Brr.

It is muy frio outside. I am working on my Espanol. It is very importante in the ER because probably 40% of people coming in are spanish speaking only. I have been having a great time in clinicals which is good considering I am there 12-24 hours a week--It's too bad we aren't getting paid for those hours. So far I have seen more than I imagined and have learned more than I can imagine. I love how diverse the ER is and think it will really help me in the future because I will know quite a bit about almost any situation.

It's hard to think of anything to talk about other than school because it is pretty much consuming my life right now. I want to give everyone a big huge apology for the past month and for the next 3 because I will not be seeing you much. I am not ignoring anyone. It is hard to choose friends over my sweet husband when I finally get a night off because he seems just as busy, if not more. We were blessed to spend an entire day together this past Sunday. It was awesome. I am still so very much in love with this man I married. I was thinking the other day about how God picked us out for eachother when we were only creatures in our mother's stomaches and how He must have laughed every time we dated someone other than eachother.

Ok I have writers block.

Well, let us all pray for snow tomorrow so I don't have class.

Good evening!

Katherine

Oh my.

It has been a crazy last couple of weeks.

I started clinical in the ER over at Medical Center Hospital in Odessa. I have to be there at 6:30 a.m. and get off at 7 p.m. Some weeks I will be over there Wednesday and Thursday, and some weeks just Friday. It is weird to leave the house while it's dark outside and drive home in the evening also in the dark. I have been able to see a lot of crazy/fun things over there and really really love being in the ER. I will get to stay there all semester long. Oh ya--I still have class--and it is challenging. We have a cardiac test coming up that'll be a doozie.

Tim's job has kept him extremely busy the last few weeks as well. We feel like we hardly see each other some nights, especially when I have clinical. We have just enough time to scarf down a meal together and say goodnight! He works most days from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Starting these 12-hour clinicals has really been an eye-opening experience for me and I now know just how exhausted he is when he gets home. It's rough. But hey, it is only a season!

My little baby kitty goes tomorrow to have some "female" surgery. I hope it helps to settle her down because she wakes me up a lot at night. Though I will feel sorry for her tomorrow night, I am looking forward to some post-op peace :) Poor thing.

Well we don't have too many plans in the upcoming weeks other than endless school and work/clinical. I am super excited to watch the Saints beat the Colts! I hope they win! They have never even been to the Super Bowl before so how cool would it be if they won?

I guess that is all I can think up to say in this post!

Have great weekends everyone!

Katherine

First Day of the Last

Today was the first day of my last semester in nursing school....notice I didn't say first day of my last day of school forever. I wish. It was a good day. I like the teachers so far, especially the one who canceled her class this afternoon. Although now I have been sitting around at home rather bored. Little Jinx is laying on the bed with me keeping my feet warm. She seems to sleep about 20 hours a day which is awesome! I wish I was able to sleep 20 hours a day but there seems to be so much to do.

I am dreading Friday...I get to go get my toe basically chopped off. Ok not completely but at least my toenail. Aren't y'all glad you read my blog and get to hear this awesome stuff? I have lived with random ingrown toenails all my life and now it is worse. All they will do is shove a 19233468 inch needle in my toe to deaden it and then get the junk out. Ouch. I get sick to my stomach when I think of it. It's one thing to be the nurse on the other side of a procedure, and a completely different thing to be the patient (for all you wondering why I get sick to my stomach about this if I am going to be a nurse).

That's all for today!

Katherine

Birthday Eve

Today is the eve of my birth--born 22 years ago tomorrow. Sometimes it feels like yesterday when I was riding bikes and playing barbies with my best friend in Abilene. A few significant things have happened in my life as I look back upon my year. I got married, lost my grandfather, watched my sister-in-law/greatest friend get married, watched her then lose her husband/friend, began my 3rd semester in nursing school, adopted a cat, and watched my other sister-in-law get married. It has been a year of extreme highs and painful lows. All in all, I am thankful to have lived every day of it--even the bad days. I am excited to see what the Lord bestows upon me in the next 365 days.

It has been a pretty lazy past 2 weeks for me which would make one wonder why I haven't updated my blog--sorry. I always think I will wait until I get my pictures uploaded to post so I procrastinate. So pictures or no pictures, I will just have to post anyway. Please excuse the many pictures of the cat--I am a proud parent who gets a little camera happy.


Jinx




Ruthanne (my sister-in-law) and her husband Matt Rohloff.



Christmas at Mom and Dad's.



I think I should get this painted--lol, ok I am not that lame but it is a cute picture.



Jinx was helping me study for finals.



Stretch! (Notice the flexed paws)



Well I hope this can satisfy people now. No more nagging! Especially when your blogs are also outdated...

As always I am thankful for life and death, lazy kitty days, and thankful that school is starting back up soon so I can get on with it!

Katherine

An update just for you.

Good afternoon from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin.

My sister-in-law Beth and I left Saturday morning, the 26th, at 11 a.m. and were supposed to arrive in Chicago at 4 p.m. Unfortunately we got stuck in Houston because the weather was bad in Chicago. So, instead of leaving Houston at 1:00 we left at 6:30. It doesn't sound so bad except that once we get to Chicago we have about a 4 hour drive to her parents house. We finally got there at 2 a.m. Yikes! It was a long day!

The next day was the wedding so we were up and going at 8 a.m. The wedding went wonderfully and the bride was simply beautiful. It was a bitter sweet wedding for me, and most certainly Beth. My mind and heart couldn't help but wander back to the previous wedding in Wisconsin in May when I watched Beth and Jared stand at the alter and say the exact vow's Ruthanne and Matt were now taking. The message the pastor gave was very appropriate. He spoke of how a husband or a wife is always supposed to be loving the other in a way that it glorifies God and prepares them to one day go and kneel at the feet of our King. This was a picture of how Beth loved Jared from day one to his last day. We should all strive to love our spouses everyday as if it could be the last.

Yesterday was a lazy day. We never left the house. I think everyone was able to catch up on some much needed rest and recuperate from the wedding chaos--all except Tim's dad who had to work! There are tons of barn cats running around the homestead which I really enjoy although it makes me miss my little kitty girl at home! Tim says she walks around the house and meows like she's looking for me! It makes my heart ache. I miss her!! We thought we might have lost her after our trip to Lubbock for Christmas. Tim finally found her on Saturday night!

Well today should be just about as uneventful as yesterday which is perfectly fine with me! I am going to enjoy playing games with the siblings and spoiling the barn cats who have already decided they like me...or could it be that they like the food I give them? Neh, it's me.

I hope everyone has enjoyed their holiday season! And hey, it's not even over yet! Tim and I will be heading to Ruidosa on the 31st so this may be my last post for a bit. I have a few pictures to put up when I get home so look forward to that! I promise to do better at posting!!

As always I am extra grateful today for SNOW, white weddings, and barn cats. I pray that the King of Kings blesses us with good traveling weather in the next few days too...or lots of patience!

Goodbye!
Katherine

Good Evening.

Hey everyone!

It's been a great week here. First we started off with Thanksgiving lunch in Lubbock last Saturday. It was the only day my cousin could be off, so we worked with her schedule and ate some early turkey! I baked a dessert called Sopapilla Cheesecake and it was YUMMY! You all need the recipe. After school on Monday and Tuesday I had the rest of the week off. Unfortunately Tim only had Thursday off, but it was wonderful to spend a whole entire day with him. On Thursday, the official Turkey day, we went to my parents house to have even more turkey with mom and dad, Granny, Josiah, and Spencer. Oh my goodness there was SO much food! We enjoyed visiting, playing games, and watching some good football. After that, we wheeled ourselves home and attempted to roll into bed.

So, now that Thanksgiving was over, it was time to get the lights on the house and the tree decorated--which we did in 2 days. Oh yes, it was a busy 2 days but we got it all done by golly. I can't stress enough how much I absolutely love Christmas and ALL that it entails. After decorating over at mom and dad's I got to decorate our place. Twice the fun. There wasn't much I could do seeing that we live in an apartment, but I put up a 4 foot tree, hung stockings--even one for Jinx :)--and put up just about every other decoration I could find, without making it look tacky of course.

Today was quite a lazy Sunday for us. Tim is under the weather--fever, aches, chills and a headache to top it off. We skipped out on church so he could stay home and rest as well as keep his germs to himself. We got him some antibiotics so hopefully he will be back to 100% soon. I hate when he gets sick! I feel so helpless. There is only so much soup I can make and medicines I can give him. As I write, my adorable little kitten is napping on my lap. She thanked me personally earlier today for hanging a stocking for her. She asked Santa to bring her some catnip toys and lots of food because she is a big fat pig. I love her so much!

Well that is all from me for now. I am very excited for the change in weather so we can actually experience a little bit of winter! I hope it snows soon!

As always I thank my Daddy for purring kittens and Christmas decor, and pray that He continue to put in my heart the real reason of Christmas.

Stay warm!
Katherine

Finally Updating

HI! I am finally updating our blog. So sorry. Life just seems to come in cycles of craziness.

First, I have pictures of the adorable kitty we adopted. We finally gave her a name. We were hesitant until we knew she would stay around. Ready . . . JINX. I have a habit of naming my cats after Bond Girls. Jinx is from Die Another Day. My cat at home is Domino from Thunderball. (Yes I am a nerd.) It has all worked out perfectly because she comes in when I am home, and happily exits when I leave and during the night. This means we don't technically have a cat when it comes to the apartment people! She is such a joy to me. I enjoy having her around after school when I have nothing to do around the house. She likes to nap in my lap which is a first for me with cats. I have always tried to get my past cats to lay in my lap and cuddle, but none of them would. She is still warming up to Tim however. She likes to spring about 2 feet in the air when he walks in the room. It's quite hilarious actually. She's just not sure about him being bigger and louder than me :) Here are some pictures of her cuteness:

She likes playing with her beads

Well happy day because I have given up cokes. And most caffeine. I have been surviving on blessed Starbucks tea. It is sooo good. I never wanted to drink it when I worked there because I had access to the cofee, but now I love the black tea. I am trying to see if the caffeine from cokes is what has been causing my ever more frequent migraines. It wasn't as hard to give up cokes as I thought it would be. I guess when your head is hurting so bad that you get nauseas, it gives you some good motivation.

Well the parents left for China last Sunday on the 1st. I've gotten 2 emails from mom letting me know that they are okay. She said the food is actually really good and the hotel is nice. I think they were expecting some kind of ghetto China where they made you sleep on a mat and eat dog. Let's just say they have been happily surprised. Lol. They go to see the terracotta army tomorrow. . . jealous! That sounds awesome! I can't wait for them to come home though. I miss them.

Tim started his new job at TLR & Sons this Monday. So far so great. He really seems to enjoy it. I really enjoy the fact that he gets home at 5:30 everyday instead of 6 one day, 6:45 the next, 5:49 the next. . . you never knew. God has really provided and taken care of us through this season, but should we have excpected any different? I know there we times when we doubted but we have tried to remain faithful and trust in the One and only True thing.

We had a great time Thursday night catching up with the Tilands. We played a couple games and ate dinner together. They also told us their amazing news: they are expecting again! Yay! I am telling you, I love pregnant people. I told Angela that there is a chance I might get to be her nurse because she is due in June and I graduate in May! Awesome! We are so excited for them. I also need to give her a public apology for not giving her any of the pumpkin cookies I made in a past post. I promise i'll make it up to you!

Well that's all from me today. I hope you can live with this update for a while seeing as how I am slow at posting!

As always, I praise our faithful King for kitties, tea, pregnant people (I know I have said this one before, but without them I would be very sad), and great jobs.

Katherine