Studying

I don't have class today so my goal was to get some studying done, specifically working on my study guide for Pharmacology. My four year old nephew Kellan wandered into my room about an hour and a half ago and has been here ever since. Reading of Parkinson's has been punctuated by questions like "what happens when you warm a car up", "Heavenly Father loves all of his creations" (yeah my heart melted too), and for some reason, a repeated chanting of "nude! nude! nude!". My room is very warm because he likes to have my heater on, smells like popcorn (we each have our own bowl), and there are Skip-Bo cards everywhere.(I was trying to keep him entertained).

So while I haven't gotten a whole lot of learning in, at least I got some aunt-nephew bonding. Okay better go- I think he is going to break my heater...

Respectively Agree

http://www.newsweek.com/id/216210?GT1=43002

It Happens Every Year

Actually it happens twice every year. Around September and April, my mom would always comment "Look how light (or dark) it is at five o'clock." It happens every year- the days get shorter (or longer), signaling either the start of school or the beginning of vacation. Well the days are getting shorter. I've been trying to deny it for awhile now but here it is, 8:30 and its completely dark outside. And its been like that for a good hour. More things I've tried to ignore? The leaves aren't green anymore but vary between crimson red to golden delicious yellow. School buses appear in the morning and afternoon. Grocery stores now carry pumpkins and advertise costumes. Normally I LOVE autumn. I'm all about covering up and what better season to break out the new hoodies and long pants than when the weather dips into the fifties and it rains every other hour. But this year, I go back to school. And I like school, especially since I'll be learning something that I can earn a living off of and help people (working in scrubs is a nice plus). I just really dislike change. Any kind of change. I didn't want to leave Astoria last June. I don't want to leave Portland this September. And I'm pretty sure when graduation rolls around next June, yes of course I'll be ecstatic but you know that nagging feeling that sometimes happens when you have a paper to write that is ten pages long and its due tomorrow? Or how you have a great weekend planned...right before finals? Its that kind of feeling. Ugh. I really would rather things stay the same. Or at least change a little bit slower.

Twenty-Six

One week ago, my sister and I turned 26. As birthdays are when you get older, it was pretty much another ordinary day. My older brothers and sister had a barbeque for us since our parents decided to go back East (our nephew was being baptized so we figured he deserved to have them their for his birthday). I went for a run. We both took naps. The birthday was a mere blip in the year so I decided to find out what was so interesting about the number 26. So, thanks to wikipedia, here it is.

26 is:

-the atomic number of iron

- the only number between a squared number (five squared) and a number to the third (nine to the third)

-the number of letters in the English alphabet

-the number of miles in a marathon (rounded down from 26.2)

-the age at which males can no longer be drafted in the US

-Michigan is the 26th state to be added to the union

Okay so apparently 26 isn't that spectacular of a number. Maybe I'll just say I'm 25 since my older sister got me a card that says I am. :)

The Reunion

The second week of June, all the Randalls and a few Newby's convened at Aspen Grove in Utah for a family reunion. The last one we had was five years ago and this time, there were quite a few more children. And though none of them were mine, I spent time holding Reese, chasing Cameron, and trying to get Brian to smile. It was a great vacation, especially since I had just finished all my finals for spring term. And somehow, I pulled straight A's this term. :) Even though it rained most of the time, it was still fun. I shot a rifle with my brother's and sister making quiet jokes about the adult counselor who was there. I convinced Elizabeth to play paintball and she did well- except when her paint bullets started to hit me and I was on her team. One of the best parts was late at night, I played Phase 10 with Elizabeth, Eric, and Seth. Elizabeth zoomed ahead in the phases (I think she had the deck rigged), while Eric and I lagged behind. I don't know if it was the late hour or all the candy we had eaten, but we all lost it when our nephew's cell phone started buzzing. Pretty sure we were all crying. 

Acute Mountain Sickness became the phrase of the reunion. The director of Aspen Grove explained that this can occur to those not used to high altitude (yeah like me coming from the beach to the mountains) and can result in headaches, dizziness, etc. Pretty soon we were all coming down with AMS, though I'm sure it was the steep incline up to our cabin that caused our being out of breath every time we came back from a meal. 

I love my family and am so happy OUR family is forever. :) Joanna took the pictures above.

Eight Tidbits

I check everyone else's blog at least once a day, though I haven't updated mine since February. But I'm doing this because I have a test tomorrow and I am thoroughly sick of studying. Thanks for the distraction Katie. Oh and by the way, I am succesfully off of Diet Dr Pepper. Now sugar free Rockstar is another story, much to the chagrin of my mother. But I need something to keep me awake during nursing school.

8 THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO

1. Going to Las Vegas next week with Joanna and hitting up In & Out
2. Aspen Grove family reunion. With everyone. But at least I don't have kids to watch. :)
3. Being able to run again. Though the elliptical does the job, I miss running outside.
4. Finishing this term, starting with that test tomorrow on fluid, electrolytes, and acid-bases.
5. Actually finishing nursing school. Though its a year away.
6. Catching up on all the TV shows I've had to delay.
7. Buying some more Safeway sugar free sparkling water.
8. The Blizzard that is in my freezer right now.

8 THINGS I DID YESTERDAY

1. Studied about 10 hours for my test tomorrow.
2. Checked my email every two minutes because of number 1.
3. Had to jump out of my car in the middle of traffic to move a huge garbage bin that the wind had blown over into my lane.
4. Woke up at 5:30. On a Saturday. Grr dang clinicals.
5. Sweated a good hour on the elliptical.
6. Started to watch 30 Rock but then saw my text book glaring at me so I had to stop and study.
7. Did the dishes. Twice.
8. Braided my hair.

8 THINGS I WISH I COULD DO

1. See without contacts. Or actually see WITH contacts. 
2. Run as far as I want whenever I want without worrying about my knees.
3. Speak in an accent. Of any kind.
4. Not look mad when I'm really not.
5. Own a herd of dachshunds.
6. Go to another country. Even if its Canada.
7. Tell the old guy at the gym to share the freaking fan.
8. Play the piano like I used to. Seriously I should with 8 years of lessons.

8 SHOWS I WATCH

1. 30 Rock (I would eat a dozen donuts if I'm sad or happy)
2. 24 (its all about the Jack pack)
3. Bones (Sweets is the first psychologist I like)
4. Fringe (its like the X-Files)
5. The X-Files (even though its not on anymore, its still a classic)
6. Dollhouse (though I'm waaaay behind, I'm really into it)
7. The Office (because I want to meet Creed. And Jim)
8. Supernatural (thanks Katie. "That's not school Dean. That's schoolhouse rock.")

8 BANDS I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT

1. Dashboard Confessional
2. Blue October
3. Taylor Swift
4. October Fall
5. Bon Iver
6. The Airborne Toxic Event
7. Third Eye Blind
8. The Crash Motive

8 MOVIES THAT I LOVE

1. The Fugitive
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. North & South
4. Pillow Talk
5. What's Up Doc?
6. Identity
7. You've Got Mail
8. Coraline

8 BLOGGERS TAGGED

1. sister Elizabeth
2. sister-in-law Jen
3. nursing student friend Lynn
4. Um I don't know anyone else....

One Month with H20

It started with not wanting to drive in the dark. In the snow.  Last week, the weather here at the coast was cold. And a little icy. I had a clinical shift and luckily, I carpool the majority of the way to Seaside. But I was anxious just thinking of driving to our meeting place. Anxiety usually brings on a stomach full of knots. They'll go away once I get to the hospital, I thought. Yeah not so much. I was calmly pouring an Ensure-like fluid into my patient's G-tube when I could feel my blood pressure start to drop. You know the feeling. Palms are clammy. Nausea sets in. You feel like you are going to pass out. Luckily the nurse I had that day was supremely understanding and ordered me to sit down immediately while she finished the tube feeding. The patient and the patient's friend were both "Are you okay? You don't look so good." Um wait a second. I should be caring after the patient not have the patient concerned for me. The nurse instructed me to drink some orange juice and go to lunch. Which I did. I crashed as soon as I got home and thought it had passed. Nope. The rest of the week I basically had some sort of stomach thing. The point of this is that I couldn't drink what I usually drink: Diet Dr. Pepper. I drink that every day. A lot of it. You know the 36 can cases at Costco? I go through one of those a week. But that sweet liquid made me gag when I tried it and so far, I haven't had any since Valentine's Day. That is a long time for me. So I figure what a perfect time to test out the water and soda debate. Will I have more energy drinking water? Does it really help your skin look better? If I was drinking diet soda before and now I am drinking water, will I lose weight? I have had less energy as of right now and get a headache off and on but I am going to give it a month. March 14 guys. I almost gave in today but I can make it a month. By March 14 I'll be about done with this term of school. It will fly by. I have noticed that in drinking more of H2O I spend a lot more time in the bathroom. I read somewhere that this usually passes as your body gets used to all the water. Hopefully this is true. Ahem. Now excuse me. I have to go. Again.