I really want to go and see The Passion of the Christ!!!! I was killing some time just now on the internet and watched the trailer again! It looks so good and so intense! I really want to see if I can make it to the theatre in the next few days! And I'll have to bring along a wade or box of kleenex!!!

the exam went pretty well! I guess I'll probably find out at class tomorrow when we get the exams back! but I felt like I whipped through it! I know finally feel like I could have spring break.....but it's over!!! boo hoo!!!!
I went to a Royal bank presentation and scored free pizza! That's one of the highlights of my day so far! You can lure me just about anywhere with free food! I should mention that to the doctor tomorrow when I go for my second shot of BC!!!! Boy oh boy!
Well, just killing time before class! Maybe I should read a textbook.....nahhhhh!!!

good morning all! life is so good when you can get the right amount of sleep! I have been in bed with the lights off by 8:30 and 9:30pm the last two nights!!! I love that! I've been ready for bed before 8pm........I love my bed! I can't remember if I blogged about Shane and I buying a bedroom set.....but we did and it is waiting for us to pick it up!!!! I'm so excited! It's solid pine and really nice! I had really wanted a bedroom set for us before we got married....and it happened! And it is brand-new for us! Even more incredible!
I have to write a spanish exam in 50 minutes across campus and here I am blogging! Well, if you could pray I would appreciate that! My exam is at 9:30am.
I worked all weekend (and really early in the morning) so I didn't get to burst out of reading week with a party weekend....but that's a certain wad of cash that will be in the wedding fund that we didn't have before!
Have a great day!

Well, my wedding gown is officially ready for me to wear! I picked it up from the lady that was doing the alterations just this afternoon and now all it need is a steaming before I wear it on the big day! That's nice to have done and exciting!
Got to have lunch with my pops and bro in Mitchell when I went to pick up the dress! It was nice and relaxing!
I'm in desperate need of studying Spanish and I'm kinda depressed about working all weekend (very early!!!). Well, who knows what we'll do tonight.....though I think it will include an early bedtime and some spanish studying!
I can't believe we just had a week off and it felt more stressful that the rest of the year. I think that has to do with Ellen in the hospital and wedding plans!!! Boy, I want to go back to school just for a break! How ironic!

I had a nice day full of wedding errands in Steinbach today! I accomplished quite a bit and took a bridesmaid along with me! Chris was a great addition to the day and was so helpful (practically and emotionally!). It felt like I was finally not doing it all by myself! People can finally help out! That feels a lot better and a whole lot less stressful when there is someone to bounce things off of and to help you make so many (even if they are tiny) decisions! It is the smallest, really most trivial (in the large span of things) that can put your panties in a knot....like the dinnerware being a stupid pattern....instead of white like you want it! Yes, trivial, but something that does nonetheless bug me! But I will not pay for more on each guests dinnerware then their meals! That would be so silly! I am excited though that we are having wine goblets instead of plastic or styrofoam cups (yippeee!!!! only decided today!) and cloth napkins...(because when I use a cloth napkin I feel like I'm fine dining!).
Update on Ellen...she is doing a lot better. The doctors have said that the worst is over. We have been getting her walking on our visits and she is eating her meals for the most part now. She is getting bored in the hospital which is a good sign because it means she is getting better. She will be in the hospital for another week and then on a home IV program for 4-6 weeks and anti-coagulant therapy for probably about 3 months. We are relieved and pleased with how things are going at this point! Thanks for any prayers that you may have contributed! Much appreciated!

Happy belated Valentine's day. I took Shaner out for breakfast at the pancake house for our date. It was yummy. We had some QT and relaxed at his house before going to the hospital last night. The doctors and surgeons are impressed with how the surgery went and how Ellen is doing. I personally think that she is still a little confused. I mentioned it to Shane and his mom. They agreed and MJ was thinking that maybe only she was feeling that way. No, I do think that something is still a little off......please continue to pray. We went to see her this afternoon. She is now eating a little more, but still pretty much the same as the last few days. It is frustrating to not be able to do anything but wait. They were a little more concerned earlier today about the blood clots and so they increased the dose of her heparin (the medication to prevent more clotting).
I think I'll go and pray for the family at their church this evening and then run off home to cram for an exam that I have to write tomorrow. I had two exams to write this past week, but then all this hospital stuff happened. So, I have my reading week this week but have to go in tomorrow to write the exam I was supposed to write last wednesday. I think it should be fine. I know my stuff pretty good. My profs were really good about allowing me to write at another time, even though it says in the syllabus that if you don't write it went it is scheduled you fail. I get to write the other one on the day that we go back (next monday). So, it kinda sucks to start the week off with an exam, but I'm so glad that I was able to write it at another time! Thank-you Jesus.
We found someone to marry us. I went to their church this morning to hear him preach and it's going to work for us! They can even do premarital on the evening that actually works for us! It is my uncle that is going to do it! I think I like that idea!

Update: the surgeon just called and they are sewing Ellen up now. The pus and fluid were drained and the blood vessels in the area are looking good. It is looking to them that the blood clots may be dissolving on their own, but they will continue to administer Heparin for probably another 2 weeks and then another form of anticoagulants for the next 4 or 6 weeks. She is going to the recovery room and then either back to PICU or onto another children's ward. Please continue to pray.....but this news is pretty good news so far.

Shane's sister, Ellen, is in the children's hospital with meningitis. Meningitis is an infection of the meninges in the brain. Her brain is very irritated, and she has a headache, very stiff neck and back, photophobia (trouble with light), etc. She may have lost hearing in one ear and MJ (Shane's mom) noticed that one eye was going cross-eyed yesterday morning. Ellen went for a CT Scan yesterday morning and blood clots were found in her the back of her brain. She was transferred back to PICU and is on high doses of Heparin to prevent more clots from forming. This morning at 11am she is going in for neurological surgery. They will be drilling a hole into the mastoid process (bone behind her ear) to drain fluid and pus from the infection. Of course there is risk involved with brain surgery, so PLEASE PRAY!! The surgery will probably take 2 hours, plus her time in recovery where parents or family cannot go. Thanks for all the prayers!!!

I think I must have a big sign on my head that says, "please cancel on me or forget about the things I ask of you!". I have begun not to trust anyone if they say that they are planning on coming somewhere, meeting me or whatever. Until I see you there in person, I don't know if you'll show up! Again, a little wedding spin. I called the church to confirm (for the 3 or 4th time) for a rain location. This is not WCV....a different church in Steinbach. They called back today, only to tell me that they hadn't even written my name down for June 12, 2004!!!!!! For goodness sake, what does it take! 10 phone calls in one day? A stinkin' contract?????? Well, that totally pisses me off due to some other cancellations in the past few weeks! I'm a little sore in this area! Somewhat of the same thing happened last night about the lady that is doing the alterations on my dress!!!! I'm tired of all this crap!

We are pumped! On saturday after work, Shane and I went and purchased our very own, brand-new bedroom set! We are getting a solid pine set, which a queen-sized sleigh bed, two 3-drawer night tables, a 7-drawer dresser with flat mirror and a verticle 6-drawer dresser (the upright kind....I never know how to explain that one!). I'm so pumped and it is being made in B.C. now and will be here in the next 6-8 weeks!!!! Yippee! We might have our place by that time! That would be great!
We asked someone to marry us this morning and he's going to think about it and we are going to think about it. Hopefully we will jive together (we are going to another church on sunday to hear him preach). Then we can finally start this premartial thing!! Finally! And I'm excited to be able to do it with just Shane, I, a pastor and his wife. (bitterness speaking).....not in a stupid group!!!!!

I have been such a slacker with this blogging stuff lately! Everyone probably has given up on this site already! Well, I again don't have much time so only a quick update! I did end up getting to see open brain and spinal cord surgery this week! Very cool, but I am convinced that I do not want to be an OR nurse. I would really miss the patient interaction! They can make your day! Shane and I went to missions fest on friday night and I'm totally excited to see where God is going to lead and guide us throughout our lives! It is going to be pretty incredible! And it was really great to make some contacts and get some info! It was quite appropriate that Missions Fest was during the fast, because it really tied into what I was touching on individually for my fast. Today Shane's dad is getting baptized! We are going and it should be an awesome time! One good thing about the fast being over is that the baptism is having a dessert part and that was my fast! So, I get to participate in consuming some yummy things!! Yippeee!!!! Well, gotta go!