I wasn’t kidding when I said that I’d behind on blogging! Miss Madeline’s party was two weeks ago and I’m just now getting around to sorting the pictures and blogging! That’s a long time for me to wait! We had her party here at the hotel for a few family and friends and the staff! It’ll be fun to tell Madeline about her first birthday and explain to her that the party was at a hotel where we’d been living for 2 months because her brother flooded our house! The staff here was wonderful and even helped to provide some of the food. We truly feel like family at the Staybridge (No, they’re not paying me for plugs!) Madeline seemed to enjoy her self. Had a couple of hot dogs, a cupcake and took a swim… all while having everyone’s undivided attention! Isn’t that what all princesses love? Cakes by Jennifer did the adorable ballet shoes! The picture doesn’t do them justice! It was beautiful and perfect when I picked it up from her house. Unfortunately, 45 minutes of stop and go traffic in 100 degree heat doesn’t doesn’t keep cakes looking their best! So, if you’re in this area and are looking for a wonderful cake decorator, just ask me for her number and email. The cake was adorable and tasted heavenly!!! Well, this is going to be short. I have my first three exams on Monday and I must study some more. I just couldn’t resist sharing some of her party!!

If you’re a regular follower of my blog, you may notice a large decline in the number of posts that I make. No, I’m not burnt out, I still love my camera! I’m taking a slight break to finish what I started over 9 years ago…

My entire life I have planned on becoming a nurse when I grew up. On Halloween I would dress up in my Granny Gert’s Candy Striper uniform. I never questioned the call God had on my life. In High School, I worked for a wonderful physician. I was mainly the gopher and paper-pusher, but I learned so much. His Nurse Connie let me follow her around as much as possible and answered my never-ending barrage of questions. I knew all through high school that I wanted to go to McMurry University in Abilene and attend the Abilene Intercollegiate School of Nursing. I was right on course my freshman year. I even got my CNA certification before Christmas break so that I could return home and work for Senior Village. I worked the remainder of the year, and the follower summer, for Hendrick Regional Medical Center as an aide for Mother Care. I fell in love. Here’s where things began to change…. The summer between my freshman and sophomore year of college I had a “wild hair” tickle me and I joined the Army Reserves as a 91W (Combat Medic) Shortly after school was out in May I headed off to Ft. Jackson for basic training, then on to Ft. Sam Houston for my Advanced Training. It was there that I got my NREMT certification and graduated in December 2002 as Combat Medic. Now What? I didn’t know. I moved back to Amarillo and began school at WTAMU and planned on finishing my degree there. Got restless. Moved to Houston. Attended UH. Wasn’t for me. Moved back to Amarillo and went to ACC to finish up the 3 prereqs I needed to begin my BSN program. Well a series of choices let me to marriage and a move to Houston. Mike promised my mom and dad that I WOULD finish school. I registered at San Jac and again tried to finish out the three little bitty classes I needed before I could begin a BSN program. I had high hopes of going to UTMB or UT-Houston. Finished 2 of those 3 classes. Just as I began the third one, we found out we were expecting Aiden. Pregnancy complications forced me to withdraw from class. I then decided that maybe I should go about this another way since I’d have a new baby. Maybe RN was the way to go. Well, I applied but didn’t get in. See, what I didn’t mention is that I got a little lazy one semester at McM and got a horrible science grade – bombed A&P. Not cool. I did get accepted into the LVN program. Just about the time I got my letter, I found out Miss Madeline was on the way!! Soo, I sat out another year!! That brings me to now! I FINALLY began nursing school last Tuesday.

I will be honest, I am not thrilled with the program or the college. I guess after so many years of trying for my BSN I feel a stigma attached to LVN. I even get embarrassed to say those letters or Alvin. I’m slowing beginning to accept that this is where God has me right now. I have no intentions of staying a LVN. I now have all of my prereqs out of the way, so I fully intend on taking an LVN to BSN course in another year or so.

So, if you got through all of that, bless you. I will still be taking clients, but it will be on a very limited basis. For the summer, I will have limited appointments available and will be scheduling at least 2 weeks in advance. I am asking that clients be patient as I add another week to proofing time. School is incredibly intense and requires my full attention. I will only accept a limited number of weddings and special events each semester. For the next year, I will eat, sleep, & breathe nursing school. I am very fortunate to have a wonderful support system and have many people who want to do anything possible to help me succeed. I do hope that my clients take my education into consideration! I promise that I will edit and proof your images as quickly as possible!!!

To my friends and family, than you so much for your love and encouragement!!

I’ve had lots of people asking about our house lately and wondering where the updates are. Well, I haven’t exactly had anything to update – all work came to a halt for a while! It seems like this whole ordeal has really drug on and on and on and on… ok, you get the picture. The painters came a few weeks ago and did a great job… with the wrong colors. We got that straightened out, then had a tile mix-up. Mike took a day off of work and we looked at more tile samples than I care to remember! Stars aligned just right one night and we finally agreed on a tile, and a layout! Hooray! We quickly got the information to the flooring folks and then bam! Everything stopped! It was almost 17 days before anymore work was done!! Actually, the work “strike” ended this afternoon! I ran by the house to feed cats after spending the day in the Woodlands and was happy to find a tile guy jamming away to latino music and putting beautiful tile in my kitchen!!  Yes, we’re still living at staybridge and YES!! I’m still starting school in less than one week. The kiddos started full-time daycare on Monday. It was much harder for me to let them go than it was for them to see me leave! I cried! I’m incredibly anxious about school and pretty stressed about how it’s all going to work out with such a demanding program and moving back into the house! I’ve been trying to relax and breathe deep, but  I’m still very stressed, and class hasn’t even started yet!!! Well, I’d better get going, I just wanted to give a quick update. Nope, no one missed the big announcement that we’re moving back in …2 – 3  more weeks, maybe?? Ahhh, so much fun!

Here’s what I saw when I got to the house today… a beautiful site for weary eyes!

Not familiar with the toilet-paper remodel? Click here and here