Meow...

Kittens, kittens everywhere. Kittens, kittens in my hair. My parents had a pregnant cat adopt them. UGH. Now there are kittens ALL OVER the house. I know you're jealous. LOL. (Yeah, did I mention the lease was up on our rental, so I am living with the parents until school is done? I didn't? Yeah, well, now you know the source of 99% of my HELL.) So...anyone want a kitten? They really are ADORABLE!

Life as a Railroad Widow...

So my darling husband is still on borrow-out to San Antonio. I LOVE the city and cannot wait to visit him next week. The money has been BEYOND fantastic. (And I do mean BEYOND!) However, I often question the sanity of the decision. Yes, Jack and I will be relocating to Texas once I finish my RN degree in August, but in the meantime I am a single mom. We get our four days a month with the hubby and that's about it. EEEEEEK! My son misses his daddy, I miss the man I married, and I miss having someone to help save my sanity!!! Nursing school is hard enough on its own, much less as a mom who's doing it on her own. Thank GOD for my parents, or I very well would be in serious trouble. As for school- one final left for this semester then I am off for a whole WEEK!!! YAY!!! After that, 16 weeks and I have a degree that says I am eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam. YAY ME!!! (On a side note: who DOESN'T know 50 people in nursing school right now? Kinda scary to think there are that many of us competing for new grad jobs. YIKES!) Before closing- thank you Union Pacific for the paycheck and the benefits, but could you maybe think about giving these guys more than four days a month to spend at home? (Even FIVE days would be a blessing, long enough to get reaquainted, and long enough to realize that you really do have your OWN routine and he's just screwing it all up!!! HA HA HA!!!)

Bite You Back Brownies...

Wish I had a picture of them to put here. Maybe once I bake them I'll add one to this post. In the meantime, I had to share this recipe my friend Heather Pavao posted. To say that it sounds WONDERFUL is a gross understatement. Happy baking!!! Bite You Back Brownies • 1 cup softened unsalted butter • 1 cup light brown sugar • 1/2 cup white sugar • 3 chipotles in adobo sauce, lightly rinsed • 2 eggs • 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour • 1 cup cocoa powder • 1 teaspoon baking soda Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Puree eggs and chipotles in blender, then mix on medium speed with the eggs and sugar mix until well combined. Slowly mix in flour, cocoa powder and baking soda on low speed until just combined and no dry ingredients are showing. Put into greased 9 inch round glass dish (or brownie pan) and bake in 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, just until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool if you can, and enjoy! *Tip - if the mix is too thick to spread evenly in pan since it's very sticky and thick, run COLD water over one of your hands, shake but don't dry your hand, and pat the mixture flat in pan, rewetting your hand as needed* PS...if anyone knows the actual author of this recipe, please let me know so I can give him/her credit!!!

ARG!!!!!

That particular ARG!!!! was meant to be heard in that Charlie Brown voice when he yells in frustration. Why? Well, I shall tell you. I have MANY, MANY, MANY liberal friends. However, I am not of their political belief(s). We share many other things in common and we love one another for THOSE qualities. Not everything in life is about who you voted for in the last election. That being said... I have (had) one friend in particular who could turn ANYTHING I say into a political argument and take the opportunity to tell me what a bunch of schmucks (putting it nicely) conservatives are. It could be anything from scrapbooking, to volunteering for a few hours for Meals on Wheels, to who colors your hair or what color underwear you have on. Didn't matter- she consistently belittled me regarding my politics. ENOUGH! People, PLEASE! If you are SO unhappy with your own life, please seek help. Anger has a way of festering and turning us into ugly individuals, and eventually that ugly spews into other facets of your life. It will cause you to lose friends. I have known this woman since we were Freshmen in college. When she finally decided to pledge my sorority, I took her under my wing and was her "Mom." I tried to go out of my way for her back then. I have since tried to be friendly with her since we were able to reconnect. UNCLE. I give. You win. After tonight, I probably won't be sad about this. However tonight, my 18-22 year old self is going to mourn the loss of a friendship. As for my other liberal friends, and you know who you are, don't fret. Unfortunately for you, I still adore each and every one of you. <3

SSDD...(You know...Same Shiitake, Different Day)

One of these years I WILL find the time to keep up with my blog. You know, how a vast majority of us fully intend to, but never seem to follow through on. OK- so it's not only the TIME, but I feel like I am living the movie Groundhog Day right now. You know the one- where each day is the same as the one before. COMPLETELY predictable and slightly insane. (At least HE learned to avoid the insurance salesman. LOL) I am still chugging along with nursing school- 5 weeks left of this semester, then one semester left. COME ON AUGUST 17TH!!! (It's my last day of school. WOOHOO!!!) I have discovered something about myself- after having a few days on a psych unit for my clinical rotations...OMG! I LOVE IT!!!! I am now torn between three options, all of which require a master's degree at a minimum. What are these options? Well, I'll tell you. I'd can see myself as a pediatric nurse practitioner, a mental health practitioner, or a midwife. (REALLY have to think heavy on the midwife part- I'd be 44 when I get that degree. Do I REALLY want to be on call all hours of the night to deliver babies? Maybe I do...wish I could get more experience on an L&D unit to help rule it out or make it more of a cloudy issue.) Jackson is excelling in school. He ADORES it! He is getting tested sometime next month to get into the GEM program. (Feels good knowing at least ONE member of my family has a lot of brains. LOL) Otherwise- his life is fairly simple. School is Hell for me right now, so I am playing the part of Bad Mommy and not enrolling him in ANY sports or extracurricular activities. Poor thing, he really does need SOMETHING. If it's not too late, I will find him something to do over the Summer months to keep the boredom at bay. (Otherwise he will drive my poor parents INSANE.) Thinking of my parents... Now don't be a hater, but I get to move in with them next week. HEY! I said don't be a hater. Our lease is up and it's the best option for Jackson and I. It's only until school is over, then we're...YAY! MOVING TO TEXAS!!! Troy and I had a few long talks and decided we'd both be better off moving our little family to San Antonio. 1. He can hold a job with the railroad there. 2. *I* will have an easier time finding a job as a nurse out there. 3. The schools are WAY better, especially the district we plan on living in. 4. FOOTBALL. (Nuff said there.) So...you're now caught up on my oh-so-exciting life. Hope y'all are doing well with yours!