Sunday, December 26, 2010

merry christmas :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Eddie's family was way too good to me this year! I got a lot more than I asked for - I think too much! Four of my favorite gifts:

+ my fiance coming home :) <- this is like the best Christmas present of all!
+ a Vera Bradley Betsy from Eddie's sister husband in Imperial Toile. I actually don't have this pattern yet and I really like it, I just never bought anything in it! He picked it out himself and I love it :)
+ TomTom GPS from Eddie - this will be very helpful especially when I trek out to Missouri and also when I move to Texas.
+ This wine serving set from Eddie's dad that was actually on our wedding registry haha. It comes with 4 wine glasses, a wine glass rack and a bucket to chill your bottle in :)

I just realized that next Christmas will probably suck, because there will be a good chance that Eddie will be deployed (he is trying to deploy as soon as he can, grrr...) and hopefully I will have a big kid job by then, so I will probably have to work on Christmas. Ohhhhh well!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

1 more day of work 2010 (tomorrow!!) and then HOPEFULLY seeing my fiance tomorrow night - if not then definitely for Christmas eve! Can't wait!

I went to Ulta today (again) to first return this Smashbox foundation which was too orangey on me so I got a lighter shade to try. I also picked up some UDPP, a Tarte 4-in-1 concealer and I was on the hunt for another spot treatment, so one of the SA's recommended Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion.

She told me this has been in many beauty magazines and a lot of people swear by it. It's $17 for a 1.0-oz bottle. Basically smells like calamine, which is one of the ingredients. You just take a Q-tip, dip it into the bottle and then apply it to your blemishes. I dipped mine in the pink calamine stuff (I don't know if you're supposed to) and put it on my face...now I've got spots and look ridiculous haha. I've read somewhere that this is more so for pustule acne (and while I occasionally get those, mine is more of the red/minor inflammatory stuff)...but we'll see!

I'm also starting to study for my boards. Slowly but surely. Its rough, because this stuff can be quite boring! lol...I also love looking at this while I study and make my notecards :)


I still need to send in my shiz (application for licensure + registering for the NCLEX...FYI, Ohio's application is only $75, New York is $143 and Texas is freakin $200 :(...NCLEX is another $200... + fingerprints, which are like $57, boo!)...but of course I don't want to do that until I know FOR SURE WHERE I AM LIVING. Once again Eddie said Texas is only a possibility, after he told me we were for sure going there! Grrrr! I should find out during the first or second week of January, though.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

still can't decide.

I still can't decide on what to do.

It shouldn't be this hard. I seriously think that sometimes I have a hard time making decisions haha.

Eddie proposed the idea of getting legally married when he comes back for Christmas/New Year's. There are many benefits to this:

* an extra $1500/mo. that he'll be making just for being married. it goes to him but it's for me, I guess you could say. He said he would give me $2000 when he comes back (if we do this) to help tie me over, which can be used to help pay rent if I end up being short on money for a month or for more wedding stuff.
* an estimated $7500 would be made by May, but with taxes it would be more like $3000 + whatever I don't use (basically around $5000 if I don't spend anything). This could be used towards a honeymoon as well as extra money in the bank in case we need it for whatever reason.
* I also probably won't be working right off the bat when we move. So this will help.
* I can jump on his health insurance. I'm currently on my mom's, but then she wouldn't have to pay for me any more and that's more money she'll save.
* Changing my name now will save me from having to deal with it later. As of now we're planning on leaving the day after the wedding because it's about a 22 hour drive to Texas. All we'll have to do is go to the BMV and get new driver's licenses.
* This will also help with my RN license. It is such a pain in the ass to change your name on a license like that, at least in Ohio. if I sit for my NCLEX in March, I'm going to have to go through the whole name change process 2 months later anyway.

I probably wouldn't make this entirely public...just let closer friends/family know. I would have to change my name on all of my ID's and everything, but that doesn't mean I have to change my Facebook name (the name that matters, I think! lol). And with all of this shiz with the wedding bands I probably won't have one to wear for awhile so as my roommate said, it's even easier to hide lol.

Everyone says go for it. My mom said ultimately it is my decision but she feels it would "take away" from the wedding ceremony. I don't think it will because Eddie will only be here for a week and then he goes back to MO. I'll see him very little between January-May. Even if I legally change my name, I probably won't "feel" married until after the actual wedding ceremony. A friend of mine did this and in no way did this "take away" from her wedding day. I honestly think it's my mom that is keeping me from making this decision.

On a side note, work kind of sucked yesterday. Normally the ICU stepdown unit isn't bad. I was actually expecting to float to sit because that is what happened to me the past few times I picked up on that floor. One of the NA's called in sick so I had the floor. It was just one of those days where you constantly had to play "catch up" with everything - all of my work got done but I was constantly behind on everything. Then of course, I forgot to clock out at the end of my shift lol.

Only 3 more work days for 2010! :)

I also bought a dress! It's all black with beading detail on the straps and underneath the bust, but you can't see that in these pictures. It's got kind of like a ruching/pleating detail down the center. It's also form-fitting, which I kind of like. Only $69.99 @ Dillard's!

Don't mind my bug-eyed expression haha.


And the side:


I love it and can't wait to wear it!

I had all of these options for shoes but go figure I couldn't find any of them and I wanted to have shoes as soon as possible, so I just bought these pink leopard print ones from Kohl's:

They weren't my first choice but when I saw them in person I loved them even more! And best of all, these $54.99 shoes were only like $14 :)

6 more days until my fiance comes home!





Saturday, December 18, 2010

Yesterday at work (for the mere 4 hours I was there lol) we just got a fresh post-op GSW to the face. He had a trach with a ballard suctioning system, which is basically an enclosed suctioning device. They're nice (and save time!) because since it is enclosed, it is sterile and non-sterile gloves aren't going to break the sterile field. This also means you don't have to bring in a new sterile suctioning kit every time you want to suction someone.

The seasoned RN, who works on an orthopedic floor, has never seen these before or worked with them. I got to do my teaching moment by showing her how to use it. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks, though it must have been embarrassing for her because the family members were in the room. Generally people look up to RN's as the "know-it-all" people - and my badge definitely does not say "RN" in big black bold letters.

Friday, December 17, 2010

8 more days until Christmas, and that means 8 more days until I get to see my fiance! That is seriously like the best Christmas present ever :)

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

I'm graduating!

After waiting an agonizing 10 days for my nursing research final exam grade (the ONE test that would determine if I graduate or not)...I received my fate this morning and ended up with a 94% on the final! The instructors must have done some SERIOUS curving because I was certain I failed that test. With that said, I am GRADUATING FROM NURSING SCHOOL WITH MY BSN ON SATURDAY!!!!

THANK YOU to everyone who believed in me and set me straight and proved me wrong by telling me to "shut up and stop worrying because you'll make it," and I did! I couldn't be happier! I'm so excited to conclude this chapter of my life. Now I have some time to RELAX, start studying for boards, take my NCLEX class starting at the end of January, work in between and plan my wedding!

Halle-freakin-lujah! :D

Friday, November 26, 2010

:)


Long overdue (like over 2 months lol) but I'm engaged! And I think he did a fabulous job on the ring :) The date and the church/reception hall and other details are already set!

And on another note, this upcoming nursing research final that I have on Monday might just be the death of me.