So Forrest’s parents bought a ranch about 30 minutes from our house. We are so excited for them and looking forward to the many memories we will all make there. They have been looking for a long time, just waiting for the perfect place to come along and it did.
We also had the Buchanan Family Reunion (Forrest’s mom’s side of the family).
Then we celebrated Forrest’s dad’s birthday and the family surprised him with two longhorns for the ranch.
Forrest’s family came in town last weekend for the game and afterwards we all took the boys trick or treating. We had so much fun watching them run door to door and get so excited about all the candy they were getting. Later we all ate dinner at our house and enjoyed a good lasagna that I made along with some candy corn cupcakes for dessert!
This morning during clinical, I had the privilege of giving my first injection med to a patient. It was Lovenox administered subcutaneously- in the love handles. Good way to remember right? Too bad they aren’t all that easy to memorize!
After all of the hard work put in and stress of nursing school, my patient today just reminded me of how worthwhile it all is. When I first arrived, my patient was very frustrated. He had pulled out his IV and foley catheter during the night and tried to get out of bed even though he was not in any condition to be doing so. He is 79 yrs old, postop having had a right hemicolectomy two days ago, and also has dementia associated with Alzheimer’s. So you can imagine his frustration right?
Anyways, I did everything I could to make him happy but keep him SAFE because they don’t always know what’s best for them. I just feel really good about the job I did today, like I really made a difference in his hospital experience. Before I left, I told him thank you for letting me take care of him and he, happy as could be, just teared up and said “God bless you.”
Yesterday, Forrest and I carved our pumpkins for this year. Mine is an owl- I found the pattern online and then drew a stencil. Forrest’s is a Marilyn Monroe witch that turned out really good- his always do because he is so meticulous. The dogs enjoyed themselves outside as well- yes even Honey did in his little Halloween shirt. Overall it was a fun fall day in the garage!
Last night, Matt and I hosted a Halloween party for our fellow nursing students and it was a total success! You all know how I love projects and doing creative/festive things. Well, Matt loves to play host AND not to mention is social chair for our class so we were just thrilled to do this! Here are some pics from the party!
Earlier this week, I received an email from Picnik informing me of their new “Halloween Effects'” editing option for photos along with a few examples of some of the things you could do. Being the Twilight geek that I am- I edited myself into a vampire thinking that Edward might come across this picture. Then I found out how to turn me and Forrest into zombies. No need for a costume this year- we’ve got picnik where we can just edit ourselves into one!
Also, I am having a Pumpkin Party at our house Friday for some of the nursing students. We are going to carve and do some crafty things with pumpkins, I want to find some fun recipes for treats and drinks, and I don’t plan on decorating much but I do want to do a few things. If anyone has any ideas- I would love to hear them!
So far all I have is this- a banner I made that will either hang on the fence or a table.
I love October. I get in the most festive mood, wanting to decorate the house and find good comfort food recipes. Last weekend, I went with the girls (Cheri, Amberly, Aunt Dede, and Nena) to the Scarecrow Festival in Chappell Hill. It was cold outside, there were all kinds of crafty things, and everything you could get to eat came on a stick. It was so fun and neat! I bought a little scarecrow decoration for the yard and put the rest of my harvest decorations up in the house. As far as recipes go- I found a few good ones on Rachel Ray’s website. I cooked one tonight- a Chicken, Biscuits ‘n’ Gravy casserole and it was delicious! Easy to make and plenty of left overs. I still want to find some festive ones for Halloween so if anyone has any suggestions let me know!
Link for recipe: Chicken, Biscuits 'n' Gravy Casserole
My mother-in-law is very much an early planner when it comes to Christmas and I will prove this to you by saying that she has already emailed all of us (Me & Forrest and Amberly’s family) to ask us for our Christmas list. She gives us an allowance and then tells us to send her website links to the things we want or offers to just take us shopping. Then she perfectly wraps everything in the prettiest paper and bows, sits it under the beautiful tree, and we have the best time opening them. She always throws in a few extra things that we don’t know about and fills our stockings full of little goodies too. Isn’t she so fun?
Anyways, she got me thinking of some things I want this year and I realized I am in need of some new make up items. I have a complete smorgasbord of make up and I am not crazy about having a cosmetic bag full of the same brand. I like to ask around and find out items people are “married to” and then once I am happy with something, I do the same. Now I know I am no expert, but I thought I would just share a little insight into a few commitments I have made. :)
Commitment #1: Lip Gloss: CHANEL
Commitment #2: Blush: NARS
Commitment #3: Concealer: MAC
Commitment #4: Mascara: CoverGirl lash blast
Commitment #5: Powder: Smashbox
Commitment #6: Eyeshadow: Bobby Brown (cream)
Commitment #7: Eyeliner & Eyebrow Pencils : CoverGirl
Commitment #8: Brush: Japonesque
This football season has been fun so far and the Aggies have been winning with the exception of Arkansas. Aaron got a camper this season so we have been tailgating in the RV area instead of our old spot on the corner in front of Reed. The weekend we played UAB, we didn’t tailgate but Forrest’s parents came in town. The four of us went to La Bodega for lunch, northgate, then to the game. Then this past weekend, we played Arkansas at the Cowboys’ Stadium in Dallas so we drove there and went to the State Fair before going to the game. We had a great time with my parents at the fair and made it just in time to beat the rain! It started to rain as we left and then rained the whole evening. The stadium was really neat and the game was fun even though we lost. Overall a great trip to Dallas! :)
Today was a big day for A&M nursing students. Matt picked me up at six this morning and we headed off to the St. Joseph’s hospital where we would begin our very first day of clinicals! At this time, we only shadowed nurses as they went about their usual routine and slowly we will begin to have more responsibilities and interaction with the patients. I think besides learning about the computer system today, I only moved about two food trays out of the rooms! Guess you have to start somewhere!
Overall it was a great experience and is only going to get better. I am really looking forward to being a nurse and the good thing is- if I get a job at St. Jo’s I will already know my way around!
We have clinicals every Thursday so more stories to come!
