Day 130-152! Eek!

Oh what a year this has been! :)

I haven't posted in almost a month. *epic fail* But I have a good reason. I got married on 12/11/10. It was fantastic and amazing and perfect, but I will write a whole post on that later. And then after the wedding we jetted off to Jamaica- no phones, no computers, no blog! haha! Then came Christmas. It snuck up on me and then ran away just as quickly. I also started up back at work. I'm officially off of orientation and on my own. It is exciting and scary all at the same time. I had two really good days around Christmas, when the census was low and I could get my bearings. Then I had one chaotic night. And last night was mildly chaotic at first and then slowed down. I hope tonight ends on a good note (with minimal freezing rain) so I can fly home and give my husband a kiss at midnight!

I'm back now! It is the last day of 2011 and oh what a crazy year 2010 was:

Graduating with my Besties

The last days with one of the best Grandma's ever.

Relaxing time spent up north

Being misdiagnosed and then "cured" of syringomyelia.

It was a year of weddings:

Briana and Shane, Beth and Matt, Amanda and Justin,

Mimi and Dan, and Me and Josh :)

(This is Mimi with Grandpa)

As the sun sets on 2010, there will be so many new beginnings in 2011!

Some things I look forward to in the new year:

• Jodi and I kicking some major butt in our exercise challenge against Angie and Jason!
• Going to my doula training (hopefully in April)
• Getting a new vehicle *fingers crossed*
• A potential Benitez wedding
• All other new and exciting adventures for our first year as husband and wife!!!

Welcome 2011!

Day 128 and 129

4 Days!!!

So Sunday I went to the Packer game with my dad and Josh as an early wedding gift. The Pack won the game against the 49ers!!! We had an awesome, but insanely cold time. I was shivering for hours.

After the game I went over to Angie's and we made pew bows. They turned out awesome!!! I would post a picture of them but I didn't get a super shot. SO instead here is a picture of the almost finished product of my unity candle decorations. Angie is a crafting goddess! Everything is going to turn out so awesome!

I had my hair trial today and also practiced my make-up. It's going to be awesome!!!! :)

Day 124, 125, 126, and 127

Let's list it today:

1. I am such a slacker... I've been working and freakin' about getting wedding stuff done that I haven't posted in four days!

2. It doesn't look like this outside anymore. It is grass. The snow melted.... and the big snow storm we were supposed to get never came. We got nothing. I'm hoping for a miracle Thursday and Friday of this week, because the weather channel gives it a 40% chance..... *fingers crossed*

3. Work rocked last night. I had the best patients ever. Now I go back up to 9th floor, where I doubt my nights will be so laid back...

4. I'm going to the Packer game in 2.5 hours as a wedding gift from my parents! :) And then I'm going to go over by Angie and work on pew decorations.

5. Cam came over yesterday while Jess and I made programs. Cutest kid EVER! *Love*

6. I get married on Saturday!!!!!!!!

Go Pack Go!

Day 122 and 123

Happy December!!!

Happy 10 days left!!!

Happy me!!!!!

It's snowing! I know we might not get much, but hopefully this little bit will stick around to add to Saturday's accumulation we should be getting! My white wedding is closer to the truth now!

So I'm in the middle of my little working spree. I worked the last two days and will work tonight and tomorrow with Friday off. So far I'm liking my PM shifts. They are definitely a different pace than AMs.

I've also been doing tons of wedding projects. And last night my flutes came in the mail that Ashley had bought for me. I will try to get a picture up later when my battery isn't dead and I have more time!

Well now off to buy candies for the favor boxes and maybe do some crafting on my garters!

Go play in the snow everyone!!!

Day 120 and 121

So the weekend is officially over!

Yesterday I went to the pointsettia sale. It was chaos! People were fighting over carts, fighting over plants! You would think it was Black Friday all over again!

I wasn't planning on getting any plants. I was just going to take pictures, but I ended up getting a white/red one that looks stellar on my kitchen table!

Then I went over to my parents' house to work on wedding programs. Soooo much assembly required. Good thing I started making them way back in summer or else I would've had a ton of more work to do yesterday. Even still we put in a good 4 hours of hole punching and paper cutting. I just need a bit more ribbon and they will be done!

Today I'm going to go work out, run some errands, and go to my first day of PM shift! I'm so excited to start my regular shift. It's going to be a crazy night I'm sure!

Talk to you all tomorrow!

Day 119

As promised... Here is the big bathroom reveal!

But I'm tired. So you will get more from me tomorrow. Enjoy!

Day 117 and 118

I hope everybody had a very happy Thanksgiving!!!

Mine was alright. Definitely not the best Thanksgiving on record. There were no large family gatherings... after all it is the first Thanksgiving without Grandma. And I was all sorts of congested... which left the feast rather tasteless.

Here is Penny... eying up the turkey. We had lunch at my parents' house. The usual Thanksgiving food was present. And per usual I walked away with lots of left overs... which is what happens when you cook a 23lb turkey!

And of course is always football, which I find it weird that it is a Thanksgiving tradition. Don't get me wrong, I like my football, but I do feel that it takes away from quality family time.

Then for dinner we went by Josh's sister's house. I didn't eat. I wasn't really hungry. I felt sickly. Screaming children worsened my headache. All in all I just wanted to sleep.

Today was a day of cleaning. :) I love the aftermath of a good cleaning. It all started when I got a text message that my Christmas present was being delivered this morning: my grandpa's electric piano. :) Listening to him play the piano growing up is the reason I wanted to learn how to play. He is such a talented player. Now that he is in the nursing home he was ready to get rid of his piano. So, my uncle had everyone in the family place bids. I couldn't afford to spend money on it, so I passed it by. My parents on the other hand won the bid by $1. And thus, the piano made it's way to my house today.

Preparation for this included cleaning and rearranging the house to try to find a spot for it. We found the perfect spot! I have it in the same room as Josh's computer. He always gets mopey when I'm not by him, so this way we can each do our own thing in the same room!

I'm soooo rusty. I haven't really played much of anything in over five years. So tonight I sat down and ran through some warm ups and pounded my way through a few songs. I'm hoping to get proficient at some Christmas carols for this year. :)

Dear blogland, get excited for tomorrow....

I will be unveiling the before and after pictures of the "Great Bathroom Makeover"!!!!! There will be no painting involved but I'm setting up the bathroom with the new decor we received as wedding shower gifts. I just wish our walls were a different color and/or the flooring was different. Oh well, nothing I can do about that, but I can make the most of what I have!!!

Day 111-116

Holy cats it's been awhile!!! So I just got done working 5 days in a row. Three of those five I've been feeling under the weather. It started with a monstrous sore throat and now I'm a sniffling snot monster. No fun. It's especially hard to concentrate and focus when I'm feeling cruddy. Not to mention Monday was the day from heck. One of my patients was legit crazy, and another was bitching everyone out. Not a good day.

This picture was from Friday. Mom always brings home the left over popcorn from work. So I share it with Penny! :)

This is a picture of new life. I stuck a leaf in the dirt way back in June. It never died... but for the longest time it was just one big ol' leaf sitting in the dirt. And now finally other leaves started shooting out! Grandma would be so proud of my violet growing abilities.

On Saturday it was Josh's 26th birthday! :)

But I worked... :(

After work we went up to his sister's house and had dinner. They also picked up this little cake. We were lacking on candles so we had to use our imaginations. 25 + 1 = 26 :)

He is my old man and I love him for it every day! Just another year of growing old together, and many more to come!

Here is my Christmas tree!!!! I kept telling myself that I wasn't going to decorate a tree this year... I refused! But Angie was getting me all revved up about her tree, which inspired me to do my own. And since this tree won't be enjoyed for as long, I decided to just set up my little tree instead of my big one.

My next dilemma was that I didn't want to use all my normal decorations. Thank goodness for Hobby Lobby's 50% off sale! I was able to go out and accessorize my tree for less than $25! Yay for bargains! I went with a purple and silver tree this year. I've been hooked on the color purple for a while, not sure why, but I love it!

And now I have four days off. What a wonderful holiday weekend! Goals for this weekend:

-finish Christmas shopping

-figure out my head count

-finish my wedding favors

-print programs

-start reading my books that arrived from Amazon (yay!!!! just when I thought I was done with school, now I start studying again!)

-Eat turkey!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! :)

Day 109 and 110

So today I got done with computer training early! Yay! I ran down to the jeweler's and picked up my ring which got soldered. It is sooooo bling-y! Lots of sparkle, lots of shine. I can't wait to wear it in less than a month!

So last night I got to thinking. Around this time of year, many children are starting to make Christmas lists to Santa. Last night I made a prayer list to organize my thoughts. I'm going to list it here, in case any of you feel like tacking on one of these people to your prayers. :)

-I want Cody to have guidance. High school is a tough time and you have to make a lot of choices.... some of them are not always good choices. I hope he finds himself and can decide what direction his life will take. Right now is a major turning point and I hope he makes wise choices.

-I want peace for Conner. That poor little boy has been through so much. I've never met him, and probably never will, but my heart aches for him. He was born prematurely into our friends' family. He has been in the hospital for over 100 days. Should he get out of the hospital he will have intestinal issues, cerebral palsy and blindness. I just want him to be at peace and to be happy, especially with all of the difficult things he has gone through.

-I want more than anything for Duke to have progress with this therapy.

-I want my grandpa to have happy days. He doesn't like the nursing home and is constantly at war with all of his medications. I just want him to be happy for even a minute.

-I pray for all of my patients and their health.

-I pray for my friends and their struggles. Some struggle with work or school. Almost all have relationship struggles, whether it is break-ups, disagreements, or long distance. I just want the best for all of my friends.

-I pray that my parents have the knowledge to handle issues with my brother. That they can get through to him without having him close down.

-I pray for Josh (of course). I pray for his safety everyday when he drives to work. I pray that his heart is filled with my love. I pray for his happiness. :) <3

-And I pray for myself. That my life is filled with more forgiveness of others (a continuous struggle). I also ask for more acceptance and trust in God. That no matter what happens in life I can count on Him to help me through.

"The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

<-- This is what my silly puppy is doing right now. She has been laying on the coffee table a lot lately. :P

Day 107 and 108

Hey everyone!

So I've been working the past two days. Nothing too exciting. I switched floor and am now orienting on my next floor of my rotation. I'm only on the floor for half days this week because I'm spending the other half of the day training (computers and education, etc.). So far so good.

So check out my pretty box. :) Guess what it is....

It's my wedding gift from Josh!!!

I heard of this neat website (see photo below) that makes personalized jewelry. Personalized with dates, names, etc. I browsed the site and found quite a few items I liked. I pointed out to Josh a few necklaces I liked; ones I'd consider getting to give as gifts.

So this package came in the mail yesterday. And because Josh is a bad secret keeper, I got to see my necklace. :)

Not sure if he is going to let me wear it before the wedding or not. Why not really? I've seen it. So why let it sit in the cupboard and not be flaunted??? :) We shall see.

Tomorrow I get to meet with the priest to go over the wedding program and make sure all the details are ironed out. Then come Friday I get to have my final fitting, pick up my rings, meet with the DJ, and pick up the marriage license.

AND a good chunk of my Team Tipple is coming to the wedding!!!! I'm so excited to see them again! This wedding is going to be a kick-ass party!

25 days and counting!!!

Days 102-106

Well, it's been a while. A very busy while. So I have many pictures to make up for it!

On Wednesday we celebrated our 7 year anniversary. :) Our last anniversary as fiancées. I can't believe we have been together that long. We have been through so much, the good and the bad, and even the ugly. I truly feel like we can handle anything life throws our way.

I worked Wednesday morning and then we went to Chili's for dinner. (Nothing special I know, but the best part of the night was yet to come!)

Then we went to Dane Cook with Nikki and Jamie. He had three opening acts which were pretty good. He used a lot of new material and it was hilarious as usual. It was a great anniversary!

Thursday I had a half day of work and then met up with the event coordinator for our reception. We hashed through details of the wedding and I think everything is squared away. Then I talked to the DJ on the phone for 30 mins. He serenaded me with music over the phone and we picked out songs for every thing. I meet in person to finalize things this coming Friday.

Friday I worked. After work we met with the photographer, who is by far the nicest guy ever! :) I'm so excited to see his work.

Saturday was a day of cleaning. I scrubbed floors and vacuumed and straightened out the kitchen. Then my mom and I drove out to Wausau for the Playbox concert!!!!

Before the concert we met up with Jody and Jana and went out to eat. The food gave me a major upset stomach but it was better after seeing the girls.... as in Jana's cute daughter, and then their two Australian Shepherds. I can't wait until my dogs are a couple years older and hopefully as calm as their dogs are. Then it was off to see Playbox!

The boys had a blast out there and the crowd made the show really fun. There were lots of people dancing and there was lots of crowd interaction. Unfortunately being in Wausau we had to drive over and hour there and back and I didn't get home until 3am! *yawn*

Josh and I relaxed and cuddled all morning today. We took a little snooze laying on the couch with our puppies. My little bit of heaven on earth! :) Then I went over to grandma's house to work on some wedding projects and now I'm just relaxing the night away and getting caught up on things.

It's going to be a busy week. I have 4 days of work (mostly computer training *yawn*) and then Friday off and then 5 more days of work. I do have Thursday through Sunday off on Thanksgiving weekend and I can't wait!!!! I hope the weeks just fly by! Oh and next Friday all of our RSVPs are due back!!!!! I can't wait to get all that finished. The time after that will go so fast, I can feel it already!

Night ya'll!!!! Hope you can all kick back and relax tonight!

Day 100 and 101

So this is not cool.... I go to look at my blog and my photos are mini-sized. Sometimes they are and sometimes they aren't. Blogger is kinda acting up for me right now.

So unfortunately for the landmark days of 100 and 101 of my photoblog I'm having no photos. They are on my camera, but I just can't bring myself around to pulling them up.... I'm kinda in a mood right now.

Yesterday was a busy day at work, kinda hairy and crazy. But it is good to have some of that on orientation because I have someone backing me up.

Today was my day off. I got up early (thank you inner time clock) and started my chasing around. I went to return some things to Hobby Lobby. Then came the scrub store. FYI GB has a HUGE scrub store! I was in heaven. They have tons of sale and clearance scrubs and just about every brand you can think of. I got some really cute scrubs: 5 tops and 2 bottoms. Then I went to Old Navy because they had all their winter coats at 50% off. I got a cute black peacoat. :)

Being a Tuesday, I dropped into my swim class to visit my ladies. They had so many questions about boards and my job and wedding plans. They were super excited that I came!

Then I drove to Appleton to get my ring soldered. I'll be able to pick it up next week, probably on Friday cuz I don't have to work. Technically I'm not supposed to wear my ring until the wedding, so that means: more shopping! I went to the mall yet again and got a place-holder ring to wear in the mean time. Then Josh got home and we went grocery shopping. I think it was the most successful grocery shopping trip ever. There will be no wasted food this time. Sometimes we have fruit go bad or whatever, but not this time! We planned out a bunch of meals and just bought enough food for that.

Now I'm just chilling for the rest of the night. Tomorrow is our 7 year anniversary! I can't believe it's been that long. It is pretty amazing. The only 7 year itch I have is the itch to marry this man stat! I work tomorrow and then we are going to see Dane Cook! It is going to be the best last anniversary as fiancées ever!

I will have lots of fun pics tomorrow I'm sure! :) Good night, sleep tight!

Day 98 and 99

Hey ya'll!

This was my first weekend of working. Overall the weekend wasn't too bad. I had the same patients since Friday and I will continue to have them through Monday. A couple of them may go home tomorrow. One may die. :( We didn't think she would make it to today.

I'm so excited about my career. Many people complain about the hours and working weekends, but I think it will end up being the perfect career for raising a family. Once we start having kids I can just cut back on how many hours I want to work. You can work anywhere between 1-5 shifts per week. And the different shifts allow for some variability in rearranging schedules. Josh is a huge hater of day care and doesn't want other people raising our children. So I will be able to be home all day and work minimal PM shifts and then when I go in for work Josh will be able to come home. We always said whoever made less money will be the stay at home person during the day. Luckily that just happens to be me! :)

Tonight is the Packer game. I'm going to try and stay awake for the whole game, but I make no guarantees. I do have to work in the morning. And then I have Tuesday off! I'm so excited for my Tuesday. AND my Wednesday. Wednesday is our 7 year anniversary. I need to find something to get Josh yet.... I work on Wednesday and then I'm sure we will go out to eat before going to the Dane Cook performance. Exciting week coming up!

Oooooh Packer's just got an interception! Time to go watch them score!!!!!! Later!

Day 97

So this isn't a recent picture because obviously it is cold outside. But it is a picture I took a year or so ago that I feel is fitting.

I just need to get this down so that I don't forget. I never kept up with my wedding journal so I guess I'll write it here.

I've had wedding dreams the last two nights. The first one was that I was at a wedding, I believe it was my wedding. I was laying down across one of the pews and looking up towards the aisle. Along comes the people handing out programs. One was my aunt Keri, she skipped right passed me laying there. And the other was Aunt Pat, she smiled her big warm smile at me and handed me a program. I was so in shock at seeing her that I nearly woke myself up. I tried falling back into the dream, but just then my alarm went off and I had to get up for work.

Last night my dream was me standing at my wedding watching people come in and sit down. My grandpa was sitting alone in the front row in his wheelchair. All of a sudden my grandma walked in looking beautiful yet confused. I went up to her to escort her to her seat. I gave her a hug and as I hugged her she said "Hi honey, you look gorgeous." And then just like that she snapped back into her Alzheimer-self and was super confused as to who people were or where she was going. And I walked her to a seat near grandpa. I woke up crying my eyes out. Luckily I feel back asleep rather quickly.

These dreams have such deep significance to me. I cherish the thought of them, despite the tears that come with. I wish they could be at my real wedding so badly. I know they are there in spirit but it just isn't the same...

Day 96

So no picture by me today, because I was the one being photographed!!! :) Josh and I were models for my cousin's photography class yet again! (He was less than thrilled.)

Today was a pretty chill day off. I started getting more wedding things in line. Then I laid around and watched TV all afternoon. And then.... are you ready for this???.... really really ready????

I made my appointment with THE MIDWIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, now, hold your horses! No I am not preggo! This is just for my yearly physical and a 'getting to know the provider' appointment, since I haven't met her before. I'm soooo pumped. I figure why not start going there now for my vag health so that when the time comes for babies her and I will be on the same page and comfortable with each other. :)

OMG I'm so excited about it I could pee! It's going to be my most highly anticipated pap ever! lol. Hopefully this awkward enthusiasm wears off sometime in the next two months before the appointment.

For all of you out there (like my mother) who are unfamiliar with midwifery you should definitely check out the movie The Business of Being Born. Awesome movie. After I'm done with this post I'm going to go watch it for my 5th time. (It is on Netflix instant watch. I recommend dropping everything and watching it right now.)

Speaking of Mother, she was surprisingly receptive of my appointment with the midwife. A little back story: I brought it up to her over the summer and she freaked... legit freak out. She can't understand why someone would not want to have a baby in the hospital. So I talked about it with her and she continued freaking out. So I dragged her butt to my house and we sat and watched the movie. When she left I could tell she still wasn't totally comfortable with the idea, but she will have time to adapt. She better if she wants grandbabies! After the wedding I'm starting my doula training also and I think that will help her be more comfortable with all of this.

Now off to watch my movie yet again!

Day 95

Dear blogland, I have strep throat. I've never had strep before. It sucks. I have been feeling like crap the past two days so when I woke up still feeling bad I knew something was up. My doctor's office couldn't get me in, so I went to a fast care center. They choked me out with the gag stick and told me I was one of the fastest positive streps they've ever seen... yay?

So anyway, I have to be quarantine for 24 hours until my antibiotics kick in. It kind of works out nice seeing I have off of work tomorrow, although Josh and I are supposed to be models tomorrow night for the photography class.... I need to start feeling better so I can have real smiles and real love for the pictures. I need to not feel like a bag of ass. Arg.

I did get to skip out of going to the convent today... which is good and bad. Good: I didn't have to feel like shit so far away from home. Bad: because I think they will make me go again later, I'm sure.

Tonight was lots of chicken noodle soup all thanks to my babe. :) Tomorrow will be a day of lounging and maybe wedding planning if I feel up to it.

Until then, I will try not to breath on you via computer.... good night hopefully healthier bloggers!

Day 93 and 94

Hey everyone.

So I really have no pictures for you. Yesterday I felt miserable and was in bed by 7pm. Today looks like a repeat performance..... I have a killer sore throat, I alternate between sweats and chills, I'm absolutely dragging. It sucks. Work yesterday was a disaster, I was so not with it. Today was a bit milder since I wasn't on the floor, just doing chemo intro training. I plan on being asleep and in bed by 8:30 tonight.

Not sure how sickness will affect weight loss. I have been eating a decent amount but my appetite is super picky. Which leads to less snacking. I also have been sleeping more than normal, that needs to help. Who knows? Maybe if I have a good week I'll pick up running again next week.

On the bright side! I have next Tuesday off so I get to go swimming and reconnect with my favorite water ladies! I'm super excited to tell them all about my job! They will be excited too, they just don't know it yet!

Well.... time to start getting ready for bed. I need to feel better tomorrow!!! I have a retreat to go to, aka on a bus, aka 30 minutes away, so I just can't leave work whenever I feel crappy. :(

Good bye bloggettes, Hello Nyquil!

Day 91 and 92

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!!

So yesterday was Gaga Day. We had a good posse rounded up and ran into a bunch of neat costumes. Boy was it cold out! Luckily I kept my jacket with me to store all my valuables in. We ran into a bunch of friends while we were out and about too! All in all it was a good night and I was down right exhausted when I got home.

Then today was Packer game day and trick-or-treating for all my little cousins. We all met up at my grandma's. Cameron and I got major cuddle time. :) He was the cutest little monster ever!

Then tonight Josh and I got Chinese food and are watching football and doing laundry. A very relaxing Sunday night.

I think I'm going to try not running this week. I started running five weeks ago, and every week I gain weight, despite adjusting my food and water intake. It is really discouraging to try and lose weight by running and instead gain weight five weeks straight. So I'm going to give it a break this week and see if it makes a difference at all. I hope I can figure it out cuz none of it makes sense.

Well off to work again tomorrow! (aka probably nothing exciting to report on) Nighty night!

Day 90

Happy Day 90 everyone!!!

So today was my 4th day up on the unit. I had a new nurse as my preceptor took PTO, but I got to keep my same patients. Today was the day of compliments. :) A student was amazed about me being only on the floor for such a short time because I seemed so relaxed and knew so much. :) My patient's wife gave me a huge hug and told me that I'm a great nurse! :) The nurse I worked with today was amazed at how well I've caught on to stuff thus far, and told me how advanced I was compared to other new grads. :) Yay for a good day!!!

So it being Halloween in a few days I felt compelled to give myself a French Halloween manicure. It was super cute, and then I changed my mind, because tomorrow night 'Gaga' will not have cute nails. She will have black nails. Tomorrow night unleashes the Gaga posse on the bars of Green Bay. There are four of us each displaying a different Gaga outfit. I will be suspender wearing Gaga from the end of the Love Game video.

This is my cake topper that my dad carved for me. I showed him one that I liked and this is what he spit out. :) I'm super pumped to have such a beautiful and sentimental cake topper.

Tomorrow morning I get to meet with the cake lady and then hopefully get more wedding things accomplished tomorrow during the day! Then Gaga posse at night! Whoop!

Happy Haunting Blogland!!!

Day 87, 88, 89

So, I know this post is for three days worth, but this is all you get: Cadence in her witch hat looking cute as heck.

Now that I'm working full time I rarely have the time or energy for picture worthy events/things. *yawn*

So Monday was day 1 on the floor = 1 patient.

Wednesday is Day 2 = 2 patients.

Today was Day 3 = 3 patients.

Having three patients was actually pretty awesome today. Things went really well, up until one of my lumens to my PICC clotted off, but have no fear TPA to the rescue! (clotting was sooo not my fault... but we won't go there.) By the end of next week I need to be managing 5 patients (at least) all on my own. And then I go to 7th floor for a few weeks.

I've been so tired lately. This AM shift is totally not my cup of tea.

Today I went running, despite it being FREEZING out. I was shivering for hours after my run. I need to invest in warmer running clothes. I really didn't want to run and even thought about cutting it short, but I'm so glad I did. It re-invigorated me and I was able to get so much done tonight: dishes, shopping, wedding things. :) I love running. I do not love cold.

Darn run giving me energy... no I'm not tired and I will definitely pay for it tomorrow! Arg!

Time to numb my brain on some TV and hopefully get tired! Night lovelies!

Days 84, 85, & 86

So Saturday was my bridal shower. I got so many nice gifts. It was really awesome having my friends and family all in one spot. Here is my cake, in our wedding colors, or Pirate colors. Take your pick! It was a ton of fun, and I have lots of yummy left overs in my fridge.

That night was the bachelorette party. We went out to eat and then to the wine bar. Afterwards we came back to my house for margaritas and games. Also tons of fun!

Today was my first day of a full day on the floor with my own patient. It was pretty easy. Just a dude with pneumonia. So then I got to follow my preceptor around and learn more of the ways of my floor. My preceptor has been there for 26 years and is the encyclopedia of my floor. She trained my friend's mom back in the day and also my cousin. I'm excited to get back there and hopefully get a bigger challenge and learn more!

Tonight was S&B. It was fun, but I was really tired and didn't have an awful lot to contribute to the conversations.

Ooooooh! I also got my congratulatory wedding letters in the mail from the president and Arnold Schwarzenegger. My dad was super pumped about that last one! I basically got it because I knew he idolizes Ah-nold. So I sent the Governator a wedding invite and got back a personalized letter of congratulations. His was better than Obama's. Obama's was just a standard send out with no names on it or dates or anything. Meh, oh well, both will be cool mementos to have!

Half-day training day tomorrow. Then shopping and going for another dress fitting! Whoop! Night peeps!

Day 83

TGIF!!!!

So today I went into work. I had my computer trainings this morning. All of the electronic equipment was malfunctioning so it took twice as long as normal to get done. Afterwards my boss was in a meeting, so I didn't get partnered with anyone and got to go home!!! Woo!

Then Jodi and I went for our run. It killed. We were both sore for various reasons. And we griped the whole time.

At home I made some spaghetti for dinner and then it was off to the Gamblers game!!!! 15 people went with us to celebrate Emilie's bday. Unfortunately there were no fights. :( But the Gamblers won 2-1 in over time! Then Josh and I jogged the 10 minutes home, which felt miserable after my run this afternoon.

Right now I'm just finishing up cleaning for the Chateau to be opening tomorrow. We will have Ashley, Ashley, Kurt, Griffin, and Mona spending the night. The last 2 of which are dogs. It's going to be a packed house tomorrow! So much fun!

I'm going to have such an awesome post after tomorrow! I can't wait!!!!! Stay tuned for epic details!

Day 82

Look what came in the mail today!!!! So I fancied it up to show my utter excitement. :)

Speaking of work, today was probably the nicest day yet. It was an easy day and just flew by. However today I also found out that I'm getting a shorter orientation than most new hires. Since I'm getting time off for the wedding and the honeymoon, they want me to be on my own before I leave for the honeymoon....

So I'll be missing a good 2 extra weeks of orientation. This makes me nervous. I shouldn't be. I did really well in school and I pick up things really quickly. Ever since the damn boards and failing the first time, I doubt my abilities. It doesn't help that I've been away from patient care for so long. I haven't done legit hands on skills since spring of '09. My last two clinicals were very psychosocial and not physical at all. Not to mention the giant lack of charting I had to do. And now I'm being thrown into a nasty charting system. *breathe* It will all work out and I will fall into my pace in good time.

Tonight I went shopping with my mom for my outfit for Saturday. I got a very cute purple dress. (since I'm heavily addicted to purple right now) It is simple but I can really make it cute with accessories. And it is something that is casual enough for the shower but dressy enough for dinner. Super pumped!!!!

Tomorrow can not go fast enough. I'm going to clean the whole house yet tonight, then training tomorrow morning, followed by probably more cleaning. Then the hockey game tomorrow night. Then Saturday morning Kurt and Ashley arrive!!!!! Super excited! Then it's party time!

TGIF my bloggers and bloggettes!

Day 81

Happy Day 81!!!

Today I got to wear my scrubs to work! I shadowed for the first half of the day. It was pretty laid back and relaxed. Work goes at a much slower pace than in Madison. There are less people in the hallways and much much less noise than was in a big teaching hospital. The second half of my day was spent learning the archaic computer system. They got a computer system 20 years ago... and continue to use the same one today. Next year they will be getting Epic... thank God!

After work it was raining, so I headed over to my parents house to use their treadmill for my run. Treadmills suck. My distance is a bit off and there is no scenery... unless you count Adam's dirty clothes and drums all over. Then I came home and made dinner. And for the past couple hours I've been watching terrible reality TV via Netflix. My choices were: the Kardashians and the Duggars.... so I'm watching the Duggars. I adore how their little boys wear sweater vests. :)

Now for my Yays and Nays of the new job so far:

Yay- I get to park in the parking ramp for free! I just swipe my badge and I'm in. It will be super handy in the winter. No brushing snow for me!

Nay- Their charting system. A 20 year old charting system. I think even once I get the hang of it, it will still take me forever to do anything.

Yay- Since it is a Catholic hospital they do not perform abortions. For the past three days the hospital next door has had protesters outside to protest the abortions performed there. But my hospital doesn't do that. It falls in line with my beliefs and makes me feel very at peace.

Nay- There are no bar codes. At all. Meds are done via paper. No wrist band bar codes. And heaven forbid you don't know how to read the ancient scrolls the meds are printed on, because then you are bound to have a med error.

Yay- Everytime a baby is born a short lullaby charms over the intercom throughout the hospital. It it really cool and refreshing to know that despite the illness around us, there is happiness and new life in the hospital.

And now for my RSVPs of the day: *drumroll*

The awards go to Kelly and Lisa!!!!!

I'm super pumped at how many RSVPs I've gotten back so far!