A GREAT TIME CAMPING

We went to Mammoth to camp this past weekend and I think everyone had a blast. Between the rain, freezing cold nights, beautiful sights and sounds of the mountains and Yosemite, and the snow/freezing rain that we got to play in, it was an AWESOME vacation!!!!
There's never a dull moment with our group. Even to the end, when we woke up to a bear in our camp, we had our fill of excitement. Woo hoo! We saw a bear!
Click on the bear below to see the rest of the pics.

All Cleaned and Ready for Inspection, Ma'am!

Yep, my mom is coming to town. And she's staying with us (thank you Randy- I love you pookie!). This is the first time since our wedding that she will be out here in good ol' Ventura. I have spent the last 2 days cleaning things as spotless as they can get in our old apartment building that hasn't been painted in years. Four words: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. The thing is a M-I-R-A-C-L-E!!! I don't know what they put in those little sponges, but whatever it is, works really well on all the black marks on the walls.

It's Officially Official!!!!

The one and only bugg is a real REGISTERED NURSE!!!!! I found out today! Check it out! (just enter my name and viola!).

And, I would like to say that I LOVE my job. It's awesome. I'm learning so much and can't believe I am where I'm at. Cottage is a great place to work, and I feel as though I'm making some small difference in this crazy world.

I did almost puke due to the stink of one of my patient's poop the other day. If you think that regular poop smells bad, you should smell chemo poop.
WOO-EEE!!!!!!

I love the other nurses I work with and feel like I'm meant to be there. And, the good thing is, the 12 hour shifts go pretty quickly. My feet and legs kill me by the end of the shift though. I have very Dr Scholls orthopedic shoes but sometimes the most comfortable shoes at the beginning of the shift just don't cut through the tiredness of running around for 12 hours.

I was able to talk to a 50 year old cancer patient the other day who has a 15 year old son (hits pretty close to home for me). I told him my experience with my dad and he told me that he's having trouble talking to his son about his cancer and how it's getting worse. I was able to give some insight as to what I went through, what feelings his son might be having, and how to approach the subject of having hope but being realistic. We both had tears in our eyes when we finished our talk (even though he didn't see my tears). I think it may have helped me as much as it helped him. It showed me that my dad will never be far from me, and that I should always take advantage of those moments that I can use his life and my experience to help other people.

I love being a nurse. God please give me the strength to never stop loving what I do, because I was created to do this.

The Doodlebops

I am not usually a Disney Channel watcher, but this morning I came across a show titled "The Doodlebops". Maybe all of you parents out there have heard of the show, or your kids may watch it everyday, but as a non-parent, I was actually impressed by it. At first glance, I thought that someone would have to be either very young or too high on LSD to watch the Doodlebops. But, I was captivated (and I fit neither one of the categories I might add) and thought that it was a great show for kids. Do any of you parents with young kids ever watch this show? It seems to be very educational and entertaining. All I kept on thinking was how much Levi would love it. Check the Doodlebops out!

HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY!!!!

From all of us here at Pretty Is as Pretty Does, thanks to you viewers and readers for making our first year in Blogland absolutely splendid. It was one year ago today that we first made our mark on this world through interesting thought and exhilarating visuals. And a bunch of mindless ramblings.

Here's to many more years of at-the-edge-of-your-seats-blogging!

CHEERS!

Those Crazy Japanese!

Wish our American pranks were this funny!

By the way: this link should be working now. I've kept you all waiting in suspense.

I Want To Do This

Traveling, or should I say dancing, around the world.

I'm (unofficially) an R.N.!!!!!!

That's right! I passed my test! It's unofficial though because my school hasn't mailed our transcripts yet to the Board of Registered Nursing (B.R.N.) and they can't send me an official license until they get those (GRRRRRRRR!!!!). But, I passed irregardless. :-)
Whew! Sorry to all my friends and family for driving you crazy in my nervousness. I love you all for believing in me when I didn't necessarily believe in myself. I couldn't have done it without you. Snuggleupandkiss, I love you so much and I'm so sorry you are married to such a neurotic wife. xoxo
On to our next endeavour!

Great News!!!!

As of today, there are only 187 days until Christmas! Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Summer Fun: Five Things

5 Things in My Fridge:
Apples
Coke Zero
Lettuce
Slim Fast
Chicken marinating in BBQ

5 Things in My Closet:
Clothes hamper
Jewelry box
3 pairs of sunglasses
4 empty champagne bottles
Clothes hung on hangers

5 Things in My Car:
Randy's shoes
Nurse bag full of dressings, catheter kit, etc...
Nursing careplans
Umbrella
Toy figurines of Elvis and Darth Vader

5 Things in My Purse:
Receipt from Vons
Purell anti-microbial hand gel
Pair of latex gloves
Elvis wallet
Advil

I love my sister

Keri, in the words of Stevie Wonder: "You are the sunshine of my life..."

This blog post is devoted entirely to you, since you don't think I blog enough. Maybe this will keep you from complaining for a little bit. :-)

I love you and miss you!

God is Good, Life is Good

Psalm 65:5-7
You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.

How Many States have you been to?

I have been to 41 (80% of the USA). Only 9 more to go!!!


create your own visited states map

Cruisin' May 2006

I had an awesome time with all my friends on the cruise this past week. Besides forgetting something and having a stressful late start, everything was smooth sailing. We had a total of 18 people in our group (including babies): Me, Randy, Martha, Jared, Nate, Kristen, Conrad, Whitney, another Kristen, Sara, Dan, Avery, Alex, Celeste, Ann, David, Mikee, and Vera. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate a big milestone than with all of you. Thank you for making this trip so special for me....can we do it again next year?!?

Randy and I FINALLY got all of our pics titled and uploaded, just for your viewing pleasure. Click on the pic above and enjoy!

Kristi Went to Indiana...

...and brought back these exhilarating pictures. Take a look!

The Circular Kitchen

Not too sure if I'd like this kitchen, but thought it'd be a cool topic of conversation. Guess you wouldn't have people crowding you in the kitchen while you cook! (scroll down on the website to see pics)

Food for Thought

The proof of God lies within the banana.

I AM FINISHED

My preceptorship/internship for nursing school is over. Kaput. Fini. Finito. Acabado. I am essentially done with (this part of) nursing school, except for a few loose ends I need to tie up. Woo hoo!

Newest Pictures Ready to be Seen!

Here's the link to our pictures. Enjoy!

Sleep

I guess my sleep schedule (of lack of, I should say) finally caught up with me. Last night I slept 13 hours straight, then I took a 45 minute nap during the day. I think that's a world record for me sleeping when I haven't been sick. My best friend Kristen can sleep for like 24 hours straight. She hibernates. I want to be a hibernater. I felt great today, only now I can't go to sleep and it's after 1 am. Oh well, no pressure. I don't have to be at work until 6:30 pm.

What's your sleeping record?