Great news...

Well...it looks as if I spoke too soon in my last blog! My terrible year has morphed into something pretty great I think. Last night Shawn proposed and I said yes! Then we went to see Wicked for my birthday (which was AWESOME btw). So 2008 was a pretty damn trying year, but it is going to end on a positive note. Now I am ready for a great 2009 :)

The Worst Year Ever!

As everyone who knows me already knows, this year has not been going so well...

I am not going to relive all the details as to why this year has sucked so bad, but I will add the newest chapter. Today is my birthday, which would normally not seem like such a bad thing. Shawn and I went over to Dad's on Saturday to celebrate his birthday and he gave me a TomTom GPS for the car as a gift. I never leave things like this in the car, but yesterday Shawn and I were out running errands and since I wasn't driving I took it with me in the car to fiddle with. I accidently left it in the glove compartment and didn't remember until the evening. Shawn went out to the car around 10 to get it and found the front passenger door window smashed in. Since he didn't know what I usually keep in the car I went out to see what had been taken. To my complete surprise...the only things missing were 5 quarters! The nickels and dimes were still there, the TomTom was still there, the deck of cards I keep in the glove compartment as well as my phone charger and the AUX and iPod connector cords...all still there!!! Someone had broken my window to get into my car to steal $1.25! I couldn't believe it! We called the police to file a report and discovered from the officer that 5 other cars in our apartment garage were broken into that evening as well. I spoke with the office manager this morning and found out that 3 of the cars had nothing stolen at all, one besides mine had some change stolen, and one guy had his wallet in the car so it is obviously gone. What kind of desperation is there that someone would break into 6 cars around 530 pm on a weekday just to steal some quarters and a wallet with no money in it? I can't understand it! Anyway, so happy birthday to me. Now I get to spend $300 replacing the window of my car that is only 2 months old - on my birthday. yay.

Off to Texas

As is our yearly tradition, I am heading to Mimi's to have Thanksgiving with her and her husband. They live in Texas so that I where I am heading. Typically Thanksgiving vacation to Mimi's involves she and I doing lots of shopping, cooking Thanksgiving dinner while watching the Macy's parade, then watching Christmas movies and putting up Mimi's Christmas tree...all while Ian plays video games in another room of the house! This year we are going to of course do all our regular stuff, but we have a special treat! Mom and Eric are coming too!!! Woohoo! Of all the times this trip is needed for me it is now! I really need the distraction and what a better way to do that than by speding time with 3 of my favorite people in the world! Anyway, I fly out today and back on Saturday. I am taking my camera so we should be getting lots of pictures. I'm sure I will have a blast with the dogs too, even if it means I will have to wash everything I take with me when I get home to get all the dog hair off of me! haha!

Not ready to say goodbye...

I received some terrible news yesterday. One of my best friends ever and someone that I spent 4-1/2 years with in high school and college was killed in a car accident. Leif Nissen was a great person and a great friend. I have so many happy memories that involve him and I am just not ready to say goodbye yet. I don't know if that is just me being selfish, but I just can't do it yet. The news came as a complete shock and I am devastated. I have never felt a pain like this before and I hope I never have to again. Over the past few years we didn't get to see each other much, but when we did we always had a great time. Even when it had been months since we'd talked or seen each other, we were always able to pick up just as if it had only been hours. He was someone I could always talk to so easily because I knew he wouldn't judge me. Leif was someone I would trust with the deepest aspects of my soul and I have always cherished his friendship. He has been such a huge part of my life for so long and I still have so much I want to tell him that I just can't say goodbye yet.

I have so many memories of Leif that I could share and I need to talk about him to help myself grieve, so here are some of the things about Leif that made me love him. Leif was my annoying Physics lab partner in high school and he always messed up all our data! When we got our pictures back from the first dance we went to together he showed everyone who walked by us so he could tell them how much he liked the picture of us. He was my first love and the reason that I enjoyed college so much. He convinced me to go to IU with him so we could stay together after high school, and in the process we met some fantastic people that have become true friends. He was the one who made me realize that although I had the potential to be a doctor I would be happier as a nurse because it would allow me to have a family and still help people. He helped me move my grandparents stuff in a moving truck from Miami to Indiana (and he only complained a little - haha). He always pretended that my cooking was as good as his mom's, even though I new he was full of shit! He gave me my beloved Chandler as a gift, and to this day I have never received a gift that I have loved so much. He always knew what to say to make me feel better, even when he was the one who had caused the pain. He always opened his home to me and my friends when I wanted to come to visit. Even when our lives moved in different directions, when we lived in different states, had different friends and different relationships, we remained close friends.

Leif will be in my heart always and forever.

Work, Win & Wedding

I started work this past week! Yay!! It was basically all the boring orientation meetings that you have to do at every hospital when you're new. They want to teach you about the hospital and have someone from most of the departments come talk to us. It was mostly pretty boring, but I did learn some interesting things about hospital funding, Medicare & Medicaid, as well as some demographics about the patient population that we serve. The community surrounding my hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital, is a very low income community but some of the statistics were shocking to me! The worst part of the week was having to wake up so early in the morning! I haven't had to set an alarm clock for almost 5 months except for once or twice, then I had to be up at 515 am every morning this past week! BOO!! Now I start working 12 hour shifts this week so I will only have to wake up early 3 days this week. I will probably be on days for a month or 2 though, so the waking up early isn't going away any time soon :(

As you all know there was a general election this week. I am very happy with the results and I don't care who knows it! I voted for Obama/Biden and I think that our country will see some great things happening over the next 4 years. As a healthcare provider I am very excited with the Healthcare Reform that Obama has discussed and I really hope that we see some good changes. I thought that the crowd at McCain's concession speech was incredibly rude though! If you watched it then you know what I mean. It looked as though McCain was irritated with the behavior of those present as well. I only want to say one more thing about the election at this time...Thank the Lord and the American voters that we are sending Palin back to Alaska and not to Washington. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if she had been given any kind of control in the our national government!

This weekend Shawn and I went to a wedding in Mishawaka, IN. One of Shawn's friends from home got married and Shawn was asked to be an Usher in the Wedding. A few of Shawn's closest friends from home were also in the wedding so we got to spend the weekend with them and it was really fun! His friend Brendon, the groom, is in the Air Force currently stationed in Georgia but he is supposed to get stationed in England soon so Shawn was really glad to have had a couple of days to get to see his friend. Here are a few pictures!

Shawn and I at the wedding.

Jordan, Jonah, Brendon, Caleb & Shawn

Mr. & Mrs. Brendon Vanzile

Samantha, My American Girl

Mimi called me last week to alert me to the news that American Girl is planning to move Samantha to the vault. They are no longer making any of Samantha's stuff, but they will sell what they have until it's gone. I was very sad to hear this! Samantha is the American Girl doll that I have wanted since I was little. Mimi and I used to get the catalog every year and we would go through it and circle all the things we wanted. We never got those dolls, but last year for Christmas we both got the dolls we have always wanted! My Samantha is beautiful and I love her! The one outfit I have always wanted is her winter coat with the fluffy hat and muff and Mimi informed me that you can't get it online anymore. I made a trip today to the American Girl store in Water Tower Place and I was lucky enough to find the coat I wanted and the hat and muff and the ice skates. Now I won't be able to get any more stuff that is classic Samantha, but just look how cute she is!!

Happy Halloween!

Since it is Halloween today, I thought I would post some pictures from the Halloween Party we went to last weekend. One of the girls Shawn works with had a party so we had to do some last minutes costumes. Shawn already had an idea of what he wanted to do, so to make him Racer X from Speed Racer all I needed to get was some duct tape mainly. He suggested I be Super Girl so I got a cheap red sheet to make my cape and other than that I already had my bling Superman shirt! The party was fun and it was good to meet the people Shawn works with!

SuperGirl

Racer X

Shawn and I :)


P.S. I start the orientation at my new job Monday....so wish me luck!

A visit from Theresa!

Theresa was here for a visit this week. The school she teaches at gets a whole week off for Fall Break...amazing! So she came to visit Shawn and I for a few days. We took the train downtown on day to do some touristy things. We went to Navy Pier just to check it out (it was kinda cold so there wasn't much going on). There was a little park out front and we had some fun with the statues!

The fountain at Navy Pier.

Shawn is lending a helping hand :)

I'm so mean, pushing that poor girl down and ruining the game!

Shawn and Theresa are getting in on the Ring Around the Rosey!

Theresa is always modeling! Haha!

Me and Shawn at the end of Navy Pier!

The Lighthouse out past the end of the pier.

Back to a normal life...

It seems as though life is finally gettin back to normal :) Finally! Shawn and I are moved in a settled into our new apartment. We are still waiting on the second half of the sectional (Niko will probably bring it over this weekend) and we need a desk still, but otherwise we are getting things in place. Our apartment has a workout facility that is really nice. I have officially started my diet today by working out this morning. Yay for me! I took a walk down Lake St in Oak Park this afternoon and took some pictures of a few of the churches on our street. There are a ton of churches around here and they are all really beautiful. There is a lot of really interesting architecture as well because this is the hometown of Frank Lloyd Wright. I took some pictures of our apartment as well. The view from the roof is amazing too!

Shawn is back to work and he loves it! He is working a few days a week at the Oak Park store, which is great because he can walk to work, and a couple of days a week at the store in Bloomingdale. That store is about 20-25 minutes away, but it is a lot bigger and has video cameras as well as regular cameras, so he should be able to make bigger commissions, especially around the holidays! The people he works with are glad he's back and that makes us very happy! We are planning to go to a Halloween party this weekend that one of his co-workers is having. I have good news too about work. I got a full-time staff position at Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago. I will be working in the NICU and I am SO EXCITED! Besides the fact that I am SO ready to go back to work, and I really happy that I'll be working with the tiny babies again! I love the babies and I know I will be enjoying my job! I don't get to start working for another couple of weeks, but I will survive! I've managed this long! Wish me luck!

Yay Oak Park!

We made it!! We moved in on Sunday! Yay! Now we are just working on getting everything settled. Dad is letting us use a couch they aren't using now as well as an entertainment center. That really helps us out right now. We still need to get a desk so now our dining table is pulling double duty as a desk. Oh well! I'll get some pictures taken soon and post it up.

Tonight we're on our way to Aunt Mel & Uncle Glenn's for dinner. Aunt Kathy is in town from Oregon so that'll be nice to see her too.

Oak Park...here we come!!

The time is almost here!! Next week we are heading back to Oak Park...finally!! Shawn will be starting his job at the camera shop again, so he is really excited about that. I'm going up on Wednesday to paint the apartment and get a few things settled in, then we're moving all our stuff up on Sunday. Mom and Eric will be helping us as well as Shawn's family. We cannot wait to get settled and we will keep you you all posted about how it all goes!

Redecorating Adventure

This blog is mainly for Mimi :) I have been redecorating Mom's house over the past couple of weeks since I've started feeling better but am still not back to work. Here is a video of the new kitchen and living room. Flooring is still to come and a bit of furniture, but overall this is a huge improvement!

New Car!

We got our car today!! Yay! I'm so freaking excited! I am driving to Indy tomorrow so I will get to really test out the car! Here are some pictures...

Sinus Infections, Cars, and Sports

Last night was my 10 year high school reunion for Monroe Central, the school I went to in my home town before I left for the Academy. I *technically* still am an alumnus of MC and I still have a lot of friends there that I was looking forward to seeing. Unfortunately, I got a really bad sinus infection and seeing as I have no health insurance right now, I couldn't go to the doctor to get antibiotics to make it go away quickly. So, I had to miss out on the reunion. It would have been nice to have gone, but I spend the evening on the couch with OJ and soup watching TV with Shawn. Not a bad night either, but still. So that's both reunions I missed this summer...maybe I'll make it to both for 15 years? We'll see!

So...I just finished watching the Bears game a little bit ago and the Colts game is on right now. I just want to say a few things about the Bears games these last 2 weeks...What the hell is going on at the end of the game??? Last week and this week the Bears were completely on track to win and they screwed it up at the end! This week they lost in overtime! The Bucs scored a TD in the last 10 seconds of regulation time which took the game to overtime...which basically means the game should have been in the bag before overtime even was necessary! What is going on! I had such high hopes after the season opener against the Colts! The Bears played really well and I was surprised but excited for the season. Now I'm wondering what is happening!! I'm not really watching the Colts game right now, so I don't really have much to say about that, but they pulled off a big win at the end last week! It was pretty surprising after watching the first 3 quarters of that game....but good for them! It's gonna be an interesting football season overall!

Speaking of sports that are awesome...can I just say how excited I am about the Cubs this season!! This is the year...I can feel it! They are the NL Central Champs again this year and they have been playing SO well! Ooooooh...World Series here comes the Cubbies!!

Shawn and I decided on a car! I have been doing research for several weeks, comparing fuel efficiency, size, extras, price, etc. We were orginially leaning toward a crossover type car to make it easier with my traveling, but since we're going to be staying in Chicago for awhile we decided against that. We were looking at getting another Cobalt (like I had), a Honda Civic, a Dodge Caliber, or a Scion xD. The Coblat and Civic were both Coupes with great fuel efficiency, but there would be zero space for storage and stuff. The Caliber looked kinda cheap when we looked in it. The dash was kinda cheap plastic looking. I really liked the xD but I wasn't sure what Shawn would think about it. After test driving, we decided on either the Civic or the xD. In the end the xD looks like its gonna be the best thing for us! We're so excited. It was the least expensive of the bunch, plus the nicest of the salesmen and he wasn't overly annoying and didn't hound me a lot. He just kinda sat back and let us make our decision, which we really liked. The xD gets really great city and hwy mpg plus it is a hatchback style so it'll be handy for transporting stuff. Anyway, ours should be arriving this week so hopefully by early next week we'll own a new car! Here is a picture of what it will look like (this is from the website since ours isn't actually here yet).

Apartment!!

Shawn and I found an apartment!! We made a day trip to Oak Park on Monday on a quest to find an apartment. We had breakfast with Grandma and Dad and did get a chance to see Aunt Mel and Kath for a little bit, then it was on to the apartment hunt. I had done a lot of research prior to the trip so we didn't have to drive around aimlessly (which is good since they were having some serious flooding in the Chicago area). We found a place that is gonna work really well for us! It is a high rise and the view from the rooftop entertaining area is amazing! You can see the whole city skyline! You can also see both airports....which is so cool. The buidling has a clubhouse area on the roof with a big screen tv, surround sound, couches and stuff, plus a full kitchen. There are double doors off both sides that lead to balconies with chairs for laying out to sunbathe and some tables and chairs. There is also a fitness room on the top floor and it is actually a good size fitness room. Some places say they have fitness rooms but really all they have is a treadmill and maybe a stair stepper. Anyway, our apartment is going to be on the 2nd floor (so no amazing view, it would've cost more for the room with the view). The apartment is a really good size and I think we're gonna be really happy there! Our lease starts October 15th which should be good because I'm trying to get my next contract to start at the end of October. I'm so excited now! I will get to move soon, get to go back to work, get to go back to Oak Park! Woohoo! I am going next week for a job interview in Oak Park, so I'll stop by the apartment and take some pictures :)

Bachelorette fun...

Friday was my old roommate Sarah's bachelorette party in Indy. Since it had only been a few days without my collar, I didn't feel comfortable driving to Indy alone, so Shawn drove down with me. He stayed at Theresa's place with Al (I made them some snacks and they just drank some beer and watched Smallville all night) while T and I went to Sarah's party. The party theme was color...check out Sarah's bright pink pants! Gotta love the teal and brown feather boa too!

We had a really great time! I got to see some friends that I haven't seen in awhile, and that is always fun! We went to a club in Indy after the cake and stuff was taken care of. There was a Michael Jackson tribute band performing, and they were actually pretty good! I didn't really dance, but all the little neck movements were enough to keep me from staying out too long. Anyway, we didn't make it much of a late night, but it was enough to have a great time! The wedding is in 2 weeks and I am really looking forward to it!

Shawn and I are off to Chicago tonight (we are gonna brave the flooding!) We're gonna spend the night with Grandma Lach and have breakfast with Dad tomorrow. Then we'll be spending the day in Oak Park looking for an apartment. Fun stuff! We are so ready to get back to our life :)

It's Getting Better All The Time!

I am feeling SO much better already! The neck brace came off Monday and Tuesday was pretty rough. All day I basically sat around with the heating pad. Wednesday I was able to move my neck a lot more and I even drove just a bit to test it out (with Mom right beside me!). By Thursday I was feeling loads better. I still don't have complete full ROM yet, and certain movements do hurt, but overall I feel like I have my neck basically back! I decided to fix my hair once the neck brace came off too, so I've fixed the color and gotten a cut. The color is a little darker than I normally do, but I like it. I think it fits me and the cut is similar to what I usually do (when I actually keep up with my hair) but not exactly. My hair stylist has been on maternity leave FOREVER and so I've had to have someone new cut it the last few times (hate that!).

Shawn and I have started our planning to get back to our life! We are going Monday to Chicago to look for apartments in Oak Park. I have already talked to my recruiter from my travel agency and she's working on finding me a new contract in the Chicago area. The current plan is to start mid to late October. We're current planning to head back to Oak Park in early October. So, in order to get back there we need a car. I've been doing lots on online research and I have been to several car dealerships to check cars out. We went today to test drive a few and we decided! We are going to be getting a Scion xD. I am so excited! Unfortunately my credit is basically in the toilet right now due to the medical bills and I was late on some regular bills in the month after the accident, but we're going to be able to get a pretty good deal. We're thinking we'll be able to refinance after we get back on our feet and my credit is better (so once everything gets settled with the insurance company and my medical bills are paid.) Anyway, we don't know what color the car is gonna be yet. We told them we are open to any of the colors except for white and red, which leaves silver, black, gray, and dark blue. We do want a manual, so they are gonna find one for us. We're hoping to get this all settled this month so we can get to Oak Park next month. Yay! Things are falling into line!

Tonight we're heading to Indy. My old roommate Sarah is having her bachelorette party so Theresa and I are heading to that. Shawn and Albert and gonna sit back, drink some Keystone, eat the yummy snacks I made them, and watch Season 7 of Smallville (which came out on video this week). Fun stuff! I'm sure I'll have some picture tomorrow!

I have a neck again!

I am very excited to announce that I have a neck again!!

I went to the neurosurgeon today for some xrays and a check up. They said my fractures looks much much better, but there is still a little trouble with the vertebral alignment when I bend my neck forward. They don't think it will cause any problems, but I am supposed to be very careful for the next few weeks and tell them if I have any unusual pain or numbness and tingling. Anyway, they said it was time to remove that horrible, terrible, cruel neck brace! I don't have any prescribed physical therapy, they said that my regular amount of daily activity should be enough to strengthen the muscules again. I am on an activity restriction for the next month at least (no lifting more than 10#, no pushing or pulling anything heavy, nothing excessive). I won't be able to go back to previous type of nursing for now, but I should be able to get back into some kind of nursing in the next few weeks!! Unlike Mimi's prediction, my head did not flop over to the side when the neck brace was removed! It does feel really funny though! You know those ankle weights that people use sometimes when they speed walk?? The feeling you get when you take those off is what my neck feels like, but instead of feeling like that for 5 minutes or so it's been feeling like that since about 1pm! Haha! It doesn't hurt much (yet) but it is very weak and sore. Luckily I have a nice heating pad that I'm sure will come in handy later today. My range of motion is much less than normal right now, but it will be hopefully back to normal in a few weeks. Anyway, the next few days will give me a better idea of how my neck is gonna be feeling, but right now I'm optimistic! Shawn and I are gonna chill the rest of today and have a Disney Movie Marathon!

Video Journey

Shawn made this video of our time in D.C. There was a TON of footage (he took his video camera just about everywhere!) but he compiled the highlights and set it to music. I think it is pretty great. I love that we will have this to remember our time in D.C. We have a ton of pictures as well, but this video is pretty special. Enjoy!

The beginning of the video is our apartment complex in Alexandria and the surrounding area. Shawn walked to work down the street in Arlington (right near the Pentagon) so he took some video of the walk through town. We would take the train into D.C. and then we visited all the standard memorials and monuments. We also drove out to the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington and visited the Arlington National Cemetary.

Shawn also made a video of our weekend trip to Philly. It has footage of us walking around all the art museums, plus we went to the Franklin Institute Science Museum and visited the special exhibit, which happened to be a traveling Star Wars exhibit. Our hotel was right on the river which looked across at New Jersey. Shawn got several shots of the ships and boats in the river and the bridge that took cars across the river. Of course, a trip to Philly wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Rocky Statue!

Anxious

I am SO SO SOOOO ready to be done with this horrible neck brace! I go back to the doctor Monday and based on previous plans with the doctor I should be getting this stupid brace off! Shawn doesn't want to get too excited yet, just in case the Xrays change the current plan...but I can't help but get excited. It has been 13 weeks now and I have had enough! I am ready to be able to sleep without the neck brace making me snore and keeping me awake just by being incredibly uncomfortable. I am ready to stop getting stupid pimples along the bottom of my chin because of this brace. I am ready to not have to wear this thing that is like a scarf all summer! Anyway...I'm ready and excited so I'm just gonna have to keep hoping that everything has healed as it should so the doctor will give me good news after he sees my Xrays on Monday! Everyone needs to think good thoughts!

I have decided that it is time to start looking for another car now...I will hopefully get the ok to start driving soon so a car to replace the one that was totalled would be good. I hate car shopping. Cars are expensive. Any thoughts on what I should get?

Stupid summer colds...

As if things weren't already miserable enough for me, I now have a cold. Boo! I haven't been sleeping well the past week or so and I think that it just wore me down and now I'm sick. Still not sleeping well, but luckily cold medications tend to make people sleepy so I'm able to sleep through my extreme discomfort. Anyway, for the past few days I've just been laying around (even more than usual) and I've not bee talking on the phone much because my voice isn't so hot and I just don't feel like it. So if you've called and I haven't called back, that's why. I will be making a lot of catching up calls when I feel better.

Less than 2 weeks until I go back to the doctor to get this neck brace off...hopefully for good!!

Things I LOVE!

I've had a little bit more free time this summer than usual (I wonder why...geez!) and so I've been able to spend an almost obscene amount of time doing things that I really like to do. I've decided to share some of the things I've been doing this summer that I love and some of the things that I would love to have been doing this summer.

FAVORITE things this summer!

#1 : MarioKart Wii

For anyone who has never played a Wii...you are missing out seriously! My wonderful little brother was kind enough to allow Shawn and I to borrow his Wii this summer since I'm stuck at home. Early in the summer when I still had my cast on my arm, MarioKart was the only game I could play, and not well. Once the cast was off I was able to play MarioKart like it is intended to be played as well as Guitar Hero and Rockband. Let me just say this...I will KICK YOUR ASS at MarioKart so don't challenge me unless you are prepared for the heat!! haha!

#2 : The Library

I have always liked having a library card...it is something I've always had since I was a kid. Mom always used to take us to the library and I still remember how cool the library was that we used to go to in Brandon, FL when I was in elementary school. Shawn has never been much of a library guy, but I have managed to show him the greatness that is a library. One of my favorite things to do is read...I do love to own books, but the library is a great resource for all the books I want to read but don't think I'll ever read again. I have made good use this summer of the books in the library, as well as the CD's, DVD's, and books on CD. Shawn never realized that you can get graphic novels at the library, plus he is super excited to be able to get movies and tv shows to watch!

#3 : The Olympics

Michael Phelps. Enough said!

Well...gymnastics was pretty cool too but the new judging sucks! Don't even get me started on the scoring system! That is a whole blog of its own!

WORST things this summer!

#1: Not working

I absolutely love being a nurse and not being able to do that these last few months is driving me insane! I miss taking care of my patients and making a difference in their lives. I miss feeling like I am serving a purpose each day. I have felt so useless all summer and I'm tired of it! I'm SO ready to go back to work...now if only I physically felt ready to go back to work and the doctor would give me permission! Also...not working means having no money and as someone who works in healthcare you'd think I would've known how much hospital and doctor visits cost! I had NO IDEA! It is insane the amount of money they charge. I get if that's what it takes to be still walking and talking today, but geez!

#2 : No swimming

Last summer Shawn and I spent a ridiculous amount of time at the pool and it was awesome! It was the only summer I can ever remember having a nice tan and not sporadic burns! This summer has been no swimming for me :( We even got to go to the lake with Andrew's family and I had to watch everyone else ride the wave runner and go tubing and swimming. I was glad to at least have been part of it, but it still would've been nice to have been able to swim some this sumemr.

#3 : No activity

Not having to work would typically allow for some time for outside activities, like bike riding. Shawn loves to ride his bike and I have never really had time to go along, now that I have time and would like to have been able to ride on the greenway with him, I can't! I can't even go walk outside by myself because I can't turn my head to look before crossing the street. I can't do even non-cardio workout videos! I never realized how much exercise I got from working until I was forced to sit on my ass for 2 months straight! Lets just say, I hope my scrubs fit when I go back to work!

So...when I go back to the doctor in a few weeks hopefully I will get good news about the healing of my neck and will be able to start doing more of the things I love again (but I'm not giving up MarioKart! Eric is gonn have to fight me for his Wii back!)

Can't Mimi come visit everyday??

This past weekend was a bit of an adventure! Grandma and Grandpa Manning celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary so Dave wanted to surprise them by flying Mimi in for their party. She and I decided to make it an all around surprise, and as usual it was hard for Mimi and I to keep secrets...but we did it! Dave took Eric and Sara to the airport to pick her up Saturday morning and they were so surprised! It is reported that Eric was giggling...haha! He denies it though. Mom was probably the most happy to have all her children together for a few days. We always have fun when Mimi is home, but it is sad when she has to leave again :( Why can't she move back closer....Everyone else ask her that too!!!

Saturday afternoon Mimi, mom, and I went for a mini-reunion of sorts with a few of Mimi's friends from high school. We went over to the Moore's house in Farmland and got to visit with Amanda and little Luke who came down from Michigan for a visit. Plus, Rachel was in town for some family birthday stuff, so we got to spend some time with her as well. Mimi and I absolutely love reading Amanda's blog so we can keep up with Luke (talk about an adorable little guy!) so it was great to get to sit and talk with her and to finally meet Luke in person! Here is a picture from our afternoon.

The anniversary party was Sunday and we were going to be setting up after church, so Mimi and I got up early and headed to church. It's been awhile since I went to church and I forgot how much I enjoy Pastor Sherrie's sermons. She always makes it easy to understand by using real stories from her life that everyone can relate to. She has had some trying issues in her life recently and it really helps to make sense of your own problems, no matter how different, when she is able to show you how God helps her through her life. She is funny but at the same time can make you cry...and we all were this Sunday! After church we got the fellowship hall all set up and the party started. Teresa Cox made the cake and it was beautiful and delicious! Grandpa and Grandma had a great time and they loved all the people that came by to wish them well. Michael and Colleen made a picture slideshow of all the kids and grandkids and they all loved that. They did all the silly wedding reception stuff, like cutting the cake and feeding each other and intertwining arms to drink the punch. It was about the cutest thing I've seen in a long time! They were so happy to have Mimi home for then event and to have the whole family together. The party was a hit! Here are some pictures of the day.

Grandpa the pimp :)

Haley, Holly, and Eric being "cool."

Shawn helping to "clean up." Haha!

So, since the accident and the stupid neck brace I have been putting a very small limit on the number of pictures allowed of me. Since this was a very special event, I was not allowed to have a picture quota for the day...boo! On the upside, Shawn and I managed to get a really cute picture. We usually take pictures of us all the time, but it's been awhile (I mean its been like 11 weeks since the accident now and I don't exactly feel very attractive with this neck brace on) so I'm glad that we did take this picture and it turned out so cute! Shawn had Friday off of work so we went to visit his family. The Star Wars: Clone Wars animated movie came out and he wanted to go with his Dad and take his little brother Shane. Shane really enjoyed it, so I'm glad we went there to take him. It was a pretty good movie, definitely tailored to children, but still very entertaining. We had a good time with his family and Shawn was able to go through some of his stuff to bring stuff back here for the rummage sale we hope to have next month sometime. Also, he needed to clean out his old room because his older brother is going to be moving home for a little while and needs that space. Shawn has not been enjoying his job much, but it is good money and it is keeping him busy. We are both anxious for me to get better so we can get back to Chicago. We loved it there and are SO ready to get back. My next doctor's appointment is in a few weeks and hopefully the xrays will be good news!!

Another update...

I went to the neurosurgeon today for a checkup. So far no changes from the original plan. I have another 4 weeks with the neck brace then I go back for a lot more Xrays without my neck brace. At that point we will have some more information about what will be happening with my rehab. I may not need physical therapy, but it'll probably be another month after I get the neck brace off before I will be ready to go back to work. I'm going stir crazy!!

I decided that in my time off now I am going to learn how to play the guitar! Eric is gonna let me use his acoustic guitar and I'm gonna teach myself with a little help from Eric. Anyway, the guitar lessons will help give me something to do besides just read and watch tv all the time. I have basically dominated MarioKart Wii now, so that isn't as time consuming for me. I am rated overall two stars and I have unlocked everything I can (I think) so now I just play live against people all over the world. That is fun, but the guitar will be sweet! I'm pretty excited to learn to play. It is a good thing I'll be around here for another couple of months too because Eric is going to be doing high schoo algebra this year so he will have a live in tutor for awhile :) Shawn is working now, so that is good for him. I'm sure in this house full of people he could use a break from my family! Sara will be moving into the dorms at Ball State in a couple of weeks, so that is pretty exciting for her. Also, Grandma and Grandpa Manning are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary next weekend! That is really exciting for them. 50 years...WOW! I will try to take some pictures and post those after the party.

At the end of July Andrew was in town for a visit from California! The JLP was reunited for the weekend. Andrew's parents own a lakehouse up north of Ft. Wayne. We spend the weekend their. Everyone (except me) went tubing and on the wave runner. It was fun to watch them all though! We all got too much sun but we had a blast all being together. We tried to convince Andrew to move back home, but he is staying out in LA :( He came down to Muncie to hang out with Shawn and I one more time before he went back to LA. We miss him! Theresa had her graduation from Ball State last month. She actually finished last year but she needed to finish her exam to get her teachers license before she could officially graduate, so she has finally walked the graduation ceremony now. Last weekend Theresa moved to Indianapolis because she is starting her teaching job next week in Lebanon. Shawn helped her Dad and brother with the big stuff in the move and helped her get some stuff organized in the house. We're gonna try to go see her again this weekend before she starts teaching. Good Luck Theresa!

Cast off!!

Just a quick update to let everyone know that I got my cast off!! I'm sorry I haven't reported much lately, but there really hasn't been much to report :( We are still in Muncie and it looks like I'll be wearing my neck brace for about 6 more weeks...so I'm still hoping for end of September or early October for going back to Chicago and back to work! It is so nice to have my cast off my arm, but it is still hard to use! The tendons are really tight and my wrist is really weak. I have a wrist brace that I can wear while I'm doing stuff so that my wrist has a little extra support because it hurts pretty bad when I move it around much. The wrist brace really helps. The doctor gave me some exercises I can do to strengthen my wrist and he said if I do them while I'm watching tv or something that my wrist should be fine once I get my neck resolved. I hope so!

Update

I thought I would give everyone an update on what is going on. I now have a cast on my right arm...they only splinted it at the hospital so the doc here in Muncie decided that a cast was needed. My neck brace is getting easier to deal with, but I am still in a lot of pain and have a very hard time getting comfortable. I sleep way more than usual, but seeing as all I can do is watch TV I guess sleeping isn't such a bad option.

Shawn went back to Oak Park on Tuesday to finish out the week at his job (which he hates to leave...I wish he didn't have to) and to get our stuff packed up. We will be moving back to Muncie while I recover. My doctors are here and there are a lot of people here that will be able to help Shawn with my care so it will just make more sense for us to be in Muncie. My parents still own the house in Muncie that my granparents were living in so they are gonna let us live there until I can go back to work. My familly will be driving up to Chicago this weekend to rent a Uhaul to bring all of my stuff and my Shawn back here.

I have been getting a lot of get well cards and many many messages with thoughts and prayers. Thank you all for caring so much about me, my family and my friends. I got a really awesome care package from Mimi today...I love all the stuff! Can't really play with my Play-doh though but I will!! Theresa is also starting to feel better and was finally feeling up to running some errands yesterday with her sister. So it looks like we will all get through this...it will just be a very challenging road, one that I would much rather have detoured! I have loved all the calls and emails! I will keep everyone updated!

Accident

So...I am going through a rough time right now. Friday Shawn and I drove to SB to pick up Theresa for my sis's graduation. We were so excited about the weekend...time off work and almost all of the JLP together (we alwayas miss you Andrew!). Plus...Sara was graduating high school! How exciting was that for her! I was so excited to be there for her and I got a new dress I was gonna wear and everything. We stopped for lunch in Rochester and I cursed the town again for my speeding ticket from last year then we started off again. We had stuff to do before graduation and Al would be arriving in Muncie right after his training that night. The happy mood of the changed suddenly when we we in an accident as we were driving south on 31. Someone was driving across at 16 and "apparently" didn't see us because they did not stop! We collided with them at pretty high speed. I had just slammed on the brakes, but seeing as the speed limit is 60 I was surely still going over 50 at impact because there was little time to react! I tried co turn the car to the right to see if we could avoid the crash, but we were too close and they came out of nowhere right in front of us. Shawn was in the backseat and managed to get out of the car after the accident. He noticed the car was smoking and thought it looked like T and I had gas on us so he pulled T out of the car and then someone pulled over to help him get me out because my door was banged up pretty bad. Neither T nor I were making any sense and we don't remember the crash or anything afterward until the paramedics were already working on us. T and I were taken by helicopter to Parkview in Ft. Wayne. Shawn had some scrapes and bruises and was really sore the next day, T has quite a gash on her leg and one crazy seat belt bruise, but thank goodness they are ok! I was so worried after the accident about them! I had been driving and they are two of the most important people in my world...I was devastated that they could have been injured! What I was not prepared for were my injuries! I have badly bruised/strained my left ankle (using a cane to walk), fractured my right wrist, have a wild and crazy seat belt bruise, airbag bruise on my nose and cheeck, and the kicker: fractured the top 2 vertebrae in my neck-the C1 and C2 vertebrae on te left side! At this time no surgery is required, I am walking with a cane and have direct instructions to be extremely careful at all times! I will bw wearing a neck collar 24 hours a day for the next 12 weeks and watching the progress of the healing. They have not yey ruled out needing traction in the form of a cervical Halo, but I really hope I can heal well without it. So, I am alive and ok, but this is gonna be a huge ordeal for me! I will be unable to work this whole time and I am sure physical therapy will be required after I get the brace off, so it could be the fall before I am able to get back to nursing! Shawn and I will probably be back in Muncie for my healing time, as much as we love Oak Park we can't afford to stay there with me not working plus I am gonna need a lot of help to care for myself for awhile and it would be easier for Shawn to have my mom and my family here to help. We would appreciate any spare thoughts and prayers as I recover and as T and Shawn get better too. I was released from the hospital yesterday and Mom brought me home to Farmland while we get things figured out. Shawn went yesterday to get all of our stuff out of the car and he has a picture of the damage, but I haven't wanted to see it yet, I'm gonna get some pictures today of my bruises today for Mimi so I will post those later. To all of you who read this: I love you all so much and I don't know what I would do without my family and friends...and of course my Shawn! He pulled T and I out of the car and called our families and he was right by my side for me (except they wouldn't let him come in the helicopter). This is gonna be a rough few months, but I will survive!

Tournaments...two of a kind!

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile...but I've not really been doing much. Shawn and I have been getting settled into our apartment and we really like it! We still haven't gotten around to taking pictures of Oak Park, but we'll get to it soon! I promise :)

On May 15th Eric was in Chicago for his band field trip and we were gonna try to meet up with him at Medieval Times. Shawn has always wanted to go I haven't been in a really long time, so we drove out to Schaumburg to meet up with his school group. Medieval Times was pretty cool...but not worth the money in my opinion. The food could have been way better, but it wasn't bad. They certainly are stingy with the drinks though! Practically had to beg for a refill of my soda! The show was pretty neat though...would have liked to have seen more of the actual battling between the knights but when the did joust it was cool. Shawn definitely wanted to be a knight when he left, so he did by a little wooded sword. Now I can pretend to kill him at home! Don't think its anything we'd like to go see again anytime soon, but we had a good time!

This past weekend Al and Theresa were up for a visit because Al was trying out for the NFL at one of the regional combines. The combine was in Naperville at North Central College. We had a really great time with them for the weekend, which we always do when we're all together, but it has been such a long time since we've really gotten to hang out we were really excited to see them! It was a pretty laid back weekend, considering Al had a lot on his mind and needed to rest up for the combine. The combine went REALLY well! Al did an awesome job! He exceeded or met all of the requirements for quarterback to reach the Elite Combine in California this June and the guy who runs the combines told Al that he was really impressed with his throwing and abilities. We just found out yesterday that Al did make it to the Elite Combine...so he's off to the tryouts in June. Shawn, Theresa and I are hoping we can go out with him for moral support (plus it would just be awesome) but due to money issues I think we're gonna have to sit home and be nervous instead! He'll do great though and hopefully one of the recruiters from the NFL will like him give him a job! We're hoping Chicago or Miami will take an interest (seeing has he's a quarterback and they both need quarterback!) but really any interest would be awesome for him!
On a side note...but an important side note...Shawn got a job! He is working at a camera shop here in Oak Park. It is actually just about a block and a half away, so it only takes him about 5 minutes to walk to work! So far he really likes it and I think it'll be really great for him! Yay! I'm working this weekend but we'll be home in Muncie next weekend for Sara's graduation. Anyone wants to see us while we're home, let one of us know!

A day at the zoo!

Yesterday, Shawn and I were sitting around eating breakfast trying to figure out how to spend our day together when I got the brilliant idea: Let's go to the zoo! So then we had to decide which zoo to go to. We live pretty close to the Brookfield Zoo, and I haven't been there for a REALLY long time, so that is what we decided to to. We had a blast! It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day with no rain and few clouds. It turned out to be a great day!

There were two baby camels! One of the babies was born this past March and one just a few weeks ago in April! They were so cute playing together. This one was trying to socialize with daddy...how sweet!






There were about 5 giraffes in this enclosure. This one was moving all over and he kept doing really funny looking things, but every time I would try to get a picture he would stop! I was getting so annoyed! I had never seen a giraffe try to bend down to get something off the ground and it is hilarious! I guess there knees must not bend like ours do cause he had his legs spread so wide...It was really cute, but no picture :(









There were two big elephants that I could see. They are so huge! The other elephant didn't have any tusks, but he was off to the side eating hay or something off the ground. It was so neat to stand there and watch him eat using his trunk. An elephant's trunk is truly amazing! They are able to use their trunks to do some things that really seem to require a lot of fine motor like skills! I was basically in awe. There was a display that has a long tube that is meant to demonstrate how heavy an elephant's trunk is...I couldn't believe it! I never figured how heavy it would be!

Oh...the Monkey house! I could have spent all day in their! The Primate exhibit was divided into several areas based on the Continent. Each area had primates that are indigenous to those areas. This little monkey was looking right at us and he was only about 5 feet away from our heads! It was a really open exhibit too with birds flying right over our heads. In each area all the different types of primates were able to interact with each other, although they didn't really seem to. Each different specie seemed to only play with each other. There were some other types of animals mixed in as well. In one of the areas there was a pygmy hippo swimming while a medium sized monkey was sitting on a branch right over the water! That was really neat! The Gorilla exhibit was at the end, but it was worth it! There were a lot of gorillas! There was one that was much smaller than the others so it must have been a juvenile...but I'm not sure of the age at all. I don't know if it was a boy or a girl, but it was really playful! He was running all over the trees trying to get the other gorillas to play with him...but they weren't really interested! Most of the males were just lounging around, but they looked really comfy! It was a lot of fun to watch them all play!
Of course, Shawn wanted to make sure that we saw the aquatic animals...so we went to the dolphin show as well as the new exhibit called Stingray Bay. The dolphin show was really great, as they usually are. There were 5 dolphins in the family, the mother with 4 of her children. Dolphins are so smart! Stingray Bay was really neat too...it was basically a small pond that had two different types of stingrays you could touch as well as horseshoe crabs and two types of small sharks. The sharks were hiding near the waterfall though were you couldn't reach them, so we weren't able to touch those :( We did get to touch the stingrays though, and that was really cool! They are really soft and the smaller ones were really friendly! It was almost like some of them liked to be petted. They would come right to you and there was one that kinda stopped when I started touching it and stayed there for a minute. That was pretty cool! It would have been really freaking cool to touch a shark, but oh well. Maybe some other time! The exhibit with the penguins was pretty small, but you were able to get really close to the penguins and it was open so there was a huge, thick piece of glass between you and the penguins. That was really neat. The could swim up really close to you...obviously it was far enough a way that you couldn't touch them, but still it was cool!
We made sure to see the big cats and the bears as well, but they were mostly just laying around being lazy! Most of them were sleeping...some were sleeping where we could see them, but most were hiding out of view :( We could at least see all the big cats, but the bears were almost all hiding away! Anyway, our trip to the zoo was wonderful and we had a great day! Just one more picture of Shawn that I absolutely love!