Test, what test?

Yeah, so I have a test at 0800. It is on...breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, vaginal cancer, vulvar cancer, testicular cancer, oral cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, ingestion, cholelithiasis, GERD, PUD and pancreatitis. I am sure I am forgetting something, but whatever. You can tell since I am on here posting that I am really studying for this test. I am so DONE with school and I still have...394 days until graduation. :(

I feel like the little engine that could, I think I can, I think I can.

I went for a quick run today and I need to figure out how to step it up. I definitely want to increase my milage. I am not so concerned about my pace right now, but would rather jack up the milage...any tips? Let me hear them!

Anyways, Roman Noodle has a urinary tract infection poor little booger. I called the vet to have her write me a script for clavamox-got to love professional curtosy. It is a 14 day treatment with a pill with breakfast and a pill with dinner, at least he doesn't care about taking meds.

It's almost my birthday and we are doing something so freaking cool. I will keep it a secret (yeah like I can keep a secret) until I get home on Sunday night with pictures to do a posting. Other than that there isn't much else going on in my life, with the exception to all the cancers listed above as well as the G.I. stuff. (By the way, I have learned to stay far away from G.I. I don't want anything to do with any of that!) If you haven't taken a moment to look at my relay post (two down) please do and give me your opinions...I need creativity people!

RELAY!!

Ok, ok-Sara is holding a gun to my head giving me a option if I don't get posting more often. Clearly with her option or posting, I'll take posting.

We are kicking off our Relay for Life fundraising today and I'm so excited. That excitement is not sarcasm, but I am honestly excited about it. I have drafted our fundraising email that will go out to my family and Phillip's family's friends tonight. That email is the one that goes through Relay and gives people a link right to our donation page, I've also made a status update on facebook about it (not that any of my poor college friends have money, but you never know!) I know posting the link up here is a shot in the dark, but I figure it couldn't hurt. If you are fortunate enough to be able to make a donation, (the minimum allowed online is $5) we would love to have your support because every little bit, big or small helps! Here is the link: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY09National?px=10200473&pg=personal&fr_id=13387
Also, I totally wouldn't mind if you wanted to pass this link off to your super rich friends, lol. No seriously though, if you know anyone who would like to donate please pass it on. :)

Another thing, I am working on getting some fundraisers together. We are doing some as a nursing program but I would love for Phillip and I to do some as an individual team. I was thinking of selling luminaries. I think that doing them for $5 a piece is reasonable, but do you think $3 for 1 or $5 for 2 would be more enticing. Another option is to leave it up to donation for the individuals, but I am afraid some people wont give but 50 cents and then without a baseline I would still have to do it. With the luminaries, I will have people if their here decorate their own luminaries with markers, glitter, etc. but if people far away wanted to buy a luminary they could email me the name of the honoree as well as a tribute message and I will decorate one for them. My friend Beth also mentioned making these super cute flower pins, but I think they will be too time consuming (well at least with someone as crafty challenged as me) so maybe just doing some cute purple ribbon pin for people, what do you all think? Please, those creative souls out there in blog land, send me both your creativity as well as your fundraising ideas. Muchas gracias!!

Another thing, I'm a bit worried about Phillip and the whole Relay thing. I am so totally excited that he's willing to participate, but at the same time, I'm worried about his physcological health. I think that this is going to be emotional, it will be emotional for me, for everyone, but for someone who has a Dad dying of cancer it hurts, you know? I don't think there is anything we can do to lesson the sting, but I am worried. I know he is an adult so obviously he would say that he doesn't want to do it, but I think there are times when we don't think it will be emotional and it hits us. I know I thought I would be fine at the breast cancer half marathon and wow, did some of it just hit me. Here I am running my bum off at mile 6 or 7 and I'd see something that would put tears in my eyes. Who knows, I guess everyone is different.

I love you all, thanks for your support!

Clinical Day 5.

I have stayed home the last two day from school because I felt terrible. I then started to feel a bit guilty about missing two days of lecture, but I woke up this morning feeling SO much better; therefore, missing class...definitely worth it. I really enjoy clinicals, I feel like without question I learn the most while I am there, and today I get to take on 2 patients again like I was doing last semester. I'm excited about that.

We had been told last week that Phillip's dad (Wilson) would be having surgery on March 11. Based on this surgery and treatment plan for following the surgery he would have a 30-40% of being alive in 5 years. We were as expected so very excited. Phillip and I had talked about how with those statistics Wilson would most likely be here to see us get married, he might even be able to see us have our first baby. We were so excited. Well last night we found out that he is no longer a candidate for the surgery. The physician from Texas called and said that another biopsy's results came back showing that he does have biphasic mesothelioma. There are two different types of pleural mesothelioma, there is epitheliod and then there is sarcomatoid, then you have biphasic which basically means both. In finding that it is biphasic, it determined that he is no longer a candidate for the surgery because the cancer is too agressive. Needless to say, this news just killed us. It was like Phillip said, a swift kick to the gut. Now we are basically going through the same grieving stages as we already did once before, we've basically had the rug pulled out from under us.

I need to head out and get ready to get ready to go to clinicals. Scrubs are drying and I need to jump into the bath, then I have to head to the mall to get Z some new gator pjs and I guess I need to go get another freaking pen light. How the heck have I lost another one? I guess I really am just that good. :)

More later.

Try again...

Ok, I am really going to make an effort to get multiple posts up a week. My goal is...3, yeah I think three sounds reasonable.

School is going well. This semester is going fast, there is just so much going on. We have an exam every other week, we have two clinical days weekly, NPR, papers, med days, then there are lectures, labs and check offs. Oh the joys of nursing school. Honestly though, I am really enjoying myself. I am on an oncology floor this semester, which is ironic considering what happened this break (I'll give a quick synopsis on that later). This week I will start taking on two patients and have been apparently receiving compliments on my work, this time it most recently came from the charge nurse I took report from last Friday. Hey, I'll take it, anything to boost the moral is always appreciated. I actually have a nice relaxing week this week. I had 3 hours of lecture on DM today then I watched Jodi's kids for 4 hours or so. Tomorrow I have 3 hours of class, then a NSA meeting followed by nothing, Wednesday I have only 3 hours of lecture and that's it! Yay. Of course Thursday I have clinicals from 1300-1900 and then Friday clinicals from 0700-1300.

This weekend I am heading to Orlando...again. I will have spent 3 out of 4 weekends in the last 4 weekends there. But, this weekend is special. Aside from of course the ever so exciting studying for my Wednesday test, we are going to see Sister Hazel on Saturday night! I can't wait. We desperatly need something fun to kind of lift our spirits.

So, here is the quick synopsis of winter break. Phillip's dad was admitted to the Hospital on Dec 11, after passing out the night before. I then had my final on Wednesday, on Friday we found out he had cancer then on Sunday we found out it was terminal. Phillip and I flew up to Michigan that next day and spent a week with them. We basically helped around the house and get things together, to close up the house and move them to Florida. Then that Friday we left Michigan and drove to Tennessee where we spent 2 nights checking on the property and the status of the house, then finished the drive to Florida on Sunday. Needless to say, we stayed with his family for the holidays. I saw my parents for a day, which sucked, but it is understable why we stayed with his family. Ever since the dx our relationship has taken an obvious backseat, but we need your prayers. We were in such an amazing place before all this, and now we are just hanging on by a thread. We are going to make it work, because that is what we do, but if it could be a bit easier that would be wonderful. Oh yeah, and for the icing on our cake, while my parents were in NC (with Caity for Christmas) and I was in Orlando, we get a call on the 23rd that Yori is sick. Don't really feel like getting into it, but Keri and Oscar took her to the vet that night and Jim put her down. It was terrible. Don't get me wrong, having 14 years with a golden is amazing in every sense, but it is always sad. Keri's cousin Sarah then brought Rummy up to me the next day and she spent the holidays with us until my parents drove back down. .

Little update on the kids, everyone is doing wonderful! Roman is happy and healthy. He is a continuous light in my life. He is just wonderful. Super is doing great. I can tell she is starting to move a bit slower, which is sad, but she is still full of life. Moses, oh Moses, he is my little fatty who loves me, Maximus and Kiwi (most the time) everyone else, whatever in his mind. Maximus is my scaredy cat, but a sweetie. I wish I could see him more often, but I value every time he comes up for some loving. Kiwi is such a little trouble maker. She is into everything, picking on Gibbly, tearing through the house, etc. That is just Ms. Kiwi. Revol and Gibbly are both sweet as pie. They are just little love bugs, they like to snuggle up, make pancakes and purr. Love it! Needless to say, the kids are great! They make me smile.

I guess that's it for now. I'll be back (at least twice again before the week is up)!