Happy Anniversary to us!

Today is our 23rd wedding anniversary.  July 14, 1990 is one of my most cherished memories.  We married young, and so many people questioned it.  But we knew.  We always knew.  Patrick actually asked me to marry him the very first day he asked me to date him.  LOL!  Yes, really!  We ended up dating 3-1/2 years before we got married.  I wasn't too keen on getting married at age 15!

Getting married young, one thing Patrick and I knew was that we would have to grow...together.  It seems like so many young married couples grow apart as their relationship continues.  We have always strived to communicate, respect, and encourage each other.

I am very proud of us.  I would marry him all over again.  In a heartbeat.

Lots of Updates

I got in!!! I am now an official student in the Surgical Technologist program!

My interview was on Wednesday  morning, and yesterday afternoon I got the call that I was selected!  I'm terribly excited...and also nervous.  It's going to be HARD.  But I can do hard things.  The hard is what makes it great...right?  LOL!  I've always heard, and I believe that if your dreams don't scare you, that they're not big enough.  I have a mandatory meeting on the 18th where we'll find out about our classes, choose our scrub color, etc.  SO excited.

The big decision we were wrestling with has been decided.  Patrick will not be returning to school this fall.  I'm super proud that he's been able to attend school this long, with his chronic pain.  He'd been going part-time up until last semester.  That seemed to allow him enough "recovery" time to keep going.  Last semester he had to go full-time to complete his pre-reqs for the Rad. Tech. program, and it was SO hard on him.  His pain level was higher, and his energy level was almost non-existant.  His grades suffered a bit.  He was selected for an interview, and I am CERTAIN would have been accepted into the Rad. Tech. program...but it's just too much for him right now.  It would be a 21-month straight, full-time commitment.  He just can't.    Besides his health, having both of us in our programs at the same time, plus Shannon in her junior year, plus my dad's health...would be a HUGE strain on our family.  His health was the deciding factor, but we have realized that it will be better for all of us to get me through my program (which is only a year) and working full-time.  At that point, we'll see how he's doing, etc.  His pre-reqs are good for five years...so we are hoping that he will get to finish at some point.

Tying a knot, and hanging on

Whoa, this week has been unreal.  We've had one after another thing go wrong, need to be fixed, etc.  We are just hemorrhaging money that we don't have.  Scary stuff.  I hope and pray this trend ends...like, RIGHT NOW.  We're at the end of our resources, and I'm not sure what we'll do if it continues.

The good news is I did get called for an interview for the Surg. Tech. department.  My interview is on July 10th at 10.

In addition to our financial situation, we're mentally wrestling with another huge life decision.  I'm sorry that's vague...but I don't want to talk about online publicly until we've decided for sure.  Would you say a prayer for us to have clarity of mind and to make the best choice for our family?  I promise that when we've decided I will come tell about it.

A month?!?

I can't believe how long it's been since I've blogged.  Life's been cooking along pretty crazily.

We're all out for summer vacation.  Patrick and I have done two overnight back packing trips. Shan's been busy with her friends.  Dad's health is stable for right now.

Tomorrow I'll be taking my HOBET test, and Patrick has his interview for the Rad Tech program.

Money's tight, but what else is new, ya know?

First VoxBox - Palmolive Soft Touch!

I don't normally do stuff like this, but I get jealous seeing other bloggers get to try stuff for free.  I liked the sound of the Influenster program, so I requested an invite.  A few days later, I was invited to join...and about a week after that I was selected to receive my first VoxBox!   I already have a second VoxBox on the way.  Too fun!

My first VoxBox is for Palmolive Soft Touch dishwashing liquid.  I received two full-size bottles (unfortunately one was damaged in the mail...but Influenster is sending me a replacement) of soap, plus five $1 off coupons to share.


I received the Vitamin E (pink) and Coconut Butter (white) scents.  They both smell SO good.  The coconut scent reminds me of lying on the beach, being able to smell tanning lotion in the breeze.

Because I love a freebie, I began using them right away, and not only are my dishes nice and clean...but my hands are soft too!  Normally after I hand-wash the pots and pans, my hands and nails feel very dried out.  But after using this soap, they don't!  Awesome!

I received this product complimentary from Influenster, but my opinions are my own!

If you are interested in giving Influenster a try, let me know...I have a few invites to share!!!

No paragraph breaks...ugh!

Oh Lord.

Once I publish a post, I hardly ever come back and look at my blog.  I was horrified today, when I noticed that despite proper formatting when I compose my posts, my blog has not been including paragraph breaks.  Ugh.  Holy "walloftext" posts.  Sorry about that.  Sheesh.

Finals, Traveling, and Mother's Day...oh my!

So phew...it's been a few days, I mean WEEKS, since I posted. Good heavens.

The good news is, I'm on summer break now! Woot! (That sounded misleading...there isn't actually any bad news!)

Studying and finals was intense, but I'm happy to report I got A's on all my finals, and A's in all of my classes. For the month of May I'll be studying for the HOBET test, which I'm assuming I will be taking in June. Also in (I assume) June, I will interview for admission to the Surgical Technology program. Here we go! I'm nervous!

I just got home from six days in Ohio, visiting my best friend as she graduated from college! Oh I love spending time with her and her family. We did fun girly things like manicures and staying up late chatting. We went out for delicious meals, and had a graduation party with her extended family. I rode a motorcycle for the first time! So many good times and amazing memories. Why oh why do we have to live 8 hours apart???

Shannon's had a few busy weeks, with Spring Theatre Showcase, Spring Chorus Concert, Theatre Banquet, her EOCT tests, the opening of The Great Gatsby movie (that she attended in costume, lol), and her upcoming AP test. Girl is BUSY, but of course we wouldn't have it any other way.

And now, here it is the eve of Mother's Day. I feel very blessed to live not only with my sweet daughter, but my sweet mom too. So much love under one roof.