Back to school...

Tuesday was the official first day of the Spring semester. My classes this spring include:

Facilitating Learning in Nursing

Research in Nursing

and my elective...

Advanced Community Nursing Concepts

Remember the days when electives were blow off classes? Like Criminal Justice, Art, or Bowling? Well, those days are long gone. Although, I did read through the syllabus of the Advanced Community Course and it seems like it will be pretty interesting. We're actually going to work together on the onlin community to develop a prenatal teaching education program for uneducated mothers in other countries where AIDS are of particular concern.

I think it's going to be really interesting. I just finished reading Three Cups of Tea and it's really put some international crises into perspective. It is a really inspiring book about a man who drops everything (literally, his whole life) to build schools for children in Pakistan. It's an amazing story! Although I won't be able to make as big of an impact as Greg Mortenson (who also happens to be a RN), I can hopefully do something outside of my normal realm! Nursing is such a great career and it really is all about helping others. There are so many ways to accomplish that and I really am proud to be a RN!

Now, just 3 more semesters of school and I'll have a Master's degree...here goes nothing!

2009 Year in Review

Well, it's hard to believe it's over, but I think it's been one of the best years yet. I really love my life right now. Just me, the hubby and the puppy living comfortably, feeling somewhat financial stable, and just enjoying being an old married couple! Here are some of the highlights of 2009:

JANUARY

We had a belated Christmas with the Finchers and Strouds in Fort Worth. It was low key, but it's always nice to spend time with family!

I guess I don't have any pictures, but we traveled to Amarillo in January as well for Brett's grandpa's 80th Birthday. He's a wonderful man with a great heart.

FEBRUARY

There was quite a large tornado that ripped through Oklahoma City and left some evidence in our yard while we were working. Luckily, we didn't sustain any damage to the house!

I spent the majority of February preparing for our upcoming European vacation. Also, I was working on my application to OU's graduate school.

MARCH

We traveled to Amarillo to celebrate Emma's 4th Birthday (Brett's niece). She had a Disney Princess theme for her party.

It was nice to spend some quality time with friends and family before our big trip at the end of the month...

Paris...London...Rome. They were all equally amazing. It seems surreal that we were actually there and saw these amazing, historical structure. Yet, I can still remember every detail so vividly and it's definitely something I will never forget. Brett and I worked as a team to navigate the streets of these large cities on our own...with some help, of course! Thanks Mindi!

APRIL

We returned from Rome on April 2nd; Brett got in a car wreck on the 16th. Sadly, that's the only thing I can really remember about this month!

In the end, the Altima was totaled and Brett had a new car by May. Unfortunately, the settlement wasn't final for several grueling months of deliberation with the insurance company.

MAY

We were in Amarillo for Brett's sister, Karley's, bridal shower.

From left to right: Lisa (Karley's new sis-in-law), Keelie (Brett's sister), Karley (Brett's sister and bride-to-be), Yours Truly, and Tyanne (Brett's sister).

We also went the the I-44 Speedway to watch my boss' son drive his car. He had some amazing races under the fireworks and we had a blast watching him! For more info...read here.

JUNE

Karley's wedding was beautiful and we gladly welcome Steven into the family!

Mr. & Mrs. Steven Reeves - June 27, 2009

JULY

Christine & David came to visit for the 4th of July. We celebrated David's 30th Birthday at the Melting Pot and got to meet their new addition, Finn. It rained, and rained, and rained. So, the dogs entertained us with their constant brawling. My favorite action shot of the weekend:

Finn eating Lexi's head

Christine & David at the Melting Pot...we met Mindi and Jonathan there for dinner.

AUGUST

August started with Bootcamp, then...

We had a Fincher/Felder/Stroud family gathering in Fort Worth again:

We went to watch the Rangers play the Red Sox in the HOT August sun.

Later in the month, we went to Las Vegas with Brett's mom and step-dad.

After Vegas, a quick return to reality to start my first semester of graduate studies at OU.

SEPTEMBER

I went to Scottsdale, AZ with April and Amy for a conference.

We attended our very first OSU football game thanks to Brett's boss.

OCTOBER

Kings of Leon concert

U2 & Black Eyed Peas

NOVEMBER

Thanksgiving with Broken Bow, OK with the Finchers and Strouds

DECEMBER

Company Christmas Parties and...

Christmas in Amarillo and Colorado...

No pictures yet, but I'm working on it!

I thought this little montage of our year would be pretty easy, but it seems a lot happened over the last 12 months. 2009 was wonderful and we're sad to see it go, but we look forward to a spectacular 2010!!!

Neglected blog...

I know I've been neglecting my blog, but my first semester of grad school is almost over!! I'm not a very high-stress person, but I have to admit that I've been quite stressed the last several weeks. It's just the end of the semester and I don't know one person who wouldn't be stressed out over a 16 page paper!

So, this is my last week and I PROMISE to get an update on here soon. Happy Holidays!

Before & After

I love love love my new countertops!!! My wonderful husband worked diligently Thursday night and Friday after work so that the sink and faucet would be ready for my Halloween party. And, he finished with time to spare. I don't know how guys do it, but he just knew exactly what he needed to do a little plumbing...where do they learn this stuff?? Anyway, here are some pictures of the new granite:

BEFOREAFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

And, since the new countertops were in, we all had a great time at the Halloween bash. Here are some of the great costumes:

Nick, an actual pilot for Brett's company (playing a drunk pilot for Halloween):

Lexi the Lobster:

Shaughn the pimp:
Brett a.k.a. Joe Dirt:
April a.k.a. Second Base:
Stacy a.k.a. Superstar:
Adrian the go-go dancer:
John & Angela (baby & Greek goddess):
Amy a.k.a. Olga:
Billy & Michelle:
We had a great time at the party & had fun with our friends...they were such good sports with the awesome costumes!

New Countertops

We had new granite countertops installed today. It was so exciting. I can't wait to post pictures, but I'm just to lazy right now :) They will be up soon. There are still some things lingering, so they're not quite ready to reveal yet. For one, the undermounted sink is not looking quite right. In fact, Brett is going to have them come back out to the house soon to look at the seal. Also, the part of the backsplash tile is looking a little ragged. They actually managed to salvage the existing tile, so that was nice. However, the granite doesn't match up exactly where the old countertops sat, so there are some gaps in places.

These are all very minor things that will be worked out easily. However, the sink thing is worrying me a little...we are having a Halloween party on Friday and I NEED MY SINK!!! We have to wait 24 hours before we can use it. And, I'm sure if they come out and fix it, I'll have to wait another 24 hours...JOY! Hopefully we'll have water by Friday. That's my hope, anyway!

~Adrian~

I know I did it to myself...

ahhh...I think I've diagnosed myself with Midterm Madness. I'm a little more than half way through my first semester of grad school. Things are going well, but I have to admit I'm ready for the semester to be over. One of my least favorite topics EVER is politics. In the past, I have avoided the subject at all costs. But, it's impossible to do so when you're enrolled in a class entitled "Policy and Ethics in Nursing Practice."

We have to participate in weekly online discussions and must reply to our classmates' posts as well. We've written two papers and there is one more to go...all three about health care reform and all three taking different stances such as I am in debate class or something.

To make matters worse, current health care reform debates make things even more in-depth in the class. Of course, at the graduate level, you're expected to form your own opinion and explain it. So many times, I've just wanted to say..."I DON'T REALLY CARE!!!!!!" But, of course I act interested and just push through it.

But, I guess that's what learning is all about, so I'm not really complaining, just venting! I know I did it to myself and in the end, I will be much more informed because I'm pushing myself to explore uncharted territory. I just wish I could have a week off from these discussion boards, New York Times, Washington Post and research articles...no such luck until December.

I love school :)

U2 Concert

I bought these tickets back in March I think...so we've been waiting for a LONG time. I thought about just passing, but then Brett and I had this conversation about how we would probably kick ourselves later if we passed up this opportunity. So, we purchased 3 $30 tickets (third one originally for my co-worker Amy). I also purchased their most recent album because I always like to know the songs at the concert. We found out that the Black Eyed Peas were opening for U2. I wasn't really excited about this at first, but warmed up to the idea over the summer as I heard "Tonight's gonna be a good night..." at least 243 times...and loved it.

I usually listen to my iPod in the car on shuffle. As the concert neared, I realized I didn't really know any of U2's new songs because I constantly skipped over them. I felt kinda bad, but knew they had A LOT of old songs to enjoy, so I didn't stress too much.

The only "bad" thing about the concert was that it was (a) in Norman about 45 minutes away, and (b) it was on Sunday night. A few weeks before the concert, my co-worker Amy changed her plans and sold her ticket to April, another friend from work, so she came down with Brett and I. We left the house around 4:30 and decided to eat dinner in Norman. We were planning on just catching a quick meal at Freeb!rds, but after walking at least 2 miles through campus and some swampy grass, we realized that 60,000 people were coming to the concert and things were a bit busy...especially Freeb!rds.
We found a little Mexican restaurant that was only serving nachos...fine by me. We grabbed an unattended outdoor table and sucked down two margaritas each and a BUNCH of nachos. It was about 7:00 by then and we headed to the stadium along with everyone else within about 50 miles of Norman, OK. You could see the infamous "claw" stage hovering over the stadium...it was massive!!! Miserably full of yummy Mexican food, we found our seats...59 rows up and basically behind the stage (hence the $30 price tag). However, we did have a great view of the stage as a whole...it's a lot to take in!
The Black Eyed Peas were WAY better than I expected. I knew a lot more of their songs than I thought, which is always good. Fergie even sang "Big Girls Don't Cry" and I screamed out into the crowd, "I LOVE THE HILLS!!!" I thought it was funny...Brett rolled his eyes. April and I had a great time dancing to the B.E.P.s
There was about 30-45 minutes between them and U2. I definitely loved the concert, don't get me wrong. However, from where we were sitting, it was more like a "show" than a concert. I would compare it to Cirque du Soleil...with a really good, live, sun glass-wearing lead singer/idol. Bono never missed a beat and he has an incredible voice. They were really entertaining. The stage was monstrous and had a ring around the middle that even the guitarists could walk around. There were also two bridges over the crowd that moved periodically. However, the most impressive thing to me was the stage itself and the amazing light show. It was every color of the rainbow throughout the night.

I have to admit, they did sing a lot of their new songs that I'm not familiar with, but I still enjoyed. My favorites of the night, however, were probably "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." I was really bummed that they didn't play "The Sweetest Thing." But, they redeemed themselves with "Mysterious Ways" and "Vertigo" as well as "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Overall, it was a great night...we went to sleep around 1:00...and went to work Monday morning. All definitely worth it!