New Year, New Start

Well 2010 definitely had it's ups and downs, but 2011 is a new year. I have a lot of plans and goals, not necessarily resolutions, but I have a few positive changes that I'd like to put in action.

As with every new year, I'm going to try to eat better and get in better shape. This year I want to run a 1/2 marathon. Eventually I would love to run a full one, but I'm not sure yet if I can accomplish that this year or not. So my main goal is the 1/2.

I'd also like to maintain a positive attitude toward life, in every aspect. I need to be more gracious and more thankful for all of the things that have worked out for me in this lifetime. It hasn't been perfect, but I have been very blessed. As much as I complain about being stressed to the max, I really need to step back and be more thankful that I have something like work to be stressed out about. There are so many who can't even find a job right now and here I am doing what I love with the best group of people I could imagine working with.

I'm going to try to stop being so selfish. I have a tendency to think that all of my free time should belong to ME and I should be able to do whatever I want whenever I want to do it. I need to make time for other people and enjoy the company of others, rather than spend all my time laying on the couch vegging out every free minute of the day.

2011 should be a good year. I'm looking forward to it and I'm going to make the most of it :)

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas to all :)

Now I know I haven't been doing so great about updating this page with the happenings in my life. What can I say? Either I'm lazy or I haven't had anything too exciting to post about. But..It's Christmas, and I have to say that for the most part, this Christmas has been much better than last year. Things are looking up in so many ways ;) I have so much to be thankful for and so much to be happy about. I have amazing friends and family who I love more than anything in this world and I just want to tell them all THANK YOU for being so great. I have so many great memories of Christmases past and so many more to come. I get pretty emotional this time of year, when I think about how my Grandma and Grandpa Ziegler and my Aunt Linda aren't here, and Christmas Eve just isn't the same without them. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE spending Christmas Eve with my family, but I think we can all agree that Christmas Eve without Linda, Christmas Eve without Grandma's peach colored decorations on the Christmas tree, and Grandpa's huge smile (oh and let's not forget Ginny's puking in a stainless steel bowl) just isn't the same as it used to be .. But this year, my cousin Brad brought back a lot of Christmas memories with his awesome tribute to my Aunt Linda in the next generation of the Ziggy Girls cookbook and spending time with my mom this morning reminiscing over times with my Grandparents just made me realize how lucky I am to be a part of the Ziegler family and I just want to tell you all that I love you more than words can say. I know I never really talk about my feelings, but I want each and every one of you to know that I love you more than anything and Merry Christmas! I am excited to see what the future holds for all of us :)

Life's ups and downs

I've come to the realization that my life has definitely had its fair share of ups and downs. It's like one great big ECG reading. Only medical people would understand this, but right now I feel like I'm in the R wave (that's an up) so that's good :) Things are going well and I really can not complain.

The weather is lovely outside. I absolutely love the snow when I don't have to drive in it. I have tomorrow off work and we are getting pounded with beautiful white snow just in time for the holidays. I love it. Today has been the perfect day for laying on the couch with a nice warm blanket and enjoying a good book and watching some football.

The only downside at this point in time is that my treadmill has already quit working :( But I'll get over it. It won't be long until the weather warms up and the daylight lasts longer and I can just go back outside. Until then, I will just hibernate here in my house and maybe do a few workout dvds to keep myself occupied. If I really wanted to spend the money, I'd go buy myself a new treadmill, but I don't really want to spend the money, so I'll make do.

Overall, life is great. I have a good job. I have a nice house. I have a decent car. I have friends and family that I love. I have a big smile on my face these days. Life is good.

Sorry avid readers (all 1 or maybe 0 of you). I've been pretty busy for the past week. Work is as crazy as ever. We are very busy and it's not looking like it's going to get any slower. I'm still glad to have a job and very thankful to work where I do, but it definitely has it's moments and this whole week was a good example. I'm glad to be home relaxing with my bottle of wine at the end of a very long week :)

Things are still going well in my dating life too. Even though we haven't been on an "official" date yet, all is looking very positive :) I'm happy.

I have yet to start my Christmas shopping, so it looks like tomorrow will be the day. I'm not looking forward to braving the cold and fighting the crowds, but I have to get it done sometime. Wish me luck!

Good things come to those who wait .

Well, let's all keep our fingers crossed that I don't screw this up somehow. I've finally met a guy that I am actually interested in dating and things are looking good so far. We have been talking and hanging out a bit, and are planning to go out in a couple of weeks to dinner and a movie. For once I have met someone who has not suffocated me and acted like I needed to spend every waking moment with him and someone who has taken the time to get to know me and become my friend before asking me out. I know that whatever is meant to be will be, but I'm saying a little prayer that things work out this time. This is a good guy with a good heart who has a lot of things going for him and I don't want to do anything to screw it up. Only time will tell.

Prayers

Please pray for 3 little boys in Morenci and for their family. What a terrible and sad situation. It's been pretty hard to believe. Helicopters flying low around the area make it seem so eerie. I can't even imagine what this family must be going through. Please keep them all in your prayers. I never in my wildest dreams thought something like this could ever happen so close to home. It's terrifying and a horrible feeling to think that someone could actually do something like this. Please pray for those little boys.

you made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter

Why am I listening to Taylor Swift all the time? Could it be that I'm finally doing something right? :)

I miss my Grandma

Yep, I said it .. I miss my Grandma. She's been gone for over 10 years now, but I miss her a lot. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her. I have so many good memories of her. I would give anything to go back to that time when life was so much simpler. We didn't have cell phones or internet or HDTV, but I had the time of my life. Here are some of my favorite memories of my grandma..

• When I was about 6 or 7 years old, I was out in the yard helping my grandma plant flowers. I started digging a hole for a flower and just kept digging and digging to see how big of a hole I could dig. My grandma turned to me and said "are you trying to dig a hole to China?" I laughed so hard like it was the funniest thought ever and attempted to truly dig a hole to China. I really thought I could.
• I have this one fleeting memory of going out to eat with my grandparents in Wauseon one afternoon and on the way there, I remember looking out the window at the countryside and thinking about how much I loved going for drives in the afternoons and just looking at all the farms and wishing that day/moment would never end. I remember we were on our way to visit my great aunt in the nursing home. It was a weekday and I was probably about 10 years old.
• When I was little, my grandma would sometimes babysit me while my mom went to child study club meetings. I remember one particular evening that my grandma babysat me that my mom did not get back to pick me up until almost 11:30 at night. My grandma stayed awake the whole time with me playing games because I did not want to go to bed.
• I remember another occasion that my grandma babysat me that I ended up staying the night at her house. I was sick with a cold or flu of some kind and my grandma gave me Vicks to put on. I remember feeling better instantly and to this day, I think that Vicks cures everything and sometimes I put it on just for the memories :) lol
• I think her favorite color was peach, because I remember how her Christmas tree was always decorated with peach ornaments.
• I remember sitting on her front porch with my cousins drinking Faygo red pop.
• Going to Florida in the winter to visit my grandparents was always the best. I remember laying in bed in a couch that pulled out into a bed and pretending to read smut books while sticking m&ms in my teeth.
• I remember my grandma scaring me one night by pointing at me :)
• My grandma made the best fried bologna known to human kind. I remember thinking she was the world's best cook when she made fried bologna on toast. (She was the worlds greatest cook by the way, unless she was making roast beef).
• I remember going for walks with my grandma in the summer time. I remember going with her to pick these wildflowers one afternoon. They were white wildflowers. We brought them back to her house and filled 4 vases with water mixed with different colors of food coloring (green, blue, yellow, and red). We put the flowers in the water / food coloring mixture and watched the flowers turn color.
• I remember one day I found a robin's egg in the yard at my grandma's house and she let me bring it in and we put it in a tiny box with cotton balls and hoped it would hatch into a real bird.
• One day my family was helping to scrape the old paint off my grandparents' house and prepare it to get repainted. I took one of the scrapers and used the edge of it to scrape my initials into the siding. The more I thought about it, the more scared I got, because I was afraid my initials wouldn't come out of the siding. I started crying and confessed to my grandma who told me that it was just fine to have my initials in the side of the house. I wonder if they are still there.. :)
• I remember running laps around my grandma's driveway, because I thought it was the same size as the track uptown that the high schoolers ran on.
• I remember playing tripoly with my grandma and all sorts of other card games.
• I remember my grandma liked to watch Wheel of Fortune and do crossword puzzles.
• I remember the last time my grandma told me that she loved me.

I can't wait to see her again. I think about her every day and all the memories we shared. I can't wait to see her again. She was a very special person and she is very missed.

I love you Grandma.

Running on empty

Well, we made it home from Green Bay safe and sound with the treadmill in tow. Before we left, my mom claimed that my brother told her it was 48 inches long, meaning that it would fit perfectly in the back of my vehicle (which allows 64 inches). When we get there, I stood next to the treadmill and it's almost as tall as I am (68 inches). So either my brother isn't very good at using a tape measure or my mom has a very sneaky way of getting me to drive 7 hours to Green Bay! Luckily, we found a way to get the treadmill in the back of the car (but not without pushing the passenger seat up really far so my mom had miniscule leg room!) and we had a great weekend all around. See my facebook page for pictures!

So now that I have a treadmill set up at home, I have no excuses for not using it daily and meeting my running goals. My biggest obstacle right now has been my hip/knee pain and the fact that it gets dark so soon after I get out of work. Now I have a solution for the lack of sunlight. I just need to find a way to get rid of this nasty knee and hip pain. I'm looking for a good yoga DVD to do a couple of times a week and hopefully that will help. I'm also going to do a lot more stretching both before and after running and hope that helps also. Wish me luck!

In the meantime, it's time for me to go to bed. All that driving is super tiring..

Cheese-Heading it

Who is so dedicated to her running goals that she's willing to drive 7 hours one way to pick up a treadmill? This girl! And who is also so dedicated to her running goals that she could barely walk at work today? That's right, this girl again!

Tomorrow morning, I'm leaving for Wisconsin to pick up a treadmill that my dad has in storage at my brother's place. My mom is riding along, because a) she is too scared to let her little baby drive all the way to Wisconsin alone and b) she will never refuse the opportunity to see Wyatt (my nephew, her grandson). If all goes well, the treadmill will easily fit in the back of my Escape (the seats fold down) and we will have a good time visiting, even if it is going to be a short visit.

Last night, I shockingly got out of work in time to get home and get a run in before it got dark outside. I don't know what's going wrong, but lately it's my hip that has been bothering me, which causes my knee to hurt, and it even hurts down into my ankle. I think it's my IT band that's the culprit, but either way, I was in a lot of pain mid-run last night and in even more pain at work today. I better get these issues figured out, because I am not going to let any aches and pains slow me down. I refuse to feel old.

Double bacon cheeseburgers

I haven't done the greatest with my exercise this week, but I have been making an attempt to eat better. My only workouts since Sunday's run have been my cardio class on Monday and Wednesday nights and a 10 mile bike ride on the recumbant bike tonight. It's just too cold and dark for me to get outside and run on weeknights after work. I really can't wait to go pick up my treadmill. The recumbant bike doesn't even feel like a workout compared to running.

I think I'm doing a tiny bit better with the choices I'm making food-wise. I'm eating a bigger breakfast now. Although it doesn't feel like it's keeping me from eating so much at lunch, I at least don't feel like I'm starving every morning at 10:30am. I really need to find a good, healthy, quick to throw together breakfast food to take to work in the mornings though. I need something that I can get put together fairly quickly on my way out the door that I can wait and eat at about 8:10 am when I am actually hungry. This week, it's been peanut butter sandwiches with all natural peanut butter and whole wheat low-calorie bread. Not the tastiest in my opinion, but very filling.

My latest creation that I feel is a recipe worth sharing is a healthy version of a double cheeseburger. These ingredients were all purchased at the grocery store uptown. I made it in the George Foreman grill, but I suppose they could be made in any type of grill as long as you press down to drain all the fat out of the meat. I wouldn't recommend making them in a skillet.

Double Bacon Cheeseburgers

Ingredients:

Jennie-O Turkey Burgers (from the frozen foods section in the side isle by the meat at Kaiser's) - 2 burgers (they come in packs of two)

Aunt Millie's whole grain low calorie bread (they just started carrying this - I love it) - 2 slices

Pepper Jack cheese from the deli dept (2 slices)

Oscar Mayer fully cooked thick sliced bacon - 4 slices (it's healthier and lower calorie than regular bacon)

lettuce

onion

Directions:

Thaw burgers in the refrigerator the night before. Heat George Foreman grill to 400 degrees. Salt and Pepper burgers (and any other seasoning you want to put on them) and put on grill. Close grill and cook for 7 minutes. Fold up one slice of pepper jack cheese and put on top of one burger, then put the other burger on top of the cheese. Close grill and cook for another 3 minutes. In the meantime, toast bread, microwave bacon for 45 seconds, and chop onion. Put remaining slice of pepper jack cheese on top of burger and let it melt. Put the 2 burgers on the toast, top with bacon, then onion, then lettuce, then final slice of toast. What you have is an amazing double bacon cheese burger that will make you feel like you are on the show Man Vs. Food when you eat it. It was soo good. You could use sharp cheddar cheese instead of pepper jack. I will never recommend velveeta or American cheese for anything in my entire life. So don't use either :)

Awesome tacos

I have successfully ran a total of 10 miles over the course of this weekend. I think that's pretty good for someone like me who is basically just getting started. I ran 3 miles Friday, 3 yesterday, and a little over 4 today. I'm feeling pretty good about it. I might not be getting super skinny and losing tons of weight, but that's not my goal. My overall goal is to just get healthier...ok, and go out and win some races in the next year. I'm not very fast right now, but the fact that I ran so far today without any knee pain is an accomplishment in itself.

My other goal, in addition to maintaining this work out / running schedule, is to start eating a little healthier. However, I refuse to give up some of my favorite foods. I will eat unhealthy things in moderation, but for the most part, I want to make better choices. This can be difficult at times, based on the limited selection of foods that we have up at our grocery store here in town. But...I'm trying to save money by not driving to Walmart and spending $100s every trip. Plus I really do want to support a local business and I'm a little scared that the new Dollar General (awesome as it is) might put our grocery store in a world of hurt. That being said, I made a delicious and healthy supper entirely with ingredients that I purchased at the grocery store here in town. There is no excuse for not making this meal...and it tasted great.

Heart Healthy Tacos

Ingredients:

2 packages ground turkey (I bought the Festive brand in the side freezer section, it comes in 1lb. packs)

2 packages of taco seasoning mix (whatever kind you prefer)

1/2 an onion chopped

1 small tomato chopped

lettuce chopped (as much as you want)

3 jalapenos (sliced) - If you don't like spicy food, you can substitute green pepper

1/4 cup Crystal Farms shredded Mexican cheese (this is not healthy, so use sparingly)

Chi Chis hot salsa (as much as you want) - you can use any salsa, but the chi chis hot salsa is amazing

Chi Chis whole wheat tortillas (how ever many you need to eat to get full - I ate 2)

Directions:

Brown the turkey (it takes longer than hamburger) and drain off all the fat. Add the taco seasoning mix with the appropriate amount of water (it will be on the label) and let the mixture come to a boil. Let the mixture simmer for 2x as long as the package says, because it takes longer for the ground turkey to absorb the seasoning flavor. Heat up tortillas in microwave on high for 45 seconds. Put cheese in first, then add taco meat, then add veggies, then salsa on top.

This will be very messy to eat, but so so so so so so so so so so good and filling. I promise you that the ground turkey will taste just like ground beef tacos. I was amazed. If you make this recipe like I did, you will have leftovers for another couple of meals (if cooked for 1 person anyway).

Motivation

I am officially in training to run at least a 1/2 marathon by next year. So far so good. I'm currently doing my running outside in the cold, but luckily, I am going to be picking up a treadmill in a couple of weeks to get me through the winter months. As long as I can stay motivated, I know I can achieve this goal. The problem is...I have a hard time staying motivated. So, I decided to make a list of things that will keep me motivated to push myself and actually become the athlete I want to be.

1. Get the new ipod nano and fill it with fast-paced running music only.

2. Run in public as much as possible, because I hate taking the chance that people might see me give up and start walking.

3. Mix up the workout routine. I'm not going to run every single day. I'm going to take some days off, do some cardio workouts, mix in some strength training, and probably ride bike on other days.

4. Bookmark every website that has to do with eating right and working out / running so that when I don't feel like doing either one, I can at least read about it and hopefully change my mind.

5. I already subscribed to Runner's World magazine, which is supposed to come with some sort of running log to track my runs.

6. Sign up for as many 5 and 10Ks in the area as possible.

7. Reward myself with new running shoes as often as I feel like.

8. Watch ESPN and other sports as much as possible.

9. Let myself indulge in an Amigo's pizza and eagle bread every now and then :)

10. Finally buy scales so I can keep track of how much I weigh (until yesterday when I weighed myself at work I really had no idea).

That's my motivation list for right now. Good think my work has me on a sleep schedule where I wake up by 7am even on the weekends. I've already been up and running this morning and I plan on spending the whole rest of the day relaxing on the couch watching football :)

New direction.

So after doing some thinking, I have a few ideas as to how I should proceed with this blog. I feel like all I ever do on here is complain about work and tell everyone that I'm stressed and occasionally post a few updates about what's going on in my life. I feel like it's repetitive and boring and needs to be changed. Therefore, I'm coming up with a few new ideas as to how I can make a change and make it more interesting. I haven't made up my mind yet, but here are a couple of them:

- Just make this a straight-up "this is my opinion" blog where I just pick a topic that has sparked my interest and express my opinion on it. This has gotten me into trouble before, but opinions are opinions and our country has the freedom of speech for a reason.

- Keep and update of my progress toward my fitness/running goals. For example, track my progress toward running the 1/2 marathon next year and try to keep myself motivated by sharing how I'm doing exercise/diet wise.

- Become a "professional" sports analyst and make it a sports blog. If the guys from "Around the Horn" can be famous for all of the B.S. they talk about, I should be able to make myself extremely famous by sharing my sports insight. Besides, if ESPN is willing to hire Lou Holtz to commentate college football, I should be able to come up with a halfway decent sports blog that doesn't involve me spitting on anyone whenever I say my "S"s.

- All recipes. Random recipes of foods that I eat all the time and which ones work and which ones don't.

I am really bored (and I'm sure my whole 2 readers are too) of the direction this blog has taken, so any feedback is welcomed. Otherwise, I will just come up with a new focus on my own and begin with it the next time I post.

The bucket list

Good news this week, I have found a way to get a treadmill for free...The not so good news is that it's waiting for me in a storage unit in Wisconsin. Even so, I'll probably be making the trip in a few weeks to go pick it up, along with tons of other home gym equipment that is mine for the taking! :)

With that said, I've been thinking long and hard about my true "life's goals" and what I want to accomplish in my lifetime. I think I may have posted this before, but here is the new and improved "bucket list" that I currently have.

1. Read the entire Bible.

2. Run a full marathon (right now I'm training for a 1/2 marathon, but the goal of a lifetime is the full).

3. Write and publish a book.

4. Knit something that is worth wearing (or at least using) in public.

5. Golf 18 holes at less than 100.

6. Take a vacation to New York City and see the Yankee Stadium.

7. Go on a missions trip out of the country.

8. Learn how to paint and make it a hobby, even if I'm horrible at it.

9. Plant a garden and learn to can the vegetables that I grow from it.

10. Pay off my student loans in 10 years (that's how they are set up for repayment right now, just keeping the faith that I can stick with this repayment plan).

Now, I have to say that in my 28 years of living and the fact that I am doing it on my own, I'm pretty proud of where I'm at today and what I have accomplished. I may not have the finest things in life, but I've earned an education and have a job that I am proud of that has allowed me to own my own home. I'm making my own way in this world with the satisfaction of knowing that, at the end of the day, my job is to improve the lives of other people. As much as I complain about it, and as stressful as it has been, I really do love my job and I am so thankful for it. It's because of all the hard work I put in to get this job that I might actually be able to check these items off my bucket list.

Work and Running

Things are starting to return to somewhat normal at work. It's still a little crazy, with being short one therapist, but we are managing. The census had returned to an average level, although I shouldn't speak too quickly, because you never know when it might spike up again, but for now, I'll embrace it. I'm actually starting to enjoy getting up and going to work in the mornings again, so that's always a good sign.

Now that the 1/2 marathon is over, I feel like I'm being such a lazy bum at the end of the day. No more going out and walking for hours in the evenings. Now that it's getting dark so early, I feel like by the time I get home from work, it's time to take a shower and go to bed. That's not all bad, I am getting plenty of rest, but I'm feeling very lethargic. Therefore, I'm currently shopping around for a treadmill. Both to get myself up off the couch and to train for next year when I'll be running the 1/2 marathon in Columbus, instead of walking it. I've had some offers for used treadmills, but haven't made up my mind just yet. I don't think I'm really ready to buy a brand new one, because I have a hard time justifying spending $2000 on something that I'll only really need to use during the winter months. So I'm really basically looking for a used treadmill that goes fast enough that I can run on, for a decent price that won't break my bank account. Wish me luck. I am really motivated to get started.

Nothing is really new for me. As stressful as it's been the past couple of weeks, I can't help but be super thankful for my job and all that it has provided for me. I've been blessed with so much in life that I look back on previous posts where I have complained and just feel guilty. I may have days at work that are super stressful and busy, but at least I have a job and can pay my bills. I might have days at work where I am feeling frazzled and run down and sweating from head to toe from the sheer amount of physical labor involved, but at least I work with an amazing group of people who are always willing to help me out and are all people I would consider to be good friends. The group I work with is like a family, and I think that's pretty rare these days. I wouldn't change it for the world.

Ready to Run

After successfully completing a 1/2 marathon (walking it), I've found myself seriously considering the fact that I could probably run one of these someday soon..and should probably start training for it. It was seriously a lot of fun, even if I was ridiculously sore and could barely move the next day. The whole experience was one that I will never forget. It was such a huge accomplishment..and now I want to keep on doing it! So I've come to the conclusion that I will be training for another 1/2 marathon (to run this time) at some point in the near future. It might take me a while. The most I've ever raced is a 5K, but I think I can do it. I'm pretty motivated after the experience I had last weekend, so we shall see. I'm going to give it my best effort anyway.

Work is still crazy, but I'm surviving. I really can't complain. It has definitely been more stressful over the past couple of weeks, but we are all managing. I'm just trying to take it in stride and make a good impression. If I can get through these 9-10 hour days, I won't feel so bad someday when the census is low again and I get to leave early.

Racing adventures

Well I survived an insane week at work, not without some minor (ok maybe a bit of major) complaining, but I survived. It was stressful, but maybe it was a good opportunity for me to show that I am capable of handling that type of challenge and maybe someday that will pay off. Either way, I am still functioning.

Today is the day we leave for the Columbus marathon! The actual race is tomorrow, but we have to go today to pick up our packets and bib numbers. I'm pretty excited, even if I am only doing the half and just walking it...It should be a pretty amazing experience. I've never done anything like this before. I'm pretty sure the local 5Ks don't even compare. I'm just praying that I can actually finish the 13.1 miles!

who cares if my pro-time is 48 hours?

This week has been absolutely ridiculous at work. I feel like the rest of my life is just a fog. With one therapist having just quit and another one on vacation and an extremely high census (the highest I have seen it since March), I feel like I am running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Half the time I don't even accomplish what I originally set out to do, because 10000 other things come up in the process of me going to do it. I've been arriving at work at least 30-45 minutes early every day and staying about an hour late. My back is in excruciating pain, so I'm taking Bayer back and body about every 4 hours to the point that I cut myself shaving last night and blood was gushing so fast that it looked like someone had been murdered in my bathroom. My INR is probably about 30. They were giving away free flu shots to hospital employees yesterday, but I refused to get one, because I was afraid it might make me sick and if I even think about calling in sick any day this week, I will probably get fired. No joke. It is my supervisor and I who are taking all the patient cases. Luckily, we have PTAs helping us out, but when it comes to who is in charge of the patients' care and decision-making for them, it's her and I alone. I'm trying to make a good impression and make the best of it and be a team player, but it's been tough, I'm not gonna lie. Not only do we have a high census right now, but we have a high census of patients who are pretty much dependent, meaning that it required a lot of physical work to help them move. Under normal circumstances, I would embrace that, but this week, it's just tiring. I hate to complain this much....but I am exhausted.

So it seems pretty fitting that I'm doing a half marathon this weekend. This whole week is feeling like one big marathon. Walking 13 miles will be a piece of cake compared to this work week. If I can accomplish all of this and survive this weekend, then I will actually be really proud of myself. That's not to say that I will be heartbroken if we hire another therapist and go back to a normal census level at work. It's pretty safe to say that I can't keep my sanity if it stays at this pace much longer. Wish me luck. I still have two more bottles of Bayer back and body to help me get through it.

I want to be forever young

After a whirlwind of a week last week, I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things of a somewhat normal schedule. I'm not sure how long this is going to last though. One of our PTs will no longer be working with us after Friday and another PT is on vacation next week. That leaves me and the rehab director to hold down the fort. You want to talk about stressful? I guess I'll just welcome the challenge and make the best of it. Maybe it'll be my opportunity to show just how much responsibility I am capable of handling. I better just make the best of it and try to make a good impression.

Overall I have to say that I really can't complain. I know I complain too much for what my circumstances really merit. First of all, I have a job that I like and, although it isn't perfect, it's still the best job I have ever had and I am so thankful to have it. Second of all, even though I have a ridiculous amount of student loans to pay back, all the hard work of making it through grad school and suffering through all those clinicals has given me the opportunity to own my own house and drive 2 vehicles that are in good condition. I also have food to put on the table (well, actually I don't have a table to put it on at the moment, but I at least have the food) and am able to cool and heat my house so I can live in comfort.

I also have to be thankful for the little things in life. I joined an exercise class up at the high school with my mom that is sponsored by FCHC. I found out tonight that, even though I am an employee of CHWC, I will still get a 50% discount on the price of the class. I am actually getting a very good deal and the class is actually a lot of fun. Also, tomorrow is my birthday! Even though I have absolutely nothing exciting planned, it should be a good day :)

I love Fayette

I just have to say that tonight made me extremely proud of where I live. The residents of Fayette really stepped up and showed their support for the Keiser family tonight and it was amazing. It was very heart warming to see so many people there willing to do whatever they could to help this family. I am so proud to say that I am a resident of this town. This is why I don't ever want to leave. All of the love and support anyone could ever need can be found right here. You will never find another group of people in one community who love each other this much. I am so blessed to live here. It brings a tear to my eye to know that we all came together and did something amazing tonight.

Sometimes life just isn't fair

This has been an all around tough week. I'm generally not the type of person who gets emotional about a lot of things, but my mind is kind of reeling this week. Kellen will be greatly missed. He was such an inspiration and truly an all around hero to our community. I can't even imagine what his family is going through right now and will likely continue to go through for the rest of their lives. I don't think this is something that you ever really recover from emotionally. Maybe the days eventually get easier, but I don't suppose they ever really get "easy." My heart breaks for them. Sometimes life just isn't fair.

I also found out this week (well today actually) that my mentor, friend, and former clinical instructor is quitting and taking a job elsewhere in the next 2 weeks. His last day at work is a week from Friday. He is a great therapist and I really do wish him well at his new job, but it's going to be hard to see him go. We will all miss having him around. Not only is he a lot of fun to work with and great at what he does, but now we will be short-handed yet again at work and the stress level is going to go up about 110%. I really do love my job, but I have a feeling the next few months are going to be rough. I know that in the grand scheme of things, this is probably something petty to be complaining about, but I can't help but feel too emotionally drained to handle much more bad news.

Today we share our hero with Heaven above

Today our hearts are heavy as Kellen left his earthly body to go to Heaven and be at peace. Sometimes there are just no words. Heaven became an even more amazing place today as our hero here on earth was lifted up to become one of God's greatest angels. He is no longer in pain. He is rejoicing above us and smiling down with those who have gone before him. You will be missed Kellen Keiser. We love you. We can't wait to see you again someday. Until then, we know that you are smiling down on us all.

All of my thoughts and prayers and love go out to the Keiser family. May God's comfort and grace surround them now and always.

No new news

I haven't updated in a while, because nothing much is new in my life. Just the same old, same old..which I won't complain about. I'm enjoying my house and my new car. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty that I have these nice things, but then again, it's nice to see that all that hard work I put in to get to where I'm at today is finally starting to pay off. Plus, I am very thankful to have the job that I have. It isn't perfect, but it's probably the closest I will ever find.

I'm still in training for the half marathon that I am walking on October 17th. I feel very blessed to have so many great co-workers and friends who have been willing to donate their hard-earned money to be my sponsor. All the money raised goes directly to the family of Kellen Keiser, so if you are willing to donate any amount at all, please let me know.

Ohio State

Please check out the video in my previous post. The Ohio State marching band performed the OSU fight song while spelling "Kellen" on the field in honor of Kellen Keiser. It's pretty amazing. Kellen is a pretty amazing young man. This was a very special tribute by the OSU band.

OSU Marching Band - Kellen

Let me re-state my intentions

Well, I guess I'm a liar. I didn't just sit around and do nothing/relax all day today. I went and bought a car instead. I've actually been looking at this car for about a week now. Well, actually I went to the dealership to look at a different car that I had seen on their website and got there to find out that THAT particular car had been sold (wasn't meant to be). After looking around the dealership at the other cars, I became interested in this one and ended up going back and buying it today. It may have been a bit of an impulsive decision, but I really do think that I got a good deal...However...it is the same make and model of car that my mom just bought this year too, so now we're twinkies, except for the fact that mine is a different color and the wheel caps are different. But I cleared it with her first and made sure she wouldn't care that we'd be twinkies :) I have always wanted an SUV and never had one, now I do! The only thing that I don't like about it is that I've been trying to air it out all day, because the new car smell gives me a headache. Always has, always will. I know most people think that smell is soooo great, but to me, it's just like being near someone who has put on too much perfume. So I've had the windows down in my car most of the afternoon and I think it's ok now. I should make it to work tomorrow without having to hold my breath the whole way there.

So now, I am on a strict budget. I've made all the big purchases that I have been wanting to make and now I'm settled down. It's time to start saving and stop spending and giving to others instead of giving to myself. I am not needing anything. I shouldn't really even want anything that I don't already have.

Relaxation

Well, the regular weekend is over, but MY weekend is not. This is my long weekend, so I get to enjoy the day off tomorrow :) It's bitter-sweet, seeing as how I have to work this coming Saturday, but I'll still enjoy the extra day off anyway. This weekend has been decent for the most part, I really can't complain. I went on a very successful shopping trip to Franklin Park yesterday. It was some much-needed retail therapy for sure. Plus, I got to eat at the Elephant Bar, which I have never been to. I highly recommend it. It's not quite as good as P.F. Chang's, but pretty darn close.

Today I spent the morning at church. It was the kick-off Sunday for our Sunday school kids. We had breakfast and games this morning. The regular church service was a little hard, as we are continuing to pray for Kellen and his family. However, it is so uplifting to see our church so full on Sunday mornings. It has gotten to the point that it's sometimes hard to find a place to sit in the pews! What a blessing! Even though there is so much sadness in our community right now, we still have to look around us and see the blessings. Our Pastor has done so much to turn our church into what it is today. It's so amazing to see such a big congregation every Sunday.

After church today, I actually got some cleaning done around the house and watched some heartbreaking football games. I can see that all of my NFL teams are going to let me down this season. The Colts and Lions both lost. The Cardinals BARELY beat the Rams (of all teams). At least Green Bay won, but seriously...this might be a tough season to get through. On the plus side, my NCAA team is starting off positively. Michigan beat Notre Dame yesterday :) And..and I was even cheering for the Ohio State Buckeyes yesterday (for the first time ever) since Kellen was at the game and the Buckeyes pulled off the big win.

My plan for tomorrow - relax, take it easy, don't stress. Enjoy the time off. Sit outside and relax.

TGIF

This week has by far been the most stressful week since I started working. I try not to complain, because I know there are many out there who are struggling more than I am, but this is the first time in a long time that I have been so stressed. I'm so glad it's Friday and finally the weekend. I'm even more glad that this is my long weekend (I have Monday off, because I work next Saturday). Plus, I have 2 afternoons off this week to make up for working on Labor day. I am going to need all that time off to re-energize from this ridiculous week. Let's just say, I'm glad it's over.

Tomorrow I'm going to get some much-needed retail therapy in before I come home to enjoy a full day of college football. It should be a pretty great day. I'm looking forward to it. Sunday morning we are kicking off the beginning of Sunday school at church (I'm teaching jr. high this year) and then it's back home for some NFL football all day long. I'm excited. Who knows what I'll decide to do on Monday, but I might just lay around here and read a book or something equally productive. This stress is eating away at me if I don't get rid of it somehow.

But I should really not complain. Please keep Kellen Keiser and his family in your prayers. Also the family of Cody Martines needs prayers too and Jana Ferguson and Randy Theis. So many families are struggling right now. They are in my thoughts and prayers constantly. Praying for God's comfort to surround them all.

Please keep praying

It's a difficult time in our little community right now. Cody passed away early Sunday morning. Please pray for comfort for his family as they endure this difficult time. Kellen was able to make a visit home today, but is continuing to spend the night at the hospital for the time being. Please continue to pray for him and for his family as well. Even though it is not for us to speculate why God's plan turns out the way it does, I can't help but think that maybe some kids are just so special to God that He wants to take them to be with Him sooner...sooner than what we would like here on Earth, but sooner so that He (God) can have them with Him up in Heaven serving right there with Him. Even though it breaks our hearts, maybe those kids are extra special to God and He needs them more than we can understand here on Earth.

Praying praying praying

Please keep Kellen Keiser and his family in your prayers. Also, please pray for Cody Martines and his family as well. It seems like there's so much heartache going around our little community right now and there is nothing any of us can do about it...other than just pray for these two boys and their families. Sometimes it's hard to see why things like this have to happen. We often wonder why God would let something like this happen to two young guys who have so much more of their lives ahead of them. But it's not for us to say and sometimes it's not for us to know. I will just keep praying for God to be with them and make them as comfortable as possible.

Cherish every moment that you have with the ones you love. Make the most out of every day. Take opportunities as they come. When it comes down to it, love with all that you have to give. Every day is something to be thankful for.

Sleepy

Oh goodness, I am exhausted. I'm wondering if I'll ever catch up on sleep. This week has been so tiring for some reason. Probably because I can't get 8 hours of sleep at one time. I have never had trouble sleeping before, but it seems like now I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep until about 5 minutes before my alarm goes off in the mornings.

On the plus side, I've been staying busy and accomplishing things. After spending almost 3 hours cleaning this evening, I now have a room to teach junior high Sunday school this fall. I'm looking forward to it. Now I just have to tackle cleaning my own house and finding time to stock up on groceries since my current food consists of coffee, energy drinks, part of a loaf of bread, some stale crackers, and spoiled milk.

But for now..it's bed time.

I'm not afraid

I've been contemplating a lot lately. Doing a lot of praying and contemplating. I've been thinking a lot lately about life in general..about all the things that have happened in my life and how they have shaped me into who I am today. I want to be a better person. I think I have become a better person, but I still want to be better. I still want to live up to what I was created to be. I have a long ways to go.

I'm reading a book right now that is changing my life. It's changing my perspective. It's challenging me to think about how my pathetic attempts at becoming a better person were just for show. I wasn't really giving it my all. I was just doing the bare minimum to get recognition for something positive. I'm starting to realize that it's not about recognition or "proving a point." I was just being "lukewarm" about something I should be on fire for.

Memories of the past have been flooding my mind a lot lately. I can't really explain it, but I feel like I have a lesson to learn from all of it. I know it sounds crazy. I know my thoughts are sounding completely crazy right now. I promise you, I am completely sane. But, in a way, I feel like the experiences and memories from my past are starting to come together and teach me one great big lesson..and I'm finally not afraid to learn it. It sounds so off the wall, but I'm beginning to see what the true purpose of my life really is.

It's exciting, because not many people ever really have that feeling. They just go through the motions of life and don't think much about it. You might be reading this and think that I just have too much time on my hands and I'm over-analyzing every aspect of my life. That's ok. I'm starting to see that my life is so much more than just going to work every day and paying my bills. I can bring so much more to this world. I promise you, I will.

Walking walking walking

Wow, I am super exhausted...but the weekend was good. It was nice to have some much-needed relaxation and rest. I actually slept in until 8:30am this morning! I even accomplished a lot this weekend. I went to Toledo with my grandparents yesterday and ordered vertical blinds for a few windows in my house after spending 2 hours getting my hair done. Today I went to church, went for a walk (in the scorching 90 degree heat), and finally unpacked the rest of my stuff and got it all put away. I'd say those are some good accomplishments for one weekend.

The best part of the weekend (as selfish as it sounds) was that I spent it doing what I wanted to do, rather than what someone else wanted me to do. At this point in my life, that makes a good weekend in my book.

My plan for the upcoming week is to get up super early (before it's light out) and do my walks in the AM while it's cooler. I think it'll be nicer to get the walking out of the way before work and not have to worry about it after I get home. This will be especially nice on the days that I'm going to be rushing home from work to make it to jr. high volleyball games. I won't have to worry about forcing myself to exercise after the games are over.

With that said, I've stocked up on energy drinks and mt. dew for this week. If I'm going to be getting up at 5:30 every single day to be able to get out and get my exercise in before work, then I better have something to keep my eyelids open in the evenings or else I will be falling asleep by 6pm. I don't know why I'm such a baby. I wish I was one of those people who could stay up until midnight or later and still get up early in the mornings! Oh well....I'll do the best I can.

To-Do List

As if I'm not busy enough with everything that is going on at work with our transition to EMR, I've been doing a lot of thinking about other things that I would like to accomplish in my lifetime. I feel like I've accomplished a lot to get to where I'm at today, but there are so many more things that I could do and want to do while I am on this earth. You can call it a "bucket list" or a to-do list, but I do feel like I have many more goals to achieve during my lifetime.

Here are a few that I already have in progress:

1. Do a half-marathon. I'm walking it, rather than running it, but I feel like this is an accomplishment that most people do not achieve in their lifetime. I'm doing it for a good cause and I'm getting healthier in the process. I'd say that's an accomplishment.

2. Teach Sunday school at church. I'm going to be teaching the junior high Sunday school class at my church this year. This is a huge feat for me, because I do not like being the leader of discussions, but I'm going to have to step up and do it, and I'm looking forward to the challenge.

3. Join an organization that gives back to the community. I have joined the Lions club (and became an official member this week).

And....(drumroll please) here is my list of other things that I would like to accomplish in my lifetime, in no particular order.

1. write and publish a book (any topic)

2. learn to speak and be fluent in another language

3. travel overseas (to another continent and the bahamas don't count)

4. run a full marathon (yes, I know I'm crazy..but someday I will do this)

5. read the entire Bible

6. open my own business (it doesn't matter if it's a physical therapy clinic or something totally unrelated)

7. sponsor a child (either overseas or right here in town)

8. invent something worthwhile

9. sky dive

10. plant a community garden to donate all of the vegetables grown to those in need of food

That's just a beginning of the things I'm going to work on now that I'm done with school and studying. These are my "life's goals," or at least a start toward them. Maybe these are my "10 year goals" anyway. Wish me luck.

Everything happens for a reason.

Oh goodness, EMR is officially kicking my butt at work. A full day at work would not necessarily be this tiring, but it's pretty safe to say that I would be more than happy to go to bed at approximately 7pm these days if it wasn't still light outside. The transition is actually going pretty well for the most part. There are still a few things that need to be built into the system that make it a bit complicated right now, but overall, I do have to say that it's great that we are transitioning into the 21st century and the basic daily notes ARE a lot faster on the electronic system than they were on the paper system. However, I feel like my brain is fried after two weekly conferences, a full patient caseload, and typing at my laptop all day long. I don't even know how I'm coming up with the energy to type this post, other than I'm trying to distract myself from the reality of going back to work tomorrow and doing all of this over again. This is the first week since I've started that I will be putting in over 50 hours. I know that probably doesn't sound like a whole lot, but I've been going in early every morning and staying late every night. I guess this makes up for those days that I got to leave early when I first started. I won't ever feel bad for leaving work early again...if it ever even happens again.

But...I can't complain. I have a job and so far, it's a secure job. We're super busy, but that's job security at this point. I absolutely need that paycheck every 2 weeks, so bring on the challenges of being super busy at work...I'd rather be this busy and tired than worried sick over whether or not I'm going to be able to pay my bills. I work with a pretty awesome group of people who are all very supportive and helpful. You don't find that just anywhere. I feel so blessed to have this job. I am 100% sure that I made the right decision in accepting this position when it was offered to me. Even though it is stressful right now, sometimes I really don't know what I did to deserve such a great place to work. I will never take this job for granted. As much as I complain (which I shouldn't), I am so happy and thankful for the opportunities I've been given. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and I'm glad that, for the most part, everything is going just fine :)

Selfish

It's been a crazy couple of days with the transition to EMR at work. I think things are going alright. I'm starting to get the hang of it, despite the fact that I filled out a tab that I should not have filled out for all of our weekly conferences tomorrow. Oh well. Maybe the doctors and nurses won't be so understanding, but in my opinion, people make mistakes, and we are all going to make mistakes during this first week of getting used to it. Overall, it's much faster than doing all of the charting by hand. The only bad part about it is that for now, part of the patients' information is in their handwritten chart that is up at the nurses station, and the other part is in our computers, which technically I think we're supposed to keep in our offices as much as possible. So this afternoon, I was working on weekly summaries and realized that I had to run back and forth to the nurses station about 25 times to get the information I needed. But once everyone is in the computer from the get-go of their admission, there will be no need for that. Plus, at the end of the day today, my computer decided that it wouldn't let me log in anymore. Oh and it also decided that for most of yesterday morning. Despite the glitches, things are going well. Ask me again tomorrow and I might have a different opinion. It is just an exhausting transition right now. I only stayed about 20 minutes late today and I feel like I could go to bed right now (it's 5:50pm). But, I can't go to bed...I have the Lions club steak fry tonight!

The only other news in my life isn't that spectacular of news, but I went out on a date last weekend. It was a nice quiet evening and seemed like a very nice date. We went to the Whitehouse Inn and had dinner. We were going to see a movie, but none were playing that either of us wanted to see, so we just came back and watched some TV and the whole date was over by 10:30pm (perfect date in my book). However....let me back up a bit. This guy asked me out after he had stopped over at my house twice last week (he's one of my neighbors). He then ended up stopping over Friday night, even though our date was on Saturday, and asked me to go get ice cream with him. I thought that seemed pretty harmless (and it was), so I went. Then we went out Saturday and I still thought things went well for the most part. However, I am the "take it slow" kind of person. I do not want to rush in to any kind of relationship right now. I'm just getting my life started. I don't need to rush into going out and finding a boyfriend. I wasn't looking for a relationship when this guy asked me out. So I'm all about taking things slow and not jumping into a 24/7 type of thing by ANY means. But.....then on Sunday, I was out mowing my yard when this guy stopped over and suggested that I just "let the lawn go" and go to lunch with him and out for a ride on his motorcycle. First of all, I have a broken rib (and he knows that) so riding a motorcycle now isn't really tops on my list until that heals (which I had already told him). Second of all, I hate when people tell me what to do. Maybe I really like mowing the yard and wanted to do that anyway. I politely declined his invitation, because I already had plans anyway. I was going to train for the half marathon with my mom by doing one of our long walks that afternoon. I told him that and he seemed ok with it, but it was like I had to tell him 10 times until he understood. Now (less than 48 hours later) I see that he has called here and left a message that he wants to bring me some food over tonight. Well, that won't work because I am leaving soon for the steak fry. Regardless, maybe I'm just really selfish or maybe it's because I grew up like an only child, but can't I please just have some FREE time to MYSELF? Ugh... I absolutely can not stand when guys do this. And it happens to me all the time. I'm not bragging, because I can't stand it. But seriously...any time I have ever even shown interest in a guy, he has bombarded me with phone calls, texts, and visits every single day until I finally have to be the b*tch who tells him to back off. I really don't want to have to do this AGAIN. I really thought this guy was a good guy, and I'm sure he is, but I need my space, and I refuse to compromise that for a relationship that I wasn't even looking for. If it happens, it happens, but I'm not going to let somebody force it on me. I'm self-sufficient and proud of it. I don't need someone coming in and trying to run my life and "take care of me."

So maybe I'm mean, maybe I really am a b*tch, but I didn't call this guy back. I'm just going to go out to the steak fry and do my own thing. I am too stressed from the things going on at work and trying to get my own life together to worry about trying to find a boyfriend. If this guy is meant to be, he will understand. If he doesn't understand, then he wasn't meant to be, and I won't lose any sleep over it. I have been in a suffocating relationship in the past and I will never ever do it again. So FYI all you hot single guys out there, do not suffocate me by bombarding me every single day, or I will lose interest in you faster than you can say goodbye.

Broken ribs

Today I am home from work with a broken rib and I'm feeling very horrible and guilty about it. I actually fell about a week and half ago, but didn't really think anything of it. I fell on my side, but just figured it was sore from the fall and would go away. On Monday this week, I started to suspect that my rib was officially broken, but I tried to work through it, because a) I don't want to look like a whiner and b) I can't take any of the sick time I have built up until I have worked 90 days (which won't be until mid-September.

This morning I woke up feeling horrible. I'm usually really thirsty in the mornings, but this morning I was not thirsty at all. Food didn't even sound good (it usually doesn't in the morning, but I can usually eat something if I know I won't get a break at work before lunch). I went to work anyway, thinking that this feeling would go away by the time I got there. I tried to drink some coffee, but it just didn't feel right. I started getting worried, which was making things worse. When I got to work, I talked to one of the nurses and she told me to go over to the ER and get checked out. They did an x-ray, and come to find out, I do have a broken rib, but it's the cartilage that's broken, not the bone. They said that I don't have any other injuries internally. But I have been taking aspirin for pain, and they said that is apparently the worse thing you can take for these kinds of things and that may have been making it worse instead of better.

I got the ok to go back to work tomorrow, but today they gave me a slip for the day off. They said I could work today if I really wanted to, but didn't have to. When I got back to our department, I was told to go home and rest and that all my patients were covered for the rest of the day. I still feel really horrible for coming home. I feel horrible that this whole thing even happened. Especially now that I'm home and the shot of Toradol that they gave me in the ER is starting to kick in and I feel much better. Ugh. I hate the fact that I am not at work right now. I have a prescription for pain meds that I'm not going to fill just yet. The doctor said I could just take Alieve instead if I want to go back to work tomorrow, and that is exactly what I am going to do.

I feel horrible for whining about my problems and I feel horrible that I am sitting home doing nothing right now. Please continue to pray for Cayman Stamm and for Kellen Keiser..two kids who are going through so much right now. It makes my situation seem so insignificant.

Perspective

Sometimes life just isn't fair. Why do bad things happen to good people? Sometimes it's hard not knowing why things have to happen the way they do. I have a couple of friends struggling right now with their children in the hospital and it just makes you wonder why they have to endure that, both the parents and the children. My heart breaks for them, because I can't imagine what they must be feeling. I pray that their children recover smoothy and heal from their illnesses.

Things like this really put life into perspective. I have a lot of petty complaints and things that are stressful, but in the grand scheme of things, these little stressors aren't that big of a deal. They're temporary. Life goes on. Unfortunately, there are people out there who are struggling with so much more. It makes me wish there was something I could do, but some days, you just have to sit back and pray as hard as you can.

Please pray for Kellen Keiser and Cayman Stamm.

a long weekend before chaos

I'm trying to enjoy every last little bit of this weekend as possible. It's my "long" weekend (I have tomorrow off) since I work this Saturday, and after this Saturday, we are officially "going live" with EMR (Electronic Medical Records). I really have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to this new documentation system. I kind of have an idea of how to do it, but they held a review course at work on Friday, which I couldn't go to because someone had to stay upstairs and see patients. They are having another one tomorrow, which I can't go to because I'm off work. So they told me that I could "ask some questions" this Wednesday if I want to go over anything. ha. It's going to be a big joke. I'm not looking forward to it at all. All I really know is, I have my own laptop and will be doing all of my documentation back at my desk where there are no windows and hardly anyone to talk to. I think I might just carry my laptop out to another part of the hospital to do my documentation, because I refuse to sit in the boring, dark office trying to figure out how to write a daily note.

Not much else is new in my life. I'm feeling very comfortable in my new home. I really love it here. I feel so blessed to have this place. I'm starting to prepare to teach jr. high Sunday school this fall. It's beginning in about a month, so I'm trying to put some ideas together. I'm actually looking forward to it. The past few Sundays, it's been really great to see how our church is growing and thriving. It's amazing how much Pastor Kathy has done to improve our church and draw everyone in. I feel like God has a hand in what's going on with our church right now. We are so blessed that it is improving.

I'm also in training right now to walk a half marathon. That doesn't sound like a whole lot to the average person, but it's more than you would think! It's 13.1 miles. My mom and I are training together. At first, I was thinking of training to run it, but with the whole moving process, I didn't think I would have enough time or energy to train to run it. So we are training to walk it together. Right now, we're at about 4 miles. I know we could go farther than that easily, I'm just not so sure about going right out and doing 13 miles right now. We have a ways to go in our training. The half marathon isn't until October 17 in Columbus. We our all signed up for it with our hotel reservations made, so there is no backing out now. But it's for a good cause. We are walking for Team K-Bob (the team for Kellen). We're getting sponsors to raise money for Kellen and his family, so if anyone out there is interested in sponsoring me to walk the half marathon, please email me or get ahold of me and I will send you the information.

i am blessed

I am finally all settled into my new home. The cable guy came today and (half-heartedly) installed my cable/internet/phone. I have gone all week without it. The only channel I could get to come in on my antennae was PBS and that was getting very boring. Now, I finally feel at home.

This last Thursday night, my mom and I cleaned out the last few things from the apartment. I'm turning the keys in on Monday. It's kind of sad to be leaving that apartment. It really was a good place to live. But I can't even describe how nice it is to have an attached garage and a yard and not have to climb up 22 steps every day (especially after buying groceries). Plus, I have the nicest neighbors around. They have all been very nice and welcoming. It's a definite plus to know that there are so many people looking out for me and since most of my neighbors are retired, I know they will keep a good watchful eye on my house during the day while I'm at work.

I really can't complain. I'm enjoying life to the fullest right now. Sometimes I wonder why I have been blessed with so much, while there are others out there with so many struggles. I could my blessings every day while praying for those others that aren't as fortunate. I want to do everything I can to help other people who don't know what it's like to be provided with so much as I have.

Progress

We're making slow, but steady progress on the house. It's a little difficult to get too much done with working and everything else that's going on. It's been very busy! But busy in a good way. It's been nice to spend some extra time with family. This weekend is the Bullthistle festival. On top of all the festivities, I am in desperate need of a trip to Walmart and I also need to finish painting the trim in my bedroom. The plan right now is to move most everything on Sunday afternoon and Monday evening, as long as it doesn't rain. Once that is accomplished, I will feel so relieved! I am living out of 2 separate homes right now and I feel like I don't know where I should be or what I should be doing. All of my food, kitchen items, winter clothes, and cleaning supplies are at the new house. All of my other stuff is here at the apartment. I'll be glad when it's all in once place together!

For now, I'm going to go help set up the Lions club booth at the park for this afternoon. I will be making milkshakes until 1 for anyone who wants to stop by!

House update

The first coat of paint is up in the bedrooms :) I'm happy that the color I chose for my bedroom turned out to look ok once it got on the wall. I was a little nervous after I saw the little droplet on the top of the can, but it looks nice on the wall. The second bedroom also has a coat of paint up and it looks great too. I'm happy with the colors I chose, although I'm pretty sure both bedrooms will need paint touch-ups tomorrow or maybe even a 2nd coat. A man from my church came over today while I was at work and put up the trim around the doors that didn't have it. It looks so much better. He's coming over tomorrow to see about fixing my front screen door (it doesn't shut right) and to put up the little shelves that go up on the outside of the cabinets by the sink. Once that is done and we get the bedroom carpets cleaned, I will be good to go to start moving in furniture! I'm very excited. It turns out they are delivering my furniture (well, the new stuff I bought, not all of the furniture I currently own) on Wednesday night. I still have to wait until the 14th to get my cable/internet/phone hooked up, but oh well. I'll probably still move in before then and if I need something to do for entertainment, I will just go outside and sit in the peace and quiet and read a book. It looks like I might be able to actually move in by early next week (or whenever I can get a moving crew to help me out).

one day weekend

Progress is coming right along on the new house! Even though I worked all day today, we got quite a bit accomplished in the house today. My mom worked for part of the morning and afternoon while I was at my regular work. After I got out of work, I met her at the house, and together we got the first coat of primer on the two bedrooms. My grandparents came over and cleaned the refrigerator out (it really really needed a good cleaning) and cleaned underneath and behind it and the stove. I am really impressed with all we have accomplished so far. The kitchen looks 100% better with the refrigerator cleaned and the bedrooms look a lot bigger just with a coat of primer on them! My uncle brought over my charcoal grill and fire pit, so I am ready for some outdoor get togethers as soon as I get the rest of my house finished! He also brought another "lovely" housewarming present that will be getting either returned or burned in the near future - a beautiful totum (sp?) pole. All in all, it is starting to sink in that I am actually a home owner and that I really do own my own property! I'm very excited and happy...despite the fact that I now I have no idea when they are going to be able to come to hook up my cable/internet/phone and I received a message on my answering machine today that they might not be able to bring my furniture this week. Regardless, I'm getting excited for the whole process to be complete :)

Work is going as crazy as ever. I'm glad we are busy (job security!) but sometimes it's a bit overwhelming. Saturdays are pretty laid back, but even so, it's still an 8-4:30 work day, which isn't much fun on a weekend. But you gotta do what you gotta do to make money, and I won't complain seeing as how it's only one Saturday a month! I was talking to one of the nurses at work today and she was telling me how she works the 12 hour shifts and she said that she basically works four 12s, which didn't sound so bad if it was four 12s on and four 12s off. But she proceeded to tell me how it was basically 12 hour shifts every other day. Talk about a really sucky schedule. It made me appreciate my work schedule even more so. I would rather work more days with less hours than less days with more hours. If that makes any sense. As long as I have enough time to relax at the end of the day, I'm happy!

Tomorrow's goal is to go to church and then get over to the house to put a second coat of primer on before we start the actual painting. I'm still taking plenty of pictures throughout the whole process, just haven't had the time to upload them all. It might be a while yet, but progress is being made, I guarantee that!

Home Ownership

I am officially a home owner. I can now watch HGTV with the satisfaction of knowing that I can attempt to do any of the same stuff they do to my very own house. I officially lost my "Property Virginity." Sandra Rinomato would be proud. I can't wait to post some pictures of my new place! The only problem is, I took my camera over there to take some "before" pictures and left the cord over there that connects the camera to my computer! Oh well...the pictures will just have to wait until another day.

The closing for the house took place today on my lunch hour. It only took about 20 minutes. My real estate agent even gave me a gift! A new candle and reed diffuser. That was so nice of her. I also got all the keys :) After work, I loaded up my car with a few things and headed right over to get started. My mom, grandparents, and my uncle all came over as well. We got a bit of cleaning done and started to prepare for the painting and cleaning that will be going on this weekend. I'm looking forward to it. My mom and I even sat outside for about 10 minutes and enjoyed some fresh air. I have to say, as pathetic as it sounds, my absolute favorite moment of being in my "own house" tonight was opening the windows and listening to the locusts and sounds of the country and sitting outside and looking at an open farm field. It may sound sad, but that is seriously something I have missed so much by being up in this apartment. I'm so glad to own a wide open space and have it all to myself :)

You can bet that I will be back there with another load of "stuff" as soon as I get out of work tomorrow afternoon!

Tomorrow I will take possession of my new house (if all goes well at the closing). I'm super excited! I can't wait to start making the house my own...especially being able to park my car in an attached garage and have a yard all to myself! I might just go sit outside in my yard and do nothing tomorrow night. Oh who am I kidding? I'll probably do some cleaning, do some painting, start moving some stuff, and not get around to sitting outside in the yard for another week or so..but I can't wait! Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well at the closing tomorrow!

Bills, Bills, Bills

Closing on the house this Friday! I am really excited :) Well, I'm excited, my bank account isn't. I'm still going to have to pay part of the closing costs because the bank has this policy where the sellers can only pay 3% of the purchase price, so who knows how much that is going to be. Plus I'll be making my down payment, which will take a huge chunk of money. I also just spent $1200 on furniture, $450 for the premium on my homeowners insurance, and $220 in paint and other supplies for the new house. Things add up very quickly this way! However, after Friday, I should be done spending so much money...Well, until I start paying back my student loans..sigh.

I spent over an hour on the phone this morning getting the electricity, gas, and tv/internet/phone ready to get set up at the new place. The electricity and gas should be turned on in my name on Friday. The tv/internet/phone has to wait until August 14! Looks like I will be sitting around for a while doing nothing if that's the case. I also went to the village office and had them get my water set up over at the house. So everything should be good to go! But we'll see. Something crazy always happens.

On top of all this, we are super swamped at work. It has been so busy, I can barely keep my head on straight. We are so short staffed right now with 2 people on vacation, 1 on maternity leave, and our full time PTA quit about a month ago (but there's a new one starting August 4). Right now, we have so many patients that almost every bed is full. That means, 2 beds in almost every room and it's very very cramped. My schedule for the day looks absolutely ridiculous every day I go in. I'm so glad I had today off, even if I do have to work on Saturday. I am going to enjoy every single second of this day. I don't know if I should be annoyed or flattered that the one day of the week that I am off, they called in extra people to help out (like people who work prn or as needed), so the schedule for today didn't look bad at all. However, those helpers aren't going to be there tomorrow, Friday, or Saturday, so when I get back, it's going to be crazy again. And I have to try to get to Archbold on my lunch hour on Friday to close on this house. It's going to be one stressful end of the week! But I'll take it in stride, because I officially really do need that paycheck now!

Exciting!

I am going to enjoy every single itty bitty last little second of this weekend. That is because my Monday schedule is absolutely ridiculously busy. I could barely even read the tiny little print on my schedule, because there were so many names on it. While that is a very good thing for me and for the hospital (because it means that we are busy), it's a little stressful when it means you are trying to cram in so many treatments in one day. It will be good for me though, because I will be that much more thankful when people come back from vacation and I have a somewhat "normal" schedule again. Plus, the days will go by so fast. However, I'm going to enjoy every last second of my free time until all this craziness begins!

I'm starting to get really really excited about the new house. I guess the whole thing hadn't really sunk in for me officially yet until today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the closing date will work out on Friday. I went and finalized my homeowners insurance today so that is all set to go. I just have to get to the bank and get all of the paperwork done with a lawyer I guess. I don't really know how "closings" work. I just know that I'm going to be making my down payment, paying for whatever is left of the closing costs (the sellers are paying part of that) and getting the keys to my new house! I started packing up a few things today. I'm going to start moving smaller stuff as soon as I get the keys. It's going to be such a busy busy process, but I am soooo excited. I can't wait to have a yard and a garage and have some peace and quiet. I am so blessed to have this opportunity.

As for today, I'm just laying around doing a few odds and ends around the apartment and watching mindless television. I might stop out to Harrison Lake tonight since one of my friends from work is camping out there. Other than that, this is a good weekend for me to just sit and be totally lazy.

House

The closing date for the house is tentatively set at this Friday. I'm a little leery about saying that is the for sure closing date, because I don't know yet if I'm going to be able to get out of work on time to do it. We have 2 therapists on vacation and one on maternity leave. So I don't know if they will let me leave early or not. Keep your fingers crossed. If it does work out, I will have officially bought a house! Well, I guess I have officially bought it, but I just need to sign the documents and get the keys. It's pretty exciting! I can't wait to get my furniture delivered and start making the house my own! Looks like I have a very busy few weeks coming up. Wow, life never slows down, but I'm enjoying every second of it right now!

Bite it

Nothing much to tell right now. I'm just relaxing and enjoying what's left of the day before the work week begins again. It's been another hot and humid weekend, but I really can't wait until I have a yard of my own to sit in and enjoy the outside weather.

I'm starting to get pretty excited about the house. I signed the rest of the paperwork on Friday and locked in my rate for 30 years fixed at 4.5%. That's a pretty awesome mortgage rate. I'm really really happy about it. So now we're just waiting for an appraisal and then they will set a closing date. I'm ready to start painting and fixing the place up!

I went and bought new furniture yesterday. As everything else, it ended up being much more expensive than I anticipated it would be. But, I got what I wanted and I'm excited to start decorating. I bought a couch and a leather recliner chair. It's going to be so much nicer than sitting on this old worn out futon and broken wicker chair!

Yesterday I became the newest member of the Lyons club here in Fayette. I wasn't expecting that to happen so fast, but they were having a cookout across the street, so I went over there to visit with everyone and fill out an application to become a member. My uncle said he would sponsor me and they ended up voting right then and there to let me in. It was a bit of a self-esteem boost that they voted for me so fast :) I decided to join because they do so much good for our community. It has always been my plan to do some sort of community service after I got done with school and studying. Now that I'm officially done with that, I decided to join the Lyons club because they do a lot of community service type things around town and around the county and that's exactly what I was looking for. I've been blessed with so much in my lifetime. It's the least I can do to try to give back to those around me.

Same old

Midway through the workweek, and not much is really new or exciting. We're starting to pick up a bit at work, which is good. Our A/C is still not fixed at work, which is not so good. But we're managing. Half the hospital still has A/C and luckily it's the half where all the patients' rooms are, so at least we have that to be thankful for.

I'm going to the bank on Friday after work to get the rest of my paperwork signed. The loan officer made it sound like most of the things that I signed before could be used for the actual mortgage, but I'll have to resign a few things and maybe then she can give me a better idea of when the appraisal is going to be so that I will have a better idea of when the closing is going to be. So basically right now I'm just waiting... and will probably continue waiting, so I might as well get used to it.

The rest of my life is pretty boring, although it feels like I have hardly any free time, I really can't think of anything else exciting to say!

Holding my eyelids open

I'm only writing this post today in an attempt to stay awake. This weekend has been very busy and tiring! Although I'm still so glad to NOT be studying, the process of trying to become a home-owner is almost as exhausting. The home inspector came today. The inspection took over 3 hours, but that's actually a good thing, because it means he was really really thorough and that makes me feel better. He found a few minor things that I already knew about, like a few doors that need trim and a place in the kitchen cabinets where some shelves had been removed that now have tiny holes in where the shelves were. He found a couple of drain pipes that should probably be checked out. The furnace and central air both worked, but he suggested having a professional come to clean the furnace just to be on the safe side. He did find that the crawl space was damp and needed to be aired out. However, the sump pump does work. He said that the best thing to do would be to air it out and then eventually have it insulated so it doesn't get as much water in it next time we have a big storm. All in all, he said it was a great house and there were no major concerns that should prevent me from moving in. So I'm excited! There are obviously a few things I need to do maintenance-wise, but overall, it's looking very positive! I'll feel better once everything goes through with the bank and the appraisal, but so far, so good.

Tomorrow I have my "official" orientation day for work at Bryan hospital. I guess this is where we take a tour of the hospital and all of the new renovations and watch all kinds of super exciting videos about patient rights and HIPAA and all that fun stuff. It should be 8-9 hours of pure excitement. But oh well...I'm getting paid for it. As long as there is free coffee involved, I'm all for it.

Inspection

The home inspection is tomorrow! I got the name of this guy from my real estate agent and he seems really nice. He actually prefers to do home inspections on the weekends because he works long hours in Toledo during the week. So he's coming tomorrow at 11:30 and assured me that he will do a thorough inspection of the house, including the crawl space and sump pump for all who are concerned. I'm anxious about this inspection, because I really really really want things to work out. I guess I will find out by tomorrow afternoon if there is anything I need to be concerned about.

I worked my first Saturday alone today and survived. Actually, our rehab director came in for a couple of hours in case I had any questions or needed any help with anything, which was really nice of her to do. Saturdays are pretty quiet around that place. It's actually a nice change of pace. I'm sure it would be a lot nicer if they were all like this one since I got to leave early, but I don't work another Saturday until the 31st and I'm sure that one will be busier.

I have no other news to report at the moment. I'm just going to relax and take it easy for the rest of the day today. I really wish I had a yard to sit in! But for now, I'll just lay inside in the A/C and watch mindless television.

busy busy

The paperwork is signed! The sales contract for my house is on its way to the bank for my loan officer. Exciting! Tomorrow I have to call and schedule a house inspector to come in. If all goes well, then I will meet with the bank and then wait for them to get an appraiser sent over. Then (if all goes well with the inspection and appraisal) it's more waiting until the closing and then it's time to paint and make this house my own! It's probably going to take 30-45 days for this whole process of closing, especially with me trying to coordinate with work when I can get all these meetings set up with the home inspector and the bank. In the meantime, I'll just sit and dream about what paint colors I'm going to choose and what new furniture I can afford.

Tomorrow I'm working my first Saturday alone! Well, I won't technically be alone. One of the PTAs from the outpatient department is working and one of the COTAs. Plus our rehab director said she would stop in in case I had any questions or needed help with something. It's still exciting to know that I'm starting to really get into the swing of things and working as a real PT! It feels good. I am absolutely loving it. No studying. Real paychecks. Life is good. I've been blessed for sure.

Woohoo!

I am officially in the process of purchasing a house! As I've been saying over and over again, I'm trying not to get too excited about it until everything is official and I have gone through the whole closing process. However, I have come to an agreement with the sellers on a purchase price and we are all signing the paperwork tomorrow! After that, I just go to the bank and resign all the forms I signed for my pre-approval (with the official purchase price) and then have an appraisal and inspection done and if all goes well I will be closing in a few weeks and will officially be a home owner! Ahhhhh I am so looking forward to it! I'm already picking out paint colors and deciding what I'm going to do to decorate. I'm really happy. I can't wait to make it my own.

Work is still going well also. Of course, no job is perfect, and I got another little dose of that today, but I really can't complain. I am just so thankful to have a job and to wake up in the morning and NOT be miserable. I actually look forward to talking with my coworkers every day and it's so rewarding at the end of the day to know that you made a positive difference in the lives of the patients. I absolutely love what I do and am so grateful for all that I have been blessed with.

:)

Day off

I am very much enjoying my day off today :) As much as I don't want to work on a Saturday, it's nice to have a day off during the week every now and then. I got some errands taken care of this morning and now I'm just relaxing inside in the A/C all day long.

I also just found out today that the greatest book series of all time is becoming a movie. I don't know who's going to be willing to go with me, but SOMEONE out there is going to get dragged along to go with me and see the new Ramona & Beezus movie. I'm so pathetically excited! I read those books all the time as a kid. I can't wait to see the movie. I don't care if it's me and a bunch of 8 year olds. I'm going to see that movie no matter what.

I'm still waiting to hear back on the offer I made on the house. The sellers have until tomorrow at 5pm to respond. I'm getting nervous. I really want this house. Right now I'm just waiting..not so patiently..and watching too much HGTV.

House

I made an offer on the house today that I have been looking at. Everyone keep your fingers crossed! I'm really excited, but a little nervous, because you never know if the people selling the house will think it's a decent offer or not. I'm anticipating that they will probably counter-offer, but even so, I'd like to think that in another month or so I will have a different place to live that I actually own and can design and style for myself. I should find out by Thursday at 5pm. That is how long the sellers have to respond to my offer.

Work is still going good. I have tomorrow off actually, because I work on Saturday. It's going at a decent pace right now, but I'm anticipating that it will get super busy very fast. One of the PTs is going to have a baby any day now and will be on maternity leave and another PT is going on a 2 week vacation at the end of this month. I think the rest of July just might be super busy in general. That's ok though, it's still a million times better than studying every night and not having a life!

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July :) I have no special plans, just sitting inside in the A/C all day. Since I have no pool and it's 95 degrees outside, I think this is pretty much my only option for the day. I just made an iced coffee with lots of whipped cream to cheer myself up.

Not that I really need cheering up at the moment. Things are actually going pretty good right now. I'm enjoying the end of a long weekend that was very relaxing. I found out at the bank on Friday that I am pre-approved for a home loan :) That was very good news! I am going to make an offer on a house on Tuesday. However, I am trying not to get too excited about it, because something could still happen that it may not work out. I'd like to think that this is the house for me, but you never know. Whatever is meant to be will be I guess.

Tomorrow it's back to work. Weekends always go by so fast. But thank goodness I'm finally working and making money and not going to back to another clinical day and paying to be there! This week I'll be working my first Saturday alone. That's a little nerve-wracking, but someone out there must think I am capable!

Running

I guess life is coming at me too fast to update very often! But, I'm enjoying the beginning of a long weekend, so a bit of a break feels good. I really can't complain. We're getting pretty busy at work, which makes the days go by faster, but it's also a lot more hectic. I'm really enjoying it. I am so thankful for my job and the people I work with. I have been so blessed. No job is ever perfect, but this is by far the most enjoyable job I have ever had. It's so rewarding. I feel like I'm finally where I was meant to be and am fulfilling my purpose here on this earth.

I have tomorrow off work as my "4th of July" holiday, so this is actually a long weekend for me. I'll be glad for some time to sleep in and relax! I also have Wednesday off work next week, because I work Saturday, so I'm already getting what feels like vacation time, without even taking any!

Other than work, I've just made the decision to run either a half marathon or a full marathon this October in Columbus. It's for a good cause. Our church is having a meeting this week to see how we can tie in running or walking it to raising money for a fundraiser for a boy in our town who has leukemia. I'm not sure exactly yet how we're going to tie in running or walking the marathon or half marathon into raising money for him, but I'm assuming we will just try to get sponsors for it and then go run or walk. I really want to run the full marathon if I can. It's for such a good cause. I think I could raise a lot more money if it was for my first full marathon. I'm pretty sure I can do it if I really put my mind to it and start training. Wish me luck. I'm going to have to stop being so lazy, that's for sure. I'm going to set a big goal (the full marathon) so that if I don't make it quite to that point, I can still make it to my smaller goal (the half marathon). It's going to be brutal either way, but I have faith that I can do it!

Week 1...done!

I have officially made it through week one of working as a licensed physical therapist. We started to get busier toward the end of the week and it looks like this upcoming week will be busy. I'm looking forward to busier days, but I'm not quite ready for hectic jam packed days just yet! I'm also looking forward to my first paycheck, because spending 6 weeks studying without any income and paying for all of the licensure exams pretty much depleted my bank account.

Of course this weekend flew by super fast. Don't they all? I feel like I didn't even do anything, and here it is already Sunday afternoon. I suppose I should enjoy this time right now to just relax and take it easy. My goal for this afternoon was to clean my apartment, but I'm really feeling like being lazy sounds like a lot more fun!

Low Census

Day 3 complete and there are still no new admissions! Those that were supposed to come, did not end up coming, so I have yet to evaluate a patient! It's been very slow. I think we are supposed to get a couple of new patients tomorrow, so maybe I will finally luck out and have a patient or two of my own! I have about 4 right now, but I'm sharing them with another PT, so he's still technically the PT in charge of them. I would like to start following my own now!

On the plus side, I've found that I have much more energy now than I had when I was doing my clinical. It's probably because either a) we are really low census right now or b) I'm not coming home to tons of books to study. Either way, I'm really enjoying myself right now because I can actually accomplish things after work and stay awake.

With that said, I think it's time for me to go watch a movie!

Day 1 - done!

I survived Day 1 of work as a licensed PT. It was so nice to see everyone again and get back in the swing of things, but it was actually a pretty slow day. It started off with about an hour of orientation, then just following my "mentor" around all day. I was going to do some evals later in the day to start up my own case load, but it ended up that the people who were supposed to be evaluated did not get admitted, so I had no evals. I did, however, get to go with one of the patients on a Recreational Outing for lunch to the 4 Seasons, which was great. We got to eat good food and leave the hospital for about an hour and a half. It's too bad I can't recommend Rec Outings for all my patients. I'd be going out for lunch every day if I could!

I see on tomorrow's schedule I don't have any patients of my own yet either. So it'll likely be another slow day unless we can get some patients admitted and I get to evaluate them. I'm actually really looking forward to that, because all of this "following people around" is making me feel like a student again. But, maybe I should enjoy it while it lasts, because I'm getting paid regardless! I'm thinking I will probably frame my first paycheck. We just get pay stubs because the money is direct deposited, so I might just have to frame my stub just because I have worked so hard and waited so long for it!

Tomorrow is the first day of big girl work.

Tomorrow is my first day of work! Well, going back to work, only this time getting paid and not having someone with me at all times guiding me and telling me what to do! It's a little intimidating to be "on my own" now, but I feel so much better about the fact that I'm going to work at a place where I am already pretty well trained. It makes it a little less nerve wracking. It's not near as stressful as trying to get through a full-time clinical while tacking on an additional 4-5 hours of studying per night. Well, at least I don't think it will be as stressful! I'm excited about the fact that I'll finally be making money and can save up for all of the things I want!

Today I'm just relaxing, doing some laundry, watching some tv, maybe reading a book, and working on some knitting. It's a day like today that I really really wish I owned a house with a pool....I absolutely can not wait until I have saved up enough for that!

Time keeps on slipping

Ahh this week is going by much too fast. As excited as I am to start working (and make some money), I know this is the last "vacation" I will have for a while. My vacation time doesn't kick in until mid-September, and even then, it has to build up. I'm thinking that this year, I will just let it build up and not use it, so that next year I can have 3 weeks of vacation time. At least that's the way the person in HR explained it to me when I went yesterday to get all of my paperwork done. Sounds good to me!

I have really enjoyed doing pretty much nothing all week this week. I've watched enough of the World Cup to almost actually understand Soccer. I read a book and I'm working on a 2nd one. I started knitting again...yes knitting. I attempted to crochet, but it was too hard, so I'm just sticking with knitting for now until someone can explain to me how to crochet in person. Besides, the only type of knitting I really knew how to do was just knit every row until I had a long scarf. Now I am teaching myself how to purl (it took 2 days...sigh) and mix other colors into my work! I'm currently working on another scarf, but this one is going to be purple and lime green and it will even have fringe. We'll see if I end up actually doing a decent job or just throwing it away when I'm done. I'm very excited about this hobby because it is inexpensive. I'm trying to save up money, because another thing I've been doing is watching too much HGTV and it's making me want to buy a house really bad. Maybe in another year if I can actually be disciplined enough to save. It's really difficult when I want all these other things like a new car and new furniture. Guess I'll have to just make do for a while until I get the house I want to put it all in.

Nothing else is new with me. I have a softball tournament on Saturday. I put this team together myself and I'm pretty sure we are not going to win, haha...but it'll be fun. I guess if we are the worst team out there, we can still laugh at ourselves and have a good time. It's for a good cause anyway. The proceeds go to help pay for the funeral expenses for a guy in town who passed away suddenly about a month ago.

My diet and exercise plan is still ongoing...the past couple of days haven't been the greatest, but I think I'm still doing good. I don't have my Insanity DVDs yet, but I've gone out on a few runs with my new running shoes and they feel great. No knee pain at all! Now I just need to figure out how to keep eating healthy and find time to work out after I start back to work. I'm pretty sure that's going to be a lot more challenging than it is now when I have nothing better to do.