A New Year

It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone.  I just re-read a post that I wrote on New Year's last year and it seems like it was just yesterday. 

2012 has been a really good year.  Many great things have happened, along with some challenges. 

I began my first year of nursing school in January.  There is no one word that can describe this journey of going back to school.  Exciting.  Scary.  Amazing.  Daunting.  I am continually motivated and encouraged by nurses who are working who relay stories of feeling the same way my fellow classmates and I feel about what we are going through.  I have made some wonderful new friendships along the way.  New sisters and brothers with whom we all share this bond.  I've met people who have come and gone from my life, too, during this process, and I'm not going to lie:  It's made me sad to lose some friends with whom I felt had a connection.  Doesn't matter how old we get, still hurts. 

Along the road of 2012, Chandler broke her nose and Craig rolled a golf cart and had a nasty injury to his lower leg.  Chandler had surgery and Craig was darn lucky, to say the least.

We had a fun cheer season, traveling with super fun parents, who know how to have a great time and make the best of every situation!

This year, I was fortunate to be able to visit with old friends.  Whether it was catching up for 30 minutes at a cheer competition, or for a few hours with margaritas, poolside.  Or for 10 minutes at a tailgate orlunch or spending a weekend together.  I am grateful for true friendships and for those who make the time and go out of their way to make the connection happen.  And not to mention the priceless moments with good girlfriends here...laughing til we cry.  Yes, I've had a broken heart or two this year, but these moments make up for them ten-fold. 

We took a wonderful trip to Lake Tahoe in July.  It was a perfectly wonderful vacation, complete with good family time, horseback riding and lots of time on the lake.  And seeing old friends again.
We made a few day trips to the beach and soaked up every bit of being in the sun and sand.

And how can I forget going to Dallas Cowboys Training Camp??  Woot woot!

Rylee turned 13 and Chandler turned 18.  Chandler registered and voted in her first election.  And got her first job.  It was all very exciting. 

I was awarded over $6000 in scholarships for nursing school, which took me by complete surprise.  What a blessing that was for us....

In November, Chandler and I traveled to Norman for a campus visit of OU.  An awesome trip all around. 

Sure, we had our not so shining moments, too.  There has been stress and feelings of not being so much at peace with various things.  But, overall, it's been a very positive year for our family...and we must all recognize the positive, because it is too easy to let the other fester and take over.

I read my new year's resolutions from last year and I regret to say that I wasn't so successful at keeping most of them.  So, this year, I keep trying.  And for the new year, something new for us to do:  I have a little box with a notepad in it.  Each time something good or positive comes along our way, we will write it down and put it in the box.  At the end of the year, we will sit and read about them together.  I am so looking forward to that.  A great way to focus on the positive through the year.

I might add that 2013 is a big year for us:

Rylee will finish middle school.  Chandler will graduate from high school.  Craig turns the big 5-0.  We will celebrate our 20th anniversary and I will wrap up the year when I graduate from nursing school!!  Wow! 

Can hardly wait! 

Catching Up

Last time I sat down to write a post was in October.  I had started a post all about Chandler.  She turned 18 on October 19th.  Too many thoughts, too much to write and I got sidetracked.  So, if anyone has any patience, this could be a marathon-catch up post.

I wrote about Rylee's birth story, so with Chandler's permission, I get to write a little about her.  My due date for Chandler was October 25th.  I stopped working right around the 15th.  Doing last minute things to "get ready."  On the morning of the 18th, I had taken my car in to get new tires.  They ended up telling me that I needed all this other work done on the car.  At the time, we could only afford the new tires, and I drove home in tears and called Craig to tell him.  He got mad at me.  He was mad that I would be so upset, as he figures mechanics warn you about all the things you "need" but don't really need.  He came home from work and we weren't really speaking.  I made dinner, had baked chocolate chip cookies from scratch and went to bed.  Long story short, my water broke about midnight.  We drove to the hospital still without speaking.  

Once we were at the hospital and I got all situated, Craig fell asleep.  OK...I guess I tried to understand and cut him some slack?  It was 2:30 am, after all....

At 6:30 and with my contractions getting stronger, I decided it was time for him to WAKE UP.  I had made a decision that I thought I could do this without an epidural.  My doctor came in around 8:00 and I couldn't even focus on anything he was saying.  I was in miserable pain.  He left and my nurse strongly encouraged me to get the epidural.  Around 9:30, I was begging for it.  Ah...what a relief.  My nurse, by the way...loved her.  She was amazing and it is memories of her being with me that inspire me in my new chapter of life.  

Chandler was born at 2:21 pm.  After talks of possible c-section, I was able to push my little 6lb 6oz girl out.  We didn't know what we were having, so this was a beautiful surprise. There were a lot of tears in that room that afternoon...

Chandler was a beautiful, sweet, quiet baby.  Don't get me wrong...she cried.  A lot.  But, she was quiet like a mouse.  Shy.  Cautious.  Soft spoken. Gentle. Afraid to do anything wrong.  She's still very much like this to this day.  More than anything, I pray that she (and Rylee, too) are happy.  That Craig and I have done everything we can to raise confident, strong, caring, giving, happy girls. 

I kind of worried about her 18th birthday.  Her very best friend is on the east coast.  Her other good friend had recently moved away, and she had just broken up with her boyfriend.  Her birthday fell on a Friday.  So, with about 18 of her fellow cheerleader/sisters, we all went to dinner and followed that with them cheering at the football game.  It was a great night.  I think she was a happy girl.  

In November, Chandler and I took a trip to Norman, Oklahoma to visit the OU campus.  For the longest time, Chandler has had no idea where she wants to attend college.  She's a homebody.  She gets homesick and a little nervous being away from home.  But, the more we talked about it, the greater her interest in OU became.  I figured it was worth a trip for her to see what a bigger school was like.  

It was a great mom-daughter trip.  We stayed with our dear friends, the Youngs.  Craig's sister, Jana, drove us around Norman and attended the tour with us.  Friends (the Johnsons) we met in Tulsa met us for lunch and the tour, as well.  My dear friend,Traci, from Texas Tech happened to be in town, as well, and met up with me for a quick 15 minutes at our tailgate!  We tailgated before the game.  So much fun.  Weather was breezy, but great.  We had a blast watching the game from a suite upstairs.  Met some great people.  It was a great trip and Chandler loved it.  Application is in and we'll see what happens.  It's just one option out of a couple.  If nothing else, it was a wonderful experience.

Thanksgiving was great, even though we weren't able to get back to El Paso. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  I love being with my family and friends.   We had old friends over, along with Craig's dad.  It was a day of football watching, being with good friends and great food.  

Fast forward to now.  I just finished up my second semester of nursing school.  It wasn't easy.  But with the support of family and good friends, I survived!  Yesterday we took our final and I managed to squeak out an A for the semester.  Yay...I got my A!  I know I shouldn't put so much emphasis on the grade, but I do. Halfway done!

And so now, I am going to try to be on cruise control.  Hoping to spend some good quality time around this house and not stress, at least until it's time to crack open the books again for N3...

Happy Friday. 

Update

And just like that, the 6th week of school is behind us.  Hallelujah.  And in the last few weeks, I have opened up this blog and attempted to write something.  But, my mind goes blank.  So, I've gathered my thoughts and here's my summary:

I love it.  I hate it.  It's scary.  It's exciting.  Yesterday was so fun!  Today sucked.  I feel accomplished!  I feel defeated.  I think: "I get it."  I think: "WTF am I doing here?" 

Do I sound like Sybil?

This particular week I found myself not enjoying nursing school AT ALL.  And not for any particular reason ...just everything seemed to snowball at once.  Emotionally and physically exhausted.  And I worried that if I said this out loud, does that mean I shouldn't be there?  I know the answer to this already.  If this were easy, then everyone would be doing it, right???  Some days are more challenging and frustrating than others and we press on, right?  I am making an extra effort to say goodbye to the over-achiever who lives inside of me.  For now she is gone, but she might come back for a visit, if I let her.  Wish me luck on that one.  

My clinical rotation is at JFK this semester.  Worlds apart from Eisenhower in many ways.  I find the nurses at JFK much more willing and happy to help the students.  They all seem to be very happy working there.  There are some amazing nurses whom I am inspired and encouraged by...only being out of school for a couple of years and being the rock stars that they are.  

I have had several Spanish speaking only patients.  So much for the Spanish I thought I knew....

In other news...the girls are staying busy with school and their schedules.  Chandler has turned a 180 and now seems excited about the idea of going away to college.  Today we booked a flight and are going to visit OU next month.  She seems beyond excited about this.  Also high on the list is moving to South Carolina for school.  I cannot even imagine her being so far. Two weeks ago, I found out that I was awarded 4 scholarships for my nursing program.  I vaguely remember applying for them, as I didn't think I qualified for any of them.  I was ecstatic.  Now, if only Chandler can manage to do the same!  Otherwise, how the heck do we pay for her college??  Obama says he has made college more affordable....really?  For who and where? Scary.  

So, it's a Friday night and tonight I skip the away game.  t.i.r.e.d.  So, just chilling at home and re-charging so I can focus on writing a research paper this weekend.   I'm excited about that.  Really.  Excited.  Not.  

Happy Weekend. 

Goodbye Summer, It Was Great!

Wow...it's been over 3 weeks since my last post.  When I said I had a full calendar, I wasn't kidding.  We went to San Diego for a few days earlier in the month and had a great day at the beach on Coronado, caught a couple of Padres games and did some back to school shopping.  And made a stop for a campus tour at Cal State San Marcos.  Chandler's still not sure where she wants to go...so we continue to try to figure that one out.  

Upon our return, it was non-stop with doctor's appointments, school orientations and cheer practices and other stuff.  I managed to start reading for my upcoming semester.  The days have absolutely flown by, with very little downtime and now here we are the night before the first day of school.  

This, without a doubt, was one of the best summers on record for me. It was for the most part, stress and worry free (minus Craig's golf cart accident...still on the mend and not 100%).  In a nutshell, I:

Read trashy books (you know which ones)

Vegged on the beach.  

Visited with very old friends...so great.  So great.  

Celebrated Craig's dad's 80th birthday. 
Spent a little time with my sister-in-law.  <3 

Worked (for 8 days).  

Baked a couple of peach pies.  

Took in a couple of baseball games.  

Went to the water park.  

Staycationed at a local hotel. 

Went to Dallas Cowboys Training Camp.

Jetski'd, kayaked, parasailed and horseback rode in Lake Tahoe. 

Spent lots of time with great girlfriends....with whom I laugh til I cry and til my stomach hurts.  (There were some fun, fun times.  I love my friends.).

I know there's more.  I wish I could say I worked out faithfully...but I did not.  In fact, I got very sluggish and lazy for the last month.  The ugly August weather might have something to do with that.  But, I have enjoyed as much as I possibly could this summer.  And in a blink of an eye...it's over already.  (Sad face.)

And so now another school year is upon us....

My girls both have big years ahead of them.  Chandler begins her senior year tomorrow.  She's having a hard time being excited about it.  Over the last 2 years, her best friend, Allison, moved away and more recently another close friend moved away.  And her boyfriend of 7 months will be going off to college.  I hope that she can see it clearly to make the most of this final year of high school.  I am so proud of this girl.  Yesterday, as we were out running a few errands, she stopped to register to vote...she'll turn 18 just before the election.  It was so surreal to watch her fill out this form...emotional.  And an hour later, she was officially offered her first job!  She'll be working at Good Stuff Pizza...and she's so excited about it.  Interestingly, this is the same restaurant that Craig was considering buying about 10 years ago.  

And Rylee...she starts 8th grade tomorrow and I am equally proud of her.  She competed on 3 cheer teams last year and still managed to make a 4.0.  She will be in two clubs at school this year that will keep her busy...and she is really looking forward to it.  I can't believe my baby is in her last year of middle school.  Wow..the time....does it ever fly...

And me...I start my second semester of nursing school on Tuesday.  Yep, and I'm scared to death!  Wish me luck!

Olympic Love

It was the '72 Summer Olympic Games, when my love for the games and gymnastics began.  I was 6 and I was infatuated with Olga Korbut.  She had this signature type move on the balance beam.....

And I could so do this.  I loved Olga with her cute pigtails and her slightly crooked teeth.  She was my idol.  After the Olympic games, my mom enrolled me in my first gymnastics class at the "Y"...and I was hooked.  I continued gymnastics through high school.  I was alright...not great, but loved it to no end.  I was beyond excited when I was able to attend Bela Karolyi's traveling gymnastics camp when they came to El Paso.  Imagine the excitement to be able to tumble with Bela??!!  And his wife, Marta, coaching on balance beam?  Yep, pretty exciting.  

As much as I want to say that I follow gymnastics in the Olympics, I only halfway do.  I can't remember when the scoring system changed.  I still don't understand how it's figured.  And I am not sure when it went from the "Magnificent 7" to the "Fab 5."  When and why did I miss all this? 

I am so enjoying the Olympics this summer.  More so than ever.  Maybe it's because I notice that all four of us are laying on the couch enjoying it together.  Together, we admire the physiques and talents of the divers, the gymnasts, the swimmers.  (Ryan Lochte...yes, we love you.)  But, we love rooting our USA teams on.  I have cried almost every night watching..with pride and with agony. 

Today I have made it a point to avoid any news on TV or on the Internet.  Don't want any more spoilers for tonight.  

The countdown to back to school is on and I am overwhelmed by the amount of things that I have to get done and with a very full August calendar to squeeze it all into.

For starters, guess where I am headed tomorrow?  Yep, that's right...Dallas Cowboys Training Camp...with two VIP tickets.  I am one excited girl! 

Lake Tahoe

Last week, we set out for our postponed trip to Lake Tahoe.  We've been up there only one other time, about 4 summers ago.  My aunt and uncle have a home, a beautiful home, on the lake and we were fortunate enough to be able to stay with them for a few days.  There really are no words to describe the beauty...other than it is like a fairy tale castle in the pines.  I secretly (or not so secretly) hope or imagine my girls being married in the beautiful garden surrounding the house. 

Anyway, we enjoyed all the lake activities we could...boating across the lake to Emerald Bay, kayaking (more on that), jet skiing, parasailing, horseback riding and just enjoying the cool mountain air.  We were only away for 6 days, and 2 of those were driving days, so we got in as much as we could. 

The kayak:  Rylee and I decided to venture out...our first time in a kayak.  There is a little dock area that is surrounded by rocks at the house.  The one-seater kayak was large enough for the two of us little people.  So, we get in and start kayaking (is that the word?) around, staying fairly close to the pier.  Scaredy cat me, is to reluctant to venture out past the buoys.  So, around we go.  Rylee is a star paddler, while I am trying to steer with the pedals.  About the time we decide it's time to be done, I am doing not such a good job with steering to the dock and instead, we are headed towards the rocks.  The water is getting slightly rougher and kind of pushing us into the rocks.  I am totally not able to get us out and to the dock.  At some point, the kayak tips over and out we go!  And OMG, the rocks are soooo slippery from the moss.  Very long story short, Rylee hurt her fingers and I came out with scrapes, bumps and bruises and I am not sure how the hell I got that kayak out of the water, but I did.  Kayaking:  Done.  Way too much work.  Not any fun.  Don't need to do that again, thank you very much. 

I should have taken a picture of the kayak for posterity.  But, it's ingrained in my head.

We never miss an opportunity to go riding!

Cruising from the north shore to the south.

We had a blast on the jet skis!

After our ride, we checked out the Emerald Bay lookout point.

So, now we are back.  It was a long drive home and we were all glad to be home sleeping in our own beds.  Rylee and I have both managed to develop sore throats.  Her initial throat culture came back this morning as positive for strep, but they will confirm in two days.  Hope it's not...hope I don't have it.  So...we are laying low for a couple of days.  Thinking some good 'ole chicken soup is in order!

Just Cruising With a Small Bump or Two

Summer's cruising along and I am doing my best to enjoy every second of it.  The calendar says it's July now, and that makes me panic a wee bit.  It means August is just around the corner!!  That cannot happen, yet!

We have had a good little balance of days of doing nothing much mixed with days at the water park, a 24-hour fabulous staycation at La Quinta Resort, sleepovers, movies, baseball games, dinners with friends, hitting balls on the driving range.  I am not working out nearly as much as I should or want to, which doesn't make me happy.  I wish I could find the motivation for this.  I have read four books, and I'll be honest...after finishing 50 Shades of Grey...nothing else seems interesting!  

One thing I have decided to do, is become a distributor for It Works!  I am so far from a sales person and I am normally a huge skeptic, but these products have really intrigued me.  The wraps feel good and are a hot commodity right how...so much that they are now on back order for 3-4 weeks.  If you are reading this blog and want to find out more about this line of products (that will tone, tighten, and firm your skin...along with making you feel good!), check out this link: https://lorifreeman.myitworks.com/UltimateMakeover.

Last week, Chandler cut off her hair.  16 inches.  She's wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love and she was ready for a change.  It's darling and she loves it.  

Before Chandler did this, a friend of ours asked Chandler to model for her clothing website (http://bodygearonline.com/) check it out, it's cute, cute stuff.  Chandler was beyond thrilled to be asked to do this and had lots of fun doing it! 

So, summer hasn't been without a couple of bumps in our road.  After coming off Chandler's broken nose a few months ago, we've had Craig's work injury.  He's doing better, but not healed completely.  There was a possibility that they thought he may need a skin graft, but looks like that won't be necessary.  It still looks pretty ugly and he's still hobbling a bit.  We got a call on Father's Day morning from Craig's dad, from the ER.  He had been there for several hours.  Ended up being a kidney stone.  He's doing much better.  And then most recently, we had a bit of a mishap involving the car and the house.  And that's all I'll say on that one (but it wasn't me...).  None of these things were earth-shattering and we thank our lucky stars.  Just small bumps with added expenses and inconveniences...it could be worse, much worse, right? 

Looking forward to this week..always love watching a good fireworks show and preparing for our Lake Tahoe getaway at the end of the week!