I'm IN!!!!!!!

I just found out last night that I got accepted into nursing school!!!!!!!!

Waiting....

Last Friday I sat for the proctored essay for the final step in my nursing school application process. The questions were all subjective scenario type questions so who knows exactly what they are looking for in the answers but I thought over all it went well. After the essay was over, we were all shown our calculated scores for our applications up to that point. Somehow along the way they lost 5 of my points. Nice huh! As if the application process isn't competitive enough. Thankfully though after a weekend of trying not to worry and let God take care of it (easier said than done of course) I got an email from the school apologizing for the mistake and reassuring me that it was taken care of. Now I'm just waiting to hear yes or no. Officially we are supposed to know by June 1st but I heard a rumor we may find out May 28th. I'm definitely a planner so this waiting period is kinda throwing a kink in things. I feel like I've been talking about nursing school forever so I just want to get on with it already.
In the mean time, I'm finishing up my nursing assistant class. I started my clinicals at the nursing home a couple weeks ago and so far it has been fun. I've only run into a few growly people but for the most part they just made me laugh. One sassy old lady even kicked me out of her room because her pillows weren't arranged correctly. Surprisingly I enjoyed working with the dementia patients the most, perhaps because its like working with kids. But in a few cases it has been sad to see the state of people. It sure goes to show just how fragile the human body is. I get this weekend off of school (a much needed break) and then next week is the last week at the nursing home. Its going to be sad to say good bye to some of the residents. The following weekend its onto the hospital for clinicals there. The rumor is that the hospital isn't as much fun for us as students because we do more observing than actually being useful. Which of course will make the time go by much slower. But I'm hoping to get to meet my next potential boss while I'm there. A friend of mine is a nurse in neurology and has already put in a good word for me for a job once I get my certification. So we'll see how it goes.

Nursing Shoes....or smurf shoes....

I am half way through my CNA class which means I am about to start my clinical hours which also means its time to break down and buy my uniform......and guess what color I get to wear.....ALL white. Hello who wears all white when your going to be doing all the grunt jobs? I'll spare you the details....but white surely doesn't make sense.

On a happier note though, I found out that I made it to the second part of the application process for nursing school.....very exciting! 130 applicants out of 430 were chosen to take part in the proctored essay this month. 60-70 of those chosen will be accepted into the program.....so that's half....not bad odds if you ask me. I will find out either way on June 1st.

So with all that said I broke down and bought the ugliest shoes I think I will ever own....thankfully they are very comfortable and I won't be the only one wearing white shoes. I refer to them as my smurf shoes.....

2 Years!

Its hard to believe its been 2 years already, but 2 years ago (yesterday) was one of the happiest days of my life. I married a very wonderful man that treats me better than I ever dreamed of. I can't say enough good things about him. Of course as with every marriage there are the difficult times but the good times far out weigh the trying and for that I am so very thankful.

Catching up....

So the weather is really driving me crazy right now. It was 84 last Saturday.....oh so nice, I even got a sunburn :) Then come Monday it started raining again...ugh! Yesterday we saw the sun for a few hours and now the blasted rain is back again.....so annoying. I have a bunch of flowers sitting on my back porch about to croak because the weather won't cooperate long enough to get the flower bed prepared and get the plants in the ground. I'm about to resort to a bunch of temporary pots just so I don't lose them all.

On a brighter note, I colored my hair last weekend. Its now all brown instead of brown with blond chunks. I think I like it. Its just such a shock so I'm still deciding. I was needing something different...you know me....I always get bored with my hair :) Plus I was going for something with a little less maintenance. I'll try to get a picture up this weekend....but I have school/family activities this weekend so no promises.

Update...

I officially survived finals. Not that it was too bad, I'm just glad they are over with. Now its onto the next agenda and that's to get my CNA license. I managed to land a spot in the training class for the next term so that's a start. The bad news is now the hospitals are requiring a CNA II certification in order to get a job there....RIDICULOUS......the requirement goes into effect this fall. So I'm hoping that I can somehow get my foot in the door before the fall deadline. Otherwise I have to take yet another class and most likely start out working at a nursing/retirement home. I've done the work before so I know I can stomach it, its just sad to watch people sit in their bed day after day and waste away.

On a different not....my nephew Jace just turned 1. He sure is a handsome boy...but I'm not biased or anything :)
He was such a gentleman about eating his cake :)

But He eventually got the idea....Its hard to believe he's already 1 and running around exploring everything. I had the pleasure of babysitting yesterday. We had fun and surprisingly the baby bug is at bay for the moment. I'm focussed on getting through school and I'm enjoying being an Auntie. I only wish I had more time to spoil the nieces and nephews.

Speeding Ticket

I didn't hear my alarm this morning and I had been asked to set up some cultures for one of my coworkers since I usually come in early....and definitely earlier than everyone else. So I was in a hurry to get out the door...but you know when you are trying with all your might to get out the door things just happen....we have a water dispenser in the door of the fridge and I have a water bottle that is just the right height that I can prop it in there and leave it to fill...yeah you know where this is going. In my half asleep state I forgot about it until I heard water splashing onto the floor.....lol major blonde moment! There was water all over the floor and under the fridge...ugh! So I got that all cleaned up and finally made it out the door. I'm not much of a speeder....not since college when I got my first and only speeding ticket. Dustin gives me a hard time for being a slow poke but then he drives 70-80 in a 55 most of the time so he might not be the greatest judge. I normally drive 5 over because of course that's allowed. Anyway I was on the highway headed to work and the person in front of me couldn't decide what speed to travel 55 or 60 so I decided it was time to pass them. After all I was already late and I had no patience for this dawdler. I get right up next to them and I'm going about 62 or 63 and I see a cop going the other direction. I know people regularly get tickets for going 62 in a 55 around here so I know I'm had. My heart sinks and all I can think is "sure the one time I go a little over the speed limit I get caught but Dustin can fly around at 70 or 80 and completely get away with it". I see the cop hit his brakes and whip around in the road. I'm about to be sick, wondering where the heck the money is going to come from for the ticket, finally settling on the fact that my allowance for the entire summer has just been given up....no new clothes and forget a new swim suit...oh how horrible. (such vain thoughts I know). I see him coming up behind me and flipping on his lights, he's 2 cars back but I'm wondering if I pull over now if I'll get some sympathy points.......and then the cop pulled someone else over.....what a relief! Thank goodness someone else was going faster than me....or maybe the cop got the wrong car by mistake. All I know is that all my new summer clothes are going to mean so much more to me now that I thought for sure they were given up all for the sake of getting to work 5 minutes earlier.

What an interesting day:)

Nursing School Application

So the waiting begins. I turned in the first part of my application for nursing school yesterday. There are still two more steps to the application, the next is in April, to turn in my grades for the winter term. If all goes well (meaning if I get enough of the points on the first two parts), I will be asked to sit for the proctored essay. That part makes me a little nervous but I think I have a pretty good chance of making it to that part if I get a 4.0 this term. I have no idea when I will know about the essay, I assume some time in April or perhaps May....the school isn't the greatest about communicating these things.

In the mean time I'll be trudging my way through the rest of my classes. I'm officially done with all the prerequisites at the end of this term, which ends mid march. After that I'm planning to take the CNA course (certified nursing assistant) so I can get a job at the hospital and get some first hand experience of what it will be like to be a nurse....hopefully its what I expect. apparently its pretty hard to get a CNA position around here but one of the hospitals is changing locations and building a much bigger hospital. They are due to open this August so hopefully that will open up a few more job opportunities.

This summer I may take a few courses as well just in case I get into the program this year. The word around the school is that its best to get some of the minor classes like Microbiology and Technical writing out of the way that are usually taken during the nursing program. Since I'll be working part time and going to school full time I think its probably best to take them, its better to be safe than sorry. Its weird to think that I will be leaving my current job in a few months. I've really been blessed by the position that I have. I make my own hours and get more vacation time than I know what to do with. But I've reached the peak salary for my position, with the exception of cost of living raises so inevitably this is a short term position for people. It will be sad to say good bye to the perks and my coworkers but in two years or so it will all be worth it.....no more working full time....won't that be nice :) At least that's the plan for a while so we can have a family....and that's a whole other story.

Snow!!

I know not everyone gets excited about snow but considering how often we get snow it is exciting when it happens. Its been cold and rainy for weeks now and I've been saying if its going to be so cold it just needs to snow....well I got my wish :) We got 7 inches of snow yesterday! Sadly though I had planned a surprise birthday party for Dustin's 30th birthday (which is on Tuesday) and all his friends and family couldn't come due to road conditions. But we improvised and played in the snow instead. My brother-in-law broke out the sled and his 4 wheeler....I bet you can't guess where that went....



and then we moved onto the inter tube......


I made the birthday cake.....and well it sure tasted good.....it was chocolate peanut butter, the best combination in the word......but it was so ugly I refuse to post a picture of it. I have a new respect for cake decorators :)

I love the snow....I just don't enjoy driving in it and today I'll be staying home from work. The radio news is full of wrecks everywhere because it froze last night. Suits me just fine though, I have an anatomy & physiology test tomorrow so it just gives me another day to study.

The birthday boy making a huge snowball



Kloee thought Uncle Dustin's huge snow ball was fun to climb....


Jace wasn't too sure what to think of the snow.....





It sure was a beautiful day!!

Random Things......

I know its been a while since I last posted a blog so I'll do my best to give an all inclusive update.

Christmas was fun but in some ways it went on and on since there was the annual family hopping and such but it was nice to see everyone. My favorite presents were my new car stereo (Thank you Dustin). I've never actually had a car stereo that wasn't the stock stereo....I guess it was never really that big of a deal. But my new one is great. I can hook my ipod up to it....so no more driving with my ear buds in....which I'm sure is illegal anyway. My second favorite gift was from my mom. She bought me a professional hair straightener and blow dryer....I guess it pays to be related to a beautician :)

My birthday was a blast. Dustin and I went wine tasting with my brother and his wife. We went to 3 places, 2 of which we hadn't been to before. After 3 I had had enough because the 1st place kinda poured a little heavy....That must be how they get people to buy their wine....lol we bought a bottle from them but when we got it home and opened it it wasn't as good as I remembered it. No actually they really did have some good wines....we probably just got a bad bottle.

New years was fun as well. We went to a friends house for dinner and played games until 4AM. Dustin was introduced to the Wii. It sure was funny watching the guys box. I'm just thankful Dustin isn't really into playing video games so we won't be acquiring a new toy :)

I thought for sure I would get some down time during my winter break but in someways I think I was busier during break than I was during school. And now I'm back to school. Last week was the first week. It amazing how much longer my week feels just by adding one more class. I am taking my last term of anatomy & physiology and a psychology class: human development. I was a little worried that my psych class would be painful but the first class was really interesting. I'm relieved because its a 3 hour class (so I only have to go once a week). I'm still trying to adjust to having evening classes 3 times a week but soon I'm sure it will be no big deal.

Dustin and I have decided to start helping out with the youth group in our community. Ironically its not the one at our church but its a mixed group from many different churches so we won't be the odd ones out. I went for the first time this past Sunday and it starts off with the girls and guys separate and then we all get together later. The girls are going through a book call "Every Young Woman's Battle". Its a great book that I wish would have been around when I was their age. It sure would have saved me from a whole lot of heart ache and stupid decisions. It about respecting yourself and keeping your sexual purity. But perhaps my mistakes can help some of these girls and keep them from making the same ones.

Free at last :)

It was so nice to turn in my final essay on Friday and head home knowing it was all over. Unfortunately there hasn't been much celebrating yet because Friday night I came down with a horrible cold...ugh! At least it waited until the term was over with I guess. The sad part is that I am sitting here on the couch by myself hacking my head off when I should be at a Christmas party with Dustin. I even had a cute little black dress to wear....so sad....maybe next year.

Looking on the bright side though, Dustin and I weren't the last ones to go get our Christmas tree this year. We went last weekend, lol the one weekend I said I didn't want to go because it was the weekend before finals....but Dustin had the weekend off and so did our friends Matt and Andrea. They both work at the hospital so its not easy catching up with them between all of our crazy schedules. We got rained on but it was fun. Here are a few pictures.After much searching, we found the perfect tree

Ahh....my very own Hercules :)Where did Matt go? At least they were fragrant firs....lol
And then it was my turn to do a little work....can you see the Starbucks ornaments?

Finals....

3 down, 1 to go. Friday after 3PM I'm a free woman!!

Oh so busy!!

Ok so once again I've been slacking on posting my blogs....sorry. I misplaced my camera for a while...and I know you hate postings without pictures....so that was my excuse for a while. But then I usually only do my postings at work on my down time.....and who remembers to bring their camera to work.....so again no photos. Classes have been keeping me busy but there are 4 weeks left in the term before Christmas break...HURRAY!! I'm enjoying school and all but my house just isn't getting cleaned or decorated because there is not time for that....so sad. I did get around to carving a pumpkin but that was the extent of my fall decorations...and Dustin didn't even get to take part in the carving. He has been working a lot of overnights lately so he's not around much when I'm home. I did manage to drag him to the pumpkin patch though. (I am planning on posting those pictures). He was rather resistant to going this year because he didn't think he was going to be able to carry my pumpkin.....because of his recent shoulder surgery. So he said we weren't going if he couldn't carry it....because what kind of husband would he be if he made his wife carry her own pumpkin. Whatever I knew he was injured....I think he was more worried about what other people would think of him if he wasn't being a gentleman....lol I love him!!! I think next year though we are going to have to find a new pumpkin patch though. The one we went to wasn't much fun and I want to make a day of it....maybe have a picnic and some apple cider or something.

The Road to Recovery

The road to recovery has been slow going and exhausting so far. Its been 3 weeks since Dustin had surgery and he's still sleeping in a recliner in the living room (how sad). The exhausting part is that I no longer have my partner in crime to help me out with much of anything.....the one armed bandit can't do too much :) Its rather frustrating for both of us, but at least he's hack to being able to dress himself......that was kind of a requirement before going back to work. I guess you just take things for granted and then when their gone you realize how lucky you were to have whatever it was in the first place (like a fully functioning arm and a very helpful husband).

Its been tough getting everything done for school along with everything else but I'm hanging in there and God's working everything out. I definitely can't be as anal and dedicated as I once was.....but maybe that's a good thing :) I guess I'll find out next week when I have my first anatomy exam.

The Adventures of Surgery

Dustin's surgery Monday morning went fairly well. It was longer and more extensive than first expected but he was sent home a couple hours after the surgery. They had given him a local block on his shoulder to basically numb it before he left the hospital and they warned us that it would be wearing off in about 10-12 hours so not to hesitate taking some pain medication at the first sign of pain. I was poking pain pills down Dustin's throat as frequently as was allowed but nothing was helping curb the pain after the block had worn off. He finally slept for about two hours but then woke up in even more intense pain. Dustin doesn't take pain medication...ever...not even when he got his wisdom teeth taken out so I know he was in a lot of pain. I called his surgeon and he advised us to head to the emergency room. So off we went to the hospital at 1AM. It was a painful drive in for Dustin. Every bump, turn and jostle was painful. He was admitted to the hospital and pumped full of pain killers. I watch the relief spread over his pale face as they injected the drugs lol he could never be a drug user and get away with it. He was instantly out for a couple hours. I stayed for the first couple hours until the nurse came to give him his second dose and then headed home to get a few hours of sleep. I was supposed to be back to work on Tuesday for a few hours because we had a lab meeting but I was at the hospital instead. My boss understood, thankfully. I didn't sleep much Monday night and it sure was hard seeing my strong able bodied husband laying there in bed in so much pain...and worst of all not being able to do anything for him so my nerves were shot. They insisted that it was ok to bring him home yesterday after a full day in the hospital on pain meds. I really didn't want to risk it but apparently once its documented that the pain is stabilized the insurance stops paying for things. He had his color back and was talking in between his comatose states from the drugs so they finally convinced me that they would prescribe him strong strong strong drugs, the strongest they could and send us on our way. We got home and everything was going ok for a few hours but the drugs they prescribed were a generic of what they were giving him in the hospital and for some reason they weren't working....ugh! At this point it became rather hilarious to me. I was delirious from lack of sleep and really felt like a zombie. I got dressed again and prepared to head back to the hospital again, thinking I should find his nurse and doctor and strangle them. We called the doctor's office and talked to the on call doc. He was appalled at the amount of pain killers that Dustin was on and really had no explanation why they weren't working now that we were home....he said it couldn't be because they were the generic brand...anyway he said that Dustin could take 3 ib-profen and 2 Tylenol at once to get him through to his next dose of pain meds. Thankfully that was the secret and it worked wonders because he has been feeling much better since. He even has his sarcasm back so I know he's more himself :) So that's the Landreth adventures for the past few days. I'm just glad its over with....well the surgery part anyway but there is still a long way to recovery.

New Purchases

I'm excited about my new purchases!! Lol I know they are only shoes and sun glasses but hey its a treat to have some new stuff so I'm excited. My shoes are of course skechers but the most exciting part was that I ordered them online for 25% off and free shipping. My hubby prides himeself on never paying full price for anything (an annoying trait at times) anyway so I've learned a few tricks from him. I googled skechers coupons and.... walla.... I found a promotional code for free shipping and 25% off. Very nice.
As for my sun glasses, Dustin picked them out. Sometimes I think he has more style than I do :) They are from this new store that just came into town White House| Black Market. I love it!! But oh so expensive!! Dustin's a sweety....he caught my not so subtle hints that it would be awesome if he bought me a gift once in a while. Perhaps that sounds rude but what can I say, I feel loved when he gives me little gifts....and he said he wanted to be educated on such things (how to show me he loves me that is).

Backpacking

This past weekend I went backpacking in the wilderness with my dad and a youth group from Prineville. I had a little trouble finding my way to the trailhead...I'm much more educated on the backroads of Eastern Oregon....but the important thing is that I made it. It was a 6 mile hike in but I know I hiked more than that because by the time I had arrived almost all of the kids had headed up the trail, with the exception of the three oldest that were helping get the pack horses packed up. When I arrived I headed in with the three others in front of the pack horses that were carrying all the food in [but not the rest of our gear:(]. The four of us caught up with the rest of the group about 3/4 of the way in...or so I thought...four of them were missing. So being the only couselor on foot, I turned around to find the camp leader who was on horse back to let them know 4 of the kids had most likely taken a wrong turn somewhere on the trail. This was our conclusion since we were supposed to turn off at one junction somewhere along the trail and the group I was with should have seen the other 4 along the trail somewhere if they were heading the right direction. Thankfully they were found by the camp leader as they were coming in with the horses. They had stopped at a lake along the trail and had lunch.
The mosquitoes weren't bad at all this year....I didn't even have to wear bug spray :)
My feet froze the first night so I was wishing Dustin was there to keep me warm :) but he had to work over the weekend, but the second night I broke out my fleece sleeping bag liner and I was toasty toasty....a poor replacement for Dustin though.
The second day I was there my dad and I went on a hike together. Everyone else decided they wanted to stay around camp and swim and let their feet recoup from the day before. It was nice to spend a little time with my dad. We used to be really close and do a lot before I got married.....but sadly we rarely spend anytime together these days. I know its part of growing up but its sad none the less. Anyway we had great conversations and decided to find our own way through the forest instead of going on the trails. I love how adventurous my dad is! And yet I always feel safe with him.
I headed out on horseback on Sunday morning to return to reality :( Although I was thankful to return to a shower and a toilet. My dad rode out with me so I wouldn't have to make the hike alone, still being my protective dad :). It had been years since I had been on horse back. I had forgotten how much fun it was! But ugh! I was sore the next day :)

Surgery and things......

or it could be more extensive....we will know on the 17Dustin is having shoulder surgery on the 17th of September. It could be a very simple surgery or it could be more extensive, I guess we'll know on the 17th when the surgery is over.
He dislocated his shoulder about 5 years ago and it has dislocated it about 10 times since then.....not such a good thing. The doctor was appalled when Dustin mentioned that. So its finally getting taken care of...HURRAY! We are both very releaved and pleased that the surgery is finally taking place because it keeps Dustin and us from doing a lot of things like white water rafting (we tried and his arm dislocated in a rapid.....scary!), skiing, snowboarding (we tried snowboarding too and that wasn't pretty either). So Dustin has promised to try snowboarding/skiing again next winter after his shoulder is all healed up. We will be adventurous yet!

Speaking of being adventurous, I am going on a backpacking camp this weekend with a youth group from Eastern Oregon( A family friend is putting on the camp). I am going as a councilor which is kind of funny because I remember going as a camper too. I went two years ago as a counselor but not last year since Dustin and I had just gotten married. Apparently the kids have been asking if I'm coming this year and at first I wasn't going to go again this year because the camp is from Friday until next Wednesday and I can't take that much time off from work. But I settled on just going in for Friday through Sunday. My dad is going as well and he really wanted me to come and bring my nephew Cody(12). It worked out great because Cody has some classes he has to be back for next week so he'll be hiking in and out with me. He's a lot of fun when he's not picking on his sister so I'm sure we are going to enjoy our trip.

Time Off!

Only two more days of work until my vacation :) I am definitely looking forward to a few days off. Dustin and I are hoping to go camping sometime during our week off but the top priority is to once and for all get the lawn planted.....and then you won't have to hear about it anymore in my blogs :) I looked at the weather forecast....and its supposed to rain next week....ugh...its always something. I'm trying to be positive though, it will get done this summer...one way or another.
OK OK enough about the yard. I'm going back to school this Fall. I know this may sound a little weird but I miss the mental stimulation so I'm going to take a few classes here and there. I was really enjoying my anatomy & physiology class that I was taking last Fall so I'm going to finish up the series. There are 3 classes total so I have 2 to go.

Updates

I am absolutely loving the weather these days. Its been in the mid 80s, which in my opinion is the perfect temperature. Its supposed to get in the 90s or low 100s tomorrow but I'll be at work in my air conditioned building for part of the day anyway so it shouldn't be so bad. And there is always our new neighbors pool I can invade if its unbearable when I get home. Brad and Melissa moved in next door. Its been fun to have them near by and especially nice to finally have a neighbor that is really neighborly.

Dustin and I have been working away on our yard....it will be planted next week.....at least that's the plan. Dustin and I are taking next week off to work on the yard. Hopefully we will have time to get it done and go camping too. I'll be sure to post pictures when it is finally done. I've joked that I'm going to make a whole photo album for our yard to celebrate each step of its growth since its been such an ordeal to get the darn thing done. Its been a year long project (time and $ holding up progress) and I am looking forward to it finally being done. I have enjoyed the work for the most part though. Its been a great way to unwind and be productive around the house.