Dreaming Of Christmas

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas. It is my favorite time of year. And now that I live in Wisconsin it is the most wonderful thing in the world to have a white christmas. My family and I always wake up on Christmas morning and get our cups of coffee, put on Christmas music, and my Dad lights a fire in the fireplace. And then one by one we go through and each open a present. It usually takes at least an hour. Afterwords my Dad makes gas stations eggs for breakfast. It's funny how traditions can be so special. I think the most exciting thing about Christmas will be once I have kids. It will be so great to give them gifts from Santa, and to leave out cookies and milk. We would always go to church Christmas Eve night, and right as we were leaving and in the car my mom would put out this huge candy house that she made. And then when we got home from church it would be there from "santas elves." .....And then my Mom told me there was no such thing as santa. I think deep down I knew, cause I was pretty old. I think I was.....12. At that point I dont think any of my friends believed in Santa anymore but I wanted to believe so bad. When my Mom told me I was pretty crushed, and she threw in the Easter Bunny and the Toothfairy too!!! Thanks alot Mom!!!
Anyways I love Thanksgiving too but this is the second year in a row that I have to work on Thanksgiving, so I am not getting that excited about it this year. I think I am off next year.
Oh, and the most exciting thing in the world has happened....drum roll please. I am starting my nursing clincals in January. I dont think most people know just what this means. Most of the schools have a waiting list to start the actual nursing classes, which include nursing theory classes and the clinicals where you are actually out in hospitals and nursing homes. You take all your pre-requisites (anatomy, physiology, microbiology, biochemistry) and then you are able to start you nursing classes but since I had to wait I got ALL my classes done. Now I just need my nursing classes and then I can graduate. Before I knew when I was going to start my clinicals there was never an end date in sight. Now I know I will be done, and officially be a nurse fall 2009, which seems like a really far way off, but really it's only 4 semesters and I know each one will go by fast. Next semester I will be very busy I have nursing classes everyday. Mon, Tues and Wed I have nursing skills, nursing fundamentals, and nursing pharmacology, and then thurs and fri (from 7 am...ouch- to 1 pm) I have my clincals which will be at the Wisconsin Lutheran Care Center next semester. The first semester they always start you out at a nursing home. I am not worried though I already have so much experience. I have been working as a nursing assistant for a total of 3 years, in two different hospitals. And 6 months ago I took my tech class, which means i am a step above a nursing asssitant and can do more technical things. Like, trach care and suctioning, starting tube feeding and even enemas, yeah!!! All the things i already know how to do and am already comfortable doing will be things they cover in the first semester. So I am exciting that I will have a little bit of an edge already going into clincials. Anyways....totally rambling on. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

ice cream is the # 1 enemy

I am busy, busy, busy. With school, work, and all the other little things that go on in my life. I feel like I have a neverending list of things to do, including a long list of people I need to call. I think I get a little more stressed out when it is my week to work. I work one week (7 days in a row) and then I have the next week off. I feel like I dont get alot accomplished the week that I work, and then once my week is over I have a long list of things I need to do, like loads and loads of laundry, catch up on homework, emails, phone calls, bills, ect.... I need a vacation.
Anyways so I have been trying to diet lately and it is actually going really well. It's not a specific diet that I am on but just trying to consume a lot less calories, like somewhere around 1,300 a day, trying to work out at least five days a week, and also really eating really healthy, organic things. I think what has helped me the past couple weeks is 1. I am taking a nutrition class in school and really learning about what is good for you to eat and 2. I have a nutrition project due and you have to write down exactly what you eat for two weeks in a row. The project made me realize how much easier it is to eat healthy if you really plan out what you are eating for the day. And I have been doing really well.....except for one thing. I've been eating like high fiber cereal with soy milk and oj for breakfast, a turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread with lettuce, tomato and mustard, some kind of fruit, and nonfat yogurt for lunch, and for dinner I usually have brown rice, some type of vegetable and a small serving of meat or I'll just eat a lean cuisine. And I've really been working out well lately. I try to do 45-an hour of cardio 5 times a week. And then I'll do weights 2 or 3 times a week. I've been working out great everyday, and really sticking to my meal plan. My only downfall is that I am totally addicted to sweets, and I will cap of my great day of eating well and working out with a bowl of ice cream and some cookies and some candy (especially now during halloween). The worst is when I get off of work at 10 pm I will come home and eat ice cream or something else equally as bad. And I am totally in this dilemma because I love, love, love anything sweet and I dont want to, and I need to figure out how I can cut them from my diet. Maybe hypnosis...hmm........any suggestions??? I guess realistically I'd like to lose 15 pounds...and I think I've lost 2 pounds so far, but I know I would lose the weight alot faster if I could just stay away from the darn sweets. darn. ANYWAYS, what I want to know is how does everyone feel about Christmas music on Nov. 1st. Yep, thats right, the day after Halloween I turn on the radio....and what do I hear....Deck the halls with Boughs of Holly. Seriously. I love Christmas. It is my favorite holiday, my favorite time of year, but that is definitly crossing the line. And crossing into thanksgiving's teritory. And speaking of holidays....it is definitly a hard time to watch what you are eating. :( boo...why cant I just eat whatever I want and not have to worry about it...like my boyfriend??? So not fair!!!

Britney Spears

I admit it, I am one of the people totally obsessed with her. I love reading about all her screwups, and seeing pictures of her wearing the most hideous outfits, and laughing at people who are totally defending her. I definitly do not feel sorry for her. She makes (according to her most recent court documents) $737,000 a month. A MONTH!! With that kind of income she can definitly afford to hire a stylist. I think I am so obsessed because I am so fascinated by all the retarded things that she does. Like shaving her head....wearing a shirt as a dress, with no underwear on....flashing her crotch all over town. I know she got a lot of flack for her VMA performance. I thought the performance was not very good, simply because you could tell she had not practiced as much as she needed to, and also she was probably very nervous. However, I didnt think she looked THAT BAD, especially since she just had two kids. But, with that being said, I think she definitly should have worn something different because she is a mom and because she is not in the best shape.
Oh..and she could have done something better with her hair.

My favorite Britney moment, Ok here is the front of the dress

And here is the back.

....Any questions??

You're only as old as you feel

....And I feel OLD. With my 25th birthday looming around the corner I cant help but feel slightly sad that I am definitly closing a big chapter of my life. I feel like I cant get away with alot of the things that I did in my early 20's (nor would I really want to.) Such as: staying up until 5 am, going out drinking every night of the week, not having a savings account, maxing out my credit cards. When I think about being 21, 22, 23....I definitly had a huge amount of fun but I feel like I am so beyond that now. What makes me most happy is staying in on a Friday night, curled up on the sofa with Dan and a bag of popcorn, watching a movie. And even thinking about getting wasted and staying up until 4am when I have to work the next day sounds so unappealing. I guess what makes me even sadder is even though I feel so much more mature/older/wiser/ect...I really feel like I am at the same place that I have been for the last few years. I still am waiting to start my nursing clinicals, not married, no kids, ect....and even though Dan and I are moving in together in the next couple of months, and will get married and have kids, I feel like I am so ready to do that NOW. I am so ready to be done with school and be a nurse. I am ready to get married, and be an old married couple, and cook dinner for him every night. I think for the most part I need to relax and not plan everything out. These things will happen, and its ok if they dont happen right now. I think if I keep reminding myself that I can steer clear of the mid mid-life crisis I would otherwise have on my 25th birthday!! Heres some random pictures.
My favorite pic of my honey

And my favorite pic of us

Alright I'm off to sweat it out at the gym. Ta

The Sickness

..... It got me! I was the sickest I've ever been, and I am finally starting to feel ok again. It all started last Monday when I woke up with a sore throat, and by Monday night I was in full-on sickness mode. I didn't leave the sofa for four days, went through 2 full boxes of kleenex, and ate dozens of popsicles. The only good things that came out of this was that there was a marathon of Season 4 of America's Next Top Model on and I totally watched that for days. good times. But now I am well, and back to work. Today was the first day since I've been sick that I really went out and did anything. I wanted to wear my brand new red jacket that Dan bought for me, and that I havent worn yet because it hasn't been very cold out. But it really wasnt cold enough, oh well. Let's see if I can find a picture of it...

Anyways..I still have all of winter for a chance to wear it.
Halloween is on Wednesday and for some reason in the midwest the celebrate Halloween with trick-or-treating and stuff the weekend before the actual date. I am not sure why. So Saturday and Sunday was when everyone went out and got candy, and I was sick. I think I may have missed my chance to dress up. Dan has to work at the skateboard shop on Wednesday and he was going to wear a costume that day. He wants to dress up like Brett Michaels from Poison, so all he really needed was a blonde wig (the tattered jeans, and bandana are easy to come up with). Well we went to this huge Halloween store today and they were already taking down the Halloween costumes. Dang, too bad for being sick and missing out on all the fun.
Also, I started my diet today. It's not any specific diet, just really trying to limit my calorie intake and planning out my meals for the day so I know what I am going to eat, and I already cheated with damn Halloween candy. Ugg. My plan it to lose 15 pounds by the end of this year and I totally think that is reasonable, except for the fact that the rest of this year includes Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years...all well known holidays for weight gain and over-indulgance. Dang, I think I'm screwed :(

Planes, Trains, And Automobiles

I had such a fabulous weekend. My favorite aunt came out here to visit to get some of her things she had left in storage before she moved out to California. The whole weekend we were joking around, and laughing, and had so much fun. I am also pretty sure I ate my weight in food this weekend! Seriously! Friday after moving for a couple hours we stopped for lunch at burger king....I never eat fast food so it was pretty exciting. And then Friday night we went out for sushi at this awesome place called Hama's that I had never been to. Well, we ate so much sushi, three different appetizers and got two different desserts. I know, tubbers. Then Saturday came around and after we finished moving her storage stuff in the afternoon we went and ate at panera. I love panera. We got soup, salad, bread, and these awesome brownies for dessert. Thats why I love my Aunt so much because she loves dessert just as much as I do. Saturday night we ordered pizza and had cake for dessert. Then Sunday was Dan's moms birthday so we all went out to dinner to this cajun restaurant called Bayou, it's really awesome. And again, I ate so much food and dessert that I had to unbutton my top button of my pants and waddle out the door. I think to counterbalance all the food I ate this weekend I am going to have to eat....hmm....nothing for the rest of the week. Yeah that would work.
So here's some pictures of my wonderful aunt, me, and her great friend jackie.












And here is a picture of her long, long hair


We are silly


Dan and I went to the Milwaukee Public Museum with his mom, dad and his brother for his mom's birthday. Dan and I were the only ones brave enough to hold the bugs, which included madagascar hissing cockroaches, and these walking stick bugs.


Alright, Have a great day.

Hitchhiking In The Chicago Subway

Yay!! I figured out how to add a picture thanks to the wonderful and fabulous Kat.

So today at work we were talking about psychic's and seeing people from the beyond. I brought it up because I have been watching Crossing Over With John Edwards like crazy, I seriously love that guy. I definitly think there are more people pretending to be psychic than there actually are real psychics but I defintily think John Edwards is real. And I totally had my own psychic encounter not to long ago.....
So my Grandma died January 1st of this year. And about a month ago I was sleeping and I had this dream. In my dream I was asleep in bed and I woke up and my grandma was sitting next to me in a rocking chair. In my dream I started crying because I knew she was dead and I was really sad about it. Well she said, "Dont cry, I just wanted you to know that I am okay and that everything is going to be ok." And then she stood up and left the room and then I woke up. Weird huh? Before I had a chance to tell my cousin about my dream, she had her own wierd "experience." She was sleeping on the sofa, and she was halfway between sleeping and awake, and all of a sudden she heard my grandma speaking to her and my grandma was like, "it's ok. Everything is going to be ok. Now's your opportunity." And then my cousin woke up, and right when she woke up the lights and tv turned off for three seconds. Well she was really freaked out. And after she told my about it I was really freaked out and had trouble sleeping for like a week because I was so freaked out. Anyways after all of this happened I was watching John Edwards and he said that our loved ones who have passed often use our dreams to communicate with us and to let them know that they are ok. Spooky huh?? And right in time for Halloween!!! Speaking of which I need some ideas for a costume. I really want Dan and I to get matching costumes but I cant think of any good ideas. And Dan's idea was to be rock-em-sock-em robots. I dont even know how we would do that.....boys are sure silly!

Things That Are Annoying Part 2

Ok just when I thought I had had my fill of annoying people/places/things/ect....I seem to be more annoyed. And I know I am probably coming off as an impatient brat, but seriously. I AM SO ANNOYED. So I have been waiting to start my clinicals for nursing for...I dont know....years. And it was finally down to the wire and I was scheduled to start next semester, at least that's what the little asian lady in counseling told me. And then I went today to admissions because I thought, I should just check for sure exactly what date I am scheduled to start...and the lady said Aug of 2008. WTF, seriously, WTF. So I cried the whole way home cause I am so frustrated, and I am never going to be done with school, and I am going to be 25 next year. 25!!! But I did get the number of the little asian lady and I am going to call her tomorrow morning and give her a piece of my mind! On that note....

I still have no idea how to post any pictures. Or to get anyone to read my silly blog. So I could really use the help. The instructions that blogger gives are alot more complicated than they let on!!

On top of being annoyed, I am exausted. I worked this morning, and I am not a morning person, at all. And then I had class, to which my teacher did not show up for the second week in a row with no email or phone call saying that he was cancelling class (this is also added to why I am so annoyed today). Who does that?? Tommorrow I have to go into work to finish helping make these "goody bags" for the education fair all the nurses have to attend three times a year. Lisa bought about a million gold coins, and we had to take four at a time and place them in this mesh bag (which we had to cut 10 by 10 squares ourselves) and then tie them with ribbon. Well, four hours later we were only half way done and out of the mesh and the ribbon. So tomorrow we will be finishing that. And then I get to get my hair done which I am so excited about. I am very impulsive when it comes to my hair. And often times I find myself cutting my own bangs, or trying to give myself a trim, of which it turns out horrendous everytime. So last week when I cut my bangs, immeadiatly I knew it was time to go in to get my hair properly done. And I love the salon I go to. And my hairdresser Holly is just fabulous!!!

Anyways, I think I need to not be so annoyed. Maybe I will go eat some ice cream.
Ta for now!

Things That Are Annoying

There are many, many things that are annoying....but here are the most annoying of them all.
1. when people drive on your ass. seriously if you want me to move over, that is not the way to make it happen.
2. gaining weight and then having to work out all the time to lose those damn 10 pounds. why is it easier to lose 100 pounds than it is to lose those last 10 pounds??
3. tripping over your own feet and falling on the ground while you are carrying your purse, cellphone, a tuperware container full of delicious cupcakes that you just baked yourself, and watching the contents of your purse, tampons include, spill out everywhere onto the pavement. And then you have to stand up slowly and look around to see if anyone saw that. and they did.
4. working your butt off and not getting any recognition for the amazingly hard work you just did.
5. homework.
6. still being in school.
7. turning 25 in 6 months. and getting ready to have a mid mid-life crisis in the meantime.
8. spam email, especially when you get hundreds of them from random websites you know you've never visited.
9. trying to stop the email from coming, going through the whole schpeel, filling out the survey of why you dont want to recieve emails from this particular website, and then still getting emails from them.
10. and the most annoying thing on my list, cellulite. I dont think I need to say anymore!

Have a fabulous and non-annoying day.
Ta

Andy Kaufman

So Dan and I watched the movie Man On The Moon last night, and I had seen it before a couple of years ago, but I found it really sad this time around. I am not sure what makes me feel so sad, that he died or that he was so mis-understood in his lifetime. Anyways, so after the movie I googled Andy Kaufman and youtube has tons of his famous performances. And I tell you, Jim Carrey was so dead on playing Andy Kaufman. The performances that he did in the movie, were exactly how Andy did them in real life. They looked the same, sounded the same, whatever. So good job to Jim Carrey for doing his homework so well before the movie!!!
I cannot figure out how to add pictures to this blog. I'll have to ask Kat because she knows everything about blogging.
I'll have to try later to schnazz up my blog because right now I am baking. I am the baking queen. And even though I thoroughly (how do you spell that word?) dislike the packers I am baking green and gold packers-themed cupcakes to bring into work. They better appreciate them!

Just Fabulous

So I wanted to start a blog for a while, not that I have much of anything to blog about, but mainly because I thought it would be fun. And my friend Kat, who is the queen of blogging, has been blogging for a long time and I always love to read her blogs because they are so funny/cute/ect. Anyways, today is Friday and I still have three days left of work this week, and that is slightly depressing. And next week I have an emensly busy week. Well not really...but it feels like it. Sweetest day is next weekend, which I have discovered since moving to Milwaukee is a midwesten holiday only???? Which is really wierd to me. It is kind of like another Valentine's Day , only not as big. I dont know who thought that midwesterners needed to celebrate two valentine-like holidays, but someone did. So there's that, and my favorite aunt is coming to visit, and I have school stuff to do.......ehhhh! Anyways I'll try to write some more interesting stuff later, and maybe put up some pictures, and put some more detail into my profile. I just wanted to write my first blog to get the hang of it. Good times!