Road Trip!!!!

We are

going on a road trip

to

INDAYS!!!!


While we are there we will....

Hike behind waterfalls


Go to the Coast

Taste Some Wine



Eat Some




Drink Some

in

to celebrate

Most importantly, we get to see

and

We will be sure to



We can't wait... I have a very busy couple of weeks before the trip though. I work graveyards all weekend, then have only one day off before switching to day shift for two days. Then I have my ACLS class next weekend then have to work 3 more days before we leave. Pretty crazy... I will definitely be in need of the vacation. This will the first time just the two of us have taken a trip together, so we are very excited.

Let's Play A Little Catch-up, Shall We?

I kind of think of blogs as an online journal... Somewhere to write about what's going on in your life: who's important to you, what made you cry, laugh and smile.
My mom and grandma made me my very own journal when I was a kid and I loved it. The only problem was I hardly ever wrote in it. I guess the same is to say about my "online" journal. The last entry was from July!- Wow, has A LOT happened since then....
I want to blog much more frequently to document my life experiences, so in this entry I will try to play catch up on everything that has happened in the last 7 months. And then, I want to make it my goal to blog more frequently. Here we go!!!

August 2009- Job Search Continues...
So I graduated nursing school in May 09 and was so excited to start my career. Everyone told me that once you have your nursing degree, you will be able to find a job anywhere.... It turns out that that was most definitely NOT the case. I passed my boards and got my UT license the very beginning of July. Then came the process of applying for jobs. I got a few interviews at some great hospitals, then got my hopes up only to be let down when I got rejection letters in the mail. Apparently, with the economy the way it is, new grads (even nurses) are struggling to find work. Nurses that were nearing retirement have decided to keep their positions until the economic woes subside; retired nurses have reentered the workforce, perhaps because their spouses have lost jobs; and hospitals are cutting costs, which unfortunately means hiring freezes. My self-confidence was shot. Everyone told me to just enjoy the time off and have a great summer, but it was kind of hard when I had absolutely no money to my name.... Kind of a rough time for me. So I decided to look for jobs in my wonderful home-state....

September 14, 2009- I GOT A JOB!!! Woo-Hoo!!!!
So after searching and applying for jobs, I decided my best option was to get licensed in my home state and work here for a while before venturing out to bigger hospitals. I talked to one of my friends who I graduated nursing school with and asked her how she liked her job at MHSC (this is the hospital where we did all of our clinicals. This is also where a bunch of my fellow classmates are working). She said that she liked it very much and that I should apply. I went to their website and seen the positions available, so I applied for a job in Obstetrics (delivering babies and what not). It said that they were accepting new-grads. OB is definitely not my 1st choice in nursing areas, but Hey!, It's a job, right? In the back of my mind I kept wondering "well, where am I going to live?" I mean, rent is expensive, and it sure would be a lot easier if I had a roommate, but who? That night I talked to my friend Sharmaine again and told her that I had applied. She was excited for me and then she asked what I thought about moving in with her... Apparently her current roommate wanted out, so they were looking to fill the spot. How coincidental? Maybe this is meant to be!!! So I showed up for my interview and spoke with HR lady for a few minutes before it begun. She said, "I hope you don't mind, but the director of ICU will be interviewing you as well as the OB director. They have a position open in ICU as well. Is that something you would be interested in?" I was thinking to myself, "Are you kidding me? ICU is exactly what I want to be doing!!!" So I had the interview and was offered either position... I bet you can't gusess which one I went with!!! Haha. So now I am officialy a Registered Nurse working in the Intensive Care Unit at MHSC. I am learning so much and have some of the greatest co-workers you could ask for. They set me up with a preceptor named Patty, who is someone that I am truly blessed to be learning from. She is one of the best nurses I think I will ever have the opportunity to work with and I hope that I can be half of the nurse that she is. Everything happens for a reason and I really think that I was meant to work here at this time in my life.

September 26, 2009- Baby Shower
Mackenzie came to town to celebrate her soon-to-be baby girl. We threw a fantastic baby shower for her that weekend. Amazing family+great food+ a baby on the way= pure happiness.

October 2009- Scary Movies
Heather and I drove down to SLC to see Paranormal Activity on it's opening night. She is still mad at me for dragging her along... Man, what a creepy movie. I honestly wasn't that scared while in the theater. Don't get me wrong, I was on the edge of my seat biting my nails waiting for creepy things to jump out at me, but it wasn't until I got home in the dark house, that the chills crept down my spine. Does anyone else remember when you were a kid and flipped off the light switch in your bedroom and had to run to your bed so nothing would "catch" you? Well that is the feeling you get after watching this movie. Heather made me sleep with her that night after the moviebecause she was so freaked. And to be honest, I was glad she asked. :)

November 2009- Brand New Life
My entire family flew up to Mackenzie and Monty's house in OR to spend Thanksgiving with eachother and to await the arrival of Little Miss Savannah Sue. Thanksgiving was great... We had a wonderful dinner (aside from the weird gravy that didn't turn out, lol). We each went around the table and gave thanks for all of our many blessings. Here are a few of mine:

• My beautiful, amazing family. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful relationship with each and every one of my family members. Each of them bring so much happiness and warmth to my life. I have 3 best friends- Mackenzie, Natalie and Heather. I love them with all of my heart and soul. I would do absolutley anything for them and I know they would do the same in return. It almost makes me cry to write this, because I know that our love for one-another is so strong. I love my parents just as much. They have raised me to become who I am today and I am so thankful for everything they have taught me.
• My 2 nieces. Hands, down I have the world's most beautiful nieces. Allie was born April 21, 2006 and it was one of the most special days of my life. I have watched her grow into a gorgeous little girl who has a generous heart and a stubborn spirit. She is so smart and talented and keeps me laughing all the time. Savannah was born November 29, 2009. I held her for the first time and asked myself, "How can you have so much love for someone that you just met?" I think it is because she is a blessing from God. She is pure and innocent and brings love and happiness to everyone who holds her in their arms.
• My amazing, wonderful, handsome boyfriend, Justin. I am so in love with this guy it isn't even funny. We have been together for 7 years. We have grown up together... we have changed in many more ways than one. We have learned everything there is to know about eachother and our love continues to become stronger and stronger with time. I am so proud of him for doing so well in school- he has only one year left and he will be an engineer. Then, we will be able to plan our future together. I can't wait!
• My grandparents. I am so blessed to have such an amazing relationship with them. There are a lot of people who don't even get to know their grandparents and that is a shame. What a neat generation! They have lived through so much, it is inspiring.
• My dogs- some of the best friends you will ever have. They love you no matter what. One of my favorite sayings is, "Lord, help me be the person my dog thinks I am." Isn't that the truth?
• My job. I am very thankful to have a stable job inthis economy. I am especially thankful that I enjoy my job and my coworkers and that I feel rewarded at the end of the day.

The day after Thanksgiving, Natalie, Heather, and I took Allie to the riverfront carousel to meet Santa Claus. Allie wasn't scared of him this year, so it was so cute when she sat on his lap and told him that she wants "play-doh" for Christmas. Mom and dad stayed home with Kenzie. She was having a lot of contractions, so we knew it was getting close....And after much anticipation, Savannah Sue was brought into this world on the morning of November 29, 2009. It was one of the neatest experiences of my life. She melted all of our hearts when we finally got to meet her. I won't forget Allie's face when she met her new little cousin for the first time.... priceless.

December- Bittersweet Holiday Season
So Justin was on his Christmas break for a whole month and he stayed with me at my apartment pretty much the whole time... It was kind of a sneak-peak of what married life would be like. Some stuff drove me nuts, but for the most part I was thrilled to be with him every day. I loved getting home from work and having someone to watch episode after episode of Dexter with. He had dinner ready a couple of times when I got off of work and I got lots of massages. It was great. We both went to Evanston to spend Christmas with our familes which was wonderful. This was the first year that I actually had some money to spend on gifts for my loved ones... It was so much fun.
Now for the bittersweet part:
On Christmas morning 1998, me and my sisters opened up the best christmas present we had ever received. After opening all of our clothes, cds and nintendo games, our parents brought out a decent-sized box that had holes poked in the sides. At the same time, all 4 of us girls opened the lid of the box and all screamed in unison to show our excitement. Inside the box was a tiny, furry, black and white puppy. She was the cutest little thing we had ever seen. We ended up naming her Angelica (aka "Onnie"). We grew up with her and she was our protector. She always stood up for us when she thought we were being threatened. Well, this Christmas, Onnie wasn't doing so well. Ever since we got back from our trip to OR, she had developed a terrible cough that wouldn't resolve. She wouldn't eat, she wouldn't bark, she wouldn't go outside. My mom had taken her to the vet several times and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. They had placed her on several different medications, but nothing seemed to help. After Christmas dinner, I pulled Onnie up on the couch to sit next to me and she layed her head on my lap. I began talking with my mom about her and I realized that this would be the last Christmas I would spend with her. I began to cry.... It was a great Christmas, but the realization that Onnie would not be with us for much longer made it very bittersweet.

January 5, 2010- Rest in Peace
Our sweet little Angelica "Onnie" was put to rest on this day. The night before she passed, my mom called me and told me that she was doing better. She actually barked for the first time in two months. I guess our other dog Winston was being rambunctios playing ball in the house and she "yelled" at him. She always got kind of ornery when he got out of hand, I guess she was just trying to keep him in line, lol. But the next day I got a message from my dad saying that her back legs went out on her and they were taking her to the vet to put her down. I guess she was very anxious that she wasn't able to walk and it was her time to go. I am glad that she was able to die a peaceful death. She was buried on a beautiful piece of property we own in Evanston. I hope I get to see her again someday. Heaven wouldn't be a place worth going to if dogs aren't allowed.


Well there is the scoop on what has been happening in my life... I will be posting again soon. Mackenzie, Monty and Savannah recently made a trip home to Evanston. We were able to share lots of precious memories with beautiful Savannah.... I will share some of those memories in the next post! Thanks for reading.