the big picture.

^^^this really isn't that great^^^

^^^until you see the big picture.^^^

{in the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it}

*Robert Heinlein*

while i've been complaining about school incessantly for the past couple of weeks, i haven't sat back to think about the big picture.  i decided that it's about time that i realize that each day i am one day closer to being a real nurse.  each day i am becoming more comfortable with the care i will be giving.  each day i grow in appreciation for the Savior, Jesus Christ.

and that is the big picture.

summer memories

{lake powell}

thanks to uncle gary, who took most of these photos!

sam, who can be a total stinker sometimes, 

has a way of making our family feel so happy.

i couldn't resist.

ah!  so much fun.  i could live there.

{island park}

my first trip to island park! with john, lizzy, pordie, ryan, and janessa.

one of the many floats down the snake river.

i now love island park {almost} just as much as john does.

{and my girls}

janessa's eye peeking through:  priceless.

trek was fun, but i ate peanut butter.  THAT won't ever happen again.  

this summer was fun because john and i got to share our favorite places in the whole world with each-other.

mine: lake powell.

his:  island park.

thinking back on it, i don't think i have ever had a more fun and exciting summer.  

we spent 6 days in lake powell,

we spent at least 5 weekends in island park.

we got engaged.

i went to havasupai and on pioneer trek {john wasn't happy to have me gone}

all in all, i am currently in the happiest time imaginable - hands down.  

don't you just love life?

is it just me, or is our teacher speaking french?

i feel like asking this question almost every day in pathophysiology {aka PDbio 365}

because my teacher is a genius.

and that class is way over my head.

plus, each day i come to class determined to listen intently and take good notes....

and five minutes later i'm thinking about the last glee episode or the hunger pang in my stomach.

must i always have this brain that refuses to focus on the subject at hand?

must i always be praying at the end of the semester that my grades can be salvaged?

must every single semester contain that one class that gives me anxiety with no end?

probably.  

and now a thought.... meant to be comforting in this time of stress 

over the upcoming tests looming over my aching head.

{i have never let my schooling interfere with my education}

*mark twain*

wonderful things

a lot of wonderful things have happened recently.  

#1. my mom got this 150cc Buddy Scooter.

{i'm really excited for her, okay?}

#2.  i realized that in 7 days i'll be gorging myself

#3.  i got one of these for my happy aquarium tank on facebook

#4.  i have had ZERO tests the past two weeks.

#5.  and i just had an epiphany for the perfect birthday-gift idea for john.

i find enjoyment in the littlest of things.

today, i am grateful for...

i am grateful for a loving husband

i am grateful for my health

i am grateful for wonderful friends and family

i am grateful that i can go to school and learn {even though i sometimes hate it}

i am grateful for a beautiful world

i am grateful for super-nice in-laws

i am grateful for blogging as a way to clear my head and record all the "exciting" {or maybe not so exciting} things i do with my life

i am grateful for parents who check up on me

i am grateful for delicious food

i am grateful for pretty things

i am grateful to be alive at such a wonderful, happy time

relocating leaves.

today, john and i decided that it was time to relocate the leaves in our backyard,

since you could no longer see the grass.

so we raked.  

and raked.

and raked.

and raked some more.

then i jumped into the pile.

and got covered in leaves.

{oh. my. gosh. isn't my man just smokin hot?}

other saturday adventures included:

getting john's tire patched since a screw went into it.

eating at california pizza kitchen.

buying avocados at sunflower market {3 for a buck!}

buying call of duty - black ops for john, since he couldn't wait until christmas.

watching john play call of duty - black ops for over an hour. 

doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms, 

etc. etc. etc.

i'm gonna need to talk john into ice cream later.  

geezer pleazer

my ultimate goal in clinical was to please the old people.  

they were {for the most part} cute, sweet, and altogether helpless.

it's been lifechanging to work with them.

they know so much more than me,

and even though i didn't know what i was doing....

and i was sometimes afraid,

they were kind and patient.

each thursday, i was challenged as i had to walk into a patients room,

wake them up,

check their blood glucose,

get them dressed,

take them to the toilet,

give them a bath,

check their vitals,

give them a shot,

do a physical assessment,

etc. etc. etc.

even though it was difficult, 

i learned so much from the patients i helped.

their strength and positive attitude in an almost hopeless situation.

their poise.

their willingness to let me {a student who doesn't know very much yet}

help them as best as i could.

while i was in clinical, i wished for it to be over.

now that it's over,

i wish i could do it all over again.

i had so much fun.

but next semester is medical-surgical,

and with it a whole new array of patients to help, meds to pass, things to learn, fun to have.

i am grateful to be in the nursing program, 

and work with these wonderful people:

and these two girls, who kept me sane through it all.....