Good morning! Today is setting up the Christmas tree day! After Shane gets home from work and we have supper, the Christmas season will begin!!! I'm excited! And plan on taking pictures of our first time setting up our own tree together!

I have been in a baby naming mood the last two days. Yesterday, partially because I was procrastinating about studying for my exam on friday, I went through baby name websites and loooked at the meanings of names that we like. NO, we are NOT having a baby! I'm just in the naming mood! So, all of our children, and beyond, are named and I'm thrilled! But, I have to keep the names a secret because otherwise they may get taken! And otherwise if someone names their children any of our names, screw it! we can still name them because we claimed it silently all along!
I just can't think about a lot more than the names though, so I have to cool down the brain a little!

Well, I really should start the day of studying! I will TRY not to procrastinate too much today! Let's see if that actually works!

Merry Christmas!

Today is the first day that I have the beginnings of the Christmas spirit. I called my dad who is going to lend us his small, fake tree for Christmas this year. He's bringing it by tomorrow! Shane and I verbalized that we wouldn't put up Christmas decorations or a tree until it was December. Suddenly I'm in the mood! Good thing tomorrow is December! Today is the first day that I put on some Christmas tunes! I did some stretching and excercising to it this afternoon! Good times!

This Christmas is our first as our own little family. My family tradition growing up was to celebrate on Christmas Eve. So, in my brain, Christmas is in the evening. Shane's family celebrates on Christmas morning. So, the last 4 years I have celebrated Christmas with them Christmas morning. Because of the last 4 years of practice, I think I can adjust to a different time of day than I grew up with. Shane wants to have Christmas on Christmas morning for our family and it is one of those differences that I'm alright with giving up. Before I met Shane and his family, I had never had a stocking before. I bought stockings for us at Walmart so that we can start our own tradition! I'm excited!

Maybe I'll have to start a bunch of traditions for us. I should get together with my mother to start my own collection of Christmas baking! Each year that Shane and I have been together, I gave him a Christmas card each week leading up to Christmas, like advent. It slipped my mind until the other day! Maybe I'll have to keep that tradition going! Also, we have a Christmas party each year (well, other years it was more like me having a Christmas party, but Shane was always there). So, this year we get to pack our little apartment out with friends and food! I'm looking forward to it! Maybe we'll have to pick a favorite breakfast to have on Christmas morning and then make the same every year!

I like special family traditions! What are some of your favorite? Maybe I"ll have to copy some of your family traditions! Do share!

I love those days when you get home early! We got out of class half an hour early, which is very nice!

I was part of a group presentation today. Generally, I don't get too nervous, but I did have a few pangs just before we presented! An interesting things that I noticed was that after our presentation was done and I was on my way home, I was feeling a little bit of a "high"! Maybe it was adrenaline from public speaking! I thought it was interesting that something that could make me a tiny bit nervous, then made me feel pretty good inside after it was over!

Tonight is Girls Night! I love Girls Night! This months restaurant is Olive Garden, mmmmmmmm!!!!!! There are 6 of us gathering tonight to chat, eat and laugh! I am really looking forward to it! Next month should be fun too....because we are making it a Christmas Girls Night and going to Pine Ridge Hollow! I love it there! It has such good atmosphere....and food, of course!

Speaking of food, it is past 2:30pm and I have yet to eat lunch (because I didn't pack one for University!). So, now is the time to fill my aching tummy, so that it is nice and empty for all the salad, bread sticks and raspberry iced tea that I plan on filling it with!

Oh, and by the way, I have a job interview on thursday! God's Will be done!!!

Ahhhh.....I love the weekend.......

I enjoy sleeping in with my husband and putzing around the house. I enjoy, strangely, tidying up the place on the weekend....though it was just cleaned on thursday! I enjoy making the bed in the morning.....yes, I am a weirdo, but when you have such a nice bed, you just have to make it!

Speaking of our nice bed, when you have the luxury of owning a great, comfy bed, going away for the weekend isn't as glamorous as it used to be. Last weekend Shane and I have a great time up at Elkhorn Resort in Riding Mountain National Park. It was a fabulous weekend away from everybody, the telephone, the computer, the playstation, and homework! We did a lot of relaxing, eating of yummy food, some swimming and some walking around outside. It was such a nice weekend! But, of course, the bed. Ouch! We are so spoiled by our bed that any other bed is FAR less comfortable. And I'm finding lately, trying to fall asleep on my side is really causing my shoulders to hurt! It feels like my shoulder blades are seperating in the back! Isn't that weird?! But, my poor shoulders have been increasingly sore! Strange piece of information.......

So, today we slept in! And it was wonderful, until the phone started to ring. We normally don't get a whole lot of phone calls in general. I'd say between 10 and 10:30am the phone rang about 5 times! So, now we had a nice omlet breakfast...not sure how to spell omlet.....and my brother came over. We plan on using our two free passes to check out the YMCA gym this afternoon. We really want to get active and get gym passes. We are hoping and praying that we can get a reduced rate, otherwise we won't be able to get them! I'm looking forward to hanging out with a couple that we know. We are going over there for supper and a good round of Cranium, and we're bringing dessert! Normally I might bake something, but I think I'm in the mood to pick up some vanilla ice cream, bananas and chocolate sauce for sundaes! Yummy!

Tomorrow, our forming dance team, referred to as Zion, is doing a dance at church. Us crazy girls had a practice to put things together at 11:15pm last night! We were pretty tired, but I really enjoyed it! It should be a fun little time tomorrow because our dance incorporates a poem, a painting and dancing! Let the creativity flow! I hope it goes well, which I'm sure it will, even after only 2 practices!

Ta Ta for now and enjoy this wonderful weekend!

So, you must all be getting very sick of the job hunt that I can't seem to get off of!

Today I was going a little insane over it. I was searching like a mad woman on the internet, doing my usual searches at monster.com and workopolis. That wasn't helping at all.

I decided to check in with the job interview place and hear the latest, only to find out that their time frame for getting back to me is even longer than I was originally told! So frustrating to find that out in the middle of desperation!

If I wasn't looking for a job, this would be a nice time in my life where I could just get stuff done and relax at home. I really should put a time limit on my searching for job time each morning and then forget about it for the rest of the day. Otherwise it just gets too overwhelming to my brain!

So, I found myself searching again this afternoon. Well, I ended up going through the yellow pages and calling different sections! Can you believe it! I've never hunted for a job that way before! I went through the florist, massage therapy, and physiotherapy sections and guess I'll continue next week on the dentist. I would like some sort of administration-type job that gets me off my feet for parts of the day.

A positive part of my yellow pages hunt was I found a few that said to email or bring in my resume. So, I jumped into the shower, printed out a resume and walked over to one of them. They will be able to let me know probably within the week. It is at a florist shop and the ladies there were really nice! Only sucky thing is that they need every other saturday help....but I think I can suck that up!

Guess I'll end this post and hope to post later on about NON job-related issues!

And the hunt continues.....

So, as for the job interview (thanks for asking Lynne!), they will take a few weeks to get back to me. Ughhh! I wanted to start this week. I guess that is not the case. Instead I am getting relaxing time off when I had planned to be bringing in a little money for us!

The job would probably be pretty convenient for me. It is close to home (within walking or busing distance). The hours would most likely be days, though they are open until 7:30pm on wednesdays and 4 hours of saturdays. The boss is going to be away for the next week and a half. During this time the rest of the staff are supposedly going to find a full-time person and then contact the part-time people. I could be the one for the part-time, who knows! But, I won't hear from them for a few weeks, until they get their full-timer.

I'm not sure where to go at this point. Should I just sit tight and wait, while still looking for something else? Should I sink really low and just take anything? AHHHHHH!!! I hate looking for work.

I'm also not sure if I should get in contact with my previous employer and tell her that I won't work for them anymore. I'm too concerned about hurting my back all over again, but I don't want to throw the possibility of a few shifts away if I can't find anything else for the time-being!

Too many things to think about!

So, today is the day......

I have a nice day ahead of me! I'm up pretty early for what could have been a sleep in day! I drove Shane to work so that I could have the car for the day. I plan on cleaning the house, getting some readings done and getting all beautiful for my job interview!

Yes, that's right people, pray! It is at 12:45pm. I'm not nervous, because it sounds pretty relaxed and comfortable. The lady I spoke to was really nice. But nonetheless, I do hope that it could possibly be the job for me. I don't like the whole hunt process!

These are the things I would really like for this part-time job:
1. A combination of sitting and standing so that my recovering back doesn't hurt too much. Eg. not an 8 hour shift on your feet the entire time!
2. Close to home, on a bus route so that I can bus or walk (because Shane needs the car on his work days; his workplace isn't on any bus route)
3. 2 day shifts a week. See, I would love it if they would be pretty flexible and let me work tuesdays and thursdays presently, picking up more at Christmas and then mondays and fridays next semseter! That's asking a lot but heck, we'll see what happens!
4. a decent amount of pay. I am prepared that I am taking a few dollar an hour pay cut with changing jobs, but I hope it isn't too much. I have a figure in mind that would be nice...and still a cut!
5. people that are nice, fun to be around and NOT perverted. A lot of jobs are filled with people with very dirty mouths and a poopy morale. I want work to be an enjoyable break from school and homework.

So, these are my hopes! We'll see what happens!

After spending all morning on the computer and almost going loopey......

I HAVE A JOB INTERVIEW TOMORROW!!!!

I have been hunting for jobs for the past few days and am getting a little desperate! I really want to find a job that will work for me, part-time. I have a few wishes that I really hope that God incorporates into a new job for me. I don't want to find just anything though, because if I'm going to be spending any amount of time there over the next few months, I want to like it.

So, I'll keep you updated about the job situation.

I know God will provide. He always has.

So, do you ever feeling like you would like to escape yourself?

Generally, I feel like I am my own friend. I like to spend time with myself and enjoy my own company. An evening at home alone is a nice time, not painfully boring.

Well, I've been feeling annoyed with myself lately. I'm not proud of my attitude recently and it feels like I've been a little bit miserable! I don't know if it is just me, circumstances that I'm allowing to bother me, or effects of birth control, honestly. Regardless, I'd like to take a little holiday from myself today.

I think that this is a perfect time for God to speak about His unconditional love to me. Yvonne has organized these Confidence in Love nights and we had the first one last week. I've been forgetting to think about and be aware of how God speaks his love to me. So, how I'm feeling right now is actually a pretty sucky place to be in, but it does allow God to speak to my heart about His love. He really does love me in every circumstance, mood and when I say and do stupid things.

I just wish that I didn't do those stupid things! I'd like to have the fruits of the Spirit gushing out of me and flowing totally naturally! No more stupid sin!

Today, I'm looking forward to heaven. No more sin, tears, pain, offenses, etc. All joy, peace, love, etc. What a good time awaits us!

Ok on a not-so-happy side of things...I need to express my frustration.

I'm tired of Christian snobs. People that think they are doing everything right. People that mock anything that isn't their form of hip or cool. People that mock anything that isn't under the category of "artsy". I hate that word already!

I didn't really notice this pious Christian phenomenon while growing up. I went to a more traditional church and though there may have been the factor of a little religiosity, I didn't really see the snobby, we're better than you, side of Christians. I thought the people at this church were not-so-friendly and didn't enjoy them, but there wasn't the stress of what is "hip" in the Christian world today.

Sadly, this phenomenon became appartant to me when I began to associate with non-traditional churches and funtions. I began to see the snobby attitudes of the "gifted". The mockery of older styles of music, people who couldn't dance as well as another, other churches that do it differently, people who weren't hippy-like or second-hand store junkies. I was just reminded of this attitude today and felt an overwelling distaste for this attitude.

I think it is full of judgment and distain. I pray that God will keep us from this kind of mind set and attitude. I pray that those that really flow in it would be notified by the Big Guy. I just get nausous when I hear people talking in this form. I need to be aware of what I communicate and be careful to give my negative human tendancies to Jesus.

Thanks for the vent. Hope that I didn't ruffle anyone's feathers, but if I did.......maybe it was for a reason.

Good morning all! Day #2 on my no clinical week! I'm loving it!

The haircut was not a botch yesterday! I think I like it! Well, see how it goes when I try to do something with it after my bath! It is nice and short though, which is a great change! It feels good!

I had a really nice time with my mom and the babies yesterday. I gave lots of hugs and kisses and got my baby fix! I even got to give my youngest foster brother (3 months) a bath! I haven't done that in forever!

Today I slept in!!!! It was very yummy! And then I wrote a paper. I'm a little nervous about handing it in though, because I don't know if it is exactly what the prof wants and it is a page over the length that she said! I plan on writing another one this morning/afternoon! Let's see if I can get two papers written in one day! That would be a great use of my time on a day off! Then I could spend tomorrow's holiday with my hubbie instead of frantically putting papers together!

I am meeting my CEF at Tim Horten's to find out my mark for my last clinical! I don't really care too much though, BECAUSE I'M DONE AND NOTHING WILL CHANGE THAT!!!!

I'm also seeing another friend this evening which should be a nice time! I like my friends!

Well, hope you are all enjoying your days! I'm sure enjoying mine! I think I'm going to clean the house, bake blueberry muffins and spend some time with my Jesus!

What a fun day I have ahead of me! I'm up extra early because I had to drive Shane to work for an early meeting, because I need the car today!

Today is my first "day off" because it is my first tuesday since school started without clinical! Yipppeee! I made it through!

So, in honor of making it through almost 4 years of school, and all of my clinical rotations, I am awarding myself with a haircut! I thought, no more having to look professional with my hair pulled back in a ponytail! It is time for something new!

The hairdressers is my first stop today...in Steinbach. Then I'm off to visit my mom and her babies. I'm quite excited because I haven't seen Kaden (one of my foster bros) in a long time, because each time I see my mom, he's at his biological dad's for the weekend. So, today he will be getting lots of squeezes and kisses! I'm looking forward to seeing them!

Then off I go, back to the big city, to meet a friend that I haven't seen in a while for a really belated birthday celebration! Yummy! Desert! And we are going to try a new place!

Then I must pick up the hubby, potentially start tacos for supper and zoom off to physio.

My last stop of the day is Yvonne's Confidence in Love thingy tonight. That should be good!

So, I have a pretty full day of fun things ahead of me! Hopefully it isn't too busy! I haven't had a day off in a long time, so I happened to stick everything into the same day! Oh well!

Thinking maybe I should just find a new job.........

My back is a little sore today from all the activity over the weekend and being in stupid chairs at school all day. Otherwise doing quite well. I went to the doc's to check it out today. It sounds like I can start working slowly. The problem I have is with my work people. I think that they are going to make it tough for me to get work any time soon. They want a detailed doctor's note of my limitation and specifically what I can do. They want me to take an inservice before I take shifts, but that is at the end of november and I want to pick up shifts already because we need the money! They also want to talk the whole situation over with the boss!!!!!

So, I'm thinking.....it would probably be easier to get a different job. The only sucky thing would be to find another one, take a huge pay cut and potentially have to work at the mall!!!!

So, I'm a little bummed about this job/financial thing! If any of you have links to jobs for me, leave a comment! I'm open.....mostly because it would just be part-time and not for too long!

Not really in a chatty mood....maybe I'll post later on.

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........