I have food on my mind!

Today is one of my days off of work, and I'm proud that I woke up at 7:30 so I can get some things accomplished! Today, I'm giving everyone in "blog world" my opinion of two new foods that I tried today.

#1: Bear Creek Cheddar Broccoli Soup Mix
My Rating: Decent!

This soup mix comes in powder form, and is about $3 from Walmart, and about $5 from other grocery stores that I've seen it at. I was very skeptical about this powered soup mix, but willing to try it. It is the most simple soup I have made. You bring water to a rolling boil, whisk in the soup mix, and voila! Since I live by myself and the package makes half a gallon of soup, I cut it in half. I used half the amount of water, and separated the soup mix into two equal parts and used one of them. I am a lover of broccoli, and when I saw the green "flakes" of broccoli in the soup mix, I was somewhat disappointed, but that is an easy fix! I cooked a cup or two of frozen broccoli in the microwave for a minute, then chopped it up into little pieces, and added it towards the end. I also added some black pepper. It's very tasty soup to eat with saltine crackers. This Broccoli Cheese soup was not the best I have ever had, but it is very hard to live up to the big caldron's of broccoli cheese soup that we eat at family gatherings. I did feel better about eating it, knowing that it is less than 200 calories per serving, and I didn't pour loads of half & half or a big brick of processed Velveeta cheese into it. My overall rating is "decent"....not the best, but certainly not the worst, and it took 10 minutes to make!


#2: Homemade Fruit Smoothie
My Rating: Extraordinary!

I found this idea on a website, tried it, and LOVED it! It's simple. Take low-fat vanilla yogurt, and pour it into an ice cube tray. Pop it in the freezer for a couple hours. In the meantime, slice some fruit.....Bananas, mango, pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, ANY kind! Or, to make it much easier, do like I did and buy frozen sliced fruit. I got frozen strawberries and raspberries. Once all the fruit and yogurt is frozen, get out some zip-lock bags. Place 3 or 4 cubes of yogurt and about one cup of whichever fruit you prefer into each bag, until all the fruit and yogurt is gone. Now you have "ready to grab" bags of smoothie ingredients. Place the contents of one zip-lock bag into a blender, along with about half a cup of juice or milk (I used Cran-apple juice). Blend it until everything is smooth (Warning!!!: I started out only using 1/4 cup of juice, and my blender just laughed at me, and didn't mix anything up. If you add 1/2 cup of juice, it should work, but if it doesn't then add just a little more juice). The sweetness of the yogurt, juice, and berries is plenty....no extra sugar needed. The smoothie I created today was delicious, and my rating for this recipe is EXTRAORDINARY! Each smoothie pack makes about 10 oz - 12 oz, and is less than 150 calories. Can't beat that!

Something New!

Today was my first day on my new schedule at work. I used to work the 2pm-10pm shift and now I'm working 6am-2pm. So, I'm home for the day!

I'm used to sleeping in until 10 or 11 in the morning, then staying awake until 2 or 3am, so I was very nervous this morning about not waking up on time. Well, I woke up in plenty of time. I woke up at 2:29am and I thought it was 5:29, so I thought I only had about five minutes before I had to be out the door! I threw on some scrubs, put a little bit of makeup on, ate two miniature bite size muffins, and grabbed a bottle of water to head out the door. Then I looked at the clock again and realized that I still had at least 2 hours to sleep. The sound of my heart pounding from my little adrenaline rush lulled me back to sleep :)
Today at work went fantastically. It is very weird being home for the day at this time. I'm planning on tidying up my apartment, doing a load of laundry, studying, and my favorite TV show Castle comes on tonight. The dinner menu tonight is chicken casserole! It's a different recipe than what my mom always cooked, but it's delicious! Here's the recipe:

Chicken Casserole

4 cups shredded cooked chicken (I boiled mine)
1 cup chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 small can Carnation evaporated milk
1 bag Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing mix
1 stick butter, melted

Combine shredded chicken, broth, soups, and evaporated milk. In a separate bowl, combine stuffing mix and melted butter, and mix it up with your hands. In a 9x13 casserole dish, pat half of the stuffing mix in the bottom. Then pour the chicken mixture on top. Top with the other half of the stuffing mix. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes. It's delicious, and it would be good with leftover Thanksgiving turkey too!

As of Late

It's been awhile since my last blog. That's probably what most of my blogs start out with. Life is good, I can't complain! Work is busy as ever, and I'm switching from the evening shift to the morning shift starting in October. I'll be studying for RN school in the afternoons. That's my little update....now for the heart and soul of the blog.

It finally feels a little bit like fall in Texas. Highs in the low 90's, lows in the low 70's. I'm ready for highs in the 60's and 70's! Last week, Josh and I went to the West Texas Fair and Rodeo. I absolutely love the fair! I love the atmosphere and the smells. I had to go at night time because I wanted to see the fair lights so badly! All the bright colors and the twinkling lights go round and round on the fair rides. The comforting smells of sweet funnel cakes, smoky barbecue, and farm animals filled the air (I was made fun of a few times for loving the fair smells). The best part was the petting zoo. There were all sorts of animals, even a sweet little baby longhorn :). I fell in love with all the animals...except not the emu. That emu freaked me out.
Another "fall thing" that I'm loving right now is my crock pot. I love that I can fix lunch and dinner the night before, and let it cook all day. I check out recipes on Crock Pot Girls and Skinny Crock Pot. So far, I have made chicken tortilla soup, taco soup, Italian chicken, Italian beef, pot roast, and stew. I'm wanting to try Chicken A La King. It is one pound of chicken breast cut into bite size pieces, 2 cans cream of chicken soup, 5 tablespoons flour, 1/4 teaspoons black pepper, and 1 cup diced onion. Cook that in a crock pot on low for 6-8 hours, and add 3 cups of frozen peas about an hour before you're ready to eat. Serve over biscuits or puff pastry. Yum!
The last "fall thing" that I'll blog about today is my seasonal love for candles. I buy Tyler Candles from Village Boutique in Abilene, but the company is out of Tyler, Texas. (http://www.tylercandles.com) I'm currently burning Mulled Cider. They also sell wax melters for Scentsy melters. So, Warm Cinnamon is in my Scentsy melter, and the Mulled Cider is burning. It smells so deliciously like fall! Cabin Fever is also another great scent.
All of these fall things make me want to be in a cabin in the mountains, or on a park bench in Central Park watching the changing colors of the leaves. We won't have any leaves change colors here this year because of the drought. They're all already dead and brown.

My mom told me today that I'm creative. She thinks I write interesting things that people like to read. I'm considering writing a children's book. I'm brainstorming story ideas. We shall see!

Till next time..

My New Apartment

I moved back to Abilene a couple months ago and I thought my grandparents might like to see where I live! My parents and friends have already seen most of these pictures already. Anyway, my apartment is in a nice part of town and it is a gated community and I have my own covered parking space! I'd say it's around 650 sq. feet, but I'm not 100% sure. It's big enough for now.


This is my living room, looking towards the front door.



This is the rest of my living room, including my wood burning fireplace and TV. The stand that the TV is sitting on is actually my coffee table, covered with an old high school stadium blanket (Go Eagles!). I'll be purchasing an actual TV stand as soon as I'm able to, then the coffee table will be set in front of the long couch, as a coffee table should be.



This is my short couch, or love seat. It's a hand-me-down from my parents! This also has a view of my itty bitty kitchen through. The kitchen is accessible from both the left side by the dining room and the right side by the front door. The openness is nice and it feels a little more roomy than a closed off kitchen.



This is my dining room. The big sliding door goes out to the back porch area. It's small, but it fits a couple chairs and that's all I need!



Self explanatory...it's my bedroom! I love my fluffy white down comforter. What you can't see in this picture is the entertainment center that was given to me by my parents. It sits at the foot of my bed. Side note: I painted the canvases hanging on the walls!


This is the sink/mirror part of my bathroom. This is directly attached to my bedroom and there are no doors separating it. The doorway to the left goes into the toilet/shower part of the bathroom, and the doorway to the right goes to my gigantic walk in closet!



And just for fun, this is one of my most favorite pieces in my apartment. It's a $15 antique shelf purchased from a hole-in-the-wall place in Waco called Laverty's and I repurposed it to be a spice rack! I just love it :)


Hope you like my new place...I do!

My Stowaway

Today was definitely a Monday, if you know what I mean. I had to work 12 hours and i had 7 patients (normally only have 5). Plus I had 2 orientee's and 3 nursing students following me, 4 patients to discharge, and 3 to admit. Anyway after work, the last thing on my mind was cooking dinner, so I went to the Chick-Fil-A in Temple, TX for a yummy chicken wrap. And this is where my story begins.

Minding my own business in the drive through line, I see a tiny creature pop it's head over the top of my driver's side mirror. It crawled it's way up over the top, hung down upside down, and gave itself a good once-over. It looked somewhat confused as it was looking at itself in the mirror. By the way, the creature was a spider. I'm pretty sure it was a mixed breed between the spider that bit Spiderman and a mini tarantula. It was hairy, looked just like a tarantula except it had a red back with a blue circle around it. Once I got up to the window to get the chicken wrap and sweet tea, the spider was still there...just chilling out on my mirror! I was NOT about to open my window and let the thing in, so I opened my door to get the food and go! It was a good spider and didn't try to get in the car. I thought surely the spider would fall off when I started driving. It didn't. Then I thought maybe once I got on the highway going 70mph it would fall off. Nope. It hung on for dear life on I35. All the way from Temple to Waco. It was still on my mirror when I pulled into the driveway at home!

I had some mixed feelings about this "little spider that could". I'm very glad that he didn't fall off on the highway because there isn't much food on I35. I love the strong will of this spider to hang on for a 40 mile drive going 70 mph, in the company of some of the worst truck drivers I have ever shared the road with. BUT then I remember that this crazy strong mutant spider lives in my front yard now. I didn't mind giving the spider a free ride, but I certainly will NOT welcome the thing into our house!

I know what you're thinking....I better copyright that before someone steals my story because it was so great. But really, it was kind of a cool little story to me!

FALL!

The first day of fall is right around the corner! September 23, 2010! Most people know that fall is my favorite time of year! This is my list of all my favorite fall things!

1. Football...of course :) NFL, College football, and High school football, I love it all!
2. Cool, crisp fall morning air!
3. Sweatshirts
4. A big crock pot full of chili cooking all day long on chilly days...and some corn bread too!
5. Carmel apples covered in nuts
6. The West Texas fair & rodeo...so much fun, I hope I make it this year too!
7. Tax free shopping weekend right before school starts
8. Thanksgiving
9. The leaves change colors...
10. ...then they fall!
11. Making apple pie
12. and Pumpkin pie!
13. Going to the pumpkin patch
14. Halloween
15. My birthday in October!
16. Wearing scarves and boots
17. Coffee is always better in the fall when the weather is cooler
18. Bonfires
19. Carmel Apple Cider from Starbucks
20. Northface zip up fleeces!
21. Sitting by the fireplace and after awhile your back gets itchy from the heat!
22. Christmas shopping on Black Friday
23. Hot Chocolate at football games :)
24. Real lemonade and corn dogs at the state fair of Texas
25. Circle E Candles: Apple Strudel, Bird of Paradise, Leather, Warm Cider, and Fresh Apple are the best fall candles!
26. The way my mom and dad's house smells (year round) but especially in the fall!
27. Putting up Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving
28. Sleeping with the windows open

Summer is nearly over!!!

Well, it has been a very long time since I've blogged, so here's the update! I'm officially "on my own" at work. I finished my 9 weeks of orientation with my preceptors at work and now they've set me loose! Of course, I still have tons of questions and the beauty of my job is that I'll never know everything! I have successfully started a few IV's. It may look easy, but what's even easier is sticking the needle all the way through the vein and blowing it! Starting IV's is a special art! I have also learned that over 50% of the patients we get on our floor should be psych patients. Oh the crazy things they do....! We have some "frequent flyers" and I swear, some patients just like staying there...it must be the awesome hospital food and comfy mattresses...yeah right! I've also lost a few patients...that's the hardest part when you have to watch someone die. But just as quickly as they go, I'll hear the little lullabye play over the intercom that they play when a baby is born. Just shows you how precious life is! Anyway, enough about work!

Life in Waco is okay....I'm 100% ready for fall! Everything good happens in the fall! Football, the leaves change, the temperature drops to a tolerable level, and it's my birthday! I'm not so much looking forward to this coming birthday because I'll be 23. I'm getting so old! I watched the Cowboys play (and beat) the Bengals last Sunday! I was cheering for the Cowboys the whole time, but I was secretly really happy when my man Jordan Shipley (receiver for the Bengals) got that long carry towards the end of the 4th quarter! Football is like another religion in Texas!

I should be cleaning my room right now..it's a mess! Erin reminds me of it every time she comes in! Half my problem is I have too many clothes and not enough hangers. So, today I went "into town" (haha) to Walmart to buy some hangers. BAD IDEA!!! Walmart is a CRAZY place to be at right before school starts! You can imagine...my gosh! Well, I better get back to cleaning my room before Erin and Graham get home! Haha.

The best day ever!

Today has been the most awesome day ever! My morning started out with sleeping in a little... I'm used to waking up at 4:45am for work, so sleeping till 8 is a treat! One of my graduation gifts from my sister and Graham was a gift certificate to a spa here in Waco, so this morning I went and got a full body massage! After that, I went shopping a bit. I got a sachet for my car because of a long story: I was at HEB one day a few weeks ago and got a gallon of milk. Well, for some reason they put it in a plastic bag and by the time I got to my car the bag broke. I picked the jug up off the ground, quickly inspected it, then put it in the trunk with the rest of the groceries because it looked fine to me. Well when I got home, there was a small puddle of milk in the trunk of my brand new car. Didn't think anything of it, so I just sopped it up with an old towel and went inside. WELL, the next morning, my car smelled like the worst smell I've ever smelled (and I'm a nurse, so I've smelled some pretty bad smells). I was so upset, so after work I immediately took my baby (car) to get the carpets shampooed. That pretty much got all the smell out but it didn't smell like a new car anymore, so I went and got a sachet today! Anyway, after I went shopping, I went to grab some lunch at Panda Express. I don't like to eat the fortune cookie that they give you but I like to read what's inside. So, today my fortune cookie said "You are going to have a very comfortable life". At that point, my already wonderful day just got even more wonderful and I got really excited....so excited that I decided to go out and buy some lottery tickets. I went to the truck stop and walked up to the counter. I said "um yes, I'll take a quick pick.......actually two of them.....the texas ones......and a scratch off......a one dollar scratch off". The lady was really sweet and said "you don't do this very often, do you?". I said, "how could you tell?!". Then she asked me for my ID.....I really wanted to ask her if I seriously looked younger than 18 but I realize they have to card everyone who looks younger than like 30 or so. Anyway, my scratch off didn't win me anything, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to win $7,300,000 tonight...we'll see!

first day at my "grown up" job...

I just realized that my last post was the day before graduation. A lot has happened since then. Obviously, I graduated! My mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, and I spent all day Saturday the 15th packing up all my stuff and moving me to Waco. Every time I move, I realize that I have way too much stuff! Once I got to Waco, I was only there a mere 24 hours before I left again! I visited my parents in Allen for most of the week, then headed to Abilene to spend some time with my friends and go to a wedding. I'm becoming quite the Texas traveler, however, I only go to the same four places over and over again.

Oh, I almost forgot some other big news...I got a new car! I traded in my little Celica for a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta. It is white with black leather interior and it is beautiful! I love it! Some people have asked to see pictures of it because I don't live close enough for them to see it in person. I don't have any pictures of my car itself, but here are some pictures of the exact same thing from the internet.







Now, I'm back in Waco and today was my first day at my "grown up" job. It was a general orientation day for all new staff members whether you were a nurse, housekeeper, finance person, accountant, secretary, etc. The orientation covered policy, procedures, benefits, infection control,....just basic stuff. We learned the different codes that will be called over the PA system for different situations such as cardiac arrest, fire, infant abduction, bomb threat, weapon/hostage situation, and chemical spills. Overall, it was a really boring day, but it was also very informative and very necessary (if that makes any sense at all). Tomorrow, I start general nursing orientation for all LVN's and RN's. I think there's about 25 of us, but I'm not quite sure. I'm excited because I get to start wearing scrubs and tennis shoes tomorrow! I'm also very excited that I have my name badge now because it makes me feel very important. I can swipe it and get through any door in the hospital! On the back of my badge, it even says, "please permit this individual to cross disaster and emergency lines to reach Scott & White". How cool is that?!? The only bad things about my day were the TB skin test that I had to get and the shoes I wore. I wasn't thinking when I locked all my good shoes in the storage unit and didn't realize until late last night that I didn't have my shoes. So my awesome sister (who wears a size 6.5) let me borrow some cute flats to wear on my size 7.5 feet! She's a lifesaver, but my feet were killing me all day!

Big Weekend :)

I'm sitting in the living room floor with my computer in my lap because Goodwill came by today and took my couch and my coffee table. Only two more days in Abilene. It's so bittersweet. I have that lump in my throat like just before you cry, but I'll try to save my tears for tomorrow. I am so excited about having a real job with real patients and a real paycheck. I'm excited about living with my sister and my brother in law. I'm just sad because I don't want to leave my friends at all. I know I'll come back to visit as often as I can, but there's nothing like the spur of the moment movie nights or just driving around town at night when we can't sleep. I'm also going to miss all of my classmates who have become more like family throughout the past year. I saw them all day 4 days a week...way more than I got to see my family. I think they seem like family to me because we went through everything together...all the stresses of school, and all the joys that came when we passed comp exams.
Anyway, my parents will be here in Abilene by noon tomorrow and Erin and Graham will be here around 5. We have such a busy day! I have rehearsal for graduation in the morning, then a hair appointment, more packing, actual graduation, then dinner. My mom, dad, sister, brother in law, Becky, Ben, Josh, and I are all going out to Buffalo Gap to eat at Perini's ranch after the ceremony. Perini's is named the 2nd best steakhouse in Texas, but I've never been, so I'm really excited to try it! Then, Saturday is the big moving day. I'm hoping that the storms will hold out till Sunday but that's doubtful! I'm so lucky and blessed to have my family and my best friends here this weekend. It wouldn't be the same without them! I better go to bed so I can be well rested for the next two days. I'll blog again once I get settled into my new apartment in Waco.

Here I go again

This is exciting news to me: people actually read my blogs! Some girls from school told me that I hadn't blogged in awhile and I was shocked that they actually read them! It makes me happy!

I woke up this morning in a fantastically awesome mood! I'm not really sure why, but my guess is that it's because I got 11 hours of sleep last night. Either that, or because I woke up and my hair looked really pretty. It was perfectly wavy, no frizzes, not tangly, just perfect! I didn't even have to brush it. So, now I believe in good hair days.

I am determined to get a lot done this weekend, and so far, my motivation has stuck with me. I paid my internet bill, paid my rent, went grocery shopping, filled up the car with gas, ate lunch, and went to buy some plastic storage bins at Walmart.....So far, so good! I have a ton of homework to do this weekend though. It's the end of the semester, so I have a research paper, some other papers, lots of testing, and paperwork to do before graduation. It's a little overwhelming, but it's nothing that can't be done! 2 weeks from today is GRADUATION!! And, 2 weeks from tomorrow I'm moving :(

In other news, my Blackberry broke and I need a new vehicle. My choice for a phone replacement is easy: an iPhone. But my choices for a new vehicle is quite a dilemma. I think I've got it narrowed down to 3: a Chevy Equinox, a VW Jetta, or a Nissan Xterra. I'm just so picky, I can hardly stand myself. The color of the vehicle is a big concern too. I'll only buy a car that's white, black, or charcoal grey. Don't get me wrong, other colors are pretty, I just don't want to drive a vehicle that's red, green, blue, silver, or gold. There's nothing wrong with those colors, I'm just TOO dang picky. Hopefully I will purchase a vehicle the week after graduation when I'm visiting my parents in the metroplex. And, hopefully I'll purchase the iPhone at the end of June when the brand new 4G iPhone comes out!

Almost time to say goodbye, Abilene :(

Well, as of tomorrow, there is exactly 4 weeks until I graduate. And, as most people know, I will be moving to Waco the day after graduation to take a job at Scott & White hospital in Temple Texas. I've lived in Abilene for the last 4 years of my life and I've really grown to love it here. It's a big city with a small town feel. I'm making a list of all the things about Abilene that I will miss when I move:

1) My friends. They are the best.
2) Bonfires with my best friends.
3) Jumping on the trampoline at Becky's house.
4) Laying out on the trampoline at night looking at the stars - and scaring everyone by squealing every time I see a shooting star.
5) Being so scared after going to the Chimney's in the middle of the night at Fort Phantom Hill.
6) Getting lost somewhere between Tuscola and Buffalo Gap and driving around for hours trying to figure out where we were in the pitch black on old country roads.
7) The crosstown showdown football game between Abilene High and Cooper (even though I didn't go to either of those schools) - don't worry, I'm gonna be back for it this year and I promise I'll sit on the Cooper side.
8) Not the studying part of study group, but all the fun times that go along with study group and being on brain overload in the wee hours of the morning!
9) Texas country concerts at the Lucky Mule and two-stepping.
10) Watching fireworks on the side of the Loop by the airport on the Fourth of July.
11) My gym, and especially my workout partner.
12) Watching scary movies at Becky's and sleeping on her couch every time because I refuse to go home after they're are over.
13) The person who cuts my hair, Michelle. She is awesome, and I don't think I'll let anyone get close to my hair with a pair of scissors besides her.
14) The Eskimo Hut...haha!
15) Late night Bueno trips...or Whataburger.
16) The drive-in.
17) Walks around ACU and/or Cooper.
18) The West Texas fair and rodeo.
19) Just a tiny piece of me misses living in the dorms, but a big part of me misses my Tri Phi sisters!
20) I will miss how everyone in this town is so friendly and how everyone's accents are worse than mine! I won't ever forget that cute lil old man that struck up a conversation with me in the Wal-Mart checkout line.
21) The way that football runs this town...well pretty much every town in Texas.
22) Are those the banditos? Haha, only Becky, Ben, and Josh will get this one!

I won't be able to stay gone for long, that's for sure. I'll be back to visit very often!

Hurt So Good!

I've decided to lose 10 pounds in the next 5 weeks because I graduate in 5 weeks and I want to say that I lost all the weight I gained in nursing school plus some! I decided this a few days ago and I've already lost 2 pounds, so there's only 8 more to go! I'm going to start writing down everything I'm eating and drinking, just so I can keep track of it. And even though I'm not really big into snacking in the middle of the day, I'll still be aware of it if I do it. I'm still going to be working out with my "trainer" Josh. Haha, i love calling him my trainer even though he's really not. He just motivates me and makes me work hard! Today, we worked out with kettlebells. Let me tell you, if you want to feel like a Greek god, do a kettlebell workout. It's fantastic! It works so good and it's fun! We also did some medicine ball stuff. I'm going to be sore tomorrow, that's for sure! I love working out to music and this would be my ideal pumped up workout playlist:

1) Hurt So Good- John Mellencamp
2) Let's Just Fall- Reckless Kelly
3) The Good Left Undone- Rise Against
4) Toma- Pitbull
5) Love In Her Eyes- Reckless Kelly
6) Chicken Fried- Zac Brown
7) Feel Good Drag- Anberlin
8) Imma Be- Black Eyed Peas
And of course, a little Jack Johnson to cool down!

That's all I have for now. I'm writing all this on my blog to keep myself motivated!

I got a JOB!!

Sorry for not blogging in awhile! A lot has happened in the past few weeks! Right now, I'm currently taking a little break from ATI remediations. ATI is a standardized test for nursing school that is supposed to get us ready to take the NCLEX test, which is the state boards to get your nursing license. Anyway, there's a different ATI for each section, fundamentals, pharmacology, pediatrics, OB, mental health, management, and a few others. Once we take the test at school, we have to come home and correct the ones we got wrong. So, that's what I'm working on right now!

Spring break was really fun! I got to go relax at my parent's house in Allen for most of the week. On Friday, I applied for jobs at Hillcrest hospital in Waco, and Scott & White hospital in Temple. We also went to eat lunch with my sister at the school she teaches at. Then Saturday, we went to Fredericksburg and went shopping and ate and stayed all night and Sunday we went to Gruene to eat lunch at the Gristmill, my favorite place in the world!

The Monday after Spring Break, I got a call from Scott & White Hospital wanting me to come interview for two positions....an LVN on a med/surg floor and in the ER. So, my interviews were the Friday of that week. I was nervous as all get out because those were my first real interviews ever! I ended up getting a job offer from both floors! So then, I had to make up my mind....I never in a million years would have thought I would have gotten job offers from my first two interviews ever, but I did! I ended up choosing the med/surg job and I'm so excited about it! Med/surg is an extremely busy floor and you get patients of all ages (the youngest would be 19, since patients younger than that would go to the pedi floor). The nurse manager I interviewed with said there's everything from spider bites, cardiac patients, post-op patients, mentally ill people, prisoners, tuberculosis, MRSA, bad infections, just some really sick patients. I'm excited about the variety and broadness of med/surg because it will solidify my nursing skills. The floor I will be working on is in the North Tower of Scott & White's main campus and it's a brand new building. Really, it's the nicest and prettiest hospital I've ever stepped foot in! Oh, I forgot to mention that Scott & White is one of the top 15 major teaching hospitals in the country! Among Scott & White are hospitals like Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, the Mayo Clinic, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. To say the least, I'm very proud to be a part of one of the best! I start on May 24th!

This is the North Tower and it's the building my floor is in!


This is the lobby area of the North Tower. It's a very peaceful environment for a hospital...there's even a piano in one of the corners that plays by itself!


And this is most of the Scott & White campus....my new place of employment!



I'll blog more later! Gotta get back to my busy work and laundry! Happy Easter!

A few of my favorite places in Texas!

Well, first off, I passed my final that I had on Thursday! So, I'm still in nursing school and I only have about 8 weeks till I graduate! Now, it's time for Spring Break and I'll be traveling to some of my favorite places in Texas with some of my favorite people! Here's a great song by one of my favorites, Josh Abbott, to go with my blog!



Tomorrow, I'll be taking that Highway 20 ride east to Allen, my hometown! I love Allen because it's where I grew up. It's a big small-town, it has pretty much everything you would ever want, and it's 20 minutes away from Dallas. It's perfect! Some of my favorite things to do in Allen are: 1) spend time with my family. 2) lay out by the pool. 3) go shopping at Watter's Creek (www.watters-creek.com). 4) eat dessert at the Cheesecake Factory. 5) take the train to Dallas' West End and go sight seeing! I love walking into my parent's house, and the way it smells tells me I'm home. Mom loves potpourri and plug-ins and it always smells like cinnamon and apple pie! It's so comforting! I'm always greeted with lots of kisses and howls from my two puppies, Jett and Bailey. They have such amazing personalities for dogs! Bailey is a girly-girl...her favorite thing in the whole world is kissing people right on the mouth! She would rather lay out in the sun or cuddle up next to someone. Jett is 100% boy! He thinks he's a hound dog, so whenever anyone comes in the door, he'll start howling! Anything my dad does, Jett is his little shadow. He loves doing guy stuff. If my dad is headed out the back door with a hammer or some kind of tool in his hand, Jett is right there behind him! I can't wait to see my lil cuties!


I'll stay in Allen all week, then my mom and I will head to Waco on Friday to see my sister and my brother in-law (and my nephew, Toby). While in Waco, we're going to visit my sister at Robinson High School and hang out with her while she teaches one of her geometry classes! I'll also be going to Hillcrest, and Providence Hospitals in Waco, and Scott & White Hospital in Temple to apply for jobs! I'm hopefully going to be moving to Waco when I graduate in May and I need a job as a graduate LVN or an nurse intern. I'll also be going to look at McLennan Community College and maybe Temple College to learn more about their RN schools.

On Saturday, my mom and sister and I will be going to another favorite place of mine, Fredericksburg Texas. Fredericksburg is the cutest little German town and the thing to do there is go shopping! We'll go sight seeing and shopping all day long and enjoy the hill country. That night we'll either stay at a hotel or a bed & breakfast and Sunday morning we'll go to my most favorite place in all of Texas! Gruene.

Gruene (pronounced "green"), is the most beautiful place in Texas in my eyes. It is in the middle of the hill country and it's located right on the Guadalupe River. It's the tiniest little town but full of personality.
There's tons of little antique shops and of course, there's Gruene Hall, a dancehall that all of the great's have played at (George Strait, Pat Green, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and so many more). We'll eat lunch at The Gristmill, an old cotton gin turned into a restaurant overlooking the river. From the lush gardens outside, to the delicious food served on the patio, it's undoubtedly my favorite place. (The picture is the dining on the patio of the Gristmill, overlooking the Guadalupe River).

Then, we'll go back to Waco to drop my sister off and I'll head back to Abilene (hopefully I'll get to go through Dublin to grab a Dublin Dr. Pepper...best in the world!)

That's my spring break at a glance! I'm so excited about this relaxing week ahead of me and I'll try to post pictures from our trip once I get back!

Kelli :)

Overload!

I feel like I need to blog something because it's been a week since my last post. However, my brain is currently on overload because of finals this week and I am sad to say that I will be studying instead of blogging this week. Next week is spring break, and I'll be going to Allen for most of the week and my mom and sister and I are going to Fredericksburg for one weekend, so I promise to blog something fun about our trip! Hope everyone's week is a little less stressful than mine!

Love,
Kelli :)

Man, I have a lot to talk about today!

Today in school, we started our Oncology unit. It's scaring the stuff out of me because based on sign/symptoms, I have about 4 types of cancer right now.... not really, but it's still scary to think about. It's very depressing. It's also supposed to rain 7 of the next 10 days so this should be an interesting/gloomy couple of weeks. Anyway, we have oncology lectures today, Thursday, next Monday, then the unit test is Tuesday, and our Med/Surg 2 FINAL (which covers surgical orientation, orthopedics, gastrointestinal, and oncology) is next Thursday...after that is SPRING BREAK!!!

So, today I learned a few things. I'm pretty opinionated at times (but I try not to be rude), so if you feel that you might be offended by some of the things i'm fixin' to say about cancer, nutrition, and smoking, stop reading now. :)

1) Cigarettes kill more people in a year than illegal drugs, alcohol, AIDS, homicide, suicide, and MVC's (motor vehicle crashes) combined. They kill more Americans in a year than World War II did. Smoking cigarettes is a leading cause of heart disease, and heart disease is the # 1 cause of death in the United States. And, smoking can lead to so many types of cancer, it's ridiculous. In my opinion, cigarettes should be illegal.

2) Good news for some, bad news for others: Cancer mortality rates have dropped nationwide in the past few years. More people are surviving and more people are going into remission! This statistic says "nationwide" but the exception to that is Abilene, TX and the rest of the Big Country (Brownwood, San Angelo, and other tiny lil towns around here). Why? I have no idea....all that I know is that I'm gettin' the heck out of Abilene ASAP!

3) This one is TERRIBLE news for me! The FDA (food and drug administration) recommends cooking on a BBQ grill only TWICE per year. This is because the chemicals released from the charcoal and the gas used in bbq grills is thought to lead to some kinds of cancer. That means, what, maybe Memorial Day and the 4th of July we can cook out? Um, no! I'm just going to have to deal with it and get cancer because I love barbecuing. That's what we do almost every summer night.

That's all I have to share about what we learned today. Some of these statistics are super scary.

Happier news, I have one of the best moms in the whole world! She's a great mom overall, but especially in how she and my dad raised my sister and I. I feel so blessed to have the parents that I do, and I hope that when I have a family of my own, I will be the kind of mom that my mom was.

Because I miss my mom's home cooked meals so much, and because Mrs. Cook was talking about what she made for dinner last night, I am going to attempt to cook some pork chops, mashed potatoes, and peas tonight for dinner! Yummy!

Things I'm saving up money for!

Have you ever tried to save money when you don't have a real job? It's not so easy! But these are the things I'm saving up for!

1. Some Oakley shades. Aren't they cute?!? Add some flip flops, a tank top, and a pretty summer day and that sounds perfect to me! Too bad they're way expensive....maybe I'll just settle for the "Faux"kley's.




2. Ear phones for my iPod. I need new ones because mine broke and now I can't listen to my iPod when I'm working out! It makes for a very boring cardio workout.




3. A full body massage. For a few different reasons.... 1) Nursing school is stressful. 2) I don't have a boyfriend/husband to rub my back whenever I want. 3) I'm the only one in my family that's never had a massage. 4) I can't afford to get pedicures all the time and the people at the nail salons won't just let me sit in their massaging chairs for free. So, I'm going to save up and buy a massage!
P.S. I don't have a picture for this one!

4. A punching bag. Because I need to take all of my aggression out on something. Just kidding! I'm a generally happy person, I just think it would be fun to punch the crap out of a punching bag every now and then...it would be like a workout!




5. A white Ford Fusion. Because isn't it pretty?!? Either a Fusion or an Xterra or something bigger than my lil car because I don't want to be Flintstoning it down the road for the rest of my life! Besides, my lil black car, bless its heart, isn't going to last for very much longer, I'm afraid!

Yay for not sounding like a man anymore!

I'm FINALLY done being sick and I have my voice back! Praise the Lord! P.S. Cherry Nyquil does NOT taste as good as it smells. Don't let it fool you.

This is a shout out to Erin's (Mrs. Musgrove's) 6th period class. Yes, my sister and I are actually 2 years apart...she was born in 1985 and I was 1987. I struggled my way through geometry in high school so be thankful that you have my awesome, sweet sister as your teacher because I promise it could be a LOT worse! Honestly, she's going to kill me for saying this, but when somebody thought it was a good idea to put more words in math than numbers, that's when they crossed the line!

Anyway, it snowed about 4 inches yesterday in abilene and today it's sunny and the snow is melted, thus proving my theory of Mother Nature's bi-polarity (Is that even a word? Guess I will find out when we get to our psych rotation in school). The only good thing about this crazy weather pattern is that we got yesterday and today off of school because the city doesn't think people who live in west Texas know how to drive in the snow....they are 100% correct. So, I'm getting lots of extra time to study for my GI (gastrointestinal) unit test that is tomorrow morning. It's going to cover the A&P of the GI system, all disease processes....definition, signs and symptoms, treatment, and nursing interventions for each. As well as medications (functional class, route of administration, therapeutic dosage, actions, side effects, adverse effects, and therapeutic effects). I'm very thankful for the extra time to study, though, because it's a lot of information to know. And it's not like I can just memorize it for the test and forget about it....would you want me to be your nurse if that's how I passed nursing school? Um, no! Like my teacher always says, "It's not like we're flipping hamburgers, people. We're dealing with living, breathing people. You can kill these patients. You HAVE to know what you are doing."- Mrs. Cook.

So, later today I'm going to my sweet friend Beth's house for study group. Then I will probably go workout with my "trainer", Josh. He's not really my trainer, he's my best friend's brother. But, he played football in high school and he kicks my butt! I'm doing crazy stuff like dips, pull ups, bench press, and a bunch of other things that I never thought I would ever do! I don't think he minds working out with me, though....he says I'm the happiest person he knows! That's one of the best compliments that I've ever gotten!

Have a great day, everyone, especially Erin's 6th period class!

Love,
Kelli :)

My crazy dreams...

So, I'm currently battling a cold and completely lost my voice over the weekend, but I am getting better! I'm taking a couple different meds and they are doing crazy things to my dreams. For example, a couple nights ago, I was on Sudafed. I dreamt that I was Mario (from Nintendo) in mario-land and I was running through the video game shoving gold coins in the pockets of my overalls and ducking into tunnels and such. Honestly, it was the most exciting and fun dream that I have ever dreamt! Then, last night, I was on Nyquil. I dreamt that I was on a field trip tour of Kellie Pickler's house and in order to get out of the house, I had to step on the back of a crocodile so that when he opened his mouth to bite me, it would "sling-shot" me to the door. Then, when I got out of the house, I had to run like mad to get away from the guard dog. STRANGE!

On another note, I'm pretty sure that Mother Nature is bi-polar in Texas. Currently in Abilene, it is freezing (literally 32 degrees), cloudy, and completely miserable. Yesterday at this time it was sunny, beautiful, and it the warm 60's. Yesterday, it also rained while the sun was shining. Tomorrow, it is supposed to snow. But don't worry, because by the end of the week it will be sunny and warm again. I feel like I'm on a roller coaster. I'm definitely ready for it to be summer where it's hot and sunny, when the steering wheel of your car could give you first degree burns if you hold it for too long, and if it has to rain, it's a huge lightening and thunderstorm accompanied by some hail and a possible tornado.

As far as school goes, this morning was our last lecture on the gastrointestinal system. Clinicals at the hospital were cancelled for this afternoon and tomorrow because our teacher had something going on and she has to be out of the state for a couple days. So, I will be home resting and studying and trying to get rid of this awful cold before we go to the hospital on Wednesday!

That's all I have for now!