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!