ANTM's Friday night plans

TGIF! This week was so busy! It is finally time to unwind and relax~ Guess who has big plans tonight?

Nope, not me. 

But, Karsen sure does. She is going to OPEN GYM NIGHT! She started gymastics a couple weeks ago, and she absolutely loves it. (I will have a post on that topic very soon...) The gym hosts a monthly "open gym" night on one Friday night a month. The kids can come in/be dropped off and play all they want from 6pm-9pm. What a great idea!

Yep, 3 hours of all the gymnastics you can stand! Trampolines, foam pits, balance beams....and having loads of fun with all the other giggle-y girls that loves gymnastics just as much as you do.

I don't know about you, but when I was 8 years old, this was pretty much my definition of the best night ever.

She was SO excited. Can't you tell by the picture? I am not sure what kind of "super-model strike a pose thing" she is doing with her leg? I pretty much blame myself because I did watch 8 seasons of America's Next Top Model religiously. As soon as I said "cheese" she stuck her leg out.....Ha! Oh my....

Hello, my name is Heather.....

......and I visit my BLOG when I should be studying. My blog enables me as a procrastinator, and I need professional help. I feel empowered now that I have admitted that I do indeed, have a problem. Truth is power.

p.s. but I love my new look. ; ) Do you?

Taking Baby Steps

Things have been interesting around here to say the least. I've had moments where I felt like I was teeter-tottering on the edge of insanity...but I am feeling a little more optimistic now (and alot less exhausted) since our weekend of drama that ended with me and Dylan at the ER in the middle of the night.

He starting getting sick Friday morning about 5am~this happened for about 3 days and just got to the point where I felt like enough was enough, and he was not getting any better...only worse!  Sunday night around 2am he started acting confused and I was worried about him being dehydrated from all the N/V/D (nausea/vomitting/diarrhea) with this nasty virus. It scared me bigtime, so off we go to the ER!

6 hours later we were home...I am happy to report that he has not gotten sick since his ER dose of Zofran...YAY Zofran! It sure did not help me when I was pregnant, but I was so glad it helped Dylan feel better. I hope and pray that he eats a whole meal today for the first time in 4 days. Keeping my fingers crossed that he can return to school tomorrow! I would not wish this virus on anyone! It was bad!

Due to all this drama, I missed an exam yesterday---Staying up most of the night for an impromptu all night trip to the ER just is not conducive to taking a 9am Pharmacy calculations/Aminoglycoside monitoring exam the following morning...my brain was mush, so I had to reschedule.  I will be taking it tomorrow at 1pm! Pray for me!

Tonight my plans are to study for the impending FINAL exam that I have looming ahead on Friday morning! It will include Schizophrenia, OCD, Alcohol Induced Liver Disease, and Erectile Dysfunction meds among other oh-so-interesting topics.

All work and NO play makes me very grumpy so I will also record/be watching the Olympics/American Idol! I am so excited to see the Women's figure skating starting tonight. I may attempt to watch and study at the same time. I figure it won't be quite as challenging as studying and taking care of a child with projectile vomitting like I did this past weekend. Anything will be easier than that.

There is only one thing worse than your husband living 588 miles away, and that is having a sick child and needing to rush to the ER in the middle of the night, when your husband lives 588 miles away. :(

Speaking of the husband...we are both are just looking forward to the time when this transition is over. He may be able to come home for a long weekend during my Spring Break! WOO-HOO!

But just like Bob Wiley who takes the advice of the great Dr Leo Marvin in "What About, Bob?" We will just think about taking "Baby Steps" for now.

Baby steps to Dylan recovering 100% from this awful stomach virus.  Baby steps to tomorrow and making up Exam #1 and hopefully doing well. Baby steps till Friday and my Therapeutics FINAL and having this tough module BEHIND me. Baby steps till Chris comes home again.  Baby steps to our family being together in the same house in the same state and being back to normal without me going LOCA in the meantime!

For right now, it's all about taking Baby Steps!

We'll get there eventually...

Happy Saturday

Things I am happy about today:

1.  It is supposed to be 60 degrees here today! YAY, could it be that Spring is on the way?  To quote Red from Shawshank Redemption, "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things!" So, I hope, I hope....Spring is on the way!!

2.  I was SO happy that Lysacek won GOLD this week. It was so worth staying up till midnight to see that! There are only a few things that I will stay up till midnight for... Chris (but that may be TMI. ; ), studying :(, AND seeing tall, handsome men on ice with slicked back dark hair win GOLD! YAY!!

3.  Happy, that it is the weekend. What a rough week. Next week will be even tougher, but I am thankful for the chance to pause and regroup and get ready to have a great week!

4.  My big sister is the best. She helped me so much this week. I really appreciate her help and being here when I need it the most. I REALLY have a hard time asking for help, so I am very happy and thankful that  she anticipates it, and I don't even have to ask. I just can't say it enough, Thank you, Aunt Suzy! <3

5.  Happy 5th Birthday to my sweet nephew, Kyland! We love you, Ky!

 Things I am NOT happy about:

1.  Dylan woke up yesterday at 5am SICK, and he continued getting sick ALL day long, and he is still fighting a nasty stomach virus. He is not quite out of the woods yet. :(  Poor thing!

2.  I had to study on a Friday night. Yes, people, you heard me correctly~! Desperate times call for deperate measures...and that time is NOW. I can not ever remember studying on a Friday night. WOW, talk about pure dedication. ; )

3.  Laundry. I have tons. and I mean tons=2000 lbs. I have tons to do.

At least I can do it with the sun shining outside with the hope of Spring  hovering right around the corner! Hope everyone has a happy Saturday.

Taking everything into consideration

On this wild and crazy exciting Wednesday night...just what is our family up to?

I am watching/listening to Karsen "cook" in the kitchen, and I just heard her talking to her "Cooking with Karsen" audience saying "Now, we want a little dash of sugar, and I ain't talking trash people, I'm talking about a dash." LOL She definitely has her own unique style. Moments like that make me smile...

Dylan is in his room playing the XBOX360. He loves it, but I don't really like him playing it on the weekdays. Today I let him bend that rule a little....What can I do though? I really need to study, and he really loves to play the games. He did his homework, and had a somewhat healthy supper, so I am pretty much ahead of the game. (can we say mommy guilt??)  2 out of 3 ain't bad considering....he would have been content eating a whole bags of Doritos and wouldn't have argued with me.  10 year old boys really aren't hard to please when it comes to food as long as they get ALOT of it about every 3 hours. :)

As for me, I am sitting here watching an Aminoglycoside dosing lecture I missed during the snow days we had. Fun stuff! Specifically, (cause I know you are dying to know this...) I am calculating renal function to determine an appropriate dose and dosing interval for a 22 year old IV drug user. Can you even stand how exciting that sounds? lol~If I am being honest...I am not liking school right now. I am still trying to shake off the discouragement of my last bad grade two weeks ago, and then the exam I took last week I really felt that I put forth an "A" effort. I REALLY studied and felt great about the material, (all ~670 powerpoint slides of it~ouch!!) but I got my grade today. I was dissapointed/devastated yet again. But I passed, I guess I should count it a victory considering... how crazy things have been lately.

So, here I sit, studying....instead of watching the Olympics or American Idol that I DVRed from last night. After all, there are only 8.5 weeks of classroom time left for me, and I sure as heck-fire DO NOT want to have to repeat this module. So, I will be sitting here studying for the rest of the night. Short-term sacrifice..long-term gain, right?? 
 
I keep telling myself that I am doing a good job considering.....Even when I feel like I'm not.

Considering  the fact that Chris has been gone since August....and considering the fact that I don't handle change well and CHANGE is the only thing that has been consistent the last 6 months~!
AND considering the fact I am not used to being a single Mommy...and it sure is hard work. I am doing a good job holding it together.

I also try to repeatedly remind myself that for so many years all I wanted was the opportunity to go back to school, prayed that all the details would fall into place so I could do just that...and they did....I knew I could be doing more and it all worked out for me to do just that.....I knew that becoming a Pharmacist would be a tough road...so I know I am doing ok considering.....the fact that this was never going to be easy.

And considering the fact that I really AM living my dream. Considering the fact that I am sitting here with two healthy children playing happily around me,  in our warm home, missing a man that loves me dearly, but he is away from us because he has a new job that he is so excited about, thankful that he has JOB period right now when so many people don't, and considering the fact that we have everything we need when so many people are going without...

We are pretty, plentifully BLESSED if you consider all that, huh?!

(It really does help to PAUSE and count your blessings every once in a while.)
Sigh, I really do feel better...now let's see if I can help my 22 year old patient....

Back to studying gentamycin, amikacin, and tobramycin dosing!!

Love Never Fails

Almost 11 years into our marriage, I believe this more than ever.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

We have been tried and challenged on many levels this past year, but sometimes the things you make it through together just make you stronger.

 Us, 2006-ish

Love Never Fails.

Happy Love Weekend, Ya'll!

3 days

Chris is coming home tomorrow for a long 3 day weekend. He left for Ohio 3 weeks ago, and we have missed him so much.

We are so excited!!

Time Out!

I'm taking a little time out from studying tonight....to come catch up with reading some of my favorite blogs! (You know who you are...)  :)

I just finished working on an exam that is due tomorrow, and now I am about to watch a lecture about Bipolar Disorder...that exam is this coming Friday. The stress is coming in waves now, but that is how it goes in Pharmacy school. I need to study everyday this week to get ready for the upcoming exam, but I also need to be physically and mentally present in class this week because this material will be on the exam that follows...it is a marathon, a (very long) race of sorts, an on-going test of will to see who really wants this degree?....so, who really wants it?

I want to finish. I promise I do, I only have the occasional moments where I doubt myself, but that is normal, right? I can see the light, and it is so close now...just within my reach... but right now I just want to scream TIME OUT!

"T" em' up, ref! (That is my basketball, aka B-ball lingo)

But, I can't stop. I can't pause. I can't even say, can I have a break? Because this week is coming whether I like it or not.  So, I carry on, and do what needs to be done. Take care of the kids, feed them, bathe them, feed them again (because they eat 24-7, seriously...)...and fit studying in here and there (and everywhere) I can. And for Dylan the following equation is true. PIZZA + movie = Happiness.  So, thank goodness, they're not hard to please!

We did do a few fun and HAPPY things this weekend. It can't always be "all work and no play". We all know that makes for a very grumpy Momma.  Yesterday was pizza and movie matinee day. YAY!!  We saw Jackie Chan in "the Spy Next Door" and the kids both gave it five stars. It was pretty cute.

We made it to church this morning in one piece, and even made it through Walmart alive afterwards. (*cue scary music) THAT was a small victory in itself. There is only one thing in this world that I despise more than Walmart on Sunday...and that's Walmart on SuperBowl Sunday! I completely forgot all about that. It was a madhouse....CRAZY, I tell ya!

.....which reminds me of the lecture I should be watching on Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia...so back to work for me!

p.s. Yes, I went to Walmart and forgot the batteries for my digital camera....I promise new pictures will be uploaded as soon as my brain is not so overwhelmed!

February funk

How predictable, right? Yes, I have been quiet. The people in my life know that when I get quiet, it usually means I am laying low for a reason. Either, I am sick, one of the kids are sick, I have many tests happening at the same time, OR I am just in a general funk. Well ALL of these things have been going on over the last 10 or so days...so that is why I have been MIA!

I have been sick. Blah.

The kids have been sick. Ughhh.

I have had several, stressful exams. One that ended very, very, very badly...and I am still nursing my wounds.

AND I am just in a general funk. So there!

February is so NOT my favorite month. I have a theory that "they" created the pseudo-holiday of Valentine's Day and strategically planned for it to fall in February for a reason. It is nice to see a splash of pink and red... or get bright, beautiful flowers when all we have seen since November-ish is cold snow/rain, gray days of winter.....so they invent Valentine's day...and say, let's make it a warm, romantic day to soften the cold, hard edges of February.

Do you want me to tell you how I really feel about February? ;)  Ok, ok, tangent over.

On top of all this, we don't have batteries. (Random? lol) I was planning to upload the pics from our 4 day snowed in weekend today. The snow started Friday, and we got about 5 inches which is quite alot for us. It was beautiful and fun to watch it fall. Dylan and Karsen were excited, and we looked forward to a weekend at home with lots of home-cooking and hot chocolate. Well, the weekend turned into 4 (sick) days and 2.5 SNOW DAYS! ...

....and we did not get back to our normal schedule until Wednesday. Can you say "cabin-fever"? Crazy? Coo-coo for cocoa puffs?  Yep, we were all ready for the snow/ice to melt, so we could get back into the swing of things.

But, back to my original thought (I blame the overdose of benadryl and pseudoephedrine I had this past week for the scatter-brained-foggy-headedness I have going on, and YES that IS a technical adverse drug effect lol)...anyway, my digital camera is dead as a doorknob, so I can't post any pictures today.

I do want to end this post on a happy note~A couple of "snapshots" of hanging out with the kids during our loooong snow weekend. Here are two of them.

I made homemade vegetable beef soup one day (YUM), because I was really feeling bad and needed some soup for the soul. After we ate, Dylan got up and started cleaning up the kitchen!!! This is a first, people! Before I could say anything, he looked up at me with the most concerned look and said,

 "I know you feel bad, Momma".

How sweet!? I almost cried. He really does have his father's tender heart.

A few days later.... Karsen was helping me cook supper. It's a routine I really love....She absolutely loves being in the kitchen. She loves to cook, and, for an 8 year old, she is oddly obsessed with the Food Network! It is so cute. So, we planned our meal of grilled chicken, brocolli casserole and mac n cheese. The brocolli needed caramelized onions, so I started cutting up one onion, and she says' "I think I have the solution!" and runs away. Ok?  I had no idea what solution she was talking about...and to what problem she was referring to exactly, so I just kept cutting up onions. She returns about 90 seconds later, and when I turned to ask her to grab the butter I see that she has on her hot pink swimming goggles. LOL

She said "Those onions sure were spicy on my eyes!" 

It was so cute and hiliarious, pure priceless. She looked so dang proud of herself too. Of course, I grabbed the camera to take a pic, and she said "NO, I don't want you to put it on Delicious Heather!"

It's Deciduous Heather, people!! lol. What kinda of blog do you think I have exactly?! Let's keep it clean. lol.