Thursday, May 28, 2009


FINALLY we have met our match! After much kicking, screaming, and even some nasty name calling in regard to our outdated laptop computer, D.J. and I finally decided it was time for an upgrade. The final result of this 2 year long battle was the purchase of a new iMac desktop. We could not be more thrilled. No more 3 minute wait to access the Internet or silly little pop-ups telling me that I am fixing to lose the 22 pages that I just typed because there has been an error on script 52. Gone are the days of viruses, spy ware, and worms.

"REJOICE, REJOICE, AND AGAIN I SAY REJOICE: THE GANNONS HAVE FINALLY MET THEIR MATCH"

Friday, May 8, 2009


"My mom is a never ending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune." ~Graycie Harmon

Over the years the relationship that I formulated with my mom has been one of the most rewarding blessings that has been placed upon my life. The blessings I have received from being raised by a woman of unconditional love go far beyond any word I could ever imagine. My mother has played multiple roles in my life; cook in the kitchen, maker of the bed, cleaner of the house, driver to the movies, chaperon of the sleepover, benefactor to my entire undergraduate degree just to name a few. However, my most fondest memories of my mom have always been based upon love. As a child she comforted me when frightful dreams fled me from my bed, As a teenager she made chicken salad "to-go" sandwiches for me and my friends as we headed out to listen to our favorite band in concert, and just the other day she sent me such a thoughtful card in the mail telling me what a wonderful nurse she thought I was. See that's the thing about my mom, always loving, and always thinking of me.

"Mom I want to thank you for your unconditional love and always leading by example. I feel so lucky to have a mom who has always pushed me to "keep on, keeping on" in this crazy life. It is no doubt that any success that I have in my life have a direct correlation to you. I hope you have a wonderful Mothers Day."

Monday, May 4, 2009


"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides." ~W.E. Johns, The Passing Show

With all of the recent rain our vegtable and fruit garden is starting to reveal the "fruits of our labor". With fingers crossed we will be blessed with; corn, lettuce, tomatoes, jalepeno and bell peppers, squash, watermelon, ocra, beans, cucumber, and in the early fall pumpkins.


"Rain, rain, go away
Come again some other day
We want to go outside and play
Come again some other day
"

Check out these pictures that D.J. and I took yesterday while in Rock Island. The water is absolutely raging! It was a pretty impressive display of what "mother nature" can produce.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Attitude

You know, I really, really, really, like this quote.

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes. "~ Charles Swindoll

Friday, April 17, 2009

Heart Over Head

After a extremely tough few days at work this poem has seemed to put a smile on my face. As for me, and I think for so many other nurses, It becomes a constant battle to stay grounded and maintain sanity when you see so much sickness and heartbreak everyday. As a nurse you are constantly trying to be everything for everyone. Throughout the day I often find myself tangled up in obstacles that are almost irrelevant to my job, but are mandatory to my heart. Last night, after two years of nursing, I found myself once again venerable to a situation that I SHOULD KNOW was out of my control. However, my heart often takes over my head and I am left with with a flood of unknown questions for myself; "What could I have done differently? What signs did I miss? Did I really do everything I could to save a life?" The point is, you questions yourself and your abilities daily. You become your worst critic and sometimes your toughest battle. Just like the poem says I have a tear this morning, a tear for bottled-up emotions, for patients I've tried in vain to save,
and for commitment to the hope that I will make a difference in a person's chance to survive.


When the Lord made Nurses He was into his sixth day of overtime.

An angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

And the Lord said, "Have you read the specs on this order?

A nurse has to be able to help an injured person, breathe life into a dying person,

and give comfort to a family that has lost their only child and not wrinkle their uniform.

They have to be able to lift 3 times their own weight,

work 12 to 16 hours straight without missing a detail,

console a grieving mother as they are doing CPR on a baby

they know will never breathe again.

They have to be in top mental condition at all times,

running on too-little sleep, black coffee and half-eaten meals.

And they have to have six pairs of hands.

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands...no way!"

"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord,

"It's the two pairs of eyes a nurse has to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The Lord nodded. "One pair that does quick glances while making

note of any physical changes, And another pair of eyes that can look

reassuringly at a bleeding patient and say,

"You'll be all right ma'am" when they know it isn't so."

"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow."

"I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model

that can talk to a 250 pound grieving family member whose child has been

hit by a drunk driver...who, by the way, is laying in the next room uninjured,

and feed a family of five on a nurse's paycheck."

The angel circled the model of the nurse very slowly,

"Can it think?" she asked.

"You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the symptoms of 100 illnesses;

recite drug calculations in it's sleep; intubate, defibrillate, medicate,

and continue CPR nonstop until help arrives...and still it keep it's sense of humor.

This nurse also has phenomenal personal control. They can deal with a

multi-victim trauma, coax a frightened elderly person to unlock their

door,comfort a murder victim's family, and then read in the daily paper

how nurses are insensitive and uncaring and are only doing a job."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the nurse.

"There's a leak," she pronounced.

"I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."

"That's not a leak," said the Lord, "It's a tear."

"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.

"It's for bottled-up emotions, for patients they've tried in vain to save,

for commitment to the hope that they will make a difference

in a person's chance to survive, for life."

"You're a genius," said the angel.

The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there," He said.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

A Little Birdie Told Me

Did you know that if you get caught speeding in Metro as long as you are going less than 15 miles over the speed limit they do not report you to the state or file the ticket with your insurance company?? That's what a little birdie who happens to work at the Tennessee Bureau of Traffic Violations told me. I promised her that her secret would be safe with me so "SHHHHHHHH, lets just keep it between you and I.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009




Yes, It is true, I recieved ANOTHER speeding ticket today. I take all the blame. I have no excuse or catchy cover story, it was just me breaking the law. It has been over two years since my last ticket and for sometime now I have been feeling extremly proud of myself. However, today while running late for school I let my "too fast, to furious" monster come out and it got me, ONCE AGAIN, with another flipping ticket! Recieving the ticket was not even the worst part..I honestly believe that telling D.J. was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. D.J. the man who is never in a hurry, never had a ticket, and never even had a "finder binder" finds it almost completly impossible to understand why I have such a problem with breaking the speed limit! Truthfully I am not sure that I fully understand my repetative behavior either, but "it is what it is". One more ticket on my already tarnished driving record.

Friday, March 27, 2009

“Good luck happens when preparedness meets opportunity”

Wishing my husband lots of luck as he heads out to take his state boards tommorrow!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

21 Rules For Life

"1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
2. Work at something you enjoy and that's worthy of your time and talent.
3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6. Be generous.
7. Have a grateful heart.
8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12. Commit yourself to quality.
13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationship with people you love and respect.
14. Be loyal.
15. Be honest.
16. Be a self-starter.
17. Be decisive even it it means you'll sometimes be wrong.
18. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.
20. Take good care of those you love.
21. Don't do anything that wouldn't make your Mom proud."

H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Beans and Rice-Rice and Beans




Who knew graduate school would be so EXPENSIVE..SHEESH! I am now starting to feel the effects of being a full time student. Yesterday I was informed of just how much it was actually going to cost me to attend school this summer. Besides from selling the family farm I am fresh out of ideas on how to make extra money without having to pick up extra shifts at work. Lets review what has been on my mind for the past 2 days, starting with......

Tuition
NP Student Liability Insurance
Coaxial Opthalmoscope/Otoscope
Rosenbaum Card
6" Ruler and 60" Tape Measure
Stethoscope (you know the good kind)
Sphygmomanometer
Reflex Hammer
Tuning Fork (256 Hz)
Pen Light
3x5 cards
Tongue Depressors
Professional Lab Coat
Professional Attire
Dress Shoes (heals only no tennis shoes)
Palm Pilot (at the advice of my peers)

Okay so I should really STOP complaining because I do realize how blessed I am to be given this incredible opportunity to expand my career, but in the words of John Stossel, "GIVE ME A BREAK"! What happened to the days where "patient care" was the central focus for medical students? When did palm pilots and jimmy choo's become the marker of a competent Doctor and Nurses. Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking the system for producing technical savy Doctors and Nurses who only where Prada. I am just saying that when I am at the center of a medical emergency somebody better be getting me someone who knows what they are doing, weather it be the doctor who is still using his textbook from 1980's to look up diagnosis or the one who only wears jeans with his dress shirt. Makes no difference to me, as long as they know how to treat me as a patient.

Okay, Okay, Okay....I have gotten off the subject a bit. Back to what this post is really about, Graduate School being so dang expensive!!!!!! Please feel free to leave any advice about trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents!! I promise...I will listen!

Sincerly,
"Broke as a Joke"

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The Scale is a Moving...




Thats right, I am on week nine and have lost a total of 11 pounds!! I must say that I am super proud of myself, but it has definatly not been easy. It seems that me and my weight have a "love-hate" relationship. Some weeks I see the pounds drop and other times the scale does not move at all! Either way I am still super motivated and plan to rejoin weight watchers again when this eleven week session is completed. For now I am 3 lbs away from losing 10% of my starting weight and 6 lbs away from my personal weight loss goal!

Monday, March 9, 2009

PROCRASTINATION

WELL I HAVE BEEN TAGGED AGAIN, AND SINCE I AM ON DAY #2 OF COMPLETE PROCRASTINATION IN REFERENCE TO MY GRADUATE THESIS I WILL INDULDGE IN THIS SURVEY.

4 jobs I've had:
1. Stewarts Pharmacy
2. Maurices
3. Sun Loan and Tax Service
4. Middle Tennessee Medical Center

4 movies watched over and over:
1. Days of Thunder
2. Wizard of Oz
3. The Notebook
4. Splash

4 places I've lived:
1. Bybee Branch Road
2. Viola
3. McKennon Blvd
4. Dokota Way

4 shows I watch:
1. Greys Anatomy
2. Keeping up the Kardashians
3. Dr. G Medical Examiner
4. Mystery Diagnosis


4 places I've been:
1. Bahamas
2. Alaska
3. New York City
4. Multiple Beaches in Florida

4 people who e-mail me regularly:
1. Lacey
2. My Research Teacher
3. People from class
4. Clinical Placement advisor


4 favorite things/places to eat:
1. Mexican
2. Chicken Chef
3. Demos'
4. Olive Garden

4 places I'd rather be:
1. Laying on the beach drinking a margarita
2. In Alaska hiking through the mountains
3. In New York City sipping coffee in Central Park
4. Begining an adventure anywhere that I have not been before

4 things I look forward to this year:
1. Fitting into my "skinny girl jeans"
2. Summer nights at the cabin
3. Starting my first vegtable and flower garden
4. Sleeping in on Saturdays with my husband

I Tag... Anyone who reads this and wants to be tagged.

Friday, March 6, 2009

My Advanced Pharmacology teacher passed this out last week after our first test. Thought I would share.

The rules of life for graduates.

Some have said this was from Bill Gates talk to high school graduates
but probably he did not say this unless he quoted Sykes.

RULE 1.

Life is not fair; get used to it.

RULE 2.
The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you
to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

RULE 3.

You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school OR
college. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone, until you earn
both.

RULE 4.If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss. He
doesn't have tenure.

RULE 5.Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a
different word for burger flipping; they called it opportunity.

RULE 6.
If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your
mistakes, learn from them.

RULE 7.
Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now.
They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and
listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the
rain forest from the parasites of your parents' generation, try
"delousing" the closet in your own room.

RULE 8.

Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has
not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades; they'll give
you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear
the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

RULE 9.

Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very
few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on
your own time.

RULE 10.

Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave
the coffee shop and go to jobs.

RULE 11.
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

Monday, February 23, 2009




Tara tagged me on this one...So here it goes!

The Game of Tag about your MAN:

1. Who is your man? Donald James Gannon (D.J.)
2. How long have you been together? married for a little over a year
3. How long did you date? 6 years
4. How old is your man? 28 years young
5. Who eats more? He does
6. Who said "I love you" first? He did
7. Who is taller? D.J.
8. Who sings better? Most defiantly me because D.J. does not sing
9. Who is smarter? I have the "book" smarts and D.J. has the "life" smarts (I am jealous)
10. Whose temper is worse? Me, D.J. is normally cool as a cucumber
11. Who does the laundry? It is a equal distribution. Whoever is home and has the time.
12. Who takes out the garbage? Both, same as the laundry
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? D.J.
14. Who pays the bills? D.J., he is a financial warrior!
15. Who is better with the computer? D.J. (man I am making myself sound bad)
16. Who mows the lawn? D.J., I would love to do it but his lawn mower is to high tech for me
17. Who cooks dinner? Equal distribution. Whoever is home and has the time!
18. Who drives when you are together? Me
19. Who pays when you go out? Equal distribution. Whoever has their wallet out first.
20. Who is most stubborn? D.J.
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? D.J. (I am working on that)
22. Whose parents do you see the most? Well with my schedule I never see my parents or D.J.'s parents, but he sees his dad a couple times a week.
23. Who kissed who first? HE KISSED ME, I am a lady!
24. Who asked who out? He asked me, about a million times! I finally said YES!
25. Who proposed? HIM OF COURSE!
26. Who is more sensitive? ME, I am such a cry baby!
27. Who has more friends? I guess we both have about the same amount of friends
28. Who has more siblings? We both have one brother
29. Who wears the pants in the family? I will where them one day, then D.J. might were them the next! It is a complete DEMOCRACY!

OKAY I TAG: LACEY JONES, SARAH WEBB, AND JESSICA HIGGINS

Thursday, February 12, 2009

On The Other Side of the Fence

Okay...Not much time to blog but I really had to share this...

As most of you know when D.J. took the buy-out from Nissan he was given the opportunity to go back to school. After weeks of soul searching and investigating my little hubby decided that he would really love to try his hand at becoming a Home Inspector. Anyone who knows D.J. knows that this is absolutly right up his alley. The job really could not be anymore perfect for anyone but him! I often tell people that I am married to a "milleneum man", which means he is bascially the best at everything he does. D.J. can fix the car, patch-up the roof, paint two bedrooms (trim included) and still have a load of laudry done and dinner on the table by 6. I am the first to admit, that I am one lucky lady. However, D.J. has met his match,

SCHOOL WORK

Initually D.J. anticipated a 3 day weekend in Nashville and a state board examine for certification, (which was a little intense for my sweet little poodle) but as of last night he found out that within the next 3 weeks he will have to read 7 books and complete several audiovisual lectures from the internet! As disbelif feel upon my sweeties face I could not help but to have a grin on mine! Finally I am not the only one in the house that is completly overwhelmed with work, school, housework, family, friends, voluneteer work, and mainly just the everyday aspect of life. In the end, I know D.J. will be just as successful at this as he is in every other aspect of his life. If I had to give D.J. any advice it would be..

"D.J., don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful. There will ALWAYS be someone telling you no, or telling you that you can't, NEVER listen. Always surround yourself with successful people and eventually you too will become successful in your own merit. I will always be your biggest fan and your loudest cheerleader. One thing is for sure, If you ever fall I will be the hand that is reaching out to pick you up. Good Luck D.J."

Thursday, February 5, 2009

"Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up."
-- Dean Karnazes
Runner and author of Ultramarathon Man

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Back On Track

Yippee...After a disappointing lose of ZERO pounds last week, I am now back on track with a weight loss of 3.2 lbs for week number three! I have now lost a much needed 7.2 lbs and have successfully met my first set goal of 5% of my weight. Next set goal is of course 10% of my starting weight, which you guessed it, is another 7 lbs!!

However, it can't always be blue skies and sunny days! With the good there must always be bad. Has anyone ever had a week where they just want to scream as loud as they can? Kinda of like this..

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

Well, that is exactly how I have been feeling this week in regards to school. After much thought and even much preparation my research teacher decided that the research problem that I had proposed to him, 3 weeks earlier, was not going to be acceptable. My reaction to this..

"Uuuummmmm..excuse me? Did you not tell me 3 weeks earlier that It was just perfect? Weren't you the one who helped me use correct wording? Do you not realize that I have spent the past three weeks working on this project that you signed off on? Are you a complete *** or what?"

In response to this thorn in my side I have spent the last few days re-working my research proposal in hopes that it will be in compliance to his wishes. FRUSTRATION!

As a fellow colleague of mine stated: "Welcome to Grad School"

P.S. DEAR RESEARCH TEACHER, IF YOU ARE READING THIS PLEASE DISREGARD EVERYTHING FROM ABOVE...I PROMISE I DID NOT MEAN ANY OF IT..ESPECIALLY THAT SILLY NAME I CALLED YOU...I KNOW YOU ARE THE EXPERT AND I AM JUST THE LITTLE PEON THAT WORKS RELENTLESSLY INTO THE MID HOURS OF THE NIGHT NEGLECTING ALL FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF YOUR MOST INTERESTING AS WELL AS INSIGHTFUL CLASS.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

THE REST OF THE STORY

AND THIS IS WHY I LOVE PAUL HARVEY..ENJOY!

Paul Harvey says:

I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December.



I don't agree with Darwin , but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his Theory of Evolution.


Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire Book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.



But it's a Christian prayer, some will argue.



Yes, and this is the United States of America and Canada , countries founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1.


So what would you expect -- somebody chanting Hare Krishna?

If I went to a football game in Jerusalem , I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer.

If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad , I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.

If I went to a ping pong match in China , I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.


And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit. When in Rome .


But what about the atheists? Is another argument.

What about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand.


Call your lawyer!

Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations.



Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep. Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying.




God, help us. And if that last sentence offends you, well, just sue me.


The silent majority has been silent too long. It's time we tell that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard that the vast ma jority doesn't care what they want. It is time that the majority rules! It's time we tell them, You don't have to pray; you don't have to say the Pledge of Allegiance; you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right; but by golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away.


We are fighting back, and we WILL WIN!

God bless us one and all .. especially those who denounce Him, God bless America and Canada despite all our faults. We are two great nations. God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God.



Let's make 2009 the year the silent majority is heard and we put God back as the foundation of our families and institutions... and our military forces come home from all the wars.




Keep looking up.



'AND THAT'S THE REST OF THE STORY'

Snow Day



Well today is an official snow day, without the snow....Either way I am happy for a day off. Today I plan on catching up on some homework and maybe even getting ahead of the game.

On a more disappointing note, last night was weigh-in at Weight Watchers. To my disbelief I did not lose even one pound. That's right, I stayed the exact same weight as the week before. I was kinda surprised?? I mean I actually did not do anything differently from the week before? So I stayed after to meet with the leader. After reviewing my food options for the week he actually told me that he did not think I was eating enough!! He told me that my goal for every day is to eat all of my points! This goal is fine with me, but sometimes things get so busy that I forget to eat, which in turn slows down my metabolism. Then when I decided to eat I am so hungry that I make bad food choices. So what have I learned..

SLOW METABOLISM + BAD FOOD CHOICES = NO WEIGHT LOSS

Easy concept right? Sure sounds easy but in reality I know that it is going to be extremely hard for me to eat every 2-3 hours as he recommended, expecially when I am at work. However, it is time for a change. It is time for me to put me and my needs first. Work, school, and the demands of life will just have to wait until I am done with my banana!

Goals for week two:
Eat every 2-3 hours
Drink a glass of milk before bedtime
Eat more fruits and vegetables
And keep drinking more water


O' I almost forgot...The soy milk is going great..I really do like it..Pretty tasty and very filling!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

OPEN BOOK

Just a quick announcement..Since my first weigh in on weight watchers I have lost a total of 4 lbs for the first week. My goal is always 2 lbs a week, but anything over that is always welcomed! I am hoping that this Tuesday night I will reach my first weight loss goal of losing 5% of my starting weight. I also recruited a good friend of mine and my sister-in-law (a post weight watchers success story) into starting this eleven week journey with me. I will try to keep all of you up-to-date on my weight loss success, and as told be the weigh watchers leader, my weight loss struggles. As our leader discussed in our first meeting, "you can not be a closet weight watcher, if you are going to do it, do it good and do it honest." So here I am an open book, ready to share with you my successes, struggles, and goals for my health.

My "mini" goal for week one was to drink more water, which was a success. This goal did not prove to be that painful for me. However my "mini" goal for week two is, of course drink more water, and start converting to soy milk along with other soy based products??? I had my first cup of soy milk yesterday (vanilla flavor), it definitely was not as bad as I suspected. However the soy milk in my cereal was far from what I am used to. I am defiantly going to stick with the soy milk for at least a week and cross my fingers that I will somehow acquire a soy milk taste bud.

O'yeah....Also school started back this week and I have been feeling like a CRAZY women. This semester my classes will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday, but for the next month they will meet on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday! The schedule is somewhat unfortunate for me, being that I am a full time employee. So you guessed it..yours truly will be working on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays throughout the semester. Again, I know it is temporary and I will eventually reap the benefits of the hard work.

"FIRST REQUIREMENT OF MY FIRST JOB AS A NURSE PRACTITIONER...NO WEEKENDS!!!!!"

Monday, January 19, 2009



Heading back to school tommorrow for semester #2 of Nurse Practitioner School!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009


WELL I AM HEADED TO MY VERY FIRST WEIGHT WATCHERS MEETING TONIGHT. AS MANY OF YOU KNOW I FOLLOWED THE WEIGHT WATCHERS DIET LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME AND LOST ABOUT 15LBS FOR THE SUMMER MONTHS. I WAS PRETTY EXCITED WITH MYSELF, BUT AS FAST AS THE WINTER MONTHS CAME BACK AROUND SO DID MY WEIGHT. LAST YEAR INSTEAD OF ATTENDING THE MEETINGS MY SISTER-IN-LAW DIRECTED MY WEIGHT LOSS AND GAVE ME THE TOOLS TO SUCCEED. ALTHOUGH I WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL, I SLOWLY BECAME RELAXED WITH THE DIET AND BEGAN FLIRTING WITH OLD HABITS, WHICH EVENTUALLY LEAD TO MY COMPLETE UNCOMPLIANCE WITH THE PROGRAM. I AM HOPING THAT THE MEETINGS WILL GIVE ME EXACTLY WHAT I NEED TO LOSE THE WEIGHT AND KEEP IT OFF. IF ANYONE IS INTRESTED IN ATTENDING THE MEETINGS I WOULD BE THRILLED..HAVING A PARTNER SOMETIMES EASES THE RIGIDITY OF THE NEW LIFESTYLE CHANGES.

WHERE: COVENANT FELLOWSHIP CHURCH
WHAT TIME: 6PM EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT
HOW LONG: 11 WEEKS
COST: $110

Friday, January 9, 2009






"While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about."
~Angela Schwindt


Although it is hard to believe, our little Jackson is 2 today. The little baby boy that was wrapped so softly in his blankets and cuddled by all as a newborn is now; running, jumping, talking, laughing, kissing, hugging, and asking everyone "what is that" to everything in sight. I speak for myself, as well as D.J., that it has been nothing but an absolute joy to watch Jackson grow into the most amazing little man. I tell everyone that I see, that he is the sweetest, most lovable little boy in the world,and I truly mean it. My Jackson is the only one I know that darts off in a mad dash with arms wide open screaming my name with a silly grin on his face every time I see him. What a sweet little boy he is. Jackson is also the only one I know that can make my heart melt with those big blue eyes when he is telling me sorry for something he did, how precious is that.

"Jackson, your Uncle D.J. and I love you to the moon and back. You will always have the most special place in our hearts. We will never be able to explain to you how much your sweet face means to us. May the wind always be at your back, and the sun always upon your face, and may the wings of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars."
Happy Birthday Jackson