B R E A K

Well, clearly I have been on break from school because I have yet to find a need to blog (AKA procrastinate). With a little trip to Jamaica right around the corner (3 days!!), I thought this was necessary. Finals week was a success (and by success, I mean I passed). Friday night I got wasted to celebrate a s t r e s s f u l week. Actually, I drove home, ate dinner, went for a 20 minute bike ride with my hubby, spent 2-3 hours grocery shopping, watched a movie from the Redbox, and played SkipBo. It was a glorious. I spent the week in Rochester and left poor Ceej with a near-empty fridge & freezer. It was bad. Poor guy ate chips and ground beef for dinner one night because we were out of cheese, salsa, and taco sauce... among many, many things... so he was slightly malnourished.

On Saturday I slept in for a total of 11.5 hours, and I did not feel guilty about it in the slightest. We relaxed all day and that night went out with George, Quinn, Mitch, and Laura to a comedy show, birthday party, & rolly's. George and I also went downtown for a bit before rolly's to break up the night and visit his boss/boss' friends. Overall it was a BLAST and completely stress-free. It was great to not be thinking about all the homework I had yet to do. We also ran into Brandon Jacobs et al (some Gaint's players) at Ramada Inn and spent the night throwing footballs with them (Note: the latter part of that sentence is slightly false).


One random night, Ceej and I decided to bring a little beer & wine to a spot he found fishing on the water for an adventure. We strapped the cooler to the bike because we had taken off my super sweet basket for a long ride a couple of weeks ago (mistake), and then we threw our chairs on our backs. We sat by the water relaxing for a couple of hours. Success!


I also did 24 hours of fieldwork at a hands clinic and loved it! Yes, the girl who literally failed the Kinesiology exam on hands. I'm always up for a pleasant surprise. I am currently registered for next semester's classes and just ordered all of my books off of eBay. I feel (almost) too productive right now.

Tonight is my sister-in-law, Rebekkah's, 9th Birthday party!! I can't believe she's grown so much. When Ceej and I started dating she was one year old! She was such a sweet baby and only slightly afraid of me. She would never say good-bye to me, no matter how much we tried (and we did). But now she likes me and hugs me good-bye. Ahh... the difference time makes.

Peace Out Debbie Downer

In an effort to kick Debbie Downer to the curb, here is a list of things that I am happy about today (this may be corny, but just appreciate that I'm not expressing the stress I'm actually feeling... I wanted to spare you its ugliness):

1. Going to church with my husband
2. A nice conversation with my dear friends Jamie & Meg
3. The sun shining & weather being perfect
4. Walking outside (see point 3)
5. Eating dinner with my husband
6. Someone bidding on the Coogi Sweaters that I'm selling on eBay for my father-in-law (see picture above)
7. Knowing that this is my last weekend spent studying until May (Yes, I do know it's mid April... don't rain on my parade)
8. Ice cold water
9. Piping hot french vanilla coffee with too much sugar and cream (Ceej at my pile of sugar packets: "You better not be putting all of that in there. Completely unnecessary." That's what HE thinks.)
10. Not having an exam tomorrow
11. Having my double batch of banana bread turn out well (for the OT student bake sale, of course).

Okay, so 10 was a stretch. Whatev. Have a great night everyone! Back to the books for me.

Girlfriends and Easter Joys

Oh joy! This week entailed some exciting events: The first was that two of my best girlfriends from high school came to town from their "homes" of Colorado & Texas (although I'm sure they'll always consider Altoona their real home... I mean, who wouldn't?). Therefore my closest group of high school girlfriends got together for breakfast. I gave the baked french toast another go (haven't felt up to it since it prompted the fire a few months back), and it was a success. A tad smokey as the butter/brown sugar topping overflowed in the oven, but I'm not complaining. Also tried a new recipe for a bacon, tator tot, cheese, and egg dish. Here is a random side note: I have been obsessed with cooking lately. In the past week I've made (from scratch, mind you): macaroni and cheese, chili, the two breakfast dishes described above, rolls, and stir fry (among "easier"/low prep items). You may not be impressed, but it feels like a lot. I think it's because with cooking there is immediate gratification. That is, you prep, you bake, it's done, you eat. Yum. That's it! Job well done. This is completely the opposite of school, which is more like, you prep/plan, you try, you fail to complete you plan, you come back to it and complete it, you move on to the next assignment, it takes you longer than planned, you finish that, you missed this, you spent too much time on that, and oh, surprise! There's an exam tomorrow. Not quite as satisfying. ANYWAY, back to the breakfast, it was super great! We're all still very close, and it's just fun being with people who know so much about you and you them, and you all love one another anyway. That was an excellent morning. AND we had a new one in the mix, little Miss. Brinnley Louise. Hopefully she won't ruin things (JUST KIDDING).


Oh Easter!! I love this day and the days preceding it. Ceej and I went to church on Good Friday and the candle lit Mass Saturday night. Sunday morning the Easter bunny brought Ceej breakfast in bed (lucky kid). I did some homework, we went for a little bike ride, and then we went to his parents for lunch. A lot of family came, so it was especially nice to see everyone, play bean bag toss, and just be outside! My mom also stopped by for a bit, so we covered a lot of bases. Now I'm studying (well, was and will be; RIGHT now I'm blogging), and Ceej went back to his parents to spend time with the family. It was a really nice day! Now I just need to get a million things done. I hate that feeling of leaving something special to go to something completely horrid. Oh, did I mention that my semester is done in 11 days and 17 hours? Well, it is.

Still Alive

So, I took a little glance at the blog to see when my last post was. 20 days ago. Hmm. So then I took a little glance through my planner to see what I could post on. Nothing. Hmmm. Okay. Well then, here's the deal: I have 17 days left in the semester. In the two weeks following Easter I will have 7 exams (clearly the program is not familiar with my friend, Jesus, who died for our sins and deserves a day dedicated to him instead of studying). One of my exams entails walking into a room with 9 cadavers with 50 "items" (i.e., tendons, ligaments, muscles, arteries, or nerves) flagged, and we are to write down the item (spelled correctly, from memory, mind you). Nice. Anyway, homework and finals preparation will consume the next 17 days, then 3 days of fieldwork, then... (drum roll, please)... Ceej and I are going to Jamaica! Oh I am excited! It is what is keeping me trucking through this ish. I have 2 weeks off between-semesters (apparently grad students don't need a spring break...? News. to. me.) then back at it through the summer for more classes, research, fieldwork, and volunteering. BUT come 18 days, I'm halfway through the academic part of this program (there are 6 months of fieldwork next spring). This last point makes me quite happy.

Fortnight

In Australia it's common to use the terminology "fortnight" for a period of 2 weeks, hence the name of this entry summarizing the past 2 weeks. The above and below pictures are from "Casino Night" last weekend. It was a lovely Saturday afternoon and the boys were trying to plan an activity for the evening. Some wanted to go to the actual casino, but then the idea to create our very own was brought up. Brilliant! They split up buying the table, card distributor, & 5 decks of cards. One person brought over the chips. Ceej made guacamole & I made brownies & meatballs. We pushed aside the coffee table and brought our kitchen table into the living room to play. It was a great night!! Some came out ahead, some behind. What a fun & random event!

The below picture is of my mom & I at Younkers for "Woman of the Year" through WWIB (a Christian radio station here in Eau Claire). I had nominated her and she was one of the 20 contestants. The Woman of the Year was actually just drawn out of a hat from the the 20 & won a $750 gift certificate to Younkers (a bonus for me because we can share clothes). Well, she didn't actually win, but we had a really nice morning. It started out with a long walk around Altoona, getting to the event at 10 and realizing that the drawing was at 11:45, so we drove to the Cap & Cork (wine store) to vote for her bottle label (she makes wine & labels for a hobby), and then to Aldi's for some groceries. I hadn't been to Aldi's for a while, so I forgot how CHEAP it is. I was quite excited and got a card full of great stuff. Some of you quality over quantity seekers may be shaking your head in disgust, but Aldi's suits us beautifully.

Below is a shot from yesterday. Ceej and I spent the day in Menomonie volunteering at a basketball tournament with Special Olympics. It was a ton of fun & a great experience! I can't wait to volunteer at more events (yes, I've already started looking into them), and Ceej enjoyed it, too! I was the announcer (can you imagine? it was great) and he kept score for one of the teams, so we were able to be together. I was amazed at how many people were there! There were 4 games going on at all times, and the parking lot was FULL of cars. The day was filled with magical moments; I would look around and just get tears in my eyes at the pure joy around me. Most of the teams had a few players who made most of the baskets. On one team, however, every single person had a made a basket with the exception of one boy. He was working hard and shooting, but all of them were slightly off. Finally, with 24.7 seconds left in the game he shot and made a 3 point basket! He threw his arms in the air and cheered. They won the game. It was amazing!

We received the shirts we're wearing in the picture at the event... and it suits me perfectly because I'm known for my value of "person-first language". It is something that is very important to me after my education about and work with individuals who have disabilities. We were at the basketball tournament from 1-6 PM and decided to make a night of our time in Menomonie. We went to a Mexican restaurant and then met Jesse & Quinn at a bar for an improv comedy show. It was lots of fun, but the last comic was very disrespectful and we ended up leaving (the comics had been on for 4 hours, so it was getting old). It was fun to get out and enjoy some quality time with friends and one another!

Off for a run... it's amazingly gorgeous outside!

Little Misses

As noted before, I stopped by my sister's on the way home from school to see the new little ladies. I was also able to make it to see my dad, but 2 stops after 12 hours of sleep over the course of 3 days was all I could do, so unfortunately couldn't make it to visit Jen & Elliana this time. It was a ROUGH two weeks, and the time in Rochester and the Twin Cities were brutal with two intense exams. Thursday in particular was horrible. Here is how my day went: I went to bed at 11:30 and woke up at 3:30. Gross. Then I studied, took an exam at 9, most likely failed it, sat in class until 5pm, drove through rush hour, stopped in Stillwater, and then drove back to Eau Clare, getting home around 11pm. That night, Ceej actually thought I was drunk (and said he would have bet money had I not just drove an hour and a half). Looking back I can see why: I was so exhausted that I was stumbling around, had my eyes halfway open, and had a drowsy, slow response time. I slept over 11 hours that night, and it was glorious.

Anyway, big brother Rylan was so proud to show auntie Em his new sisters (big brother Mickeegan was at Boy Scouts). Evelyn is a little smaller, looks like Mickeegan, has lighter colored and thinner hair. Clara is slightly bigger, looks like Rylan, has darker and thicker hair. AKA Evelyn has Tyler's face and Jamie's teeny body, and Clara has Jamie's face and Tyler's long body. Either way, they are gorgeous and OH so sweet!

Liquid Gold

I have a major addiction to Diet Mountain Dew. I'm addicted to the flavor, the sound of the can clicking open like tap-dancers on the floors of heaven, the cold liquid running down my throat like a fresh spring, the jolt of energy I get after it merely touches my lips. It's pretty amazing. However, I have decided to give it up for Lent. This is a big sacrifice, and it has been a long time coming at that. Recap: Lent during Freshman year: Gave it up with success. Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years: Fail. Call it stress, call it lack of will power. Whatev. We have an unhealthy relationship. I realize that. Anyway, I'm going strong so far. And the bonus? It solves the "lack of sleep" pattern, as described in a previous post. Apparently 6 cans throughout the day (yes, past roommates: it's gotten that bad) has put my body in overload, and it forgot how to wind down. Who knew? So while I'm missing my liquid gold, my sweet sleep is pretty great.

Evelyn Rose & Clara Mae

Let's add another major event to this week: My nieces have arrived! Little Miss. Evelyn Rose was a whopping 4 pounds, 13 ounces, and Clara Mae was 5 pounds, 1 ounce. I am so excited to meet them!! Sadly, I have a few exams that are consuming my life this week, but I'll get to see them Thursday night on my way back from the cities. I'll post some pictures of their pretty little faces then! What a wonderful blessing!!

A Roller Coaster

This past week was full of positive and negative events. A whirlwind of emotion, if you will. In other words, there were tears shed. Let's recap:

I was sicker than a dog on Saturday with the G.I. flu (not pretty- believe me), so I was practically passed out on the couch all day and night, in between trips to the bathroom. Thankfully, because Ceej had gone snowboarding before the drama started, my mom came over and spent the day with me. Candles. Lifetime movies. Face wiped with a damp cloth after vomiting. Toenails painted. There is hope here.

Because I was ridiculously ill on Saturday, the day that I had planned to complete a bunch of assignments due Sunday in order to spend the day with my Valentine, I actually had to do them on Sunday. Sadly, our first valentine's day was cut short. Not that I'm all about worshiping February 14th, but I was so looking forward to a day dedicated to my lover. We were able to go to church and pancake breakfast, and we watched a movie later at night. I am thankful for that. However, our day of Action City, Chaos Water Park, out for dinner, and to the theaters was not an option. I was crushed. Especially because it was forfeited for barfing up bile.

My dear friend Jess had a baby girl!! Brinnley Louise was born in the wee hours of February 16th weighing in at a whopping 5 pounds, 15 ounces. I was just visiting the teeny peanut, and she is gorgeous. I love her! Mom and babe are both happy and doing well.

Gia was sent home. Vienna stayed. What. the. heck.

I have an online exam, equal amount of homework as is normally assigned, and 2 exams next week. Does time increase on demand? Nope.

Someone got a hold of our debit card numbers and was on a little spending spree in Chicago. Sweet. Thankfully, my wonderful husband took on the duties of all of the identity theft & banking stuff. Also thankfully, we'll get the $400 back. What a jerk face!! We did get a laugh out of the experience, as my father-in-law happened to be taking a walk by our house when the police officer was coming in... you should have seen the look of panic as he was frantically questioning the police officer while walking up to our doorway. Poor guy!

I've been having mega trouble sleeping... and have a very inconsistent routine right now. I don't do well with that. An example, I was up until 2:30AM, awake at 9:30AM, then in bed at 11Pm, up at 4:30AM. My body is confused and mad at me. I don't like it.

Anyway, being that it's only Wednesday, I'm pretty much ready for this week to be done. F'real.

Hands Free is the Way to Be

I love to share my small joys with you. Today is no exception. Over the course of the past few months, my neck has been feeling a little tight, although not painful at all. After a drive from Eau Claire to Rochester, Rochester to the cities, and the cities home, and being on the phone the entire time, my neck was especially sore. Perhaps it was because in the car, I sit like this:

I decided to go to the chiropractor, who adjusted my back and told me to sit and look like this:

(Okay, okay... not really look like her. Who is that seductive while sitting in an office chair? I guess I'm close when I'm wearing my Snuggie.)
So anyway, I've been really trying to stand more like this:

Although it's hard because I talk on the phone like this:

I decided I needed a hands-free device, although I lacked the extra funds necessary for such a contraption. Before my trip to Rochester I accompanied my husband to an automotive shop to buy new windshield wipers (Note: I am purposefully withholding the name of the automotive shop because I fear so many of you will go and swarm them with an overwhelming amount of customers). Anyway, while Ceej was taking care of the wiper business, I browsed the clearance rack (which is to be expected), and what did I find? A hands free device for any phone!! And how much was it?! $2.99!! YESSS. I was delighted. I took it up to the counter with a slightly-too-large smile on my face. He rung it out, I had my $5 bill ready and waiting. We made eye contact. "That'll be five cents, please." WHAT!?!?!?!??!? FIVE CENTS?!??!?! My smile drooped slightly in confusion, my eyes grew wide. I glanced at Ceej with a look that said "we better take it and run because this guy is crazy," gave the man a nickel, and scurried out of there before he changed his mind. I was on cloud nine the rest of the day. And it works wonderfully. SUCCESS.