Photos from Blizzard 2010 (February 6-8)

The now non-existent sidewalk to our mailbox

The front of our house

Our street

The bush in front of our house

Our street

And by the way, these photos we taken at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. It didn't stop snowing until about 4:30 in the afternoon!

New Bedroom Flooring

Hooray, we have finished our temporary bedroom flooring this evening (finally!). If you have missed it, we had to take out the carpet in our bedroom when we first moved in because it was really nasty (we took it out immediately). Unfortunately, we haven't had quite enough money saved up to get new flooring (we want to do the whole house at once), so we decided to put down reed mats (think Japanese Tatami Mats) in our bedroom. It is not perfect, but it is a huge improvement from the subflooring that we have been walking on! I apologize for the lack of before photos, and the less than amazing quality (our camera cord is still lost, so I used John's iPhone).

this always makes me smile

most of you have probably seen this a long time ago, but I still love it...

2 weeks down...almost

Well, I am almost finished with my first two weeks back to school. I have really enjoyed the material and I feel that I am grasping it really well. The hardest part has been having dishes stacked in the sink, dust gathering on the shelves and feeling too stressed to go to the gym (though working out would probably help me more than hurt me...it's a mental thing, I guess).

So, I'm learning what new mommies sometimes have to learn: it's ok to let the dishes sit, and to eat mac and cheese or blts for dinner. And a bit of dust doesn't really hurt too much either.

I'm going to try to take my first exam on Saturday...wish me luck!

School, School, School

Ok, it is official! I have now started prerequisite classes in hopes of getting into nursing school. I know this may be surprising for some, but I had orginially planned on going to nursing school when I graduated High School. But, going to Kennesaw where the competition is so high, I chickened out and went with English instead. So, this is how is began:

I graduated with a B.A. in English, and have since had a difficult time finding a job (mostly due to the economy, I hope). John and I had been talking one day last spring about how it has been hard for me (mostly emotionally) to have jobs that don't require a degree...which I worked so hard for. And, I haven't really clicked with any jobs and after commuting to D.C. 3 days a week for an internship, realized that the commute would be just too much.

So, out of the blue a few days later John asked me: "What do you think about going to nursing school?" I said, "I think that would be great." And he said, "Well, do you want to go to nursing school?" and after a moment I said I did want to go to nursing. So, I did the research, worked out the numbers, and here I am, taking prerequisites online at a community college.

I hope to get into George Mason University's accelerated nursing program. This program is only for people who already have a bachelor's degree in another discipline. The program is 12 months straight and is highly vigorous. I can apply to the nursing program on January 15, and will find out in June(ish) whether I make it or not. The accelerated nursing program begins fall 2010.

So, I could potentially get a B.S. in Nursing in 2 years, including the prerequisites and nursing program combined. Not too bad, eh? If I do make it into the program, I will need to quit my job and go to school full time.

I am a bit scared, because this is a big jump for me. I am taking 11 credits this semester: Anatomy and Physiology I (1st 8 weeks of the semester--4c), Anatomy and Physiology II (2nd 8 weeks of the semester--4c), and Ethics (3c). I have a total of 20 exams, 20 quizzes, 12 discussion board assignments, 18 labs, and workbook exercises and drills.

Next semester I will need to take microbiology, psycholoy, and nutrition...I am expecting it to be a bit easier...I hope :)

Prayers would be much appreciated as I learn to balance working full-time, being a wife, and being in school (almost) full-time!

My new best friend:

And you want me to...

...trust them with my healthcare?



So...if UPS and Fed/Ex are doing "just fine", and the post office is the one that has difficulties, why would I want to be on board with the government concerning my health and well-being, when (apparently) the government is having problems delivering the mail...?

New flooring...sort of

We bought a foreclosed house, and got a great deal on it. However, that carpet is not that great. We regularly steam clean it, but it is just old. We had planned on getting new flooring for the whole house within 6 months of living there, but things didn't really work out as we had planned (since when does the timing of home improvements ever work out like we planned?). We had to take the carpet out of our bedroom because it was just terrible. So, we have been walking on subfloor for a few months past a year.

My new idea because I just can't take it anymore: tack down straw beach mats (hopefully we can find some on sale) as an alternative for another 6-10 months or so. It's a little strange I suppose, but it is similar to the Japanese tatami mats (but much cheaper and not quite as durable or neat-looking).

So, I'll be putting something (hopefully) that looks very much like this (below) on our floor:

John and I are both excited about it. It seems like it will be a relatively cheap way to make things bearable for a little bit longer. And, we don't need to worry too much about durability, because hopefully it won't need to be there much longer than 6-10 months or so. The biggest thing now is trying to find some mats (hopefully on sale as it is nearing the end of the beach season). If I can't find any around here, I'll have to buy them online.