good news x 2

I have good news.  Before I tell you, here's a rather boring discussion of my Pharmacy Monday:

Today was a bit of a long day after the lazy and blissful summer schedule I've been keeping.  Woke up at 6:30, then drove to school at 8 for an all day orientation for rotations.  We stayed until 4 and part of the day consisted of actual clinical reviewing.  I know, I know, it's like I actually signed up for pharmacy school or something.  It was all fun and games with paperwork until they had to start throwing around calculations and dosing and 'of course you remembers'.  By the looks of my 30 classmates in that room, you would have thought we had just taken the state board test we were so tired.  I will say, that I finally felt like this was what pharmacy school should be!  We don't have much of a clue of how our year will look, but we do know that 7 different healthcare sites are going to teach us a LOT about pharmacy.  I know that a week from today, things will get real.  I don't quite remember the last time I stood on my feet for a full 8 hour (maybe 12) work day, counted pills that don't include my own vitamins, talked to real patients, or even drove in rush-hour on purpose.  I'll take all the prayers and well-wishes out there as I start this new chapter.  So excited!

During the course of the day, I found out GOOD NEWS #1:

        I will be spending Nov.7 - Dec. 16 at a wonderful pharmacy in Arlington!!  Some of you know that this has been a 6 month process of creating my own rotation outside my assigned region.  I am thrilled!  Mostly, because this little place is doing great things in the world of Long Term Care Pharmacy, and somehow I was lucky enough to be introduced to this opportunity.  Thanks to those of you who prayed about this for me and always wanted updates!  And yes, I said Arlington.  That means hello, parents' house!  Hello, DFW! And hello to a great workplace.  See you really soon!

I came home to some snail mail that introduced GOOD NEWS #2:
       I do NOT have any food allergies!   I've spent about 2 years avoiding eggs and a few other foods due to some unknown stomach issues.  Even though I don't have all the answers, I do know that I am confident in reintroducing the foods back into my diet since they are not the culprit and I have blood work to prove it.  It sounds silly, but I have missed eggs more than you can imagine.  You know what I'll be eating for breakfast!

I know it's often easier to be thankful when things are going well.  Good news = things going pretty well.  But, at the end of today I got word that a friend of my family had passed away this morning.  He was a sweet man and a good friend to my father.  Others around me have also suffered great losses this month.  I hope that you find comfort in the midst of the grieving.  And I hope that you are thankful that we have a loving Father in Heaven who will make all things new.

Last trip home

My mini-summer is FLYING by!  I went back home for about 9 days, and was in heaven!  I give Aurora, TX, a hard time, but it's high up there on my getaway spots mostly due to my parents.  I really need to take the time to thank them....THANK YOU!  I am happy to be an only child, and they spoil me in their own way, but I know they would do the same for 4 kids if they had them.  I think it was different coming home this go-around because, finally, there are no classes and tests looming.  It's a great feeling.  If I ever have kids, I know now that it takes time to be appreciated for everything that parents do.  Love yall so much!

10 things my parents' home provides without asking:

1. coffee ready and waiting....blissful

2. cold water and a towel ready after you work out

3. laundry accommodations

4. laughter and love*

5. incredibly delicious homemade food (some from the garden)

6. shopping

7. cats to enjoy without feeding or scooping litter box

8. 10pm bedtime willingly (it's already 11 here and i'm still up...why?!?!)

9. time spent with my uncle from dallas

10. antique-ing and snow cones!

*included in this love was 2 cans of mace from the father.  that's another story!

If you ever need to get away....I know a place. call me for reservations.

Also, after a sudden and unexpected passing, I had to say goodbye to my Dell yellow laptop.  I had hoped for 4 years together, but 3 was all allowed.  I still don't know what a 'motherboard' is, but I'm mad that they take it upon themselves to crash.  Doesn't seem very 'mother-like' to me.  In transition, my mom and I decided that it would be fun to sew a laptop case for the new computer. Another DIY adventure.  My mom is not even a huge seamstress, and she made this really cute case out of a quilted pillow sham for 2.99 at Ross.  We looked at patterns on the interweb, but this here beauty came mostly from her ingenuity.  

front

 back

final result....i learned how to sew my first button at 27 :)

with computer

We're not huge picture people in my family, but I managed a few out at my Dad's house that he built.  It's also for sale, if you are in the market for a secluded spot near a golf course with a pond 20 feet out back. (shameless plug).  We had fun fishing during open house, but didn't catch any.

Susie Girl

neat shot of daddy jack fishing

I was also able to sneak in a little Borecki time in Ft. Worth.  I'm telling you, there is nothing better than seeing a friend who knows you best.  Second to that, is watching her 2.5 yr-old grow when you pop in and out of his life.  I am now referred to as La-La Lauren.  Bridge has a huge thing for proper names, but he still uses the nickname and it makes me so happy.  He is so grown-up.  He repeats lots of things, so you have to be super careful.  He still gives huge hugs, does that contagious toddler laugh, is obsessed with any kind of animal, and has an adventurous appetite.  I hope to one day teach the kid the beauty of sleeping in late, and I hate leaving them.  We went to NRH2O....which I haven't frequented since my junior high days on movie nights in the lazy river.  What a trip.  He is a fish and loves everything about the water.  I just love him.  

It's going to be weird having to run home for quick weekends once rotations begin.  But, how could I not manage with the memories like those up there?

See ya soon, DFW.

DIY headband fail

I see crafts all the time that I want to make while I'm studying or busy with school.  When finals ended (all went GREAT and no more school), I decided to try to make a headband that I saw on this tutorial: link to cute headband tutorial

If you look at the site, the headband appears, at least in my mind, to be so cute and wearable.  I blame the tie dye and gray combo for suckering me in.  Still, I somehow conned my mom into helping me scrounge up some t-shirts and join me in the fun....aka help me cut fabric.  Love you, mom.

Here's where I went wrong:

1) did not scroll down to the end of tutorial to see how bad directions were

2) picked terrible colors of t-shirts (i don't even wear red)

3) made my mom work really hard on cutting shirts (i get nervous around sharps)

4) did not stop to think that a 8 strand braid is really wide

In the end, I don't think my mom and I have laughed that hard in a long time.  Here's a play by play of why I should stick to buying crafts, or maybe do better research next time.

my mom studying the directions....she's good at this

laying it all out

still hopeful at this point...

what is this?

yes...they told me to add the extra single braid...too far in to stop now

not what i imagined. at. all.
you should be scared

still nope.

In the end, I recreated the tragedy of a 'headband' into a cat toy.  That's the only creative thing that happened this evening, but I think Zoe the cat loved it.

If anyone has any legit headband ideas, I would love to share in the fun.  My mom may pass on the next one :)