Reasons to be Thankful

I know Thanksgiving has passed and I wanted to do this before but got busy (and behind on blogging), but my sister encouraged me to think about all of the things I am thankful for. There is so much to mention and I know I am leaving a lot out, but here goes.

I am thankful for…

My husband, his love, his support, and the way he keeps my life so interesting. I love how simple he is- just being happy with me and the life we have.

My family, so accepting and caring of everything going on in my life. My mom who knows every thought that I have, my mood everyday, and really understands me. My sister who does everything from call me to wake me up from a nap to picking out my outfit for an event- and doing this living 1500 miles away. My dad who can just make my day with the littlest things like calling just to say “I love you.”

Reagan. She is my little Ray of Sunshine. She is the most special little girl, full of personality, and I cannot even begin to describe the love I have for her.

Forrest’s family which I could pretty much include under my family. They have accepted me from day one and have welcomed me into their family like I have been there all along. Spending time with them is always so memorable.

Little Girl, the “Perfect Dog,” and of course Honey, our “Special Dog” or hampster we like to call him.

Our cozy little house, perfect for just the two of us (or should I say FOUR of us). Really I am just thankful for a roof over my head, a comfortable place to sleep, a full pantry (usually), and a husband to share all of this with.

My seat in the A&M nursing program. I have to remind myself of how lucky I am especially during overwhelming times. It is hard work but very worth it and I am going to love my profession which is something not everyone can say.

My health.

Waffles with peanut butter and banana and Cocoa Krispies. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day- it is the first thing on my mind when I wake up and I never miss  it.

My laptop that Forrest is probably not that grateful for. I spend hours on it between school, blogging, picture editing, chatting with my sister or skyping…I literally could not live without it.

Starbucks gingerbread lattes. I believe in heaven, they will be served all year long.

Making the decision to go to A&M- being able to room with my sister, being a part of their traditions, and meeting my husband there. It truly has changed my life.

A few tangibles- my car, clothes, cell phone, and camera. I know I have an excessive amount of clothes so I guess I should mention that I am grateful for a husband who has grown to understand. Living far from family and friends, my phone comes in handy. You can count on me to have my camera- one day we will enjoy looking back on all the pictures I have taken.

My closest friends. Steph who is that lifetime friend. Jaime who is one of the most reliable people I have ever known. Matt who makes me laugh on a daily basis. There are many more I am grateful for including some of our favorite couples to hang out with and friends from back home.

Anyways, sorry for the long blog. Here are some pics from Thanksgiving day. Both our parents came in town and Amberly’s family as well. The day was filled with FUN FAMILY FOOD and a little FOOTBALL!

 

 

 

I know I am behind…so let me quickly catch up!

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 I went home to Mesquite to see my parents and do some Christmas shopping with Mom.

Then we celebrated Forrest’s dad’s birthday and the family surprised him with two longhorns for the ranch.

Trick or Treat

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!

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A Good Day in Clinical

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.”

Pumpkin Carving

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!

Pumpkin Party

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!

 

 

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Feelin’ Crafty

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.

 

Wordless Wednesday

Scarecrow Festival

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