5 things that made me smile this week:

1. having to do no school work at all this weekend
2. two college friends visiting
3. gorgeous weather where you can wear flip flops in mid-october
4. when you expect to have a chill night and then it becomes an all out crazy, double fisting, dance crazy night
5. laughing so hard that you're convulsing and giving yourself an ab workout

whenever i have a lot on my plate, before i start to tackle anything, i paint my nails. weird, huh? i feel super calm when i do this and i feel it helps mellow me out. so thats what im doing, painting my nails, instead of reading 5 weeks of material (yikes!).

random catch up: i've been having these weird pains in both my legs lately. im thinking its a circulation problem, so i bought compression pants. think running tights meet spanx. and im going to wear them under my scrubs so hopefully that resolves the problem. im somewhat tempted to wear them while im at home too. AND theyre sorta my new motivation to start running again. we shall see.

i took einstein to the vet to get his teeth cleaned today! i was super nervous and worried that it was going to cost me a lot of money. but he really needed his teeth clean, so i sucked it up and made the appointment. good news, no extractions and it was a routine dental cleaning. bad news, it still cost a few hundred dollars, but at least his teeth are all white !

i went to the solar decathlon down at the national mall today. its where 20 colleges from all over the world compete on who has the most green home. it was really different and cool. sometimes, i wish i had a creative brain like that. you should see some of these designs! i really like tidewater virginia's home and hope they win! check it out: http://www.solardecathlon.gov/


ive also been trying to think of where i want to work for my senior practicum/unit after i graduate. im thinking the ER but im kinda really wanting to do med-surg. actually, IMCU which is 1 step above med-surg and 1 step below icu. everyone and their mom hates med-surg. i know its insanely busy, and they assign nurses 4-6 patients (CRAZY, since you're only ever supposed to have like 3 max!), but my rotation in the IMCU, i loved it. yes, i cried a lot bc my instructor made it hell, but i felt like i learned so much. on IMCU you get to really build your skills and see a bunch of stuff. im just worried about the feeling rundown part. but alas, thats a few months away from decision time and i have a little bit more time to ponder.

Studying, stressing, feeling exhausted - oh the life of a student. I'm already here and I am none too ready. I have my first round of quizzes and projects due and I'm already panicked and stressed. As I try to breathe and tell myself to relax, I need to remember I'm at the halfway point and this isn't the end all be all.

happy 4th birthday, einstein. i cant believe its already been 4 years since you walked right into my heart. i still remember the day r & d brought you to home to our small little apartment in dupont, and you were so little and low to the ground, i could barely see your stubby legs! it was definitely love at first sight. its been quite the journey in your 4 years of life, filled with lots of hugs and kisses, mainly from my part, and you always knowing how to comfort me. i love you, my handsome little prince!

so, there was an earthquake yesterday. and i felt it. so strange to say that i've been in an earthquake. it really only lasted a few seconds, and it was a 5.8 or 5.9 depending on who you ask. everyone i know is just fine, but still it was strange.

i was at home with the dogs and my friend, jackie. we had a 3 hour break in between classes and were sitting on the couch watching tv. the dogs suddenly jumped off the couch and started barking like crazy at the floor. then i felt like something was shaking me, kinda like if someone is grabbing you by the shoulders and shaking you. and all these thoughts raced in my head, i first asked jackie if she felt that shaking too, and yes, she did. then i continued into a panic/frantic mode where i was screaming 'get off the couch', 'what the hell is that', all the while the dogs continued their barking. one of the thoughts i had was that some creature got into the condo and was surfacing itself under the couch and that must be the reason the dogs were barking at the floor, then i thought one of my neighbors couldve possibly drove her car through my other neighbor's basement condo, then i put out there jokingly that it was an earthquake. we saw that one of our rocker chairs was still rocking back and forth and i got really creeped out. we went outside to investigate. there were a group of painters outside and they had felt it too and had no clue what happened. i went to my neighbor's condo to affirm that she felt something too. she didnt so much feel but heard a big rumble. we went back inside and come to find out, it indeed was an earthquake.

i know we had a smaller earthquake last year but i remember thinking it was just a loud thunderclap and continued to sleep (it happened in the middle of the night). i was reading an article on cnn and it said how the pentagon was evacuated and how they did not know at the time that it was an earthquake and thought they were being under attack. i felt so sad reading that. we are coming up on the ten year anniversary of 9/11 and i cant imagine what those people were thinking as they were evacuating and if they had flashbacks to what happened a decade earlier. thank god, it was just an earthquake and a small one to boot.

last weekend of summer. might as well go out with a bang!

here kitty, kitty!

my weekend starts today with HH and dinner with friends, then followed by a girls night out tomorrow. i cant wait!

ps- this is totally my new favorite nail strip pattern!

end of summer is fast approaching. i start school a week from monday! eeek! its going to be a great, stressful year. this is my last year of nursing school. i cant wait to graduate and start real work again. its going to be a wonderful feeling to be done but its going to be quite the journey to get to this endpoint.

ive been keeping busy the past few weeks. ive picked up an insane amount of hours working at the mall to keep money in my wallet, ive gone on a few trips with some of my friends (ziplining, river tubing) kayaking and roller coaster riding coming up in the next few days! ive also met up with some friends i havent seen in awhile and tried out new restaurants (well, new to me, not as new in the DC scene). ive been so relaxed this summer!

i also got a new haircut! 

penny and me :)

since summer started, ive been on a nail polish craze. while in vegas, i stayed faithful to glitz blitz. today, i changed it up.

introducing: frockstar

 

edit - i tried OPI crackle nail polish. fail

summer 2011

i have spent the last two months visiting my parents in las vegas.

my mom recently had surgery and i was there to help her and my dad out and i also brought them a new puppy, santino.

at first, i felt a little overwhelmed. i hadnt had to take care of anyone except for myself for the past few years and i forgot how hard it is to house train a puppy! the first few weeks flew by and we drove up to Utah to spend a week visiting national parks and salt lake city. i can't even remember the last time we did a family vacation, a road trip one to boot!

Utah is beautiful. I highly recommend visiting! We drove through the whole state and it offered gorgeous views wherever we looked! We would be driving through green mountains and open land then drive a few more miles and be in snow covered mountain tops!

After Utah, I spent the remainder of my time in Vegas. My mom was healing nicely and was able to do more on her own. Santino got house trained and my parents and I fell into a nice routine. We would eat all of our meals together and the kitchen table, watch game shows, sing karaoke, swim in the pool (mostly by myself, but my mom would keep me company outside). I loved this time I had with my parents. I can't even remember the last time we all spent so much time together. My mom was always working when I was growing up, so it was nice to really spend time with her.

My brother and his family came to visit the last week I was there and that was a lot of fun. My nieces are 3 y/o and 5 months. It was great to see them and actually get to know them. They were living in Hawaii so I hadn't seen them for awhile.

I'm finally back in the DC area and I am glad to be back. I'm so grateful that I had the luxury of spending 2 months of my time doing nothing and now its back to reality. School starts next month and I have to start preparing for my last year! I hope it flies by and can't wait for this time next year!

bryce canyon

zion national park w/ santino

road trip buddies - mom and santi

scenic drive through utah

dad @ a mexican restaurant in brian head

glitz

i have 1 more final separating me and the 3+ months of summer relaxation. so in true fashion, i do everything but study. i cleaned and organized my closet (for the most part), went through the dozens pairs of shoes i own to see which ones i really do wear, and i "painted" my nails. i used the sally hansen nail strips, which are basically polished nail stickers that you peel and stick on, and file away the excess! so easy to use, no smudge, and no waiting for them to dry! i cant wait to try out the other colors!

glitz blitz

happy (early) birthday to me !

my gift to myself: michele sport sail watch w/ black patent leather strap

Rhea's present: rose gold linked hearts necklace

via

birthday month

happy april fool's day! thank goodness no pranks today. i did however miss my alarm and was 20 minutes late to my last day of clinical. at least it was the last day! LAST DAY. i only have class 1x a week for the next 5 weeks. holler!

since we have officially entered april, my birthday is 23 days away! 23 days till im 26. yowzers! im still trying to think of items i want to put on my birthday list...

via

Michele watch

Have you heard of Michele watches? I haven't heard about them until last winter when my sister got one for Christmas. I thought it was a nice watch but I didn't take a closer look until recently. You basically have the option to build your own watch. - enough said - SOLD.

I picked the Sport Sail with a black dial and black patent leather straps. I had to order mine since they did not have that combination in the store. I can't wait to get it! If you're like me, once the newness of something wears off, I'm itching to buy something new to replace it. With this watch, if I ever get that urge, I can just buy a new strap! How awesome?!

Side note- when I told my mom about my new purchase, she asked me "Michelle? as in Michelle Obama??" love it.

The Office

The Office does sentimental real well.

Ever since the show first aired, I've always had a special place in my heart for Jim Halpert. I mean, who wouldn't want to start an office romance with him?! I can even recall my spring break senior year of college, my girlfriends and I were in Puerto Rico and one night we were discussing our perfect guy. We each unanimously sighed Jim Halpert.

Every time I watch Jim and Pam's wedding, I get a little teary-eyed. It was done so beautifully, and you just can't help feel as if you were apart of their relationship from the very beginning. In the later seasons, the show seemed to have lost some of its charm. It felt as if the actors were forcing their humor. But last night's episode brought back that sentimental feeling. Michael finally proposed to Holly and it was so befitting for their characters!

jim proposes to pam in the rain, at a gas station

"The boat was actually Plan C, the church was Plan B, and Plan A was marrying her a long time ago. Pretty much the day I met her."- Jim Halpert

michael proposes to holly in the annex, filled with candles, and the sprinklers going off

images via 1 2 3

le pliage

I've been in need of a new handbag. I still love my Classic Q Baby Groovee but it has seen better days. For years, I've always lusted over the Longchamp Le Pliage tote. I always thought it was really pricey and never bothered to look at the actual price tag - that is until last month. I was shocked at how affordable it was! So on a shopping trip that I should not have been on - I bought it.  

via

i need to plan an overseas trip pronto so i can have an excuse to buy the bigger one!

lusting after...

i want this, i need this. 

 

 

 

via

catch up!

1. i gave up shopping for lent
2. spring break has officially begun
3. im going to philly for a nice mini-break
4. off of clinicals for 2 weeks = i can wear nail polish  :)
5. i close on my house on tuesday ! ! !

.i passed my first semester of nursing school ! woot.
.i have to definitely step up my game to bring up my GPA.
.i just got back from a 3.5 week vacay to vegas.
.i made up for lost times by going to HH two nights in a row, dinner & breakfast with friends.
.my break is almost over. 
.i really need to start looking over last year's material to prepare me for competency day.
.3 semesters left. i can do it.
.i went on a mini shopping spree on jcrew.com
.i was dancing around in my pj's and penny got scared and started barking at me.
.im already looking forward to spring break.

i want to fast forward two years from now.

im almost done with my 2nd round of exams and im feeling a little blah. i didn't do too well on this round of exams largely in part bc i was a major slacker and procrastinator. im passing but i know i can do better. its just so hard to get back into the school mindset- and do all the studying. on the other hand, im kicking butt on my practical skills. i love doing my lab validations and working in clinicals. and i want to say im pretty good at it. its just all the theory/lecture stuff i really hate about school. so since im just about halfway done with this semester, im really going to try and push myself and hopefully, go out with a bang. 

when it rains, it pours

and its still raining, literally.

ive been having a rough few days. from always feeling lost or behind in school to my car being broken. i just cant seem to catch a break.

i start clinicals tomorrow. maybe things will pick up. if not, i get free spicy chicken nuggets at chik-fil-a tomorrow!