Give a toast to the sun, drink with the stars Get thrown in the mix an' tossed out of bars Zip to Tijuana, I wanna roam Find Motown an' tell them fools to come back home

I used to LOVE kid rock. I know ALL the words to EVERY song on his "devil without a cause" Cd. I must admit (somewhat embarrassedly) that my favorite song--ever--is Black Chick, White Guy. yeah. I am lame.

I just packed up every single baby (and some toddler) things that I could find (that wasn't overly used/yucky) to give to Keri. She just had an (adorable) baby girl in May. She is so darn cute (the baby, not Keri-haha).

We spent hundreds of millions of dollars on all the baby stuff (I had gotten rid of all but Gracie's crib, which Lila has now), and clothes for Madalyn (cuz all of Gracie's baby clothes were the wrong size for the season Madalyn needed), and there is NO sense is throwing them away when baby hand me downs are the BEST!! Esp. since all of Madalyns clothes and stuff are all (mostly) in really good condition cuz I bought them all brand new (mostly from my fave store--childrens place). It's nice to be able to get rid of the stuff. haha. Plus, we got lucky and Kelly has given us a lot of Em's clothes that she out grew--saving us a bunch of money--and when Gracie was little we had old clothes from Karina. But poor Madalyn, she had no one to get clothes from. haha. That's k. I LOVE shopping for clothes/things for the girls!!

We are going to have to do some massive shopping for them for the fall/winter. Altho Madalyn MIGHT fit into some of the clothes I saved from Gracie--but they are all 3t. so I doubt it. sigh. She still fits into 2T, but I don't want to go out and by 2t pants when I HOPE that she will have a growth spurt by the end of this winter/spring, and then have to go get more 3t clothes. she is just gunna be a peanut forever. lol.

She goes for a weight check in early september. I bet she gained some weight. at least a pound, I hope. She feels heavier. lol. I weighed her on our scale last month and she was 22. YAY. haha.

Maddison. (Madison?) ADORABLE!!!!

I just got an Eagle....oh yeah.....

playing xbox golf with the hubs.....and losing :(

monaco sunrise

Sunrise over the Med. Sea with Italy in the background. From the lobby of the hotel-resort in Monte Carlo, Monaco

One of my (many) favorite Pictures.

Just gonna stand there and watch me burn...that's alright because I like the way it hurts....

So I have had the song "Love the way you lie" stuck in my head all day....but...Rihanna was abused by Chris Brown and now she is singing "Just gonna stand there and watch me burn But that's alright because I like the way it hurtsJust gonna stand there and hear me cryBut that's alright because I love the way you lie" Really?


That's like giving the okay for women to be treated like crap by a guy. She is an 'idol' for many teenagers (who are at the impressionable age), and she is pretty much just saying that being abused physically/mentally by a man is okay. Way to go, Rihanna. You suck.


But really, I love the song, I love the lyrics, I love the tune (or whatever). But, you know what? I have been in this situation. But, I was strong enough to get out of it (eventually) with the support of my parents and friends, and many woman can't/don't have the support to get out of it. It is a hard situation to get out of. When you love a person so so much, especially many of the women that have families with men that are physically or emotionally abusive. They want their children to have a 'whole' family, so they stay for their children's sake. You love the person so much, but they are abusive. You say they will change. They don't. They never will, but you keep making excuses, saying to yourself that they will change. That everything will be ok. You just have to stick it out. But NO. NO WOMAN should ever have to 'stick it out', and that is what Rihanna is saying. It's ok if he treats you like shit. It feels good. Yeah, ok. So, maybe I am drastically over-reacting, but I think that this song sucks. It is Rihanna (who was a victim), giving the okay for woman to stay with men who are abusers. This song hits close to home for me, but it is an awful song, for her to be giving the 'ok' to stay with him. Way to go.




ok. enough of my rant. I left Madlayn's George at daycare. I will have to find something cuddly for her to sleep with tonight.


We are going to Paul's tomorrow. Great. Lets go have dinner with my selfish father-in-law and his stripper fiance. Sounds like a fun time. Maybe I should get some of the illicit drugs off them, just to make the time go by better. Sigh. Him and his Heroin addiction/stripper. sigh. wth.  


Going to pick up Gracelyn tomorrow (she spent a week at my mom's so she could go to VBS). Guess she will have to meet the stripper. I have put it off, when we went to meet her once, I dropped Gracelyn off at Grandma Junes. Sigh.


When Vin gets home we are going to the mall to pick up my dad's imac. Which is in my name. When dad went to register my Macbook Pro, he inadvertantly switched the entire account to my name. So, now I own 2 imacs, an ipod, and a Macbook Pro. My dad had to add himself as an authorized user just to drop off his imac. hahaha.


So. This world is going to hell in a hand basket.




I am super excited to be back in the swing of things. 280 is like a real nurse/real situation class. In 110, 120 and specialities we learned all the theory and did all the skills, but that's just it. We were doing tasks (now time to hang this med and do this and give this IM) but now, in 280 we are learning how it all correlates and how to prioritize which pts and do what first and why. It is like an application of skills/theory. Altho, we are learning more of the complicated theory and stuff, but it is a more real life class. Not just "what are the symptoms of Heart Failure and blah blah" it's more like "ok. you have three patients. one has a board like abdomen and PUD, one has a NGT and has green emesis, and the other has coffee ground emesis. What do you do?" (that was a real problem they gave us). It is all about figuring out what they have, what to do about it, and which one is the priority. The first one has a perforated ulcer and would be the critical pt. then next we would go to the 3rd pt. with a lower G.I bleed, and lastly the 2nd pt that has the NGT that is not placed correctly, and prolly a bowel obstruction. sigh. I love nursing. 


I am filling out my application for the NICU. YAY!! I super badly want to be a neonatology nurse. that would be perfect. I would be happy as a bear with a bucket full of honey. Or happy as me with a bucket of wine (thanks, jami. ahha) woooot.


I am getting excited. We are getting emails and info about convocation and graduation!!! It is SOOOOOO CLOSE.  and I passed my validation successfully on the first try today. WOOOOOOOT. I owned sterile dressing. I made it my bitch. wooot. She said I did an excellent job! Who's your momma, now, beeeyoooootch! haha. ok. maybe a little to enthusiastic about that. haha.

sigh

Eastwood. You are going down hill. The house across the street was robbed while I was in France. That makes 7 robberies in 2 weeks, in our area, we were informed. Our neighbors kid almost got rundown by a car, but they saw Vin sitting on the porch, with Rolo. And. I was rudely awoken (and unable to go back to sleep) by 3 gunshots this morning that sounded like they were right next door. However, there is nothing on the news about it this morning, nor did we hear/see any police cars or anything, so who knows. Prolly some idiot playing with a damn gun.

This was a safe/quiet neighborhood when we moved in, but now you are hearing more and more crap about Eastwood. Sigh. Just don't turn into a ghetto before we move, please.

This traffic is overly ridiculous.

The cruelties of being a dog owner

Ok. So, maybe I exaggerated. I wouldn't call it "cruelties", I guess. Just the downside.

Not only does your dog dictate where you go and how long you are gone for, they dictate where you CAN'T go. Sorry, you can't go away for a weekend, I have to be fed and let out. You can't go and enjoy yourselves for a weekend, without giving up your firstborn for kennel fee's (hmmm...somedays that sounds like a deal).

But, the thing I hate most (and really, I do love my husband's dog, really.) is taking her out to poop. She has to poop, and I have to clean it up. That just doesn't seem right. No one follows me around and cleans up my poop if I were to so choose to poop in my yard, why do I have to follow her around and pick up hers? I know, I know, or else the world would be full of dog crap.

But, that brings me to my main pet peeve about my pet. The dog pooping. I just stand there and try to look ANYWHERE but at her, as she is taking a dump. But really, if I don't look at her, she is liable to wander off. So, cars are passing by, my dog is taking a dump, and I am staring at her ass. Ah. The rewards of owning a pet.

But, in all honesty, she is stupid (had parvo as a puppy, i use that as the excuse for her), and she chases shadows, causing major riots in the house, and we can't go anywhere for more than 12 hours, for fear she poop in the house, but she is a good dog.

As good as dogs get, anyways.

She is Madalyn's best friend, and plays with her all day, licking her (yuck), and letting her lay all over her. She is a rottie, so that scares away potential burglers (of which there have been 7 in the last couple weeks. What is happening to you, Eastwood, Syracuse, NY?), and its always nice to have a dog around when you are by yourself late at night (on the rare occasion that Vin isn't home). And, she favors me, over my husband. Which, I still don't get. I never liked her. Ever. Then we get married, and boom. She is my dog now, as well. She follows me around, She lays on my side of the bed (and sometimes on our bed --when Vin isn't looking), and she has only 'wandered away' from our yard a couple times (causing me to get really frantic, for fear of losing my husbands dog), but I would miss her if she were to die, or wander away.

One more thing--As dog OWNER's...why are WE catering to their every need? If we OWN them, you would think they would cater to our needs, like little pooch servants. Someone needs to change the title. We are Dog Owned. Because, dogs certainly dictate our lives more than most people would like.

I can picture it now. Some little old lady with some little yapping dog, "Do you have a dog?" As we stare at the little yapper that is just the right size for a drop kick,  "No, sorry, ma'am. My dog has me. I am owned by my dog. But at least my dog is a real dog, and weighs more than my cat."

All in all, I love her, but life would be better if I did not have to try and look anywhere but at my dogs ass while she is taking a dump.

Au revoir.


See. I do love my dog.

Back to school, back to school. to prove to dad I'm not a fool...

Sigh. I have no motivation to write on here.

I am exhausted. It's only the 2nd day. hahaha.

I am in the same clinical group as Heather. i am pysched. lol.

Altho, our clinical instructor is known for failing people....which is a little scary. Altho, we can receive an 'unsatisfactory' in the first 6 weeks, and as long as our instructor the last 6 weeks gives us a 'satisfactory' we will pass. I hope I get this one instructor that soooo reminds me of whats her face, the lawyer on L word? haha. I'm pretty darn sure she is gay to, but she is so darn funny, and I bet we would learn a lot from her. She teaches most the lectures, so i am excited. Another Diane, who was my favorite clinical instructor, altho she was extremely Liberal. haha. She'd blame everything on me being Republican, and I'd tell her she just doesn't understand because she is to liberal. hahaha.

AAAANNNNNNDDDD the best news of all....I am NOT at upstate this semester!! I am on 5S Crouse. I really hope I am not at Upstate next semester. I have done my penance. I did THREE semesters there. Well. 1 full and 2 halfs. so. really, 2. but that is FAR to long at that place!!

I really have nothing interesting to say. I don't remember if I wrote in here earlier? I think that was yesterday. My days are running together and I haven't even started, really. I am NOT looking forward to leaving here at 545 two mornings a week, with the girls in tow. sigh. Then I won't be home on those days til after 4. talk about long days. Theory days aren't bad. We don't have to be there till 9, so I leave here around 8ish, and then I get done with class at 1 on Tuesdays and 3 on wednesdays, and then I have to go get my Pt. information at the hospital on Wednesdays. So, sigh. That means I won't be done Wednesdays til after 4 and then still have to drive to camilius to get the girls. oh sigh.

Thank God this is my last semester. It may very well kill me.

but honestly, I am excited to actually begin it, (Lectures start Tomorrow). Does that make me nuts? Does that make me sadistic that I am excited to start enduring pain and torture?

haha. but really, I am excited. I love school. ok. well, I love the learning part and taking care of ppl part, but I could do with out the stress, frustration and pissed offness that comes with it. haha.

Same first day as always

So. The first day of this semester has left all of us feeling the same as the first day of every other first semester; Pissed, irritated, and confused.

They have YET AGAIN raised parking (which used to be free, went up to 110, was lowered down to 75 after a massive freakout on our parts, and is now up to 85. yes. 85 dollars a MONTH.), they raised tuition, we now have to PAY for our power points. 10 cents a sheet, and power points are between 15 and 20 pages usually. per power point. per class. PLUS clinical paperwork we are going to have to print out. I am going to get more (the right kind) or ink for our printer and figure out how to connect my laptop to that printer to print out at least the clinical paper work. Or actually, maybe I will just type it all up and email it, since every instructor in the past has requested me type it. haha. Well, EVERYTHING at Crouse is computerized. Upstate just need to catch up. haha. I hope hope REALLY hope I have my clinicals at Crouse. Upstate makes me want to stab myself in the Jugular. It is so far behind. NOTHING is computerized, well for us, at least, and their med rooms are SOOO small. and their IV machines are so damn confusing, mostly because they are so different from Crouse's...which are the ones we spent 2 semesters using and practicing on...so we get to upstate and spend 6 weeks getting used to those, and then you go back to Crouse. haha. AND if you have a sucky instructor like I did last year, none of your patients at upstate will even have an IV, so you are STILL completely confused at the end of the semester. ha. go Amber. not.

29 minutes until I have to leave to take Madalyn to daycare. Gracie loved VBS yesterday with my mom and Karina (or so facebook says), lol.

We have been staying up to late. First it was SYTYCD, now it's America's got talent. Which honestly, everyone on their SUCKS.

I am bringing left over Risotto for lunch. yummm. I have got to stop eating like crap. I am doing my slim fast again, at least for breakfast. and it's school time. So, I am busting out my cheerios like I have every semester, to munch on during class. lol. My scrambled eggs, with cheese, tomatoes, bbq sauce and mayonnaise on toast just aren't to healthy, and I eat them like 2x a day. haha.


Time to go find out what we are doing today. we have all decided, not to try and figure out what is going on this week. Just find out what time we have to be at school, and go from there. It is to frustrating with trying to figure out what is going on this week.

I felt bad yesterday. We were all hanging out in the office areas on the couches bitching about this and that, and there was a girl sitting there, she was like how far you guys into it? I was like 280. she's like oh. I am applying now, so I don't know what that means. Whoops. we prolly scared away a future applicantee. is that a word? blogger says no. oh well.  Crouse is so hard to get into anyways that most ppl have to apply a million times, anyways. I was one of the only ones I know to get in when I applied and not get put on a waiting list. or have to apply multiple times. lol. Altho, I did apply a million times before hand, but pulled my app each time. I applied when Gracie was a baby, and every semester after that until I finally went when she was 3 and Madalyn was 1. haha.

ok. i am really going this time.

au revoir.

whaat? no coffee during our tests?!

With ANY LUCK....

Four Months, exactly, from today I will be graduating.

This graduation comes after two years of "nursing school symptoms" as we like to call them:

multiple panic attacks
A couple large breakdowns
depression
anxiety
irritation/frustration/pissed-offness at patient and teachers alike
weight gain
increased hunger
unhealthy diet
increased alcohol consumption
increased blood pressure
tachycardia
decreased irritation tolerance
hating the world
the best natural high after a (good) day on the floor
spontaneous uncontrollable yelling and/or crying
additional increases in alcohol consumption aggravated by dumbass teachers/patients
G.I issues
migraines
losing the willpower to go on
additional increases in weight
stress eating
pity eating
depression eating
anxiety eating
classroom eating
clinical eating
Marshall street eating
Marshall street drinking


Ask any nursing student and they will name atleast half of these (most likely all) as symptoms of the average Nursing Student in the two years of Hell they endured (and questioned) as nursing school took over/dictated their lives/lack of lives.

but...with any luck. 4 months from now, these symptoms will be resolved. Until I start the Nurse Practitioner's program....