Elliptical Warning...

Drew and I decided that this year our Christmas present to each other would be an elliptical. So we shopped around, price checked and compared all the nifty gadgets each one of them had. We finally picked the "perfect" one- it was a Gold's Gym brand from WalMart. Drew went and picked it up last Friday and put it together (which was a feat all in itself) while I was at work. Then came the troubles. First off, the electrical panel didn't work so Drew took it back to WalMart and they traded it out of a box for another machine. When he got that home, the fan on it didn't work. But being the handy man that he is, my hubby fixed it right up. Then Monday, while I using the elliptical, it started making this thumping noise. I could tell it was coming from the left side, but I couldn't tell what it was. So when Drew got home from work he checked it out and the frame was bent! So that's what was making the noise everytime the left leg rotated around. In under a week, three things went wrong- not a very good track record. We decided that was a bad omen and Drew is returning it today. We have picked out a different elliptical from Sports Authority, and hopefully we will have better luck.

The moral of the story is- WalMart was great and tried to solve all our problems without giving us any trouble. But I absolutely do not recommend the Gold's Gym elliptical that they sale, it was a $500 piece of junk.

More Hank :)

Since Drew and I have no children (and no plans of any anytime soon), we spend a lot of our time playing with and spoiling our 1 1/2 year old Yorkie, Hank. Here's some pics of this year's Halloween costume.

This is Hank with "The Duke" on his back.

Hank and "The Duke" doing some trick riding.

Hank got tired after all his hard work carrying a passenger around :)
So that's our baby. Isn't he just the cutest?

My Hubby

Just wanted to give a quick shout out to my AMAZING husband. He hasn't really done anything spectacular lately, I just love him more and more every day. He is my best friend and I am so lucky to have him in my life.

This is Why David Cook Won it All!

Drew got me American Idol tickets for my birthday. We had awesome seats and an even better time! The best performers of the night were Chikezie, Carly Simon, Brooke White, Jason Castro, and (duh!) David Cook. David Cook truly was the best one there, and when he sang Billy Jean, I got goosebumps that wouldn't go away!
Cause you know my name's Chikezie baby!

She had fans blowing her hair and she was singing Evanescense- so cool!

Sweet Brooke- "Let It Be"

Even though the dreds are kinda gross, he still makes my heart flutter :)

Oh David Cook, beautiful, beautiful David Cook

Checkin' In

Well, since I haven't posted in a while, I figured I'd update all my adoring fans on the status with school :)

To make a long story short, I didn't get accepted for this year. Which is okay. Even though I'm frustrated and I don't understand why, I just trust that there is a reason- whatever it may be. So I'm starting the process all over again. It's expensive, it's time consuming, it's frustrating, but for me, it's life. It's what I want, so it's what I have to work for.

So keep me in your prayers for another year, and know that eventually, I will be a doctor :)

Weekend at the Lake

Last Friday was Drew's little brother's 20th birthday and Saturday was his mom's 50th so we went to Lake Texhoma for a weekend of sun and fun :)

Leigh (Drew's mom) knew that the kids were coming down for the weekend, but she had no idea that Roger (her husband) had invited all her family and friends down for a surprise party. It was a wild weekend, to say the least :)

Leigh and Wil taking birthday shots of Patron tequila!
These people are the real source of the party- Leigh and Roger's friends that they travel the world with

This was Hank's first time in water, and thank goodness for the life jacket, because it took him a while to warm up to it, and he swam kinda crooked :)

My Days Off

This is what I do in my spare time when I have a day off and Drew is at work :)

It took a lot of treats for him to sit still for this one and stop trying to chew on his sunglasses :)

Trying to Have Faith...

Well, still no call from OSU. Part of my frustration comes from the fact that I really felt like I was going this year. I still kind of do. But there are only three weeks left to get accepted, and I talked to the school today, and there are no open spots.

So then there is my dilemma with applying for next year. My AACOMAS application is in and it is time to start filling out my secondary applications for each school. The problem is- do I continue to trust God to answer my prayers about going to school this year and wait to send in my secondaries (because it will cost close to $200!) or do I follow what they say to do, and apply early? I know that people have applied more than twice before getting in, but I never thought it would be me.

I don't mean to be such a downer, but all these questions are killing me! It's time like these that I wish God had text :)

Update

Not much has been going on lately, unless you count our trip to Jamaica! My mom, dad, sister, Drew and me went to the Breezes at Runaway Bay for a 6 day all inclusive trip in paradise! It was a blissful week of drinking rum and laying on the beach :) We were offered "special" cigarettes at least once a day, but none of us accepted- I promise.

It was an entirely different world there. The people either lived in shacks made out of scrap metal or beautiful ornate mansions. The average salary of the working class is $50USD/week and the highest paid professions are doctors, lawyers, and- get this- teachers! It was unique to say the least.

I can honestly say that if I would have had my puppy dog there with me, I could have stayed forever :)

Wishing and Hoping and Thinking and Praying...

I got my letter yesterday from OSU that was "pleased to inform me" that I was on their final waitlist for the Class of 2012. Sounds like a step forward, right? So why am I so bummed? They have over 1500 applicants, grant around 250, and only accept 88. And even though I'm not in the class yet, I'm one of about 25 people on the final waitlist. That in itself is an accomplishment, and I don't mean to sound selfish, but I want more.

I want to be a doctor. I want the call telling me that I have been accepted to school and I get to spend the next 4 years of my life studying harder than I have ever studied before. It is so hard to get up and go to work doing something that I don't really want to do. But then I feel so guilty for thinking that way. My patients love me. They constantly tell me they wish all the other nurse aides were like me, and I've had more than a few cry when they tell me goodbye. I am doing a good thing, I take care of people. But I don't like my job and I want more.

Is that wrong? God has given me this ability to be a really good CNA but no desire to do it, and the one thing I have a desire for, He isn't ready to give me. I know there is a plan, and I know there is a reason, but that doesn't make this any easier.

Something to Do

Ha! I feel like I have won a small victory today- Hillcrest has not yet blocked blogspot from their computers! So, there is no telling how many posts I will have today, as I sit here wasting away for 12 hours :)

Tag!

I've been tagged by Ashley Allen. I like reading these so I guess I'll play along.
Here's how to play: Post the rules on your blog and complete the following: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, and 3 random, surprising facts about yourself. At the end of your post tag five people and let them know they are tagged by leaving them a comment on their blog- Have fun.

3 Joys:
1. My Husband and our dog/child Hank
2. My Family
3. Making people happy

3 Fears:
1. That God is speaking to me and I'm not hearing it
2. That I won't get into medical school this year
3. That what I thought I wanted all along isn't what God has in his plan for me

3 Goals:
1. To get into medical school
2. To continue to learn as long as I'm living
3. To be a loving and supporting wife every day

3 Obsessions/Collections:
1. I'm obsessed with things being straight. I hate clutter.
2. iTunes
3. Shoes

3 Random/Surprising Fact About Me:
1. I hate being wet unless I am completely submerged. I don't even like to wash my hands because of this.
2. I have conversations with my Yorkie because I'm convinced that I know exactly what he would be saying if he could talk.
3. I have never seen the movie "Footloose"

I tag: I have no one else to tag sorry!

Manners

I get really mad when I encounter people that don't have good manners. I used to try to figure out where this short-coming began, but it's one of those "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" type questions. Let me explain-

I spent about 3 hours watching my aunt's- a public elementary school teacher- 3rd grade class one day while she went to the dentist. Those kids were monsters! Not only did they not say please for anything, most the time they didn't even ask, they just made statements about their intentions. Instead of hearing "Can I go to the bathroom? Can I go get a drink? Do you have an extra pencil I could borrow?" I heard "I want to go the bathroom. I need a drink. My pencil broke." And then they would just stare at me, waiting for a response. Then, if I did give them whatever it was they wanted, no thank you was involved. They simply turned and walked off leaving me dumbfounded. On top of all that, these kids were uttering more curse words in the course of a few hours than I think I've said in my life! And they were using in them in such context that were even making me blush! I fully realize that no 3rd grade child is going to sit at their desk quietly, waiting to speak until spoken to, but really? Kids don't even say please and thank you anymore?

So, I began to to teach them manners. I wouldn't grant any requests until the question was asked in a tone that was not hateful or annoyed, a decibal not ear-splitting, and please had to be included at least once. And if there was not a thank you given before they walked off, they were going late to lunch. Ha! I'll teach these kids whether they like it or not!

Soon after, I realized the lack of manners isn't just found in children. It's everywhere. If you want proof, just go to Wal-Mart. People do not say excuse me when squeezing down an aisle, and most don't even thank you for holding open a door. So while my tactics with children were a little more sensitive, I have taken to blatently pointing out when an adult forgets their manners. On more than one occassion, after holding open a door, I have turned and said "You're welcome for holding this door for you" when they didn't thank me. Or, when I person is knocking past me in an aisle, I've been known to say "The polite thing to say is 'excuse me." Most of the time, the result of my comments is a thouroughly embarrassed adult. And that's the thing, I don't think people are rude and doing this on purpose. I think that a lack of manners has become habit, and I am making it my personal mission to reintroduce manners to both the young and the old in Wal-Marts all over the country. :)

Brand New Blogger!

So, I've joined my next big internet craze. I'm not really sure I'll be very good at this- I don't return phone calls, why would I keep up with a blog? But, I figured what they heck? I'll give it a try :)