On to better things :)

Alright, I talked all about the crap going on in my life, so now on to the good parts!

Christmas was so much fun. I got a new bike! I haven't had too much time to ride it yet, but I'm going to try and make time when it warms up a bit. Frank and I spent time here at my parents house and then had Christmas dinner at Frank's parents house. His parents got me supplies to make Spam sushi! We ended up making it soon after and it was absolutely delicious. I hope we can make it again soon! I had a theme for his presents - the 12 Days of Christmas. I got him different items he needed or wanted for each day, according to what number it was. I think he liked it :)

christmas at the dayton house :)

frank's presents!

spam sushi!

My birthday was a lot better than I expected! My mom is the one to thank for that. The big 23. On a Wednesday, during the first week of school, Frank was working, all of my best friends don't live here and everyone else was busy. So actually, I was pretty sad because I wasn't expecting much. Amber took me out to lunch the day before to Claim Jumper, which was yuuummy. And fortunately, my mom is just amazing. On my birthday, I slept in, which was wonderful, and then my mom told me to get ready. She surprised me and took me to get an hour long full body massage! I've never had one and it was SO relaxing! I was so happy :) She took me to Mongolian BBQ for lunch after and that was so yummy as well. I had to go to Walmart after and get a few things I needed for school the next day, but after, I drove to Woodland to pick up Frank (I had his truck from the previous day) and we went back to Roseville to have my birthday dinner at Red Robin! My family, minus Amber, was there and it was a really fun dinner. When we got home, I got to pick out a movie (The Emperor's New Groove, yes.) and we had lemon squares and opened presents. I got a voice recorder that I've needed for school, some awesome pens, the perfume I've wanted, a cute nurse 2011 tear off calender, and....A BANJO! I was so excited because I've wanted one for a while now and never found a good deal. I definitely wasn't expecting it for my birthday, but apparently my mom and Frank went in on it together, found an awesome deal on one and got it fixed up for me a few days later. I have officially learned 4 chords and a few rolls. I'm so happy!

claim jumper lunch!

The other happy thing that happened recently was that I was able to take a trip to LA to visit my bestie, Brittany! It was so fun and I was lucky to have a flexible work schedule so I could go! I spent 6 days there and it was just wonderful to see her for the second time between camps! Aside from having laughing attacks and talking a ton, she took me to the Getty museum, we went to Newport beach and other beaches, I got to see where she works and lives, I met her roommates, we went to a very good choir concert and lots of other things. I was so happy to see her and I'm glad that I was able to visit her for once, since she always comes up here. We took a ton of pictures, including a ton of horrible pictures (ha), and had an awesome time. Thanks Britt! I love you!

fun night of the situation game!

nosies!

downtown disney night :)

beach day!

oh deer! i wish i could prance like that!

last night - BJ's

Despite a few hardships, I have had an awesome time in my life lately :) Thanks everyone for a wonderful Christmas, and excellent birthday and a greaaaaat trip to LA!

My life doesn't suck, it's just being...challenged?

I decided to write two posts, one bad and one good, so I can get my complaining out of the way and get to better things. 

So, I'm REALLY trying to look at these things as "challenges" I have to face, but it's really hard. I know there are people dealing with worse things and mine are not that bad in comparison, but it still is difficult to figure out how to overcome these...challenges.

First of all, I'm really sick. I think I'm getting a little better from the antibiotics my mom just happened to have, but I've still was coughing up a storm on Tuesday in classes, in bed all day Wednesday, missed school all day Thursday, missed work on Friday and today and am just feeling like crap. My ears are plugged so I can't hear anything, my sinuses are out of whack so I can't taste or smell anything, I have crap in my lungs so I have to cough a ton but my head just pounds as soon as I do cough. Just a horrible cycle. I'm feeling a little better today than the past week - I was able to smell an orange today! I'm just hoping that a couple more days of antibiotics will do the trick.

Second, my phone's touch screen is starting to become less and less calibrated, so I can't do anything on my phone, including getting to the menu/recalibration tool. My phone isn't even a year old yet and I'm a little pissed because I paid a lot for it. I could technically take it in and get a refurbished one, but my dad and I researched this problem and apparently a ton of people have experienced the same exact problem with this phone and it leads (very quickly) to complete phone failure. So, even if I do get a refurbished one, I'll still have the same problem in the future. GR.

Third, my car. My beloved 1993 Honda Accord. On it's 18th year, 2011, it did not pass smog. It also would cost more to fix it than the car is worth. Therefore, I don't have a car. For some people, this may not seem like that big of a deal. But, remember, I have had a car to myself since I got my license. I have never been without one. I've never had to share with my sister. I guess it sounds like I was totally spoiled. In a way, I suppose I was, but I did need a car in Reno for three years to travel to and from work and to get home during breaks. Now, I am forced to share a big blue van with Amber, which is just a little frustrating. Since we both moved home, I also used my car to travel to Woodland every week to see Frank, since that's the only time I can see him. Now, it's almost impossible to get out there, which just makes me cry. I will be getting a tax refund of $1,200, which is ALL going towards a new (used) car for me. I've been looking around and the cheapest I've been able to find is around $2,200 for a similar car with 130,00 miles but has been able to pass smog and has a clean title. This means, however long it takes me to save up the extra $1,000 is when I can get my own car. It will feel great to buy something like A CAR on my own for myself, but it still sucks that I will have to drop that much money on something that will probably only last me 5 or 6 more years. That's that with my car.

I'm thinking that because my life has been SO great lately, that it was about time that Karma decided to pile on the crap. I'm hoping that after these few things though, I will get back up to my happy, normal life.

Christmas Eve!

Even though growing up comes with changes in how Christmas feels, there is still something magical about it, which I hope never changes.

This year, I was able to help Frank decorate his house with lots of gold garland, icicle lights, big fat colored lights, window stick ons and even got us in the mood with a Christmas jazz CD! It was so much fun and just got me in the Christmas spirit even more :)

I also got to see my Brittany the last two days! We usually only get to see each other once a year at Donner Mine, but this year will *hopefully* be THREE times - DMMC, Christmas and a trip to LA in January! I always have so much fun with her, and this time was no exception. We even stayed up until 4am laughing, as quietly as we could. Love love love love love.

The only unfortunate thing is that I had several days off, but now I had to work last night as a breaker, TONIGHT (Christmas Eve) from 4 until ?, and the day after Christmas from 4 until ?. I am at least thankful that Olive Garden is cool enough to close on Thanksgiving and Christmas days.That gives me time to wake up and open presents with my family and then head over to Frank parents to have a Christmas dinner and to hang out with them!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas and that the holiday brings joy and happiness!!

life's right on track :)

My life is going wonderfully lately. Why? Oh you know, the little things, like finding out I got an A in both anatomy AND medical terminology (!!!!), or the fact that I get to spend about 4 days total with Frank next week, or maybe it's because Christmas is coming so soon and with it comes Brittany and Dach. Maybe it's because of the fact that I'm making enough money to pay for school without taking out loans. It could be babysitting the cute little kids next door every Tuesday and earning money while having fun and being a kid myself. Perhaps it's because I got to see my bestie, Rachael, play with her band last night in Davis and didn't have to worry about studying. Or maybe it's just the Frank and I have been so happy together for almost 3 years and we're even more in love than ever. Could be that I'm moving towards a steady and exciting career and I can already see how the studying and hard work is paying off. Or maybe it's just the smell of cloves simmering on the stove to give the house that Christmas-y scent.

Whatever the reason, I'm just happy. :)

close to the end!

Well, close to the end of this semester, that is. Either way, I'm beyond excited that I'm going to survive anatomy and medical terminology! It is truly amazing what I've learned and how much my brain can actually absorb. I just got home from a SEVEN HOUR open lab, where I studied the entire time without breaks. Because I've done this very thing so many times, my head doesn't hurt anymore after that much time on one subject, but it probably will by the morning. Tonight and Tuesday night will be my last all-nighters of the semester! I will be so relieved to be done and have a break from medical everything :)

Thanksgiving was so much fun :) Frank and I got to spend time with my family and some friends, then head over to Woodland to spend another Thanksgiving with his parents and family friends. It was so great to see everyone and remember what we're both thankful for. And double helpings of turkey and mashed potatoes and pecan pie?? Yes, please!

the dayton kids and frank :)

frank helping to clean up :)

holiday kisses...hehe :)

The only other thing on my mind has been CHRISTMAS! Not only for the excitement of the whole holiday, but also the stress of not enough money. I have gone back and forth between those two feelings a lot in the past little while. I'm sure things will end up fine, as always, so I should just stop worrying and enjoy homemade cookies and scents of cloves and beautiful lights :) My Brittany will be visiting around Christmas too, so that makes this year extra special!

I must go study once again - wish me luck on my 3 upcoming finals!!!

happiness :)

So I'm sitting here on a Saturday night, bored and done with work, but happy - for several reasons.

First reason - I set a goal tonight of $80 in tips tonight, which would not only pay off the rest of my classes for the spring semester, but also my phone bill due on Monday. I made $82! SCORE! Even though paying for things isn't so fun, it's always nice being able to actually pay them off by myself, with my hard earned (very hard earned...) cash :)

Second reason - I talked to my long lost friend, David, and he's conducting the pit orchestra in a musical called "Into the Woods" in March. I'm going to play the flute/piccolo part! Since deciding and going head first into nursing school, I haven't had time for anything music related, which makes this an incredible opportunity. Not only do I get to do something that I love and miss and get to hang out with old friends, but I get paid for doing it! :)


Third reason - On Wednesday, I took my 2nd to last lecture exam and lab practical for anatomy! Do you know what this means?! I am officially three quarters of the way DONE with human anatomy (AND medical terminology)!!! I cannot believe how much I've learned and how much confidence I've gained just since late August, and it's all thanks to this class and my professor, Dr. Pikul (yes, he pronounces it "pickle", ha!). This class has pushed me to my limits in every aspect possible, but I am so proud of myself for getting to this point. I've never felt this smart before, never been so proud of getting A's on my tests, never ever ever studied this hard for anything in my life. It's funny to think that just some class has boosted my self-esteem, but it truly has and I'm so glad that I've benefited from it so much! I still have several more prerequisites to take before the actually "nursing school" part, but I'm looking forward to everything I still get to learn. I'll be taking microbiology, communications and nutrition next semester, then after will come chemistry, physiology, human development, sociology and psychology. So much learning = so much fun!


Fourth reason - The happiness that came from my Kauai trip with Frank and his parents still hasn't worn off. I cannot physically describe how incredibly amazing it was. I fell even more in love (if that's possible) with Frank, had a blast getting to know his parents better, saw so many wonderful things, got to experience new things like snorkeling, eat delicious food, swim in the ocean almost every day....I could literally list off things for days. Frank and I want to eventually live there (seriously) - it is so gorgeous. One week there was much too short and I was so sad to leave and come back to reality and life. It was just wonderful to take a break from everything, spend quality time with people I love on a gorgeous island. I can't wait to go back! ...and I will, you'll see!


And so, to end tonight's entry, here are some pictures from Kauai - yay!

first glimpse of Kauai!!

coconut grove right next to our hotel!

looking over 'Spouting Horn'

SNORKELING!

us at a luau!

sue and i at the luau :)

traditional hawaiian food, including poi!

right outside (and downstairs) from our room!

looking out over the gorgeous canyons

hanalei bay...amazing!

i could LIVE on this - eggs, hashbrowns and SPAM!!

sunburnt :(

sitting on the beach, AT NIGHT, looking at the stars and listening to the waves...absolutely perfect

hawaiian shaved ice is incredible!! WAY better than snowcones

frank literally spent 3 hours tearing away at a coconut. he got it open, only to find out it was rotten, lol :(

hawaiian NENE'S! :)

local hawaiian farmer's market!! i got to try starfruit and sunrise papayas...yuuummm

the beach right outside our hotel :)

looking out at the lighthouse

at the top of Kauai...so gorgeous :)

...and the ones who made this incredible trip possible :)

BEST TRIP EVER.

Gooooood times!

I feel so wonderful lately! Last week was midterm time for me, and while I was exhausted and studied extremely hard for them, I felt pretty good about how they went. Today I found out my scores and I was totally surprised at how well I actually did! I got a 95% on my anatomy lab practical, 95% on my anatomy lecture exam and a 97% on my medical terminology midterm! I even tied with one other person for the highest score in the class for medical terminology! I am so proud of myself, for studying as hard as I have been, motivating myself to do well and really pulling through. 

So, as if I didn't feel good enough, I am going to....HAWAII TOMORROW!!!!! I have never ever been and I am beyond thrilled! I have yet to pack, but I've been starting to gather things since about a month ago...:) Frank's parents are so great and they bought my plane ticket and hotel room! This is probably going to be the best vacation EVER. I get to relax on a beach for a whole week, go snorkeling, eat papaya, go to a luau and take amazing pictures. I'm a little worried about missing three lectures/labs for anatomy, but I'm not complaining. 

I know this was only a quick little update, but I felt so happy about everything that I wanted to tell the world! When I get back from Hawaii, I'll be posting all of the fun adventures and awesome pictures!!

YAY!