Playing Hookie WITHOUT OUR KIDS

I received an e-mail that my Monday class was cancelled. So I began planning all of the things I was going to do that day: laundry, homework, cleaning, etc. The kids went off to school and just after the door closed, my husband said, "I'm going to call in sick". My eyes opened wide, my mouth dropped open and I said, "What did you say? Are you serious?" He was! So I asked him what he was going to do. He said, "Well, we could go to the Wilderness." Yahooooo!

So we grabbed our swimsuits, jumped in the car, and headed to Wisconsin Dells. WITHOUT OUR KIDS! We had so much fun. We spent a lot of time in the gigantic wave pool. When the waves would come, Mike knew just when to push me in the tube toward it. This resulted in me either practically flying off of the tube or getting water dumped over my head. I can't remember when we last laughed so hard. We also were able to go on slides together. WITHOUT OUR KIDS! Here is a picture of the bottom of the "Dueling Mammoths" (we are not in this picture):



It was so nice to be together. Especially since it was such a spontaenous surprise date! Plus, nobody knew that we were there. We were so sneaky, that when we got home I quick threw the swimsuits in the washer. That way they kids wouldn't see them and know what we did. Hee Hee. Believe it or not, they never had a clue. I was worried that they would smell the chlorine in our hair. We got home about 5 minutes before they got off the bus. So, shhhhhhh, don't tell them. It's our little secret!

Big Sigh of Relief!

Let's see if you can figure this out:

You started an IV at 8:00 am at 35gtt/min. The equipment is calibrated at 15 gtt/mL. After 5 hours the IV is stopped. How much did the patient receive since 8:00am?

This is an example of one of the types of problems on my 2nd semester medical math exam.

I aced it!!!

That means life/education will continue on as scheduled.

P.S. Thanks God!

Finally Friends

Since I am busy studying, I thought I would share a few pictures of my furry friends. Here are Mia and Carbon-buddy sharing in some tuna water:

This is Carbon-buddy's favorite place--looking out the window behind the sofa.

Have a great day!

Study Night

I'm going to school to become a registered nurse. I have discovered, that during my first semester of nursing, I worked harder and longer than I ever did for my BS degree. The second semester is no different. I have numerous exams and quizzes every week, so I spend a LOT of time studying. I'm so glad that I am NOT younger while doing this. I can't imagine dating, hanging out with friends, partying, etc. while taking Nursing courses. Although, many people point out to me that I have two kids and two jobs. True! I'm not sure which would be harder.

Here are my nursing books. Yes--I use ALL OF THEM! I spread out on the kitchen table with several books at a time, my computer, my binders, and there is no room to eat dinner.

Tonight I am studying cardiac stuff: hypertension, angina, congestive heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, shock, and coronary heart disease. I need to know the medications, the side effects, the symptoms, the assessments, and the nursing diagnoses. Ugh.

So--there is a lot of memorizing to be done tonight. Technically, I shouldn't even be blogging, so I better get to it!

My Nephew is Home From Iraq!!!

My nephew, Lee, is home from Iraq for two weeks.

He wanted to surprise us, so he didn't tell ANYBODY!

This is Lee in 2004.

Now he is 21 years old.

Welcome home Lee!

Suggest a Caption for THIS Picture

Everyone has been blogging about cute and fuzzy creatures lately, which reminded me of this little guy. This prairie dog photo was taken in South Dakota in Badlands National Park by my nephew, Lee. It seems he might be trying to tell someone something. What do you think?

Nothing

.

Where were you that day?

9/11 was one of those days that people don't forget. Anyone who was old enough to remember knows exactly where they were and what was going on that day. It's like the Kennedy assassination or the space shuttle disasters. I remember when I found out President Reagan was shot and when I heard that Princess Diana had died. Mostly, I remember 9/11 because it was scary and we didn't know what was happening. Here is my story.

It started as one of those typical work days. I got ready for work and my 3 year old watched PBS while she waited. On that day she decided that she wanted to go to day care early. Since I didn't have to leave for work until later, I figured I could drop her off and continue getting ready.

When I got home I turned on one of the morning news shows. It was breaking news. I remember thinking how horrible it was, but then it only got worse. A plane hit the second tower. That is when someone on the news voiced that "this is no longer an accident, we may be under attack". Well, as someone growing up in the 70's and 80's, this was realllllllly scary. We always felt so safe. Things always happen "somewhere else".

I tried to get a hold of my husband at work. I got voice mail. I tried to call my Mom, I got her answering machine. As I was leaving a message, the 3rd plane had hit the Pentagon. My mom saved my message so that I could hear it. You could tell how frightened I was. I had a 3 year old and I was newly pregnant and I just wanted to be with someone.

But I had to go to work.

When I got to work we had to pretend it was a normal day. We set up a few fuzzy t.v.'s so we could keep abreast of what was going on. I don't think much was accomplished that day. Who could concentrate?

The other thing I remember about that September was how quiet the skies were. No air traffic whatsoever. When the restriction was lifted, I would panic a little bit when I heard an airplane. One time some military jets flew over--yikes. I said, "I think something is going on." My 3 year old picked up on that and kept copying what I said ever time a plane flew over. We really tried to shelter her from all of it, but even that was hard, because it was on every channel. I know she sensed something. I had to get over that airplane panic very quickly.

So that is my 9/11 story. I would like to hear yours. Will you share it?

Pay It Forward

How will you Pay It Forward today?

Have you seen the movie "Pay It Forward"? If you haven't, make sure that you do! It is one of those movies that really makes you think. Yesterday I started thinking about all of the people who have helped me with things over the last few years. Those people are Paying it Forward!

While I'm in school life is crazy. My priorities are family, school, and work, in that order. Unfortunately it makes our lives more financially challenging. So instead of paying for a babysitter once in awhile, we pay for textbooks. Instead of buying fun stuff we pay for gymnastics (so expensive!) or dance or swimming for our kids. We don't buy clothes for us, we buy them for the kids. This isn't meant to be a "pity-party" at all. It is reality. It is the sacrifice we make for my nursing education. I knew what I was getting into. Long term it will pay off.

So during my schooling I have had a lot of people that have done things for me and/or my family that are so appreciated. Most of those things have not been "paid back". They are just being good, giving people asking for nothing in return. For example several of my day care co-workers have watched my kids in emergency situations either without pay or at a really good price. Do they have to do that? Would I think any less of them if they didn't? No. They are Paying It Forward. My neighbor lets the kids come over to visit quite often. They think of it as another home. Does she need my pesty kids hanging around? No. But those little breaks for me are golden! A few of my brother-in-laws have helped us with minor repairs, painting, and car advice. Again-nothing in return.

There are so many other examples. Not all of them are financial however. Have you ever had someone say something to you that just makes your day? Or week? or Year? I had one of those experiences last week. A parent at the day care came up to me and explained that her son had a really hard first day of school. Just terrible, actually. She said that they asked him if there was one thing that went well for him that day (to focus on the positive). He said, "Well Dawn gave me a Jolly Rancher because I did something nice." (I praised him for doing a selfless and sweet thing for one of the other kids. I also gave him the candy). She said that after talking about that he perked up and went to school the next day without trouble. She just wanted to tell me that my one little act of kindness really made a huge impact on her son. She said that as a teacher herself, she knows that we don't hear about all of the little things that make a difference in a child's life, and she wanted me to know.

I could go on and on with more examples, but you get what I mean. My big goal is to be able to do something for these people in return. Then I think about Pay It Forward. I might not be able to do something for them but I have been making some effort to do little Pay It Forwards whenever I can. (The financial ones will have to wait for now :-) )

My challenge to you is to find something TODAY that you can do to Pay It Forward. I am very interested in hearing from you.

My Own Ghost Story

My own ghost story is not scary or creepy. It was really a cool experience. And I don't mean cold, either. There wasn't a cool feeling or anything. So here it is. . .

We were staying in a hotel in Iowa. It wasn't an old or creepy place by any means. Anyway, I was having a very hard time sleeping. I suffer from chronic shoulder pain, and I couldn't get comfortable. So I was WIDE AWAKE!

Our niece and older daughter were sleeping in one bed and my husband and I had our little one in our bed. I believe she was around 2 years old. So I was tossing and turning and couldn't fall asleep. Our little one had a tendency to sleep all over the bed--sideways, head down, whatever.

So at one point, I thought she was standing up in bed, so I reached out to grab her, but I ended up hugging my ownself. I tried repeatedly. I was confused, so I started patting around the bed to try to find her. I found her right where she should be, with her head on the pillow.

So I turned toward the area where I thought she was and saw what seemed like a person standing through the middle of the bed. As though the bed wasn't there. All I saw was the bottom half of a woman wearing a long nightgown. And then it faded away.

I looked around in disbelief, thinking maybe I saw a weird reflection of light. But I didn't. The room was as dark as can be. Then I said, "COOL!" I was in awe and not in the least bit freaked-out.

So now I know they are real. I never believed before. Or I didn't want to. But if my kids ask me, I say, "there's no such thing as ghosts", because I don't want them to be scared.

Now I think it would be kind of neat to see another one. As long as it's not scary, or creepy, or in my own house!

Stand Up!

Tonight on NBC, ABC, & CBS

STAND UP 2 CANCER

My support is in honor of:

Sue, Jim, Mike, Dad Tom, Dana, Lisa, Diane, Jordyn, Cliff, Abby, & Owen

In Memory of: Steve and Noelle

Hmmmmm. . .

Just when you think you are getting somewhere. . .

(These pictures were taken by my nephew, Lee

when we were "out-west" in 2004.)

O.K. it is a slow news day.

I haven't had a day off of work since August 10th.

I'm trying to study, but I'm just fried.

I WILL FINALLY HAVE A DAY OFF ON FRIDAY!

Kitty update: Carbon kitty is actually about 4 months old (according to the vet looking at his teeth).

He is named after the carbon fiber used to make race cars. He has a little tag made of carbon fiber on his collar.

He has been through a few homes before we received him.

He likes to nibble on my ears.

He takes off running out the door any chance he gets.

Mia kitty is in the hissing/growling stage. She was hiding in the basement since Friday, but now she has come out.

I have 4 exams next week.

My husband asked, "how can you have 4 exams if you only have two classes right now?" I said, "That's nursing school for you!"

Ciao for now!