And now my birthday is over...

Today was Cooper's birthday party. If you asked him, today was his birthday, he has no idea that his birthday is actually on Tuesday. Coop had been asking for a pool party and Shelley decided that for his first real birthday party this year he'd have a pool party. There were about 15 children there, it seemed like everyone had a wonderful time. Cooper was super wired, but that was to be expected. He showed everyone his new pet tortoise which everyone was excited about, especially Jackson. Then everyone went into the pool for a little while, Jackson spent most of the time out in the side yard where the slip and slide that Cooper and I got yesterday was. He was hysterical, walking up and down the slip part and then would just lay down in the puddles. It was finally a lot of fun when someone got the idea to grabs his limbs either two arms or two legs and fling him down the slide.

We had a creepy Diego pinata, a cupcake cake, food, lots of food and candy...it was a great time. We all enjoyed ourselves. It was super freaking hot that I actually considered putting on the bathing suit that was in my car, but I resisted the temptation.

After everyone left and after we opened present, Prince Phillip took all three boys into the side yard to play with this new rocket toy; as they were walking back into the house he said to Phillip, "and now my birthday is over." There were no questions, it was just a statement...it's the end.

Here is a slew of pictures from the day, enjoy! I hope everyone had an excellent Saturday. :)


Here are some pictures from in the house with Jackson and Grandpa Bob:



Then the birthday boy himself:






The oldest, Robbie, with Cooper's new present:



Then the little man on the slip and slide (see, grabbing two limbs really did work!):







This is Jackson trying to catch the water in his mouth:



Here is the bucket that was put out for people to dip there feet in so they didn't track dirt in (this bucket probably held Jackson's attention the longest out of anything today):

And of course, cake time! Cooper picked out a Dora and Diego cake, he made sure to tell the bakery lady that this cake should have two toys on it (he was more excited about the stupid cake toys then he was birthday presents):

Boys, boys, boys

Today was pretty productive. I folded a crap load of laundry, cleaned out the fridge, then went to the boys, then bought groceries.

The boys were fantastic. I picked Coop up from school early and we went for pizza together. He is my boy, he turned 4 on Tuesday of next week...it is so hard for me to believe. He was 16 months when I first started watching him. We have been through so much together, his hitting stage, terrible twos, him being hospitalized in the PI with seizures, bringing J home from the hospital, learning to swim, potty training...he is special to me. He is definitely the most difficult out of the three boys, but I think that is why we are so close, I mean who doesn't love a challenge? I also had a great time with Shelley and Bill. I miss them, I miss seeing them everyday. We spent a few hours just talking today, catching up. We talked about how terrible the health care system is. I am not going to get into it now, but I am just sick of people running hospitals who are not doctors, nurses, etc. Get on the floor, care for some patients, then maybe you will be better equipped to enact new policies and rules.

Tomorrow I have to pick up a slip and slide for Cooper's birthday party on Saturday, after I pick it up I have to pick Coop up and take him home--then Brooke will go get Robbie and she'll leave. ;) I like when she leaves. Robbie and I have decided to make some brownies tomorrow and then we'll probably spend the rest of the day in the pool. It has been 95*+ everyday this week, so the pool is the only bearable place to be outside.

Here are a couple of pictures for you all to enjoy:
I <3 these boys!

Wordless (well just a few) Wednesday

I suck at the wordless part of wordless Wednesday, but I'll try to make it short. I finished class today!!! Sweet 8 and a half weeks off. How incredibly amazing is that?!!? I also had my comprehensive NCLEX test today and I got a 91 on it. I was worried because I definitely didn't put in the time that I should have...whoops! Well 8 1/2 weeks off will recharge that. A few of us went out to lunch afterwards and then Meghan and I went to Toys R Us to get Coop's birthday present. His bday party is Saturday, I got him a motorized dump truck. I think it's cool, I also got Robbie the game Clue and Jackson a puzzle so that they don't feel left out.

Anyways, here are some pictures of the fur kids today. Of course my scaredy cat Maximus isn't in the line up neither is my photophob Super...silly dog.

Enjoy:

He realized he had a cookie waiting for him if he smiled pretty.

R0man did a wonderful job posing.

Here is my penguin, Moses.

Moses is kind of a big kitty. He was my first and I <3>

Revol, he is a sweet heart. He drives Roman nuts, but Nood just needs a bit more tolerance.

Princess Kiwi, of course her out of all the kitties would be upside down. It just fits her personality oh so well.

We needed a bit of an intercession for Roman and Kiwi to wrestle. They love one another and are constantly there.

It is actions like this that created the:

They say that if you don't think God has a sense of humor then you've never seen a platypus.

4 days

I've let 4 days go without a post. I've been super duper busy. I had class Friday and then headed to Orlando, where all weekend I was either studying or with PP and his family. We went to his sister's house on Sunday for Father's Day breakfast, after breakfast I went to the nail salon with his mom and sisters-they said I could bring my note cards and study there, yeah we just chit chatted, not the best use of my time, but I have beautiful pink toes to show for it. Then I spent some time studying while everyone else got a nap and got dinner ready. Dinner was great, it wasn't nearly as emotional as I thought it was going to be which was a nice change of pace.

Yesterday I had our last test of the semester, I have a B for the semester...again. Tomorrow we have our last school commitment. We have a practice NCLEX test to see if we are where we should be. If we get below a 77% we will have to do case studies this summer. I have already enrolled in the online case studies, not because I think I'll fail but so I can keep my brain sharp over break. Our break is almost 8 weeks long which is a really long time not to think anything nursing. We also were told to do EKG work over the summer so I got this book. I had a 40% off coupon to Borders this weekend so I bought it with that and spent only $22 on it. We also got our reading list today for next semester, I guess it wouldn't hurt to start to put a dent in that. We'll see how motivated I am to do that...I know I should though.

Other than school there hasn't been too much going on. Phillip and I have been talking about getting engaged (probably since seeing the movie The Proposal this weekend). We have already gone out and looked at rings together but we were talking about the fact that I can't wear and engagement ring in the hospital. I want to wear the ring that he buys me, all the time, not just the 3 days a week when I am not in the hospital or lab. We have decided to go out this weekend and look for a beautiful wedding band that we like, we're doing it backwards, then when we are getting married we'll add an engagement ring into the set. Phillip really wants me to have both, although I am ok with just the one, so when I graduate and only have to be in the hospital 3 or 4 days a week (which I might actually be able to wear it depending on the setting) he'll get me one.

I like talking about getting engaged and getting married, buying a house, etc. I just love thinking about having a partner, someone there to love me and support me in all my endeavors. Anyways, we saw The Proposal, which was fantastic. Here is one of my favorite parts of the movie. It's obviously taped in the theatre because people are laughing over the sound in some parts, but it is fabulous! Enjoy.

"Clear!"

I have always wanted to yell that, well at least from the time when I was 7 and ER premiered. Today I got to do it for real! It was on my TEE/cardioversion guy. At first today when I went to the tele room when I got on the floor his heart rate looked like it had flipped back into normal sinus rhythm which I was pretty bummed about...then we realized that the girls in the tele room printed a tele strip of another one of my patients. Low and behold when I got the right strip the patient was still in afib/aflutter. He was the sweetest old man, late 80s, and asked me more then once today if I was going to go with him down for the procedure and stay with him through it. (Duh! I was a bit excited about it.)

Anyways, apparently this doctor, who is usually grumpy was super impressed with me. He talked me through the whole procedure, we were able to see the mitral valve prolapse, he had the tech pause the monitor multiple times to show and explain things to me. Then when we got to the end of the procedure when we were going to to the cardio version he turned to me and said "you want to shock him back into rhythm," (thinking to myself "do I want to shock him into rhythm, is the sky blue?!?") I got a huge grin and said "yes." He walked me through the steps of how to do it, then I said "all clear," then wabam! Back into rhythm baby!

Here is a strip of a heart rate in afib/aflutter:

Here is a strip in normal sinus:

Today was definitely a rocking last day of clinicals! :) (Now there are no more clinicals until mid September...how sweet is that?!?)

Wordy Wednesday!

Tomorrow is the last day of clinicals. Woo-hoo. Today was ok in the hospital, a bit boring, but fine. I had three patients, two of which were in aflutter and one who was recovering from a MI that happened on Sunday. I basically laughed and joked with the floor nurses today. That was nice!

Tomorrow I'll be going with one of my patients down to a cardioversion and a transesophogeal echo. Basically (he is one of the patients who is in aflutter) they will take him downstairs, shove a probe down his throat and look at his heart in I believe it is 2D though it may be 3D. Once they are in there looking at it they will shock his heart in hopes of converting his rhythm into sinus. I'm excited. We'll see. I also have to pick up 32 bagels tomorrow morning for the nursing staff. I am really hoping some of the other students give me some money since one person is making muffins, another bringing cream cheese, another bring OJ, well 32 bagels will cost me just over $25 with tax...everyone chipping in a bit would be nice.

Other than that, today I went and picked up to chairs for my living room! I had for the longest time decided that I would not go all out decorating because I knew I wouldn't stay here forever. I changed that when Phillip made it clear the other day that the house we move into in Orlando most likely will only be our home for a few years. That is a bit hard for me since my parents bought the home they lived in 21 years ago, that is where I grew up, Caity was brought home from the hospital in, I love that home...to me that's a home. Phillip has moved here there and everywhere throughout his life and to him that is normal. He made a point to remind me that his job is never a guarantee and if we have to move we have to me. With that being said, I am going to move into my home whatever home it is, for whatever length of time I'm projected to be there, like it'll be my home forever. :)

Here are the pictures of the new chairs in my living room.





The darker images are more a true ideas of the color of everything. The last one was just lighted up a bit.

:) Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!

The count down is on...

The count down is on...
2 clinical days
1 lecture
1 unit test worth 30%
1 NCLEX exam that we have to score over a 77% and depending on our scores will help decide our placement for transition.

Today I did a lot of nothing. I slept in late, enjoyed snuggling with the fur kids, ate dinner early at Subway, then watched Jodi's kids. I was there for four hours, feed the kids dinner, got them bathed and sent off to bed, then I finished my note cards. I am completely up to do date on all my lecture note cards up to Friday's lecture for Monday's test. That saves me a lot of time, so I can actual use time studying as opposed to making cards which if anyone else makes note cards is incredibly time consuming.

This weekend is Father's day weekend, my parents are in NC so obviously I can't spend it with my Dad, so we'll be in Orlando again. Phillip is taking his Dad out to lunch on Saturday, just Phillip and Wilson. I think that will be nice, it will be something that he remembers. Then Sunday night we are having dinner at Jessica's house at 1700 with the whole family. I am a bit worried about Sunday night, I think it is going to be really emotional. I really want to get Wilson something for Father's day, but what do you get someone for their last Father's day?

On an up note, I jut finished watching the new TNT show Wedding Day it was incredible. The show basically puts on a wedding for a deserving couple, the couple on tonight's show was a young couple who 4 days before their original wedding day (1 1/2 years ago) the bride to be got in a near fatal car accident. Well it further went through their story explaining how he was there through her entire recovery, supporting her, etc. Well first, the show took her and her maid of honor to NYC to pick out her dream dress and shoes (she has great taste), then they redid the church, both the dads worked on a beautiful stained glass piece for the church, etc., etc., etc. They surprised them by finishing their home that they were working on before her accident, the work on their home had been put on the back burner so they were so excited because now after their wedding they had a home to move in together.

Lastly they had Boyz II Men sing for their first dance, they sang I'll Make Love to You. I loved it, I cried. Not so surprising I know, but it was so special.

Watching this show made me want to get married even more. I just want to be with someone who wants to be with me forever in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer. Going through all of this with Phillip's family it makes me realize how much having the support of a spouse is. I have grown up so independent, I was taught that I don't need anyone to support me and that I can do it on my own. I know that I am capable of taking care of myself, I am capable of taking care of a home, I am capable of making my own income, paying my own bills, etc. However, I want to come home after having a good day or a bad day to someone who loves me and supports me, I want to know that if I am up sick with strep throat, there will be someone to run to the store to get your popsicles. You get the gist.

Anyways, it'll happen....one day.

Fabulous!

Who loves a fabulous day?!? I do!

So lunch today went better than expected. I couldn't have asked for anything better. Our parents got along great, there were very few breaks in the conversation, I grabbed the waiter after lunch on the way to the bathroom and asked him to split the checks three and three so there wasn't any of that awkwardness, it was awesome. I was worried that they just wouldn't have anything to really talk about, they're just different. Not that different is bad, but you know!

We shared photos of Sherry and Wilson's house, shared an appetizer, had lunch, and just enjoyed chit chatting. Lunch lasted for about an hour and a half and I even got a picture of the six of us. (I wanted to make sure I got it because I can't be promised that we will all ever be together again.) At the end they were talking about how Sherry and Wilson are renting a house down in the keys and my Mom even extended an invite for them to stop on their way down for lunch or a snack or whatever. :)

I know it was stupid for me to be nervous, but I was. I was nervous to the point of having a belly ache this morning. When I get stressed I get a belly ache like clock work!

Anyways, we all went our separate ways and PP and I went back to his place to relax before the wedding. We basically just vegged out, I putzed on blogger and facebook, played some typer shark (I randomly found it online and that is the game we played in my typing class in HS), then got ready to go. We weren't at the wedding long. Wilson was ready to leave about 2100, which was fine with us. We took off, picked up a cupcake for me (what? we didn't get to stay for wedding cake!) and some chicken for PP and then came home.

I call today, a fabulous day. Oh, and I'm reading My Sister's Keeper and was able to read about 150 pages this morning and the book is really good. I wasn't sure I was going to like how it jumped from character to character (they go through at least 6 characters telling the story in first person), but I am able to stay focused and love it! So here are a few pictures from today. :)

The six of us at lunch. It is kind of small in the thumbnail, but it is going to go in a frame at home. :)

Wilson and Sherry at the wedding.

Jessica (PP sister) and her husband Doug.

Prince Phillip and I at the wedding.