I suck at keeping up with my blog posts....

Geez. I pretty much suck at keeping up with my blog. It's been over a year so I'll make this short and sweet. 

• I graduated from SUNY Downstate Medical Center Brooklyn with my degree in Sonography in May 2012. Yay!

• I got a job in ultrasound, worked for 2 months and realized the training at my school was sub-par to say the least. Since I need more training and can't work at night on my own (which is what the job would be) I was let go. Total bummer. Boo.

• Substituted in Plano up until a couple weeks ago when I got a job as the EMS Lab Coordinator at a community college here in Dallas. Yay!

• Realized that the pay at this job won't cut it, so I'll probably be going back to teaching. Meh. Good news? I'll be taking the test to teach high school, so this is a YAY!

• Quickly realized that God has a plan for all of us, and although it drives me crazy not knowing what the future holds for me, I know that He does. Always remember that. 

• Besides that, I'm very excited to be home, got settled in my apartment, am very glad to be home with my friends. I'm still looking for that special someone but have to remember that this area in His hands as well. :) 

Looking forward to a fabulous 2013! 

Extreme Couponing--huh???

I don't get it. I've watched every episode of this show, with hopes that maybe one day it might be different. Nope. Is this a form of hoarding? The woman on the show says it's not, but REALLY who needs:


43 bottles of barbecue sauce
60 bottles of mustard
42 bottles dish detergent
1oo instant noodles
52 bottles of hand soap
7 24-packs of toilet paper
77 travel size shampoos
55 bottles of laundry detergent (when you have 30 at home?)
114 bottles of Motrin


And why on earth would you buy 30 boxes of "beef chunks" in a can? On top of that, they stand in line at the register for 1 1/2 to 2 hours just to check out. Huh????


I've noticed that all of these couponers have the same items in their "stock pile" and they never buy fresh vegetables or fruit:


hand soap
laundry detergent
Ramen
shampoo
cleaning supplies
mustard 
salad dressing
headache medicine
toilet bowel cleaner
.....and many more ridiculous items.....


Very glad to hear that some of them give their items away to the troops, or donate them food banks/ or shelters. But besides that, I'm quite stumped about this!! 

I can breathe again!

Well, I can't believe it but my second semester of school is over! This semester has gone by so fast. I can't believe that I'm halfway done with school already. My brain is going into vegetation mode for the next three weeks while we have a break. I will be catching up on the piles of magazines I have, doing some spring cleaning (better late than never), walking Scout, and exploring the city. The weather is FINALLY gorgeous and my toes are very happy. They can breathe again! I've been off for about 5 days now and have decompressed enough that I can maybe start wandering the city. I really do want to do SOMETHING while I'm off, yet at the same time wanna veg. 


Since I'm way behind (AGAIN) I'll go backwards and work my way up to now. 


February:
As I mentioned in my last post I was at New York Presbyterian/Columbia Medical Center for my clinical rotation this semester and was SO SAD to leave. I got to learn some of the coolest things such as scanning neonate heads in the NICU, working in the Childrens Hospital of New York, scanning patients an hour after their liver or kidney transplant, and learning to do lower extremity veins and arteries which is something we haven't even done in class. The best part about this whole experience is it made me realize how much I really DO want kids. Teaching 8th graders for 7 years could make anybody not want kids, but holding all of these teeny babies made me reconsider! Guess there really is such a thing as a biological clock? Now if I could just find a decent man. Now THAT's the hard part.


Here are some random pictures from the month of February (including Scouty at grandmas). Did I mention how much I hate the New York winters? Very blessed that my mom took Scout because it was COLD outside!! 

March:
Studying for midterms took up most of my time in March. If you know me, you know that Ultrasound Physics and I aren't the best of friends, and when the midterm is worth 40% of your grade, well.....I go into freakout mode. Made it through midterms (and did well on all of them--woohoo!) and flew down to VA on March 20 to go get my baby. I debated on whether or not to bring him back because I know how much he loves just hanging out in the backyard and eating sticks. But I'm a little selfish and already missed out on 3 months of my little boys life and didn't want to miss out on anymore. Yes I know, I'm a little nuts about my dog. 




The best part of March? My roommate Ashley moving out. I NEVER felt comfortable in my own home because of her. I don't even know where to begin. To sum it up I'm not a big fan of the following types of people: inconsiderate, selfish (who throws out at least 4 trash bags full of clothes down the trash chute when there is a homeless shelter a block away?!), manipulative, hypocritical, unwillingness to compromise (her shit was EVERYWHERE--did we really need the 10 million pots and pans?), and lastly her Type A control/neat freak personality. Did you know that she made 3 possible excel spreadsheets of "chore list" options? (Let me remind you I'm 31 years old...she's 24 at the time).  We got a new roommate named Sally that is fabulous. She does her dishes, is respectful and QUIET. Those were the most important qualites for me in a roommate. Okay, so that rant lasted much longer than expected, but I feel much better! Love blogging because you can say whatever you want! =)


April:
Very busy. Projects due and exams coming which equals a LOT of studying. What's new, right? Therefore not much happened during April. It was Groundhog Day every day. =) Some family friends came up in the middle of April and I felt so bad for them. A.) I had a test to study for , and B.) It rained monsoon style almost the entire time they were here. We did make it to Chinatown for dinner one night and ate dinner in the basement of a restaurant, which looked like someones bedroom to me. In April I also learned where the term "April showers bring May flowers" comes from. So.much.rain.

May:
After all of the rain, spring in New York has been amazing. I love taking pictures of all the gorgeous trees and flowers springing up around my area. And as I mentioned before the weather has been very nice. While it's in the 90's already at home, it's in the high 60's, low 70's so far. Amazing. Not missing the TX heat at all. These temperatures are perfect for me!

Scouty enjoying laying in the grass at Brooklyn Bridge Park

People....

Blame it on the weather, but here are some things that are driving me crazy lately....


1.) People that are lazy in every sense of the word.
2.) People that do something just so they can hear a "Thank You" in return. Not doing it out of the goodness of your heart.
3.) People that take up entire seats on the subway so they can read their man hating books.
4.) People that are self-dependent on others and not self-sufficient.
5.) People that blame everything on others. It's always somebody elses fault.
6.) Fake people. 
7.) One person in particular...


Now on a positive note...
1.) I love my clinical site and don't ever wanna leave. Scanning neonate heads is amazing.
2.) I have the best friends ever.
3.) Classes aren't as stressful this semester.
4.) I get my puppy back in 34 days!
5.) It's going to be in the 60's here on Friday!
6.) Looking forward to the DMI party this Saturday.
7.) I love brunch. 


Phew...feel much better now! 

Oh my gosh, I am WAY behind!

Wow. I can't believe it's been since October since I updated my blog! Well I can say I successfully finish my first semester of ultrasound school earning a solid "B" GPA. Woo hoo! Let me go backwards a bit....


November
My mom came up for Thanksgiving from Virginia but unfortunately I was sick most of the time with a slight cold. But, I can now say I successfully made my first Thanksgiving dinner all by myself! I made almost everything the night before, so we just had to stick it into the oven to heat it up on Thanksgiving day. My roommate and I went the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and it was awesome! It was a long day because we had to get up at 5am to get a good spot by 5:30 am on Central Park West. Here are some pictures for  November. 

Beginning of the parade

Spiderman!

Here is part of the spread

And the rest....

Scouty is pooped. It's rough watching your humans consume way too much food. 

December
The saddest part about December is that my mom came up and picked up Scouty and took her back to Virginia with her for the winter. My classes and clinicals are very long this semester and so I had to make the unselfish decision to send him there. He's have a great time playing in the backyard and hanging out on their dock. (Even if I do cry everytime I talk about him) I finished up exams on the 21st and headed back home to TEXAS!!! It felt so good to back home. Even just landing in El Paso and walking off the plane I felt great! I spent 4 days with both sets of grandparents and eating as much mexican food I can handle. After that I went to Dallas and got to see most of my friends and family, although not everybody. =( Sorry y'all! Here are some more pictures. 

Can't get enough tacos and enchiladas in El Paso 

YAY!!! Sonic! Finallllly! Cherry Limeade

Angel, Keira, Me (LOVE that little girl!)

Amy and Corbie (Scout's BFF!)

Mmmmmm Chick-Fil-A. Yet another thing NY doesn't have!

Lunch with my Renner girls. I miss my team, but don't miss teaching. =)

Scouty decided my boobs were a good pillow. LOL

Alison's Christmukkah party!

January

Happy New Year! I can't believe it's 2011 already. My friends and I went to the Empire Room at the Empire State Building and had so much fun I didn't get home until 6am. I've realized I'm way too old (at 30, ha!) to be staying out that late and drinking that much. I had about a week off after I got back from Texas so I caught up on sleep and some books/magazines. My brain thoroughly enjoyed the break from sonography. I started my classes on January 10, and started clinicals the next day at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia Medical Center. I absolutely LOVE this hospital. I've already learned so much in the few weeks I've been there. I can't believe that after this semester I will only have 1 YEAR of school left. After this, I'm definitely done. No more school! =)

I hope everybody is enjoying the new year so far. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I might actually be getting used to the New York weather. It's SO different from TX, but the other day I woke up and went to school and it was 37 and I thought to myself "Wow! It's warm outside today!". Hmmmmmm. =)

Overdue update....

So it's been about a month since my last blog. I apologize, but I've been super busy with school! More on that later....


Life in the City:
So far I am LOVING living in Brooklyn. Here is a picture of our building. I absolutely love everything about it. Great location, 24 hr concierge and nice people! Plus we have a pretty good view from the 20th floor! 

My roommates and I have found a great park near the Brooklyn Bridge called the promenade. It's a strip of land that overlooks Manhattan and is gorgeous. Here are some pictures that my mom took on September 11th while she was here:

I will admit that I miss having a car around here. It totally sucks to carry your groceries up and down subway stairs, but Ashley bought a granny cart so at least now we just have to carry the cart up and down stairs. Either way it sucks! =)

City Freaks:
Well so far I've attracted most of the freaks that seem to be roaming the streets and subways of NYC. Here is just one of the gems I've found. This man had on an eye mask and was squirming and laughing at himself. At first I thought he might have been listening to something with headphones--nope!! As Kelly said, the voices in his head must have been telling some funny jokes that day. Not to mention the man-ish looking lady in the background. 

Squirrels and the dog park:
Scouty is loving life in the city so far. He's adjusted to the elevator and is learning to pee on odd things but still hasn't learned to poop on concrete. Oh well, maybe someday. =) He gets to see TONS of squirrels everyday when we go to the park. There are literally about 50 out at a time so he is constantly getting distracted. We've also found a dog park that is all dirt which he loves, but momma hates the fact that he turns into a chocolate lab after going there. He usually has to get a bath after a visit there! He also had to wear a cone on his head recently because he had a cut on his leg that got infected. But the great thing? We have a vet in our building that just came up to my apartment! Nice!

Crazy Weather!
Well, I got stuck in a freak tornado one night while walking Scout. I was waiting, and waiting, and waiting for Scout to poop (no luck) and then it started thundering/lightening so I decided to start walking back home. I was 2 blocks from my apartment when what I thought was a crazy monsoon came along! Little did I know that the green clouds, rain and super wind was really a tornado. Being from Texas, you would think I would know what the green clouds mean! All of my New Yorker classmates are blaming for all the rain and crazy weather. We had another big storm last night, minus the super duper wind! Here is the link to a video and pictures!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaTvc2S2qZg

School: 
Well school is kicking my ass but I really do love the profession already. It's a really draining schedule. I go from 9-5 pretty much M-F with an hour break during the day which makes me exhausted by the time I get home. But then I have to walk Scout, eat dinner and study. We had our first 4 tests in the past 2 weeks and I didn't do as well as I had hoped on two of them. There is always next time though! Trying to keep my chin up and know that I worked really hard to get where I am and that I definitely made the right decision to leave teaching. I know that I just have to get into my groove with my scheduling/projects/reading but I know I'll be fine! I will admit that I really miss my team at school. It's so weird not seeing them every day! I LOVE it when we get to go to the lab and practice scanning. I also started clinicals last week and am very excited to learn hands on from the sweet sono techs at The Hospital Center Brooklyn. Here are my first two pictures as a sonographer! 

Well I need to go to bed, and I promise to update more soon!! 


Love to everybody!

NYC Day 1 and 2

Well we finally made it yesterday after 3 long days! On Sunday we left Dallas at 5:45 am and drove the 16 HOUR DRIVE to Atlanta to stay with Ashley's parents. Never knew it would take that long. Ugh. I was super duper tired, and Scout was miserable after that day. On Monday we made the 12 hour drive from Atlanta to Maryland (after a slight detour in Washington D.C.--no street signs properly labeled with east/west/north/south directions) where we stayed the night at a hotel. Day 3 we drove the short 5 hours from Maryland to New York.

Day 3 of the journey, Day 1 in Brooklyn:

So we got to NYC around 11 am yesterday, and we thought we would have plenty of time to relax, unpack a few things, and wait around for the movers. WRONG!! There is a one way street to the loading dock behind our building (Prince Street) and when we got here, the city was doing construction and there was a giant hole right in front of the loading dock. (See the link below!) We tried and tried on all the streets around us (which of course are all one way) and ended up having to call the city to have them cover the holes with the metal thingies so we could drive over the hole. An hour later, the hole was covered. I say  "we" but really my aunt Pam is the real hero here. With the help of the construction workers she was brave enough to drive the truck and back it into the loading dock.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=343+Gold+Street+Brooklyn,+ny&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=343+Gold+St,+Brooklyn,+NY+11201&gl=us&ei=gjZ_TJfuCIH6lwfknoWyDg&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ8gEwAA

We pretty much got everything unloaded with the help of the movers by around 3:45 and the unpacking began. =) A BIG thank you to Pam once again for unpacking the kitchen for us, helping us move stuff in, breaking down boxes, the list could go on. The roomies and I made the trip to Whole Foods to get some food to eat for the next couple of days so we don't have to eat out every meal. At the end of this day Scout was extremely pooped! (See my facebook pics). 

Day 2: 

Today began by sleeping in until 8:30 (it was great!!!)  and then had to get up because the cable guy was here. Yay for cable and internet! Boo for the fact that my computer is acting totally weird.  Pam ventured out with Scout to the park down the street and he has met lots of new potential friends. Still not the same as our field buddies and Scout's brother from another mother Corbin. =) We made the adventure of driving tonight by going to Ikea and Walmart. Pam and Ashley said I should keep my car here because I'm getting to use my defensive driving skills. I've got the honking and cutting people off down pat. Ha! Getting to Ikea was easy, but Walmart was another story. Got lost once we got into Jersey (which sucks!) but eventually made it. I was super proud of myself because I drove us home and actually knew where I was going! Amazing! Did I mention we are STILL unpacking? =)

Tomorrow we are venturing out to Costco and Lowe's to try and find a little pantry cabinet because we don't have quite enough space for all of our food and dishes! I've also already had to make an appointment at the Apple Store tomorrow night to see what is wrong with my computer. Friday might be an inside day since it looks like it's going to monsoon rain all day due to the hurricane down south.  After that we have to get Pam out into the city to try and get some sightseeing done! We plan on taking her to a nice dinner at Morton's Steakhouse and then go see the broadway show Jersey Boys. 

I have a TON of pictures on my camera and will be updating them on my facebook page, so please be sure to check there soon!

THANK YOU to EVERYBODY for their well wishes and for checking in to see how things are going. It really means a lot to me! I love you all!

LA

One more week in Dallas!!

I can't believe it. I only have 6 more days in Dallas. How crazy is this?? Everybody keeps asking me "Are you nervous?". The answer to that is HELL NO!! I'm SOOOO excited!!!


So what have I been up to for the past month? Well, packing and cleaning out my closet. I have taken so many bags of clothes to Goodwill, it's just crazy. At the beginning of August I went to El Paso to go visit my grandparents before the big move. They were very excited that I came, especially my dad's mom. It's always so weird now that my grandpa isn't there. Even after a year and a half, there isn't a second in the day where I don't think about him. I hope that he would be proud of me and my new journey. I'm sure he would be. He supported me and loved me through everything. =)


My dad and step-mom had a going away party for me, and it was AWESOME!! So much fun seeing all of my friends and family in one place. Great company and food, what more can I ask for ? I'm very blessed to have such an amazing group of people around me. I also took my cousin Taylor up to Texas Tech on Wednesday, and wow--Lubbock has changed a lot!! They have a TON of new food places. Where were they when I was there!?


School started back today and while it feels weird, I'm not sad at all! =) I miss my team (as always) but don't miss the whole teaching and kids aspect of it all. But I hope all of my teacher friends had a great day and a fabulous year!!


So this week, I'm wrapping up a bunch of things including dentist appointments, oil changes, doctors appointments, and more packing. I figure I'd better use my insurance while I have a deductible that is PAID!! =) I turned in my tolltag last week which was super weird. I already feel strange not having it in my car. 


Anyways, I will be posting starting this Sunday as that is the day I leave! 


Lots of Love!
LA

Weird Dreams...

So for every night over the past week, I've been having the weirdest dreams. What have I been drinking or smoking you might ask? Nothing! So, here goes:

#1- I had a dream that I was being eaten by a shark. I was laying on a board in the ocean and woke myself up by flopping around the bed trying to get away from the shark. 

#2- Had a dream about the doctor on Boston Med that I think is cute. He looks like a guy I dated once (who I really liked!) so this one actually kind of makes sense. We met in NYC, and had a fabulous time exploring the city together. Here is a link to see a picture of him:  
http://bostonmed.abcnews.go.com/doctors-and-nurses/rick-reish

#3- Joe-Michael, you're in this one. Joe-Michael and I were working at the same place (not sure what type of business) but I did some sort of desk activities and he was a writer, which I'd always dreamed of doing. (Hate writing...not sure about this). Well one day, because it was my dream he had convinced his boss to let ME write a story. YES!! But, at the end of that day I ended up getting stuck doing my job and his job, and stayed at work all night trying to get both done. When he comes back in the morning I'm so tired and delirious I fall over a sofa (why is there a sofa?) and bust it on the floor. I proceed to laugh at myself, then I woke up. Weird.

#4- I'm in HS and The Tuohys (from the Blind Side) came to our school to speak to us about their story. After their lecture, we got to go do a meet and greet. When they go to me, for some reason they really liked me and asked me to sit down and chat with them (huh?) and all of the other students were staring at me and jealous that I got to sit down with these "famous people". I wanted a picture of myself with Leigh Anne so I handed the daughter my iPhone to take a picture of us. She took it, but then put my phone in her back pocket and sat on it, which cracked my screen and my phone no longer worked. The kicker is I didn't realize this until after I'd already left. Somehow I track down Leigh Anne and tell her about what happened, and not only does she offer to pay for a new one, but gives me lots of other stuff including a nice hefty check! After this I head off to band practice where everybody sees me give Leigh Anne and her daughter a hug goodbye. Somehow my check gets loose and flies away. I HAD to have that check, so I end up stealing a BMW out of the parking lot (this is Plano...) drive down the wrong side of a highway and then somehow run into the Teen Mom "Maci" and her son. She's homeless now so I offer to give her a ride to wherever she needs to go. Then I wake up. WEIRD! 

I could keep going, but won't bore you. Not sure what's going on in my brain, but it's a little strange! LOL =)

Getting plenty of rest...

I've officially become a lazy ass. I need an intervention. 


Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that it's summertime and I'm not teaching anymore, but I am bored out of my mind! You might have noticed my facebook activity at an all time high. Why? Nothing else to do. Today I was actually excited to get to pay my bills and drive to the post office and drop them off. My day usually consists of sleeping in way too late (going to start setting an alarm clock for a goal of 9 am), watching tv, playing on the computer, catching up on Netflix movies. (BTW, don't rent Did You Hear About the Morgans. Blah) Oh, and the highlight of my day is taking Scout on a walk and meeting up with friends at the field or dog park. I'm SO exciting!! Everybody I know has a real job and don't get summers off. lol I figure that I'll just be well rested by September 7th when school starts and I can look back on my lazy summer and wish I had more time to sleep! =) Guess I might as well take advantage while I can. 


Since not all of you necessarily live in Texas, you have no idea about the heat. I woke up this morning at 9 (early for me--I know, I was proud!) and looked up the current weather. It was 84 degrees but with the heat index felt like 92. Gross!!!  I've been taking 2 showers a day until I came to the conclusion that I should just wait and take one at night. Why you say? Because I'm out taking Scout on short walks during the day and am outside at night for a couple hours and am nasty, sweaty and smell like Off by the time I get home. Definitely not climbing into bed smelling like that. Ewwww. 


So like many of you know because I've written on here, I'm not embarrased to talk about my emetophobia (fear of vomit). I almost feel like I'm bringing some sort of awareness to it. I talked with my doctor a month ago and she started me on Zoloft, which has taken an ease off of the OCD part (I'm not anxious and don't worry every second of every day and I'm sleeping now!) but I still have a problem with eating out in restaraunts and don't eat at fast food places. If I do, I try to stick with the "safe" foods (in my mind) .  I'm hoping as time goes on, it helps this portion of my phobia. I'm SO ready to be over this, but seemings how I've had it for 22 years, it's tough.  I go through up and down phases with this...I'm in a down right now. I miss eating sushi with my girls! =)


I am exactly one month away from going to NYC and finding a place to live! Woot!! I feel like I have so much to do before I move in a couple months (spend as much time with my friends, pack, paint my apartment, get rid of stuff I don't need, etc.) but that whole lazy ass part comes in and I don't do any of the things on my list. Ha! 


Hope everybody is having a great month of June. Can you believe it's almost July!? 2010 has been a really amazing year for me so far! 

Summer is HERE!!!

Well, summer is FINALLY here! I am so excited!!! 

Last Friday was my last day of teaching ever. Words cannot begin to express how excited I am to start this new chapter in my life. During our "closing" luncheon we had quite a few teachers who retired, all of which were crying and sad to be leaving the profession. They'd been teaching for YEARS--30 in some cases! I didn't shed one tear on Friday--I was so excited to be done. This is how I know it's not the right job for me. There is only one thing I'll miss about teaching. I will miss my team. Sara, Anne and Sam you're the BEST! I knew that teaching wasn't for me about 1 month in to my first year, but it just took me this long to a.) figure out what I wanted to do (thanks to my old hairstylist Toni for exposing me to ultrasound) and b.) take the many years of night/summer school classes to get to where I am today.  I couldn't have done it without the help of friends though. The tons of days I had to leave Scout after being at work all day only to be home for 30 minutes and then jet off to class. They let him out, walked or fed him which made me feel slightly better that he wasn't by himself. So thank you Amy and Natalija! 

 I went yesterday to Richland College to sell my book and was definitely NOT jealous of all the kids going to class. Last summer I was up to my eyeballs in A&P I/II and Chemistry. Talk about having no life! So far today I've already cleaned my house, so I'm wondering what do I do for the rest of the summer? =) My plan is to relax, lay by the pool, enjoy my time with my sweet Scouty poo, hang with friends that I'll be leaving, clean out my closet and catch up on the million movies that are currently on my Netflix. No complaints from me about doing ANY of those things! =) Truly enjoying my 3 months of freedom before all hell breaks loose when I start Sonography school in September. 

On another note, my neighbor Steve who I knew from my complex and the little "dog park" that we set up at the park down the street passed away in a freak helicopter accident last week. I wasn't super close to him, but can't stop thinking about how his young life was cut short. I've asked a million times "Why him?" "Why such a great, friendly and outgoing person?" I'm really thinking about his family and his dog Foster. I can't imagine what they're all going through. My prayers are definitely with them. It's made me raise a million questions in my own life. I don't even have a will. I need to get one. If something happened to me, who takes Scout? (my mom said she'd take him) What would they do with all my belongings? Bills? The thoughts go on and on. My biggest concern is my little Scouty poo. We are so attached at the hip that I think a piece of Scout would die if I were gone. Man I love that dog more than anything in the world. But, as my grandma said God needed Steve up there and that he's not done with me yet. I try to find peace knowing that he's in a better place. 

On a more positive note (sorry for being a debbie downer, but had to get my thoughts/feelings down somewhere) my mom and I are still scheduled to go up in July to find an apartment and my aunt and I are going to drive up there in August together. I'm super excited because I plan on going to eat and some places that are on one of my favorite shows: Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. Sad that I'm planning my trip around routes that have my favorite places? Nah! =) Still not sure where I'm going to live at, but I really am finding that Brooklyn is our best bet on prices. Plus, I keep thinking to myself that I'm not going to be a tourist and need to go to Manhattan everyday to tour Times Square, Empire State building, etc. It's a short subway ride to the city so I think it will be just fine. But, I'm looking in lots of different places: Manhattan and Brooklyn. We'll see where Linet and I end up! =)

Next week I'm babysitting my cousins so my aunt and uncle can go on vacation by themselves, away from the kids! =) Very excited! I get to play mom for a week! They're super sweet kids and will be going to Lifetime Fitness day camp so it should be a pretty easy gig! 

Hope all is well with everybody! Lots of love,

LA

Surgery

So I apologize in advance for not telling anybody what my surgery was, but a.) it's embarassing and b.) it's embarassing. LOL. I will say that it's not me getting my boobs done as my students were guessing. Ha! I only told a couple of people,but with that said, I hope you understand, and the reason I'm writing about it is because lots of you are asking, so here goes! =)


So I went in on Friday around 7:30am and went through registration and all that good stuff. What is it about surgery that scares the crap out me? Well, besides the possibility of throwing up from anesthesia, I think it's more of the unknown of the actual surgery. I saw a show once where people were under anesthesia yet felt every single part of their surgery. Extremely rare, yes I know, but hey, it's possible, right?! Sat around forever and and waited for my anesthesiologist. She called me on Thursday night and left a message and I knew I didn't care for her then. Have you ever had it when you hear someones voice and get a little uneasy? This was her. My thoughts were correct as when she showed up 30 min or so after my surgery should have started she looked like she just got home from the club. Her hair was literally a mess (in every direction)  greasy, and looked like she'd found her scrubs in a pile of clothes, sniffed them to make sure they smelled okay and were clean so she threw them on. But hey, she knocked me out and I didn't throw up so I guess she ends up being awesome in my book! Got home Friday evening and have just been relaxing since then. My mom has been walking Scout which is so nice so I just get to lay around. My pain is NOTHING EVEN CLOSE to the horror stories I had read about before this surgery so I feel extremely lucky, and am SO glad I got this done. Still have one more hurdle to cross but after that, it's all downhill from here! I must be one of the abnormally easy recoveries. 


So far I'm realllllly enjoying being off work! Although my days are going to be really mixed up and I could go back to work next Monday because I'm feeling so well, I'm not going to. If they actually paid me for all of my extra days I would go back, but they don't so I won't. Sure wish they did though. I'll still have a crapload of days left over even after being gone for 10 days.


I also want to thank all of my friends for calling and checking on me. It's just so sweet to know that people are thinking about you and asking if I need anything. So sweet it makes me want to cry! =) So THANK YOU!!! xoxoxo I've also got a giant pile of magazines that I'm beginning to read and recycle so if you want some, just ask and they're yours!


LA

8 Days

As I'm writing this blog post I'm listening to the rain and thunder. Is there any better sound? It's so soothing to me! And it was sunny earlier today, imagine that! 


So in 8 days I'm having my surgery. I'm so nervous. Not really nervous about the surgery, it's the pain afterwards! So please, say a couple prayers that I have speedy, and not torturous recovery time. Since I'm going to be off work for at least two weeks I've been in TIVO hibernation mode. I've been saving up every show that I watch for at least a couple weeks, so I now have a DVR 50% full of my favorites! Tori and Dean, Cougar Town, Diners Drive Ins and Dives, Kendra, Project Runway, Real Housewives (NJ and NY!) and the list could go on. For me, there is nothing better than vegging out in front of the tv after a long day at work. Totally relaxing. I've also stockpiled all of my magazines, so I should be set! Luckily, my mom is coming to take care of me, and walk Scout for me.  So in the meantime I'm watching dvd's quite a bit!


So I took the day off today to go to the doctor so I could start getting my immunizations ready for school. She was asking me about my shot records all the way from infancy. Who has those!? Luckily my mom did, but I still had to get blood drawn (twice), TB shot, and the first round of Hepatitis B shots. It's a good thing my phobia isn't needles, although I'd much rather have a phobia of needles than vomit. This whole emetophobia thing is getting ridiculous! I got an rx for Zoloft today to try and ease my anxiety about the phobia. Hope it helps. Fingers crossed. Anyways, I also went out and bought some new glasses today. I'm so excited! It's been 6 years since I've bought new frames and the ones I have are seriously jacked up. =) Here's a picture of my new glasses! I especially love them, because a.) they fit my skinny face and b.) they have a nosepiece so that my eyelashes don't hit my glasses all the time!

That's about it for now. I'm still working on my "thoughts on education" blog, but will definitely be posting that one after school is out. My notes are getting QUITE lengthy! Oh, and have any of you eaten the flaxseed granola from Whole Foods? I'm addicted!!! 

Yes!!!

Well I've finally found a roommate!  I went searching out on craigslist and happened to come upon a post where it sounded like a real, normal person. Even though our times to move were a little off, I thought I'd email her and just see if by chance she'd be interested, and thank god she was! We've been emailing back and forth for a week or so now, became friends on facebook and we are 2 peas in a pod! The list of things in common are crazy! And a MAJOR bonus? She likes dogs, so Scout will have another person to love on him! YAY Linet!

So my friend Michael gave me a contact to a broker in NYC to help me find an apartment so I'm going up on July 26th to find a place for us. Linet can't come apartment hunt so I'll be emailing pictures a lot so she can be a part of the process. I've been on cloud nine since finding her and excited that things are finally falling into place. I keep thinking to myself: Is it August yet? Can it be August already!?

Let's see. I'm supposed to have surgery in a month or so that I'm not looking forward too, and don't really want to share details about it, but say a prayer on that day that everything goes well! Not looking forward to the pain of surgery, but there is a bonus. What is it? I'll be off work for 2 weeks straight, so I'm down to a total of 24 days until I am no longer a teacher. Be ready to see a post in the coming months about my feelings on teaching and kids. It's gonna be a long one. I'm super duper excited! 


This week my neighbor Amy and I took our dogs (Scout and her dog Corbin) to take some pictures in the bluebonnets near my house. I figured that since this is my last time to see bluebonnets for awhile, it would be a great picture to have with my Scouty poo. Here it is:

That's about it for now. Can't think of much else going on except that I am in the home stretch for my Physics class. 5 classes left. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can......

Lots going on!

Well, lots to catch you up on (in detail versus on Facebook!)

First, and most importantly I got accepted to SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn! So helllllo NYC, I'll be seeing you this summer! My count down is officially ON. CAN'T WAIT to not teach anymore!!!! I cannot even put into words how excited I am. Now I just need to find a place to live, and find a NORMAL roommate. Anybody remember the psycho that tried hitting me and when I threatened to call the cops he pulls out his "marine ID" and tells me "Who are they gonna believe?" Or the roommate that penny pinched every single bill and told me I had to pay $5 extra on the electric bill because I leave the radio on for Scout (mind you it's about .70 a month--I researched it). And lastly, the psycho that labeled her food and would give me the fifth degree on why I was in her room because she could tell by the footprints (I would drop her mail off on her desk). So, please God. Let there be a normal roommate out there! LOL =) I also seem to have a dilemma on whether or not to sell my car when I move up there. It's paid off which is nice, but I plan on living somewhere after school where I need a car so I'm totally torn.

What else. Last week I went on a cruise and had a great time! Everybody seems to think I'm tan although I feel pretty white still. Just wait until after this summer. I'll be nice and tan! I also turned 30 a couple weeks ago and don't feel or look any older which is great! I feel so blessed to have such great friends that gave such warm wishes on my big day!

Anyways, that's about it for now. On my mind at the current moment is student loans, Physics, a place to live and what I'm going to eat for dinner tonight. haha!

How did the interview go?

Well, yesterday was such a LONG day! I got up at 3:30 am (haven't seen that time since college I think) to catch my standby flight to LaGuardia and didn't get home until 10:30 last night. But, everything worked out great! Got there around 10 am, and was just going to catch a cab to midtown to have lunch with my friend Krystle. Well, my cheapness quickly set in when I thought about the cost of the cab ride, and what the cab ride would be back from Brooklyn to LaGuardia, so I decided to be adventurous (cheap really) and buy a 1 day MTA pass and ride the bus. So, I rode the bus from LGA to a subway station nearby, and then rode the subway to Penn Station and met up with Krystle at Chipotle for lunch. Yum!! (Although it's not as good as this place called Burrito Box--that is YUM!).


Got finished with lunch, and walked a 4 or 5 blocks over to the station that I needed to get out to SUNY in Brooklyn, but of course the train I was hoping for never came so I ended up taking it as far as I could and then took an $8 cab ride to the school. Once I got there, I was introduced to my interviewer who is the old department chair. Very sweet lady. We talked for awhile, then she had me answer some questions, all of which I thought went well! She kept saying "When you move here", "This will be your..", "That's very good", among other things so I think the interview went great, but not sure. I was only in there for like 30 minutes or so. She said that she was going to pass my application to the "application committee" for the entire school, and that it will be another 3 weeks or so. She said if I don't hear back in 3 weeks to call her. So, the waiting continues. But, I think it went pretty well so I'm happy about that. What do ya'll think?


So after the interview I went down to Financial Aid to figure out how to pay for all of this, and it's going to be rough, but I'm going to make it happen! =) I made it back late last night and immediately at a little bit and then went to bed. I was SO happy to lay down in bed. I can't seem to sleep on planes. Anybody else like that? 

Interview

Well, I finallllly got the interview that I've been dreaming of at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn. I love NYC and I figure while I'm single and kidless now's the time in my life to live in a new city for awhile! So, this time next week I'll be in NYC for my interview. Cross your fingers!

SNOW!!!!

As I speak it is SNOWING!! I missed the snow at Christmas, but I'm SO excited I get to see it now! I've been wishing and hoping that since I'm not on the east coast that they would share their snow with me and they did! =)

When I woke up at 6am this morning it was snowing, and it hasn't stopped all day long. Try teaching a bunch of kids who would rather be out in the snow throwing snow balls at each other! =) So after watching the big fat snowflakes all day Amy and I decided to take Scout and Corbin to the park to play. After an hour and half we were freezing, but the boys still wanted to play. Sorry guys, we've got to warm up the toes and we'll be back out there tomorrow! We're up to 7.9 inches, which is awesome!


Anyways, I took some pictures of Scout in the snow and also took some video! Go on to YouTube and look under scoutsmomma1 for a TON of videos or click here: http://www.youtube.com/user/Scoutsmomma1  
 I went a little overboard but Scout and I haven't seen snow like this since he was a baby back in 2005! 

                                      He's a very happy boy in the snow!