Nursing Graduation

I finally graduated from college on December 17th. Yay! I'm so glad to be done. My friend Leah and her husband Ryan (who is Ben's stepbrother) and their two girls Rylee (on the left) and Gentry (on the right) drove down from Phoenix to come support me and take me and Ben out to dinner. It was really great that they came. The ceremony itself wasn't anything that special, the key note speaker was a snooze, and I shook the Dean's hand, when I totally hate her. But it was nice to celebrate being done with Ben and Leah and Ryan and their cutie pie girls.

P.S. I ordered a totally dorky white Nursing dress to wear and felt totally ridiculous...it'll make a great Halloween costume later!

Music That Matters Monday

This last week Ben and I went to two concerts here at the Tucson Convention Center. The first concert was Alanis Morrisette and Sarah McLachlan (which made my 18 yr. old self very happy). The second concert was to see a Seattle band 'Death Cab for Cutie.' Both concerts were pretty awesome, but since it's almost Christmas I thought I would post this music video. She sang this song at the concert and it was really pretty. I hope you like this new Music That Matters Christmas Video Edition.

You're all INVITED!!!

Next week I'll be getting pinned. I don't exactly know what that means, but you're all invited! Yay! Who wants to come to Tucson? Yeah, me neither. Well, Ben is going to come and so is his step-brother Ryan and his family from Phoenix, so hopefully it won't be completely lame.

It's cold in Tucson.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

On Monday night I decided to make one of my favorite recipes for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. I don't know about you, but I love Chocolate and Pumpkin, and these cookies are a perfect combination of both. So, if you're looking for a good fall time treat, try these babies out. I love them!

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups MILK chocolate chips (not semisweet)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

~I actually don't spray or line my cookie sheets and they do just fine. I also use a whole bag of Ghiradelli chocolate chips and I bake them for about 17 minutes. They are fantastic fresh out of the oven with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream or glass of milk. I hope you try them out, and then invite me over!

Threadless

One of my favorite places to shop is threadless.com. It's this great little website where members can upload their own tee-shirt designs, vote and rate other designs, and post blogs and photos of them wearing the shirts. I love it. The designs are always unique and I have always gotten tons of compliments on my cool tee-shirts. Here is my public profile on Threadless. I haven't ever uploaded designs or had time to score many, but I have uploaded a few pics. You can earn points towards more shirts if you post pictures. I have a ton of their shirts, so eventually I hope to score a few free ones. I just haven't had time to take many pictures of myself. Right now they have this awesome holiday sale, so if you're looking for some unique presents you should check it out! Here's one of the great pics my personal photographer (Ben) took for me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving yesterday. Mine wasn't bad. I worked and made double time (which is awesome) and then I came home to find a Friends Thanksgiving episode marathon (double awesome). I love Friends and especially the Thanksgiving episodes. They were always the most hilarious. So, not only did I get to make great money and catch some of my favorite holiday comedy, I also got to avoid crappy family time. Since that wasn't very thanksgiving-y of me, I'll make up for it by sharing with you some things I'm grateful for.

Right now I am most Thankful for.....

1. those of you reading this right now! I've only invited about 20 people to read this blog, so if you're reading this, you better know that I like you!!!
2. RAIN! It rained unexpectedly the last couple of days. It was awesome.
3. school being over soon! Seriously, it's been a long, horrible road, and I am so happy to be almost done.
4. my health. Everyday I go to the hospital and see very sick people, and realize how lucky I am to have my health.
5. President Elect Barack Obama. I am really looking forward to our new President and am hoping he will be able to get some things happening around here.

I hope you all had a wonderful Turkey Day!

A fabulous picture...

that makes me think of London, and makes me want to go there RIGHT NOW. Isn't it pretty?

PUPPIES!!

So last week when I was having such a rough time, I stumbled across a live video stream of puppies and I posted the link on my post "It's been a long week..." and then today I saw them featured on msn.com. Apparently they were even on the Today Show this morning! This cracks me up, because I have been watching these little puppies all week. They just hang out and pile on each other and sleep, and they're super cute. These puppies are like 5 weeks old and their owners set up this video feed so they could keep an eye on them. So you have to go look at them before they all go to their new homes. Anyways, I think I need a pet. Or maybe now that I don't have to spend a ton of time around all the drama of my nursing school class, I'll just feel better on my own. And won't have to watch internet puppies to laugh. Or maybe I'll still get a pet.

I am a freakin' genius.

Just in case you guys were wondering. I took my final yesterday and I needed a 82% to pass. I got an 85%. AHHHH! I'm going to be a Nurse! Dude, and graduate. It's total craziness.

I am a Star Wars Fan for shizzle.

And if you are too, check this out.

It's been a long week...

Monday: I had my last day of class, where I gave a presentation entitled, "How to take care of Yourself, the Novice Nurse or How to Avoid Burnout." Later that afternoon, I got a phone call from Tucson's Suicide Prevention Program, calling to make sure I wasn't planning on killing myself. During my presentation I had joked that I was so stressed I could blow my brains out.

Tuesday: I voted, and then met with my teacher, the Dean of Nursing and a Counselor at the college to defend myself against accusations of being suicidal. After a ton of hoop jumping, I was allowed to continue in the program. The only thing that didn't make this a complete waste of a day, was that my candidate won. Yay Obama.

Wednesday: After recovering from Tuesday's drama, I spent 12 hours studying.

Thursday: I studied for about 16 hours straight and went to bed about 2am.

Friday: I woke up at 7:30 and studied until noon, got dressed, went to school and took my test from the teacher that accused me of being suicidal (and proceeded to make me miserable on Tuesday). I got the bare minimum that I could get (an 83%) to still have a chance of passing. I left one answer blank by mistake and missed three simple math problems because I forgot half of the formula. I was a little distracted and unprepared.

I have my CUMULATIVE final on Wednesday. I have to get a 82% to graduate. If I fail by one freaking point I'm going to be sooo pissed. I am so freaking tired of Nursing School.

I did find this today that seemed to make everything better momentarily. Go here for something awesome.

Happy Halloween!

Ben and I decided to participate in Halloween Festivities at the last minute yesterday. We got candy for trick-or-treaters and pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns. We hurried to make our fantastic designs and then we had 5 kids come to our apartment door. I tried to open up all the blinds and turn on all the lights and position our pumpkins so any apartment kids would know they could come to my place. But I guess there weren't that many kids. Oh well, after Ben made me some delish dinner we got dressed as each other! It was the only thing we could come up with at 8 o'clock at night. He wore my nursing school scrubs and my name tag and I wore his kickball shirt and socks, his hat and shoes, and his awesome Utilikilt. It was pretty funny when all Ben's Tucson friends saw us. I think Ben definately had the best costume of the night! I mean, after all, he was ME! Yeah, I know scary right? Whatever, I'm proud of my pumpkins! I hope you guys all had fun too!

My carrot nose didn't hold up too well in the freakin 80 degree weather. And yes, that is an Obama pumpkin! Oh, and just so you know, I'm standing on my tippy toes in that pic....and yes, I am depressed that he can fit into my clothes.

In one week...

we will hopefully know who the next President of the United States is. I can hardly stand it. In case you've missed it, I'm rooting for this guy.....


Obama '08 - Vote For Hope from MC Yogi on Vimeo.

My Personal Ad

making you an offer-
still runs great
looking for a brand new start
a special one time deal on a pre-owned heart
a special one time deal on a pre-owned heart


It's pretty, huh? I heard it today, the chorus of some song. I thought it was pretty and if I were going to post a personal ad it would totally work. I'll save it for later.

MOOP

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!! My Moop bag has arrived. I ordered this awesome little bag in early September and it was hand made especially for me in this lovely shade of red (it was previously only offered in other colors). I love making things from scratch and I love it when something is totally unique, but I don't own a heavy duty sewing machine. So I'm pretty happy about this little number. I can't wait until I can order a couple other Moop bags. Bytheway, don't you think Moop is a fantastic name? Mooooop. I love it.

Colin Powell is voting for Barack Obama!

When I was in 6th grade I wrote a paper on "Heroes" for a writing contest. I was one of the two winners at my school. The prize was getting to go see Colin Powell speak at one of the local highschools in Vancouver. He had just won the Congressional Medal of Honor and was touring the country. At the time I didn't really know who Colin Powell was, but since then I have learned about what an amazing man and hero he is. I was really excited when I heard he officially endorsed Barack Obama as president. I think it's pretty fantastic that the former Secretary of State, a General and a Republican, has said that Barack Obama is a "transformational figure" and would be an "exceptional" leader. I love it! I also love how he says McCain's choice of Palin, made him seriously wonder about McCain's judgement. Here is the transcript of his interview on Meet the Press, if you need to see it to believe it.

Baby Got Back!

I'm supposed to be working right now, but yesterday at work I threw out my back. I work 12 hour shifts and my job as a Nursing Student Intern, is essentially being a Nurse's slave. So, I take care of all my nurse's patients (up to 10 sickos). I take their vital signs, measure their urine, clean other bodily fluids up, change everyone's sheets, and help bathe and feed patients that can't do it themselves. It sucks, BIG TIME. Yesterday on top of all the regular craziness, a few of my patients were in isolation. This means, that every time I went into their rooms I had to put on a gown, and gloves and then of course scrub up every time I came out. It really puts a kink in trying to hurry in and out. Anyways, by about 6:15 I could see the end of the day and was just about to get my final tasks completed when I bent down to the ground to mop up some stuff. And then I couldn't stand up. I had to have a friend help me and when she tried to pull me up, my lower back seized up and there was some popping, and I could barely stand. Needless to say, being around a bunch of health care workers, there was a bunch of over-reacting and incident report paperwork and then a walk down to the EMERGENCY ROOM. Ahhh, humiliation and PAIN are a fantastic combo. I didn't want anyone pushing me in a wheelchair through the hospital where I work, so I walked like the hunchback of Notre Dame instead. And when I got to the ER, I was promptly admitted to a room where I was handed a cup to pee in, and a gown to change in to. It was great, especially since I can't remember the last time I shaved my legs (because of laser hair removal of course, not laziness or anything) and of course WHO doesn't love taking their bra off AT WORK!? A couple of hours later, urine test, x-rays, and muscle relaxers taken, I was sent home with a doctors note getting me out of work. So, now I have a bunch of crap to deal with because this was a work injury. Oh well, at least I got a prescription for Vicodin. I only have three more weeks of class before I start my preceptorship (that is if I pass my next test and final) so I'm just trying to keep the flood gates closed and the stress level low. I think the prescriptions will help with that.

P.S. Like my bracelet? It totally goes with my scrubs, don't ya think?

Can the election please just be TOMORROW?!

I can not wait ANYMORE for November 4th. I just want everyone to go vote already so my sweet little Grandma Caroline will stop sending me bullshit (excuse my french) email forwards about how Democrats are evil. Instead of dignifying her onslaught of propaganda with a response, I'm just going to complain here. Because, you know that's the mature thing to do. I don't want Grandma to have another heart attack. Here's a little tidbit that I found interesting for all you haters (Mom) to ponder...

How Racism Works In The Election

What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said "I do" to?
What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to painkillers, but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5? (S&L)
What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are? This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

You are The Boss. Which team would you hire with America facing historic debt, 2 wars, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, a mortgage crisis, bank foreclosures & failing banks, a stock market melt-down, etc.?

Educational Background:

Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Versus:

McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters – B.A. in Journalism

Now which team are you going to hire?

P.S. What if Barack Obama had an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?

Music That Matters Monday

The last time I posted "Music That Matters Monday" I featured the artist Bon Iver, who I love. If any of you watch the show Grey's Anatomy you would have heard some Bon Iver the last couple of episodes. It's some great listening, I think, obviously. Anywhooo, since the five of you that read my blog are probably bored with the music, I thought I'd update the player with my favorite tunes of the moment.

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova make up the Swell Season. They are also the stars of a great movie called Once. Their songs make up the soundtrack for this little movie. And if any of you watch the Oscars you might remember when they won the award for Best Song last year. Jon Stewart was hosting and the music cut off Marketa before she could say anything so he brought her back out after the commercial break so she could have a chance to make an acceptance speech. It was a pretty awesome moment. This is what she said....

"Hi everyone. I just want to thank you so much. This is such a big deal, not only for us, but for all other independent musicians and artists that spend most of their time struggling, and this, the fact that we're standing here tonight, the fact that we're able to hold this, it's just to prove no matter how far out your dreams are, it's possible. And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream and don't give up. And this song was written from a perspective of hope, and hope at the end of the day connects us all, no matter how different we are. And so thank you so much those who helped us along way. Thank you."

After that moving speech, I netflixed Once and the movie was fantastic. Of course you all know how much I love anything with an English/Ireland accent, but I really loved this movie! It was just a sweet story about meeting the right person at the right time. And the music, which they wrote and performed themselves, made me feel my toes. So, when I saw that the couple from Once was performing at the Rialto here in Tucson, I freaked out and made Ben buy tickets. Which he did and we saw The Swell Season last week. It was such a great show! They even closed with an Irish folk song that they made the whole audience sing. I hope you like the new "Music That Matters!"