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Monday, December 15, 2008

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

We put our Christmas tree up tonight, and here are Mom and Dad. They were testing out all the lights before putting on the tree. Here's Mom and Rascal cuddling on the floor.
The tree before the lights....
The tree with the lights....
And the tree all done!
Christmas is my favorite time of year, and I'm so excited to finally be decorating!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Leavenworth!

So I just got back from my weekend away with Josh and Jill and Nick. We went to Leavenworth and Wenatchee, and went to Mission Ridge on Saturday. The weekend was absolutely perfect! Here are the highlights:

Jill and I in the truck on the way over.
Josh and I walking in Leavenworth.
The lights in downtown Leavenworth.Jill and I with the Leavenworth sign.
Jill and I!
Us getting ready to snowboard! It was Jill's first time.
Josh and I before heading out on our first run.

Me taking a break in the snow.Josh and I in the snow.

We had such a fun weekend, and it was nice to get away with some great friends. The weather was perfect, and I can't wait to go again!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

New Car! New Car!

Okay, so it's not really a new car, just a rental. But I can pretend for a few days, right? Sunday afternoon, I was in a minor accident (totally not my fault, either), and they have advised me not to drive my car in the meantime. It goes into the shop on Monday.

So, while I'm waiting for it to be repaired, I get a rental car! Which, when you drive a 1994 Honda Accord, is something to blog about. Here's a picture:

This is a stock photo from the website. It's an '08 black Dodge Avenger. And I must say, it's actually pretty fun!! It's the same type of car they use at the speedway for their pace car, so I'm used to riding around in it. But driving is fun! It's pretty quick, and handles fairly well. Plus, my iPod plugs right into it, which I'm liking. So, new fun car, fixed Honda, and not having to pay for any of it = not too shabby, right?

Monday, December 8, 2008

Everything All Rolled Into One

This blog is going to be very random, as it will be an update on the last few days. First off, the Procession of the Carols, from this past Sunday at the Abbey. There were performers throughout Old Main, performing Christmas carols. Everything was decorated beautifully, and it really put everyone in the Christmas spirit. Here are two pictures of the Abbey:

And, here are some photos of the performers in Old Main during the Procession of the Carols. They're a little blurry as I was trying to take them while walking.












Also, Friday night, I went to Zoo Lights! I've recently started dating a guy named Josh, and I had been mentioning how much I love Christmas, so he planned a date for us to go up and have dinner, and then go to Zoo Lights. It was the perfect night - clear sky, not too cold, and no rain. Here are some of my favorite pictures:


Next up is a small vacation this weekend. Some friends and I are leaving Friday morning for the Leavenworth Christmas Lighting Festival, along with snowboarding at Mission Ridge on Sunday. I'll be sure to post pictures when I get back!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Belonging

Back in September, I made the decision to start the process of becoming a fully baptized, confirmed, practicing Catholic. I started attending weekly RCIA classes through the Abbey/Campus Ministry at Saint Martin's, and begun attending Mass on Sunday evenings. All of this by myself, for myself, all alone.

And I have loved every single second of it.

I won't discuss my reasoning behind making this decision; just that it has been the right decision for me personally.

I have enjoyed learning about the history of the religion, the Bible, and Jesus Christ. Mass is a beautiful and spiritual event, held in a truly beautiful church that just happens to be on campus.

But the thing that I have enjoyed the most, is the feeling of belonging.

The people in Campus Ministry (Nick, Susan, Father Benedict), have become close friends of mine. I see them in the hallways, or when I stop by Campus Ministry, and in class/Mass on Sundays. They make a conscious effort to get to know me, and stay updated on my life. We joke around, have fun, and make light of certain situations.

But I can also discuss more serious matters with them, including matters of faith. I can be candid with Fr. Benedict as far as my questions regarding the Catholic religion, or rituals of Mass, or a multitude of other topics. He is a very open and caring person, willing to share his stories/struggles if it means helping someone else with some of their own struggles.

Tonight was the Procession of the Carols, Candlelight Mass, and Christmas Tree Blessing. Everyone was in the Christmas Spirit, and celebrating the 2nd Sunday of Advent. Christmas decorations could be found throughout the school and Abbey, and white candles lit every area up with a soft glow. You could feel the warmth and caring-ness practically oozing out of everyone in attendance. (I'll be sure to post pictures tomorrow!)

I had often times before considered embarking on this journey, but it never felt like I was quite ready. Or committed. Or just ready to make that first step. But, now that I have, I am so thankful that God has found his way into my life, and ever so thankful for the new friends I have made as a result.

God bless!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Changes

I have decided that the focus of this blog is going to change. Kinda. Instead of simply serving as a way to update people on the daily going-ons of my life, it will now serve as more of a journal.

This comes after my decision to begin my Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults classes here at Saint Martin's University, in conjunction with our Abbey Church. This has been a decision that I have debated back and forth with myself time and time again, and I have now made the decision to go forward with it.

I will still update on other aspects of my life, as both the RCIA classes and my personal life have impacts on each other. But not in the same way as before.

So, look forward to new posts coming soon!!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Tick Tock, Tick Tock, TickTickTickTick, Toooooccckkk....

In case you haven't figured it out, that's my heart beat. Its random, and unusual, and very undecided. Here's a much needed update of my heart saga!

I wore my cardiac event monitor for 30 whole days, with two stupid electrodes very-well-stuck to me chest, and wires coming off of them. They were attached to a box about the size of a deck of cards, which I had to keep attached to my pocket or belt loop. After two hours of wearing it, I was ready to be done. It was CONSTANTLY in the way, wouldn't stay clipped, and if I bumped it and it fell out of my pocket, the wires would pull on the electrodes, which in turned pulled on my skin. Ouch! But it is now (thankfully) returned to the doctor, and I am electrode free! Although I still can't seem to get rid of all the sticky residue on my chest....

Last Friday, I went in for a stress test on the treadmill. I showed up all ready for some serious running, expecting them to make me run until I collapsed (nearly... I doubt they'd let me fall on the treadmill and then fly into the wall behind it. Although you never know!) They hooked me up to the EKG machine, and took one EKG standing, and one laying down. They also took my BP, which was 130/80. But my pulse was at 112. A little too high.

Then, I waited in the room, while the doctor saw other patients, probably flirted with the nurses, and possibly ate his lunch, since I was in there waiting for AT LEAST 30 minutes. In the meantime, I braided my hair, checked my own blood pressure (it was still 130/80), and watched my pulse bounce around from 99 to 135. Isn't my heart lovely? NOT.

When he finally came in, I climbed onto the treadmill. They started me out walking VERY slowly, like you would walk if you were holding the hands of a one-year-old who was just learning to walk. And my pulse started its climb to scary-ness.

After three minutes, it sped up to a normal walking pace. Easy stuff. And it inclined. No big deal. But still, my pulse kept rising.

After another three minutes, I was speed-walking (not even near needing to jog), and I felt fine, minus the feeling that my heart was going to explode. I was breathing fine, and I wasn't tired, but I felt like I had just gotten done running a marathon. He only let me go at this pace for one minute before cutting me off. Because my pulse was...........................

......................................

.....................................

200!

That's 200 beats PER MINUTE. Its like I had the Energizer bunny in my chest!

Then they did two more EKG's, and he prescribed me a low dose of a BP medicine, Atenolol.

And let me tell you... me and Atenolol have a sort of love/hate relationship.

One one hand, the Atenolol dramatically reduced my pulse. I was going through my whole day without it rising above 80. I couldn't even FEEL my heart for once - it was amazing! But there were other effects too...

For one, I was nauseous ALL DAY. And I had bad headaches ALL DAY. And I was light-headed, couldn't stand up quickly, and I was just kinda "blah" feeling. So Monday, the doctor took me off of that for a week. Then on Monday, I will start taking half of a dose each day, and see how that goes. If I still have the yucky symptoms, we'll try a different medication.

In the meantime, my heart rate is back up, and I still have some of the residual symptoms from the medication being in my system still.

I'll update next week on how the new plan is working!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Weekend Recap

Friday night was bowling, which was a lot of fun. I love my bowling boys. They joke around and tease me on my skills, but are also very encouraging and always willing to help me improve. I actually didn't do too bad either. The only down part of the night was feeling like I was on the verge of a heart attack at two different points. My heart just would not slow down! But luckily I got the events recorded, and sent off to the doctor.

Saturday evening was Race Night at South Sound Speedway! I arrived around 5:30pm, and was able to watch the end of qualifying. Then, the Parade Lap, and racing started! Trophy Dashes were first, then heat races, and finally the main races. Saturday happened to be Race #2 of the Big 4 Series, which means it was a 150-lap race for the Super Stocks. Man, I love watchig those guys! The race started off with around 17 cars, and dwindled down to about 7 pretty quicky. They do a mandatory caution at lap 99, so the cars can refuel to finish the race. Its so exciting to watch - I spend most of the race on the edge of my seat!! Here are some of the Trophy Pictures:





Its amazing how hot the track gets - right after the 150, we go down 0n the track so I can present. If I stood still for more than two seconds, I started sticking to the track! But its so much fun, and so cool being down there and looking up at the stands. Plus, when I drive by in the trophy car, all the people in the stands wave back at me!! Here's a picture of the Trophy Car from that night (obviously I stole this picture from the internet - its not the EXACT one I rode in, but it looks the same!)



The next time I do it, July 26th, they're bring down this....


Can you tell I'm really starting to enjoy this??

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Another Update

So, I am currently the proud wearer of a Cardiac Event monitor for the next 27 days. Yes, I'm counting down already. I have one electrode on my upper right chest, and one on my lower left ribs. I've already has to call in three or four events, so they should be getting some pretty good data on my heart!!

Jeff and Rachel are back from Disneyland, and can't stop telling me how sad they were that I wasn't there. Little Cody missed me bunches!

My kidney pain has disappeared for the time being for the most part, which is a relief.

Other than that, work is crazy busy all of a sudden, with an average of 10 more patients per day than usual, in the same number of hours. It sure makes the days go faster, but I feel like I'm neglecting some of my work duties to tend to patients. Now don't get me wrong - working on patients is what I live for - but I do have other work to do too.

Tonight is another night of me being Trophy Girl at the Speedway - and it should be a perfect night for racing! I'll post pictures as soon as I get them!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Quick Update

So I received my results from my cholesterol test and echocardiogram today.

Both were completely normal.

Which means back to square almost-one for the whole heart ordeal. There's still the possibility that there is something wrong with my heart structure, because my cardiologist hasn't signed off on the echo yet; just the technician.

Although I was relieved to hear it was normal, its also frustrating because I want this to be figured out, and soon. Tomorrow's heart monitor day!!

Monday, July 7, 2008

More of the heart saga....

These past two and a half weeks have been a jumble of health issues. I've had weird, irregular heart palpitations for about a year and a half now. I saw my doctor when they first started, and she thought it was anxiety. So I was put on Valium. All that did was get me high and put me to sleep. So no more that. Then, they put me on a low dose of a blood pressure medicine. That didn't help either. Over the past year, the doctors have tried to diagnose exactly what is wrong with me. Unsuccessfully. Until now.

About a two weeks ago, I was diagnosed with Supraventricular Tachycardia. Basically, its an electrical problem in my heart. I was born with too much "wiring" that doesn't want to work right. All the extra "stuff" in there makes my resting pulse higher than it should be. And every now and then, the electrical impulses will cause the two atria (top two chambers of the heart) to contract and relax too rapidly. Which means they don't have time to fill with enough blood. Therefore, the two ventricles don't get enough blood to pump to the rest of my body. Which is why I get really light-headed and sometimes faint. It also causes a feeling of something really heavy being on my chest, so that I can't inhale deeply. Which makes me cough.

These random "sprints" that my heart decides to do aren't all that unhealthy, except for the fact that they will cause my heart to wear out more quickly. Especially since I am still so young. So we're going to start out with some different medications to try to control it. However, my doctor really wants to just go in and fix it. Which scares me to death. I have a ridiculously huge fear of surgery. But it sounds like some of the side effects from the medications would make surgery worth it.

And if all that wasn't enough, I'm having problems with my kidney and gallbladder. I started having severe pain in my right kidney, and they determined it to be gallstones. And they want to remove my gallbladder. Its still causing kidney pain, which raises my blood pressure, which makes my heart even worse. But they don't want to fix my gallbladder until they have my heart under control.

I'm glad to finally be figuring these things out, but at the same time, I'm tired of having doctor's appointments almost daily, having my arm pricked to draw blood, and I'm not looking forward to wearing this stupid heart monitor for the next month.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Arbonne International

Just a quick heads up... look for an invitation to a special Arbonne International party I'll be hosting in July!!

Arbonne offers amazing products that focus on three main things: being pure, safe, and beneficial.

They offer several complete lines of products, including anti-aging, daily skin care, nutritional aides, cosmetics (I switched ALL of my cosmetics over to Arbonne!) and BABY CARE!!

At the time of the party, all products will be offered at 35% off, with lots of special deals as well!

I hope to take advantage of the sunshine and possibly have the party outside, enjoying some desserts and other good snacks!

If you have any questions before the party, or are interested in trying products out now before you buy, just let me know!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Unhealthy Me

Yesterday morning, around 7:30am, I woke up with a weird ache in my side/back. I got up, began moving around, and the pain felt worse. It was on the right side, right where my kidney is. I pushed around a little bit, and the whole kidney-area was very tender. I called Mom at work and told her about it, and she told me to call the doctor and try to get in. So I did.

At my 3:15pm appointment, the doctor examined me and poked around some more on my kidney. Then she palpated my gallbladder. And I almost punched her. The pain was that intense. Based on my lack of any other symptoms, she concluded that my gallbladder duct was a little clogged, and so it was backing up into my kidney. Like a gallstone. Hence the pain in those two spots. Yay for me, right? So I was instructed to stick to bland food for a few days, and to watch for any other symptoms, such as nausea or a fever. But my appointment wasn't over.

For about a year or so, I've had a very rapid resting pulse, as well as severe palpitations that come and go. I took Valium for about a week, but that just put me to sleep instantly. And I tried a blood pressure medication, but that didn't help. So I've sort of ignored it. I had an EKG done last year, but it came back normal as can be. Well, when I was in for my appointment yesterday, my heart (finally!) started acting up when a doctor was around to witness it. She took numerous pulse readings, and it just hovered between 120 and 135. When I was sitting still. And had been for an hour. With no caffeine, no exercise, no nothing. So she did another EKG right then. And it came back not quite so normal. Not like "you're going to have a heart attack tomorrow," but definitely not 100% perfect. So lucky me, I get to go to the cardiologist Friday afternoon and wear a cardiac event monitor for a week.

And in the meantime, my kidney still hurts. Isn't life fun?

Monday, June 23, 2008

Racing Pictures

Here are some pictures from Saturday night at the races...







Sunday, June 22, 2008

A Night At The Races

Last night was my first night serving as Trophy Girl at South Sound Speedway. Shelly asked me to do it for the entire season, but being down there every Saturday night from March until October would get a little old I think. So I'm just filling in as needed. And last night was the first of eight scheduled weekends for me for the summer.

The Parade Lap starts at 6:30pm, and racing follows. This means the Campbell Chrysler Dodge-sponsored Pace Car leads us out, and I ride in the Trophy Car behind the Pace Car. This car also comes from Campbell, but every week its a different Trophy Car from the dealership. Last night was a Dodge Caliber. The Trophy Car Driver was a dealer from Campbell, and he was so sweet! He told me all about his grandkids, how he's getting ready to retire, and all sorts of other things.

Last night was Military Appreciation Night at the track. For the Parade Lap, they invited some of the Army soldiers that were there in uniform to come down on the track. The guy that stands on the tower and waves the flags during the race is responsible for coming and getting me out the Trophy Car and walking me around on the track. So, he came over, opened the door, and we walked down to the bottom of the straightaway, and a Navy Officer sang the National Anthem. Then, back to the Trophy Car, and we make some laps with the Pace Car. Then the racing begins!!

They rand four different classes last night: Wesco Sprint Cars, Mini Stocks, Vintage Modified's, and Limited Late Models (those are the really cool, big, fast cars!). Each class ran a Trophy Dash, and so I got to go out after the Heat Races and present trophies and take pictures. It was so windy last night that my hair kept blowing in my face. But luckily Stormy is really good at timing her pictures, so she managed to get some WITHOUT hair in the my face.

Next were heat races, which don't have trophies. So I hung out in the stands, got something to eat, and enjoyed the racing taking place. After intermission, they started the mains.

The Mini stocks were first, followed by the Wesco Sprints, then the Vintage Modified's, and finally the Limited Late Models. After each main, I went out and presented trophies. It was so fun to be out there, with the crowd cheering. And all of the drivers were so nice. During the mains, I either stood down next to the track and watched from the pits, or sat in the Trophy Car when I got cold. The Pace Car Driver came over and asked if I wanted to go out in the Pace Car with him! So, I jumped in. Every time there was a wreck, we got to go out and line the cars up. It was SO neat flying around the track, and looking back and seeing 16 Late Model cars behind you, all lined up. Plus, there was a track radio in the car, so I got to hear everything the track officials were saying.

So, needless to say, it was a very fun night. Everyone was so nice down there, and I even met the owner of the track. Can't wait to do it again on July 12th!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

I Thought Summer Was Supposed To Be Relaxing...

Why is it that as soon as I get done with one thing, I feel the need to take on ten more things to fill that space? Here I am, getting down to the last week of my summer class, and I already have a million new things scheduled!!

Being on the Health Center Committee for Saint Martin's University, I'm busy creating presentations to show to the incoming freshmen's parents at Orientation. And trying to coordinate with everyone to make sure the actual Health Center is being renovated and will be open in time for classes starting in August. This Center is something I've becoming very passionate about, probably because I've spent the last four years working in a clinic.

In addition, I'm in charge of coordinating registration for the Association of Non-Traditional Students in Higher Education's Annual Conference, which will be held at SMU in March of 2009. Heading this committee has become a huge time commitment. But I'm passionate about it, just like the Health Center. I think I'm looking forward to these both being over with, and being able to say, "Hey, I helped make those possible! I did that!"

When I was dating Jared, I met some really incredible people in his life, some of whom I've kept in contact with. Shelly works down at South Sound Speedway, and contacted me back in March/April about being Trophy Girl down at the track. However, I didn't want to have to give up every Saturday from April through September. I love my weekends too much (see previous posts!). So I politely declined. Then, about a month ago, she called me again. And asked me to "fill-in" for a couple of weekends for the current Trophy Girl. Since I always thought it sounded like fun, I agreed. So, for eight Saturdays this summer, I will be serving as the South Sound Speedway Trophy Girl. Here are the dates: June 21st, July 12th, July 26th, August 9th, August 23rd, August 30th, September 13th, and September 27th. If you're down in the Rochester area any of those nights, stop by and see me! I'll be the one riding around the track in the Pace Car! :)

Disneyland is in 16 days, and I couldn't be more excited! Sunny weather, no parents, great friends, and Mickey!!

Arbonne is finally taking off, and I'm looking forward to scheduling some one-on-ones with people soon to start introducing them to our wonderful products!!

Look for pictures and more posts soon!!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

What A Funny Feeling

There have been so many times in my life when my mom has come to my rescue. From getting a flat tire, to having my battery die, to all sorts of other things, my mom has always been just a phone call away. She would drop anything, and come wherever I needed her to. And she would save the nagging and the, "I told you so!" until later, after I'd calmed down. For one of the first times today, I got to rescue her.

My Aunt Phyllis was put in the hospital yesterday, for a heart condition. Her cardiologist decided he didn't want to wait to do surgery, and so tomorrow morning, she is scheduled for a double bypass and valve replacement. Very scary stuff. So Mom went to visit her this morning, after having another doctor's appointment of her own.

I was sitting in class, counting down until the time I got to leave and head for work. Around 11:15, my phone rang. Obviously, I wasn't able to answer it. But thanks to Mom finally becoming tech-savvy, she simply texted me that her car wouldn't start. So I jumped at the opportunity to leave class early!

I met her at the parking lot where her car was, and we jumped in my car to head over to the hospital to see my aunt. We visited for a little while, and then went back to Mom's car. We jump started it, and she was off and running! I headed to work, and so did she. I told her to call me when she got off work if her car wouldn't start again.

On my way back to work, I started remember all of those times she's come to help me. And I realized, it felt really neat to be able to help her for once. Even with something as trivial as jump-starting her car. We may not always get along, but over the last year, we almost feel more equal now, and not just like mom-and-daughter. She has really come to be more like friend, and someone I can always count on. And she's not just any friend. She's my best friend.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Oh how I live for my weekends...

Ever since I've been in college, and even more this past year, I have LIVED for my weekends to come. I get so busy and stressed during the week, I count down the hours until I get a Friday night. Except I always try to cram too much into those two and a half short days. This weekend, however, I finally got the chance to relax.

Friday night was bowling, which always starts the weekend off well. Even though I did HORRIBLY, I loved every minutes of it. Jason, Pat, and Troy on my team are always so supportive and helpful, even if they do make fun of me for not being "pro's" life them. I get to hang out with them, and Rachel and Jeff and Cody, and Rachel's mom (Mollie) and stepdad (Bob). And Ian came to watch too. All in all, I have come to really look forward to bowling Friday nights, and hope to continue even in the fall.

After bowling, we headed over to Aunt Pam's house for Jessica's graduation party. And, I got to hold Baby Sam for the first time!! He's absolutely perfect, and the way he snuggled up to me when I held him was so sweet. I could hold him for hours and hours. But of course, I had to share him with everyone else.

Saturday morning, I helped Mom mow the lawn, and then headed to downtown Olympia. A friend of ours and her husband had a class to take, so I watched their little girl, Mia, for an hour or so. We played in the park, walked to the fountain, checked out the fruit and vegetables in the Farmer's Market, and scared seagulls away. The weather was gorgeous, and I forgot how much fun it can be to just walk around without a set plan. That's rare for me!

After that, I visited with my friend Todd, who I met at Saint Martin's my first year there. He recently joined the Marines, and has been in Virginia for several months. He finally got to come home, and is now stationed here! He was always like a twin brother to me in school; we hardly went anywhere without each other! I'm so thankful he's home, and I can see him and his (very large!) family whenever I want. There are 8 kids, ranging from 20 to 4 months. Each has a very unique personality, and I love getting to know them individually.

Saturday night, I babysat (again) for some relatives, while they went out with my parents. I'm sure it was a much-needed Adults Night Out for all of them. The girls and I jumped on the trampoline, ate ice cream, watched movies, and they crashed out around midnight. Mom and Dad came home around 1:30am, and were very appreciative of my help.

Sunday, I woke up with an eye ache, so I spend the morning "resting my eyes" (a.k.a. sleeping in and napping). That afternoon, I went to Bob and Mollie's for a Father's Day barbecue with Jeff and Rachel, and took adorable pictures of Cody, which I'll post later. We spend that evening at home, celebrating Father's Day with Rick, who had been working outside all day.

Now, with only two weeks left of class, I'm really starting to feel like summer's coming! I have so many exciting plans for these next two and a half months... Look for lots of updates!!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

I Forgot!!

What was I thinking?! I forgot one of the most exciting parts of my life right now!! Ready for it??

I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND!!!!

That's right! I leave Saturday, July 5th, bright and early. Jeff and Rachel are taking their two kids, Jaylen and Cody, down for Jaylen's 13th birthday. And they invited me to go!! I'll be there helping with Cody mostly, so they can enjoy the big-kid rides with Jaylen, since I'm not a huge fan of them anyways. But I'm looking forward to enjoying some sunshine, and a break from work and school. Should be a great time!!

A New Start

This year has brought so many changes into my life, both for the good and the not-so-good. Here's my attempt at describing the last new months in a nutshell....

First off, I'm still chugging away at school. I'm taking a summer class right now, trying to eliminate some of the work for next year. It's an Organic Chemistry class, and very intense. But I'll be done the 26th of June, and then I'll spend the rest of my summer just working, and getting ready to start my final year at Saint Martin's University!!

Speaking of work - its the same as usual. I'm nearing four years there, and I wouldn't trade a single day of it. I have learned so much that sometimes I amaze myself with the facts and techniques I have learned. I have the sweetest patients, and I look forward to working with them every single day, knowing I get to make a difference in their quality of life.

I've been practically living at my best friend Rachel's house, hanging out with her and her husband and their son Cody. He's 14 months, and one of the most important people in my life. I would do anything necessary for that little guy. If I go one or two days without seeing him, I miss that cute little round face of his. Since I've been with them so much, I've been "hanging out" with Jeff's friend Ian from work. Ian actually grew up in Packwood, and knows much of dad's side of the family. We all have a lot of fun together, and this summer is looking to be one of the best ever.

Jeff and Rachel convinced me to play on their summer bowling league, which takes place Friday nights. I'm on a team with Rachel's stepbrother Jason and some of his friends. I don't think I've ever enjoyed bowling so much!! We have a ton of fun, and since these boys are so good at bowling, it forces me to be better. I even have my own ball and shoes!! My highest game this season has been a 175, and I've also gotten a 157. But my average is around 123. If all goes well, I may even bowl in their fall league!

As if all this wasn't enough, I recently decided to join the network marketing community, and am gearing up to start selling Arbonne International produces. This truly amazing company offers some of the best skin care and health products around. They have been around for 28 years, and their motto is pure, safe, beneficial. I didn't believe in the product until I started using all of Rachel's products, and now I can't imagine using anything else. Rachel switched all of her baby products to Arbonne from Johnson & Johnson. Cody has always had bad eczema on his legs, and nothing seemed to make it better. After using Arbonne lotion on Cody's legs, his eczema has gone away and he has baby-soft skin again! The best part about Arbonne is you actually get to use the product before buying it. I come talk with you, tell you about our company and products, and then leave you with some products you're interested in. You give them back in a week or so, and by then, you're guaranteed to love them.

So, that's my life right now. I'm sure I'm leaving out many, many details, and I'll add them in as I think of them. Right now though, life is good!

Monday, March 3, 2008

I Know, I Know... Its Been A Little While....

Go ahead and say it - I suck at blogging. I love reading everyone else's blogs, but never remember to write my own! So here is a rundown of the last month.

First off, I've been busy at school as always, working on my anatomy dissections, learning exercise physiology, studying different sports injuries, and attempting to understand physics. Emphasize the "attempting" part. So far, everything is good though. And only 9 short weeks left of the semester!!

Secondly, still working like normal. Nothing new there.

Third, as I am the Executive Secretary for the Associated Students of Saint Martin's University, I am the Director of Elections as well. Everything is finally starting to happen now, and our Senate elections are taking up all of my free time, and some of my not-so-free time. But, I love doing it, and tend to thrive on the pressure.

Along with my Senate position, I have the opportunity to help plan for the Health Center we are bringing to our campus this fall. Next year, I will serve as the student representative on the board overseeing and running this facility. Health care has become my passion over the last few years, and I am really looking forward to the opportunity to pour my heart and soul into something like this.

And, because of this position I hold, I had the opportunity to attend the Association of Non-Traditional Students in Higher Education National Conference this past weekend in Nashville, TN. I am considered a Non-Traditional students as SMU, because I transferred into the school with a degree already. This all-expense-paid trip took me to Nashville on Friday morning, and back late last night. I'll be sure to post pictures later tonight. My only mission while I was down there as to meet somebody famous. And as we entered the airport yesterday morning, I had given up hope of it happening. But my luck changed right as we passed through security! I saw a guy walk by, and thought he looked really similar to Trent Tomlinson (http://www.trenttomlinson.com/). I didn't want to approach him and have it NOT be him, so I convinced my friend to walk by him again with me to double check. We were doing the whole "I smile at him, he smiles back, I wink at him, he winks at me" thing, and I finally got the courage to go up to him. And it was him! We talked to him for a few minutes before he had to board his plane, and I got his autograph and a picture with him. Made for a very exciting day!