion tomorrow.  I'll let you know how it goes.

2.  It's been sunny outside the last two days.  I soak up the sun on my drive home, and instead of going back out into it, I take a nap.  School exhausts me.  Sunshine will come again in the summer, right?

3.  I finished up my taxes on Sunday night (I have to do them early every year because of financial aid).  This year, I will get the largest refund I've ever received back.  So much so that I can buy myself a plane ticket to England to visit my family.  I plan on trekking over this summer.  Glorious and much needed!  It's been 4 years this August since my last visit, and my heart aches for family time, delicious British foods, tea galore, and rolling hills of Hobbiton.  I feel REALLY blessed to have the money to go, as I was just praying the other night how I would be able to conjure up enough cashola to afford a trip across the pond.  God is good.

4.  I am very, very addicted to Words with Friends.  I should have never started playing on my iTouch, because now, I can't stop.  Dang it.  Scrabble words recently learned: Xi, qi, jurel, tuis, yagi, sabin.

5.  I really need to go read before I go to bed.  It's only 9:27 PM.  This means I should be asleep before 11:00 PM.  Or maybe I should write, 2300 (practice my medical terms).

Alright dears, enough random thoughts from this little one.  Happy Tuesday.