Long time-No see!

With school winding down I have actually had free time this week! What is that like, right? I can't believe pinning is in 12 days (nurses are weird and call their graduation "pinning"-Dalen thought wrestling would be involved!). Dalen is currently in Missouri somewhere on a 5 day golf trip with 5 or so other men. It has been a nice time of rest with just me and the kids. We have done some baking, cleaning, hanging out, being lazy, movie watching, and catching-up with each other. The timing was perfect. I have felt so disconnected from everyone for so long. Hopefully this will give them (and me) the sense that MOM is BACK!
Haylie is graduating this year from 8th grade at CMS. She is excited. She made the cheerleading squad at the high school and is SOOOO excited. She has already started fund raising for summer cheer camp so if your door bell rings.....
Corbin is playing baseball now and finishing up 2nd grade. He is just happy to be alive. Sometimes I wish I had his carefree attitude. Everything slides right off his back (or over his head). This year he has become interested in history. He is very interested in Italy for some reason and tells us all sorts of things we didn't know. He also likes studying past presidents. It's strange to Dalen & I since neither of us is very studious about history (we enjoy science). He is teaching all of us a lot.
Zander is...well...Zander. He is so ornery! He is playing soccer and T-ball. You would think he'd get tired, right? Nope. just us...from driving. And Clare is still Clare, changing earrings and nail colors everyday. She actually asks to have her straightened everyday now too.
We all love our church in Benton! We have made so many new good friends. Dalen & I are almost done teaching a series to the couples class. This summer I think we are going to host an Alpha Class at our home on Sunday nights. We aren't real sure what that is but Pastor Rob asked and we prayed about it and so...that is what is happening. Then in the fall we have plans to co-lead the full-length Crown class. We are really excited about that. It is so nice to have time to spend on things that really matter again. : ) Hopefully I will be updating more often then 3 months now.

Long Sigh of relief!

Dalen didn't get laid-off! Friday was a big day at Hawker, but he gets to go back on Monday. We were holding our breath though. When he was laid-off in 2002 it was definately for a reason. God had many life lessons He taught us throughout that year. This week we stayed up late a couple of nights making sure we hadn't forgotten any of those tough lessons, just in case He thought we needed a reminder!
Now with that stress behind us, we are on cruise control for a few months, I hope! I am loving my new job. I feel like I'm learning a lot there. Hopefully, they think so too. I did forget to turn this little knob on a man's tubing the other day, and consequently shot his blood across the room. It was kinda funny. The nurse that was working with me said everyone does it once. I told her I'm kind of a tough case and I will probably do it twice! lol Kinda seems the way I do everything. : )
Clare is screaming at me from the bath tub....gotta run!

School-Work-School-Work-School-Work

Well, I have started my countdown to May! I can't wait for summer. I really like working at Galichia and am getting excited to go back to working nights. I think I will get more time at home that way. Even if I'm sleeping at least I'm home. I am LOVING having the weekends off! The people there are really nice and I'm enjoying using my nursing skills now and having the patient interaction. I think I will be a much better nurse when all I have to do work and my mind can actually be 100% concentrated on work.
Corbin is busy playing basketball now and is doing pretty well. He usually gets at least one basket a game! Haylie is liking cheerleading still and got a cradle (whatever that means)! She was excited so I played along. She is starting to think about high school already and what she wants to be involved in. I hope I am ready for the high school experience in the next 7 months.
Dalen still has a job! So far, so good. He is nervous and stressed. He won't admit it, but I can tell. I am trying not to dump too much of my responsibilities on him and make it worse. Zander is wired, all the time! He got started in his new allergy medicine and is feeling better. I forgot how much energy he has. He was sick for so long. I am very glad he's better but I'm exhausted! : ) Clare of course is playing a lot of dress-up. She is all into Barbie, painting her nails, putting on make-up....she's very girly. We are very lucky when it comes to her. She is laid-back and jsut goes with the flow. OH! And she's a neat freak. She picks up after all of us. Puts our shoes in the closet, clothes in the hampers, toys in the boxes...it's awesome!
That's the long and short of us at this time! I will try to post more often but no guarantees. Have a great week!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Orientation at Galichia is in full swing. It is rather boring so far (it's been all videos and paperwork). I left home on Monday morning at 5:10 and have only had pitstops since then. I will be home Wednesday night at 6 and plan on sleeping a good long time (till 5:30 Thursday morning). I miss the kids so much! I get to talk to Dalen here & there but the kids aren't going to remember me.
Galichia seems really nice so far. The people have been really helpful and friendly. Every job has a down side or an annoying co-worker so I am kinda waiting for that ax to fall. Whatever happens I am ready for this week to be over, school to start and end, graduate in May, pass my boards, and work like a normal person. June can't get here fast enough!

Let down!

Okay that problem with huge anticipation is the huge let down when it turns out badly. First, I got out late but I'm used to that so not that bad. The purpose of my trip to town was to find scrubs for my new job. I went to two places, which shall remain nameless, and apparently all fashion sense must be left outside as soon as you walk in to a uniform store. I was sooo sad. I see all these cute little nurses on TV and I got to the store and all the shirts look like hideous old vinyl tablecloths. On top of that they are so boxy. So much for all the dieting I keep doing. There's no shape to them. OH! And I didn't even tell you that in order to look like a nice strip of really loud, multicolored, 30 year old wallpaper, it's gonna cost ya 60 bucks!!! I told Dalen I need to design a line of nusring scrubs. But, the kids were really good, so I took them ice cream and the day ended on a high note.
Boot Camp started again for Dalen and I. We really like doing the class together. We are a little competitive. : ) We had three weeks off at Christmas and of course I didn't exercise at all. So now, 24 hours after the first class, I can't raise my arms above my head, cross my arms, or feel my shoulders in general. If I laugh or sneeze my stomach will split into two pieces. But I love it and I'll go back on Friday!
I'm making Dalen go with me to look at more scrubs over the weekend. Pray for him!

Anticipation

I am so excited for tomorrow. I get to go shopping for scrubs. It's the first job I've had that I have to wear scrubs for. I know scrubs aren't that "formal" or uncomfortbale but I've been wearing basically my PJ's to work for the last 2 years so this is going to be a big change for me. And the shoes, I go barefoot all night. Now I have to keep shoes on for 12 straight hours! Holy Cow!!! It's a good thing they allow Crocs.
Tomorrow I also get to go to lunch with my girls from my clinical group. I haven't see any of them in three weeks or so. I am so excited. Two of them are pregnant so I can't wait to see their baby bellies. Finally a day for just me, Zander, and Clare.

Big Changes

We rung in the new year with Ang & Shawn and some of our friends from town with a little party at our house. We played games and guitar hero. I finally found something Dalen can't beat me at. He stinks at Guitar Hero! We all had a really good time. The kids were still wound up even after midnight.
The kids are getting ready to go back to school on Monday, making sure I buy what they want to pack in their lunches, and making sure their new clothes are clean to make the good after Christmas impression. Dalen isn't so ready to go back to work!
Well, I was all prepared to relax the next two weeks before my school starts again, with Dalen going back to work and the kids going back to school, but of course that isn't at all how it's going to be. I have been given the opportunity to work for Galichia Heart Hospital. The transition starts on Jan 12th but my last day at my current job isn't until Jan 16th so I am working two jobs the week before I start school!
I am excited for the change but a little apprehensive. I am scared that changing jobs before I am done with school will be too much. I will have less hours for almost the same money, and NO WEEKENDS!!! I will even have benefits like a real grown-up! : )
I will make sure I let you all know how it goes the next couple of weeks. I'm sure there will be plenty of ups and downs to share.
Hope you all had a great Christmas Time and New Years with your families and have a happy and healthy 2009!