Oh the procrastination! I am blogging, have cleaned the house, made my lunch for school tomorrow and packed my backpack (and it's only 5pm)......all slyly procrastinating. I have a midterm exam tomorrow morning and I don't want to study!!! I really should be, but it is so boring being consumed by the books! It is the weekend! I want to play, not work!

I am not really looking forward to this week. I have two exams..yuck. And clinical all week.....BUT.......IT IS MY LAST WEEK OF CLINICAL FOR MY WHOLE DEGREE!!!! The end is near! I don't completely finish until July 22, but my clinical part of rotations is done as of thursday! It makes me feel like I'm practically finished!!! Yippppeeeee!!!!!!

Shane and I have been going to a new (for us) housegroup. We are really quite enjoying it....and it is often my break from the books for the weekdays! What a highlight! So, it is something to look forward to!

Not much else to report. I really should get studying! I sure hope that I can put a little time in this evening! I must force myself!

Ahhhhhh.....finally the weekend! Boy, I love that time of the week!

My last clinical rotation is half over as of now and that has me thrilled! 6 more days split between the next two weeks and it is over baby! Then just some theory and elective courses and of the course the all important senior practicum, AND THEN I WILL BE DONE!!!!!

At the beginning of this school year, only last month, I was a little sad that this is the end of the road for me (at this point) with school and all. Now I'm thrilled. I've had enough of clinicals, feeling like I'm always being evaluated and observed, working with people that bug me but I have to suck up to for marks.....oh, I'm just tired of the entire faculty. Oh, one more thing to complain about, GROUP PROJECTS!!!! If I never have to do another group project again that will be too soon! Unfortunately that part isn't over for me yet!

The psycho part of me will miss that strange sensation of accomplishing something tangible every day. Every day I can highlight something off my list of homework to do. Most days I learn something somewhat new, if I'm actually listening in class! But, I usually use that time to do my readings! Kinda defeats the purpose of going to class, eh? Oh well, it gets the job done!

My hubbie is gone to a work function this friday evening, so I went to meet my mom and bro (and of course the little foster bro) at the mall. It was a really nice time! Somethings are going on within the fam though, so a little prayer would be GREATLY appreciated!

Tomorrow Steph (the sis) and I are celebrating my belated birthday, because the two of us have not had the chance to celebrate yet! She is making me waffles, white sauce and berries for breakie, then off to get pedicures and reservations at Pine Ridge Hollow! I think we will have a blast! Then in the evening we are having a birthday party for the whole family! Strange sounding, eh? Well, we didn't have time in August to celebrate Shane and Shaun's (bro), now mine, and so we are also throwing in Steph and mom's! Why not!?!

Well, that was a lot of filling in! I'm feeling a little verbal at the moment! 'Night!

I returned from the womens' retreat this afternoon to a clean house! What a wonderful husband! I didn't even ask him to do it...I was planning on potentially cleaning the house this afternoon when I got home! And it was all clean and the laundry was done! I SO appreciated that act of kindness by Shane!

I had a little time to reflect at the womens' retreat and have a good look at my priorities. See, I've narrowed down the things in my life at this point because of finishing my last year of nursing. So, my problem isn't usually too many committments or ministry-related things. Actually, I'd like to do more...but not just now!

So, I find what robs me of my peace and solitude is all my homework and school/clinical-related activities. So, I am a hard worker and am trying to really be focussed this semester. In the process, my homework has definitely come to a high priority...to high. And this isn't where it should be. Yes, the school stuff should be up there, but not first. I've allowed my solitude time, my time with the Lord and just my sanity to slowly leave my life. I've found that my brain feels too full all the time and I just can't think properly then.

My new priorities are God-time and solitude, and investing time and love into home life with my husband. He's been incredibly understanding about how much time is spent doing homework (and it works for him because he's a home-body and likes our evenings at home). Now it is time to place our relationship in higher priority. We NEED to make time to sit and talk without any homework to get to. We NEED to have time for snuggles and kisses (hee hee!!). And we need to go out sometimes and be a little spontaneous!

When the speaker asked us to write down the few tasks that are truly each of ours, I thought about Shane. I am the only woman that God has appointed to love Shane in the way that a wife does..or should. That is a task (welll, not really a task) that only I am called to in his life and I want to do a darn good job of loving him with all that I have!

I also look forward to spending more time in quietness with my Jesus. There are feelings that only He stirs in me. I love those times and He is making Himself more visible to me in certain ways lately...or I'm just being more aware. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to what is in store!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!!!!!

Yummy.......I like food. Frankly, as soon as I eat almost anything, my stomach sticks out so that it looks 3 months pregnant! I even impressed my brother this evening with how real it looks!

My dad and I share the same birthday. So we went out, my dad, bro, sis, hubbie and I, for a birthday supper tonight at Olive Garden. I've had such a yummy weekend! Lots of special meals! We had a nice time together!

I love celebrating....as you all know from the last post! We even got the whole restaurant staff singing and free desert thing! I love that!...though it is embarassing at the same time!

I'll keep you all updated with fun birthday...and other.....stuff!

Oh, if you think of me, I start my new clinical tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it, but a little nervous at the same time. This past clinical was not so good for me. I didn't have a great experience and I pray that this new one (Cancer Care) will be WAY better! I'm trying to think and pray postively about it! Thanks for your prayers! I appreciate all of them!

I like Thanksgiving! I like writing a list of all the things I'm thankful for. I like getting together with my family to have yummy gatherings. I like pumpkin pie....a whole lot! (though I haven't gotten any at either gathering this weekend). I like that my birthday is so close by. I like having an extra day added to the weekend. I just plain like Thanksgiving.

We just got back from a family gathering. We had a nice time! Shane is SO good with ALL my ton of little cousins who want to wrestle with him, sit on his lap, play with him and put clips in his hair. I'm so proud of him as my sweet husband as I watch him interact with them! Yep, that's my hubbie! He has way more energy to play with them than I do!

2 days to go until my 22nd birthday! I love birthdays and I love the excuse to celebrate anything! Shane took me out last night to Red Lobster (our special occasions restaurant)! It was so yummy! Instead of doing anything else after, we just rented a movie and came home to relax and snuggle! I love snuggles!

Well, I hope that everyone is having an enjoyable thanksgiving and long weekend! Blessings!

So, I got in a car accident yesterday......

yep. i was on my way to jail. does this sound like a bad dream? well, it is reality though i must explain. it was during clinical and i was accompanying a psychiatrist to jail for the afternoon. i was extremely excited about my opportunity......and suddenly that was gone. he was driving, i was the passenger. we were both buckled, thank-you Jesus. we were hit head-on by a mini van trying to make a quick left. the air bags went off and it was all so fast. my glasses were broken in the process of the air bags inflating. that's quite the impact to the head! i had quite a headache and the right side of my head was a little sore...i have a little tiny battle wound. i couldn't hear very well out of my right ear. now the hearing is back but everytime volume around me or myself gets above a certain level, i hear high-pitched squeeling. my neck and back are quite sore today, and supposedly are only going to get worse in the next few days (not to be negative or anything!). i have quite a bruised left elbow, which is very painful because there is not a lot of tissue to bruise there! ouch! otherwise, i'm fine. just sore and irritated with the ringing in my ear.

the doctor taxied me home from the scene of the accident. i called shane and he came home from work to drive me to a walk-in (those terrible things) and to get a new pair of glasses. otherwise i'd be lost! i have no other pair! and i wear my glasses almost everyday of the year! today i saw another doctor who would assess me a little better and do some documentation. i am going to get my hearing checked out tomorrow and do some more physio on top of what i'm already doing for my lower back.

what a summer/fall this has been for my poor body. the poor thing is pretty fragile and can't take much more of this. i've been a bit of a paranoid driver, and now i may be even more! i'm a little scared in the car! i'm going to be fine though....just a little sore.

and on goes the journey........