Fill in the Blank Friday

So I've followed the blog The Little Things We Do for awhile now and she always does a fill in the blank Friday post...so here's mine.

1.   When I was a kid I wanted to be      a nurse    when I grew up.

2.   As an adult, my dream job would be   a nurse (who knows what specialty) and a mama   .

3.  W hen I was younger I wanted to be just like  my mom mostly, with Mary Kate & Ashley ranking right up there with her for a time .

4. The childhood Halloween costume that I remember most was when I was  a smiley face. Mom covered 2 hula hoops with yellow fabric and put a smiley face on one of them, then connected them with ribbons on the top and sides...I thought I was SO cool, mainly because Mom made it. The unfortunate thing is that you can't sit down as a smiley face so I had to take it off everytime I got back in the car to go trick or treat at the next house .

5.  My favorite childhood toy was   Arnold the African American Gerber baby. He's still my favorite toy and he terrifies all who meet him...mainly because he's missing a finger and his eyes turn two different directions.

6.  The time I got into the biggest amount of trouble when I was a kid was when I   I'm not sure, but I'm sure some of my blog friends could help me out. Most of the time I got in trouble for my smart mouth, but I never did anything too awful because I was scared of being in trouble. Except for once, when I was 15...haha. Mom and April will know what I'm referring to:)

7.  I get daily inspiration from    oh please like I have time to be inspired daily...nursing textbooks? Half the time I dress like a man and I haven't shaved my legs in like 3 wks. But I do sometimes get inspiration on Saturdays from pinterest and bloggers. I'm also inspired by my tiny dancers every Wednesday.

Just as a side note, it was Halloween costume week at dance (AHHHHH!) and in my class I had a ballerina, a witch/spider bride, a witch, a vampire, and a Mexican. Complete with sombrero and and poncho and penciled-on moustache...completely unable to dance in all that gear. A lot of the kids forgot so they weren't dressed up. I was (big shock) a nurse...can't argue with a ready-made costume. My kids thought I was a "real doctor" and when I told them I was going to be a "real nurse" they were disappointed. One shouted, "DONT BE A NURSE BE A DOCTOR! DOCTORS ARE BETTER THAN NURSES!" Her mom's a nurse. I spent a significant portion of time trying to explain how awesome nurses are, but they didn't buy it. Oh well.  

Anyway, that's all I've got! Can't get blogger to take the underline off of the above paragraph (really irritating my OCD self, but I'll live).

Ooooh I almost forgot! Clinical orientation on Monday!! I'm sooooo excited to finally get to be a legit student nurse (how long have I waited for this day?!?!?) and help real live patients! We won't actually start on Monday, but at least I'll know where I'm going and who I'll be working with. SO EXCITED! I'll try to post a picture of myself looking awesome in my all-white scrubs and sweet white shoes:) 

XOXO, 
Hannah 

Yes it's breast cancer awareness month

...but it's also domestic violence awareness month and I wish we hyped it as much. Instead, we tend to brush it under the rug and look at it as a topic that should be taken care of within the privacy of the home...like it's nobody else's business. But people don't "just know" about the warning signs of domestic violence. We don't teach them at school or pass out brochures and we certainly don't just talk about it among friends. It's a hush-hush topic and we all assume that if somebody's being abused they'll know it and run off and get help. That is rarely, if ever, the case.

I've shared my story before so I won't go into the lengthy description of what constitutes an abusive boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/significant other/lover/yougetthepoint. What I'll get into is that I had no idea that my ex-boyfriend was abusing me. None. He didn't hit me (when I first figured it out) and he didn't force me to have sex with him (quite the opposite, but that's neither here nor there), so I assumed everything was normal...or normal enough anyway.

By the grace of God I found myself trying to switch majors (for the 6th or 7th time), and ended up in 2 summer classes: Women's Health Issues and Psychology of Women. Coincidentally/by the grace of God (again), both were covering abuse issues at the same time. While in Women's Health my teacher put up a list similar to this one: list of abuse warning signs (scroll down the warning signs are about 1/4 of the way down the page) and I shook my head in horror as I realized I could say yes to nearly every single item on the list. Yes, I was scared of him. Yes, I was numb as all get out (I didn't cry for almost a year during and after this abuse/relationship). Yes, I felt like it was my fault. Yes, he threatened to out himself if I left. Yes, I was constantly humiliated. YES YES YES.  There were tears in my eyes and I knew I was in an abusive relationship...but what now?

I reached out to my psych teacher asking her how someone would get out of a relationship like this one and if that person could ever recover, but she never responded. I continued to be lost.

I went on to stay with him for 3 more long months, after which he stalked me and refused to go away, tricked those who were close to me and got them to tell him where I was. I went into hiding and stayed with a dear friend who eventually helped me to feel safe.

Healing was hard, but figuring it all out and piecing it together was harder. I had no clue this was happening to me. So, in honor of domestic violence awareness month, tell somebody. Write a blog post. Put the link on facebook. Send it out to everybody in your address book. Do whatever you have to do because you could save somebody's life.

I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't taken the class that opened my eyes to the scary life I'd been living. So share it. Talk about it. Somebody needs you. Save them from the giant, empty pit of absolute hopelessness they're living in.

XOXO,
Hannah

**Disclaimer: Please do not walk up to your friend and start shouting in their face that you know their significant other is abusing them. People do not take this well and they could go home and tell him/her, which could make the situation worse. No one is going to leave because you think they should, trust me on that, all you can do is give them the resources that will open their own eyes so they can make this important decision for themselves. Prayer goes a looooong way too, just ask my friend Tiffany who spent many nights praying for and with me.

25 Years Ago

Greetings, friends! I wanted to make you aware of a reason to celebrate (read: eat cake). 25 years ago today, my dear sweet mother went to the doctor and received confirmation that she was pregnant! So Happy Confirmed Conception Day to me! Now go enjoy some dessert, because I surely will!

XOXO,
Hannah

Plateau

What an ugly word. I had to spell check it three different places to make sure I wasn't wrong. My weightloss/diet has plateaud. And its really rubbing me the wrong way. My hormones have also been kind of a trainwreck so other things have also been rubbing me the wrong way. And despite the fact that I'm actually in a good mood right now, I'd love to share these things with you in a list because lists do not and will not rub me the wrong way.

Angry and Annoying Things September 25, 2011
1. People asking me when I'm going to reproduce. If you were around me 24/7 you'd probably find yourself asking me not to reproduce instead. I am selfish and moody and in no way ready to care for a tiny human. Sometimes I get all oooh and ahhh because babies are (typically) really cute, but if there's anything I can do about it there will be no ooohs or ahhhs or other annoying coo sounds pointed in my direction anytime soon. For example, right now I think pregnancy sounds awesome because I'm dieting and I think pregnancy is a good reason to get fat...plus I'm weird/creepy and have always been obsessed over the anatomical happenings involved in making a kid. End rant.
2. Procrastinating. I thought it would be different this time around but I'm blogging instead of studying for Tuesday's test so we all know better, don't we? End rant.
3. People giving up, specifically on their health and living life in general. You are not dead yet, at least if you're reading this. If you're reading and are dead, please leave a comment so that I may call myself a psychic medium and get a show on TLC (If this happens I might recant #1 because I'll probably have a kid to boost ratings...the profit from my show would probably pay for said kid's therapy down the road, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it). I digress. I have seen so many folks just accepting their fate and I feel this is completely unreasonable. FIGHT. You can best believe I won't go down without kicking and screaming and possibly losing a few organs in the process. HEALTH PROMOTION PEOPLE! If you know you're prone to heart disease, put down the freakin Big Mac, don't just say "well my daddy and his daddy and his daddy all had heart attacks at 59, so I probably don't have much longer." I felt this way before school, but now that I'm aware of what a huge part of nursing health promotion is, you can best believe I will be cramming it down your throat. You can thank me when you die at 102 and start talking to me through my blog. End rant.
4. The death penalty. I'm pissed that we killed a man this week because there was reasonable doubt (judging from what I've heard/read/watched, I know I'm no expert please don't start throwing legal jargon at me) about whether or not he even did it. However, I'd be pissed even if he admitted it and had DNA all over the place and all the other things that would take away said reasonable doubt. Call me a flaming liberal if you want, but I do not believe in nor agree with the death penalty. I find it barbaric and ridiculous. I would rather them take part of my hard-earned money (this isn't true at the moment, I'm unemployed but the fact remains) to pay for all of these criminals to be in jail for life than to "humanely" kill a person with lethal injection. If it were me I'd suffer more by having to remember and relive a crime everyday in my jail cell than if you gave me the easy way out and put me to death. Of course I don't have a criminal mind, but I do feel bad for days for tiny, insignificant things I do wrong...like hoping a fellow student fails out because I wouldn't trust her to take care of my sickly family member. Can we please not kill people anymore? Feel free to hate on me and leave commentary about how much you agree with killing people in the comment section...I like hearing perspectives. End rant.
5. Not making your wishes known. I was talking to a friend who knows someone with a spouse on hospice that refuses to accept their death or tell their spouse what they want to happen with their body/money/possessions/etc when they pass on. This isn't fair folks. It adds more burden to the person left behind because not only are they sad and missing you, they have to figure out what you PROBABLY (no confirmation here) wanted done with your body. RUDE. I know its not fun to think about and my mom is probably shaking her head and calling me negative as she reads this, but this is important. So, witnesses young and old and possibly dead (see point #3) here are my post-mortem wishes: If possible, donate all of my organs. Skin me, take out my eyeballs, take it all as long as somebody else can use it. If I can't help people live, donate me to science. Let some future doctors cut me apart to learn anatomy so they can save somebody later. I don't care where my body goes when donated as long as you don't send me to the University of Tennessee. I DO NOT WANT TO GO THERE and it has nothing to do with how much I truly hate that ugly orange and the volunteers. Their lab is a decomposition lab and I don't want that. Cut me apart but don't let me decompose in the woods....mainly because I don't want snakes around. I've heard science is picky so if I'm too messed up for them, cremate me and scatter me somewhere and be done with it. No sad funeral videos or my dead body laid out in a casket and no idiots talking about how good and peaceful my dead self looks. If you want a memorial that's fine, do it in Chatsworth because I don't have enough people here to come, and please play Ding Dong the Witch is Dead. I'm serious, don't sob. I'll be rejoicing with the Lord and I won't really care where you put my body in a box in the ground. Honor my wishes or I'll haunt you. End rant.   
6. Kids that look/act/talk/dress like they're grown. Mainly girls. Dress your babies like they're babies and not like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman! This is why I want boy spawn and instead of girl. Girls start rolling their t-shirts up to show their bellies when they're like 6 these days and boys wear polo shirts and khakis from the time they're born til they're in the nursing home! So much easier! Let the kids be kids until they can't be anymore or they'll regret it when they're older and probably hold it against you. Hubby and I think that perhaps television is to be blamed for certain adult-like behaviors so we cut off our cable...not true, we cut off our cable because we don't like paying for it when we only watch 1 hour a week, but we are elders at heart and blame it on TV and that darn rap music. I am 99% sure Tyler will shake his head here when he reads this. Let kids be kids and wear clothing that makes them look their age! End rant.
7. Diet plateaus. If I'm working just as hard to eat crappy food (ok not crappy but subpar) then I should still be losing weight. Skinny is good, but I would really like to be skinnier. If I keep not losing I'll start eating like fatty patty again and all of my "hard work" will be in vain. End rant.

I'm pretty sure that I faced more annoying things this week, but I'm tired and 3 episodes away from finishing the LOST series so I must go spend time with Tyler, Desmond (my favorite character if you're curious), and the gang. Hope you're not offended by my rants and if you are that you leave me a comment!

XOXO,
Hannah the potential flaming liberal/psychic medium

Not A Lot to Say

Actually, just not a lot of time to say anything. But we went home to see the fam and for Tabitha's baby shower last weekend and I have pictures to post. This is also a prompt for Tabitha/Lindsey to post pictures from said event because I no longer have facebook and I haven't seen any other than my own...and I only took a few.

First, a tiny celebration dance because I made A's on all three of my tests Thursday!! YES! I was seriously stressing, so this brought on a mountain of relief and allowed me to enjoy my weekend away.

Also, my dear friend Jami Lyn accompanied me on my visit home which made it much more enjoyable...for me, at least. Of course, who really enjoys a nearly 12 hour round trip drive? She did have a good time once we got up to Chatsworth though, and since that was the bulk of the trip I guess it was a good one. We also did a teensy bit of shopping (because it was 90 here in Tville and 66 when we got to Chatsworth and we didn't have sub-arctic appropriate clothing) and spending money is always fun in my book.

So, without further time wasting, pictures from the weekend:


Jami Lyn and I playing in Hobby Lobby. Not sure why this is the ONLY picture of us from the whole weekend.




Annie and I point to fetus Rayne.  




All hands on deck! I find it remarkable that I can hide that much of my body behind Tab's--yay pregnancy!




Lindsey, mommy times 2! I have no idea how she does it, I'm lucky to take care of my 24-year-old self.




I still can't believe this is real life! I feel like we just started driving and BAM! Tabitha is a mom!




Mom wanted a picture of the first time Tabitha's belly has ever been bigger than her's.

 Well, that's it in a nutshell, all of the pictures I took at the shower. I do think it went VERY well--props to Tab, Lindsey and Cindi for that--and its quite easy to see that Baby Rayne (though I prefer to call her Fetus Rayne since that is what she technically is at the moment) is incredibly loved already! Congratulations Tabitha! (and Ed)

Side note: If one more person tells or asks me if I'm next, I'll probably blow up. Mainly because if I am next it will be an act of the Lord, the only one who can counteract my preventative measures. I'm working very hard to be the oldest mother at the preschool, thank you very much!

XOXO,
Hannah

Random Blog

Oh hey! Did yall forget about me? It's likely since I've not blogged in at least a month. I've been BUUUUUSY! Just a quick little update of the lovely goings on in Lipsey Land since last post.

1. We're dieting. In 5 weeks (we take breaks on the weekends, so this is strictly 5-day weeks) I have lost 13.7 pounds and Tyler has lost 19 pounds!! For those of you in Dalton/Chatsworth we're doing Thrive and it is working marvelously! Unfortunately you can't really tell I've lost any weight, but Tyler's results are showing and he is looking awesome. I've lost a lot in my belly (which had taken a nice, round, pregnant'ish shape) but since I keep it covered almost 24/7 Tyler's the only one who has really been able to tell. But since I was up to nearly 150lbs (way too much for my 5'4 frame) it had to be done. I'm also happy to report that my digestive issues have completely resolved themselves and I've had no stomach pain or irritable bowel syndrome symptoms (you know what I mean) since we started. We feel great and are still losing!

2. I've started nursing school and I LOVE IT! I feel as though I've learned more in my 3 3-day weeks at SWGTC than my entire 4 years at UGA. I know this is likely due to my own interest in the subject, but I also think it is related to the nature of the hands-on, practical skills material. I would absolutely recommend a technical school education to ANYONE. At present I'm taking physical assessment, fundamentals, and pharmacology/drug calculations and the latter is my favorite! HUGE shock for the student who avoids math like the plague. It's terribly interesting and I find myself fully engaged and trying hard to get it right. This is a good thing because I have a test Thursday and if I don't make 100 on it (we have 3 tries, thank God), I'm kicked out of the program! YIKES! This is necessary when you have someone's life in your hands though. I'll take all the prayers you're willing to dish out!

3. I got a scholarship! Tuition paid as long as I agree to work at the hospital for 3 years after graduation--yes, please!

4. I love my husband. This isn't news, but God seriously couldn't have blessed me with a better one. I am so thankful for him and his support that I often find myself teary-eyed. He's just that wonderful. Try to stop gagging, I just can't help but brag on him for being so incredibly good to me. He helps me study, I've taken his blood pressure at least a million times, and he's ALWAYS here to share my joy when I accomplish something new (like filling a syringe or dressing wounds!) I LOVE MY HUSBAND! I can't wait to make tiny humans with him and I pray they turn out to be JUST LIKE HIM!

5. I'm coming to Chatsworth this weekend! If you're around I want to see you and I'm going to El Pueblito karaoke Saturday night so be there! I wish Tyler could come with me but he's got a game and a band jamboree, plus baby showers aren't his thing. I'm bringing my friend Jami Lyn who has no idea what she's gotten her little self into!

6. 9/11/11. We've hit 10 years. Today I've been unable to pull myself away from the live footage on the computer (we don't have cable) and it has truly been breaking my heart all day. 10 years ago today we had the TVs on at MCHS and watched that plane hit the second tower. I was in crafts class and remember watching in English after the class change. I remember thinking it was tragic, but I was really more caught up in the fact that my cross country meet was canceled. I was also relieved that they were far away and I was safe in Chatsworth. I had no idea the impact this day would have on my life and my generation.  Ten years later I'm struck by my own naivety (was I really just happy that my meet was canceled? and did I really feel safe?) and the fact that despite that naivety and nonchalance I can't get those images out of my head. I can still vividly picture that south tower being hit and crumbling to the ground, and all of those people jumping from the buildings to their deaths. I'm not sure my 14-year-old self could process that and accept that it was real life, maybe that's why I was so naive. It's hard to believe that terrorism and Osama Bin Laden were not even words in our vocabulary at that time. The thought makes me shudder. Governor Deal asked the public schools to hold a moment of silence in remembrance on Friday at school and Tyler was talking about how many of the kids he teaches don't remember that day. It strikes me how quickly such a tragedy can be lost on our youth...they were here, the oldest of them 8 years old when it happened, but they have no memory of how that day felt. So eerie and quiet all day long. It seems odd to me too that they don't remember a time we weren't at war. When I was young I remember thinking how far away and ancient war sounded...until we were right in the middle of one. I have no resolution for this point and I'm not really sure what point I was trying to make other than reflecting and trying to rationalize my own feelings toward that fateful day. I'm hopeful that we will never see another day like it, and thankful that this day did prove to us that heroes still exist. God bless the victims, their families, and our heroes...don't forget to keep praying for these folks, 10 years later they're still hurting.

I suppose that's all I have to say at this point. Sorry for the downer at the end, but I couldn't write this blog on this day without acknowledging it.  I miss blogging all the time but I'm running around crazy and hardly have time to think straight. I'll try to do better...I always say that and then go months without blogging, so you get what you get.

XOXO,
Hannah

Keep Calm...

...and carry on.

My sweet Momma sent me a necklace with this lovely gem on it to wear during nursing school as a shiny reminder to do just that...keep calm and carry on. I love it! The back of the necklace says It's Nice to be Nice (Try It)....and I'm not sure what kind of hint that was, but I'll try to keep it in mind too. Thanks Momma! I loved getting this little surprise in the mail and I love wearing it because it reminds me to be more like you--way more chill and less neurotic. Today I'm feeling like Patty Positive (or a Positive Patel, as Tyler would say) so I think it just might happen.

In school related news I am currently BEGGING my advisor to give me a book list so I don't have to spend the $1002.07 that the bookstore charges for "Nursing Bundle." I called the bookstore yesterday to beg for the actual titles and/or ISBN numbers of the books and they told me they didn't have them. Seriously?! You realize you're the bookstore, the store charged with ordering books, and ordering said supplies requires the use of a title, publisher, and ISBN number. I know you want my money, but it turns out I don't have much so I need to order my books elsewhere. They didn't care. So I have now frantically emailed my advisor begging for a book list that I have offered to come in and copy down myself. Could we all pray for that, please? It'd surely save me lots of cash if I could order books that aren't spankin' brand new.

I've also applied for a scholarship so the waiting game begins now. Nothing like waiting til the last minute! At least I didn't procrastinate like crazy on my own, the school didn't leave me much choice.

Last, I don't have drugs in my system, tuberculosis, or syphilis. Thank You Lord! I was terrified of a false positive, because we all know how my "luck" is! My teeth are also good enough to start nursing school. Not sure how your teeth could fail the "dental physical exam" but I'm still glad to have passed it. I managed to find a dentist that I really like in the process, so I'll consider it a win. Hooray for good teeth, a healthy body, and dropping lots of money for no reason! YEA college round two!

In other news, I made some DELICIOUS treats last night for my hubby while he was at open house looking adorable in his shirt and tie. He's quite dreamy. After 12 hour band camp days last week and pre-planning this week I thought he deserved a treat so I made him one. Cake Batter Truffles! They're nothing short of divine! I found the recipe on a lovely little blog while I was blog-hopping yesterday, so I will share it with you: click here! It was remarkably easy! I would've posted pictures but mine were straight-up ugly looking. I'm not fantastic when it comes to melting chocolate and dipping other things into it. They were still scrumptious though! You should be warned that they are incredibly sweet, so you probably just want to eat one. And maybe another one a couple of hours later. If you make them let me know how you like them!

I've also been making tons of bows in my spare time for sweet baby Rayne. I am so ready for her to get here!  I don't want her to come too early, but if November would like to hurry up and get here so I can meet her that would be grand. And I promise not to attempt to steal her away from her parents. Until after graduation. Once I have a stable job all bets are off. So hold her tight, Tab:)

Well kids, that's about it. Time to blog-hop some more and hopefully find some more yummy treats to make. Confession: I only like making sweet things. Nothing healthy...ever.

XOXO,
Hannah

Exciting News!

I have delayed but exciting news, which you have likely already heard about it you've looked at facebook anytime since Saturday, BUT I was accepted into the registered nursing program at my school! And, despite my obvious distaste of the slow flow of information, I am stoked! Ready to get started and so relieved to finally have the end in sight!

Since receiving my acceptance letter I've done all kinds of fun things which include:

• My 4th background check in 3 years (yay teaching jobs!)
• A moderately intense physical which required 2 minutes of jogging (gross!)
• A drug test
• A tuberculosis skin test (which will be read tomorrow)
• A syphilis test (still not sure why this is necessary) 
• Frantically begging for my immunization record to be released to my mom (got it!) 
• Scheduled a dentist appointment (today at 11:30)
• Scheduled a CPR class (wishing I would've maintained my health occ certification) 
• Stalked my school's registration website (I still don't have my schedule) 
• Turned in my 2 week notice (goodbye filing paper cuts!)
• Started my 6th FAFSA (I should seriously be better at doing them by now)
• Filled out scholarship forms like a mad woman

I think that may be it. But I'm running around crazy at this point trying to get everything finished. I'm excited and terribly nervous at this point, but soooo ready to do this thing! Tabitha gave me some sweet scrubs while I was in town last week and I got excited enough to try them on when I got my acceptance letter, but it turns out they're size extra-extra-small. XXS! I need her maternity scrubs at that rate! I managed to pull the XXS pants to my thighs where they promptly stopped budging...which is depressing considering they are elastic waiste AND have a draw string! But I can wear the tops and I can always pass along the skinny pants to other poor, struggling nursing students. Haha thanks though Tab! The ill-fitting pants provided plenty of laughs for Tyler! And eat a freaking chocolate, carb-loaded sandwich skinny! Totally kidding. I did do a happy dance when (with the help of an intense sports bra) I was able to wear the XS tops! Success! And I've played dress-up at least once a day since then...have I mentioned I'm excited!?

Well friends, thanks for praying with me, but please don't let the prayers end there! I still have to pay for it (YIKES--books alone are $1200 this semester) and make it through the program! Any advice is super helpful! HUGE shout out to Jessica for the comment on my last blog--blogger won't let me comment back for some reason, but I really appreciate your advice on loans and all that. I appreciate even more that you were willing to take the time out of your crazy busy schedule and write all that out for me!

XOXO,
Hannah

Frustrated.

Well blogs are for self expression and getting it all out there, so here's a nice rant for yall! I'm frustrated about a lot of things, most of those being directly tied to nursing school admission.

Classes start 3 weeks from Monday and my classmates and I have still received no information regarding our admission status, scheduling, orientation, or requirements to begin school. The first time I was in college this would not have been a big deal (nor would it have ever happened). I was totally dependent on my parents, I had HOPE (most of the time), and I had student loans. This time, however, I'm independent (perhaps I should've said we're independent), all HOPE is gone and I'm still paying back those same, useless student loans, so I'd prefer not to acquire anymore.

Waiting this long to inform students of admission status affects so much and at this point its nearly impossible for me to feel confident about starting August 22nd. Assuming I found out today, here's what I would have to cram into the next three weeks:

• orientation
• a 2 week notice at work (program is full-time)
• a physical exam
• a dental exam
• book/uniform/supply buying ($1000+)
• immunizations/obtaining immunization records from previous colleges
• attempt to find a part-time job (probably not going to happen)
• CPR/AED/First Aid certification

I think that's all. No big deal, right? No big deal if I didn't have to work and had a large trust fund!

Scholarships are out of the question due to the fact that you are required to have a copy of your acceptance letter for most nursing-specific scholarships. That means with no HOPE and no other grants (we made too much money last year, please join me in an intense belly laugh at that one!), we're paying for tuition, books, uniform, shoes, supplies (stethoscope, etc) all out of pocket. Could we laugh again, or would that be over kill? Who can afford that with little to no warning?! I do admit that I've known the costs involved the entire time, but I did expect to receive some form of financial aid and have time to take a stab at scholarships. Not the case.

I'm at my wits end. Is this even the right way to go? Is this where God is leading me? When I'm already this stressed before the "super intense" program has even begun? I'm not sure it is. I'm not even praying anymore, I'm down right begging and pleading and bargaining for answers. Pray with me? And any advice/guidance/words of wisdom/motivation you may have please share! I'm just so frustrated!

Trying not to let it get me down while looking at contingency plan #482.

XOXO,
Hannah

Photo Blog

So I'm a sucky blogger as of late. I've actually written 5 blogs in the past week but I haven't finished any of them. Serious writers block, I guess. Anyway, I've got some pictures to share from a SPECTACULAR weekend visit from my friend Sarah from Brooklyn! And a few pictures of a fun craft I made while wasting an entire day on the couch.

The best BBQ ever!

 The best calzone ever!

 The biggest oak tree ever!

 The best husband ever!

The least intimidating girls ever!

The biggest cheesy grins ever!

And now for my project! I made a flower headband from a t-shirt! It was an Easter shirt that would be slightly awkward to re-wear, so I just recycled it. I used the stitching around one of the sleeves for the actual headband and made the flower by using both sleeves of the shirt. I can probably make several more frome the same shirt. Hubby is super impressed and that makes it even better!

Pay no attention to my greasy still-wearing-sunscreen-from-a-pool-day face!

Front view! Can you tell I'm proud?

Close up of the flower. All credit to hubs for the photos.

Well that's it! I'll be in Chatsworth Monday-Wednesday, so let me know if you're there & free, friends! Pray for Tyler he'll be outside in the awful heat at least 12 hours a day this week for band camp. Blegh.

XOXO,

Hannah



Pray With Me!

Hi friends.

Just a short blog from work to ask you to pray with me for my friend Julie and her son, Eli. They began inducing her labor this morning at 9am, though she is only at 33 weeks (I think) gestation. Obviously there are a lot of risks involved with a baby so early, so please just keep them in your prayers today...and for awhile after. I will update you when I know more and I appreciate you thinking about friend today!

XOXO,
Hannah

For Tabitha (and her beautiful baby girl!)

Hello all! This blog is specifically for Tabitha + Baby Mac, but you're all welcome to look as well. These are pictures of bows and things I've made for other babies/baby showers. Ignore my slightly greasy hair with roots that need to be taken care of.

All of my bows for Briley's shower! Some are doubled in case of pig tails:)

Felt flower with buttons in the center...look familiar Christa Faye?

Tiny ladybug clip made using handles from a gift bag--so resourceful!

LOVE this one!

A little big for baby, but she can grow into it!

Blue glitter! Makes an awful mess, but its adorable.

This one might be my favorite! Made using the ribbon from my bouquet at Tiffany's wedding!

I added this one because it gives a clearer picture of the tiny ladybug barrettes

My first diaper cake! Smaller than expected because its made from itty bitty preemie diapers! I think I'm going to add some pacifiers and maybe some sort of topper to dress it up a bit!

Baby gifts for sweet baby Eli! Hopefully Jules doesn't read this because we're not taking them to her until tomorrow!

Try not to judge, I'm a work in progress :) Excited for Baby Mac's shower & for HER to get here!

XOXO & Hopefully More Baby Crafts to Come,
Hannah

Oh My CNN!

Today is a good day for my relationship with CNN. I watched the last ever shuttle launch live AND found an interesting/controversial article to share with you.

First the shuttle launch. I almost soiled myself just watching it. So intense! There is no way you will ever ever ever find Mrs. Lipsey venturing off into space. I'm quite comfy with my feet on the ground...not even a huge fan of planes. Due to a lack of speakers on my work computer I was forced to watch the whole debacle silently, which I assume took something away from its overall intensity. Still, watching everything start to shake, smoke, and eventually blast off made my heart rate accelerate a little bit. And seeing earth in the background as the shuttle went further into space made me quite a nervous wreck too. Best of luck to the astronauts on board!

In other news via CNN, I found an article about the first lab-made organ to be successfully transplanted into a human! Read the article here. I'm totally in awe and completely amazed. If you hate reading (which you shouldn't, especially if you read my posts which are typically too long), the basic point of the article is that a trachea was constructed in a lab using polymers and stem cells, then transplanted into a man's body. SUCCESSFULLY. The patient in the article had late-stage tracheal cancer & had exhausted all other treatment options, so rather than waiting for a transplant they just made him a new one! Make sure you check out the pictures.

Some are finding this controversial due to the use of stem cells which could potentially "lead to human cloning," but I don't see how helping someone combat a fatal disease would leave you worrying about cloning. Mainly because all I can think is HOLY COW THEY MADE AN ORGAN AND SAVED A LIFE!! Seriously! And I'd be lying if I didn't admit to the thought "OMG its just like Grey's Anatomy!" I do see where the controversy is coming from though.

If you didn't gather it from the above, I'm all for constructing organs using stem cells to save a life. I'm not concerned with human cloning (maybe its lack of intellect, but that still sounds a little bizarre and distant to me), and I'm pretty sure if it were my life on the line, or the life of one my family members, I'd be all about stem-celling some polymer organs. God gave us the intelligence and tools to construct these organs, He did create all of those stem cells after all, so I hope no one argues this from a "God-complex" or "playing God" perspective. How is it any different than using other resources He has given us to save lives?

Though you might disagree with my grow-your-own-organ excitement, I want to know what you think. Is this a good idea? Would you do it? Do you think we might've taken things too far by attempting to create our own organs?

Ooooh controversy. I do see why the issue is so complex and controversial, and maybe I should've put more thought into it before throwing my opinion out there over the internet, but it is what it is.

XOXO,
Hannah

Parenting Decisions...From a Non-Parent

Today I had absolutely no intention of blogging period (I never feel like I have much to say anymore) and certainly no intention of blogging about this, but I read another blog and found an article that stopped me dead in my tracks. The article references episode one of the new season of Teen Mom (I'm missing having cable right now because I haven't seen it yet), when Farrah has to make the decision over who will have custody of Sophia in the event that her augmentation surgery ends up being fatal. You can read the article here. Judging by the article (and her mother's slightly crazy tendencies) it seems like Farrah was hesitant to give custody of Sophia to her mom in the event of her death. Unfortunately, it also seems that her options were quite limited.

I am not a parent and I'm not sure when I'll become one, but I tried to think of who we would leave our child to in the event that Tyler and I both passed. That thought made me a little queasy. Despite the fact that my future child is not even a mature egg cell yet, I am quite attached to him. (I'm also convinced that I'm having sons.) And despite my own crazy tendencies and being incredibly neurotic, I still think I'm the only one who can be the best mother that he needs. So how can anyone who has already met their child even begin to search for a replacement mommy!?

Now, I understand that I have a while before I should think about such and I promise this is not some freaky way to break "OMG we're pregnant!" news, but it is something to think about. Who do you trust to raise your baby(ies)? This is serious business, folks. Lucky for you, I've created a list of considerations that I (as a non-parent) think you should make before you die and leave your kids to someone else. Aside: this is totally bogus and I probably don't know what I'm talking about, but if you've been reading this blog for any length of time you know my advice isn't always worth taking anyway.

1. Age: if you choose some oldie goldie (example your mom, mother-in-law, or grandma **don't tell your mom I called her an oldie goldie!)to be your baby's new mommy he might need another replacement mom later on down the line. I understand this is moderately morbid, but having his great-grandmother raise him is slightly illogical. It happens and I'm not saying your oldie goldie lady figures aren't/weren't great moms, but he will want grandparents, etc. for his own little offspring one day too. I would imagine the generation gap would be a little difficult also. Also, I read today that having someone close to your age is best for baby.
2. Location: Chatsworth folks, though I can love on your babies like crazy, I'm not the most sensible choice for being a Godmother. Why? Because I'm so far away. Not only will they be orphans, they'll also be the new kids on the block (not the hangin' tough kind--please tell me you got the NKOTB reference) in their new home. Transition is hard regardless. HUGE transitions grouped together like this sounds like torture. It's also key that they'll be around other family members...so, if you having parents/grandparents in the greater Thomasville area, I might just be your girl.
3. Familiarity: This should go without saying, but I think the best choice would be someone your kid actually knows. For example, I think my friend Sarah would make a great mom. It helps that she's been (and will soon be again)a rockin' nanny. Unfortunately, she's doing her nanny'ing in Boston and LA. My little will probably not be very familiar with her unless I get better with skype and generally keeping in touch before he gets here. Hopefully I will, but you can see why she wouldn't be the most practical choice. If I could convince her to move to Tville, though, it would be a different story.
4. Your Spouse: His opinion counts too. Mamas don't rear children alone, and he may have a better idea than you for replacement parents. Have a conversation. Or perhaps 2938472938 of them, because this is a HUGE choice, but one that has to be made.
5. Stability: You should choose the most stable potential Godparents that you are comfortable with. By that I not only mean folks that you trust and that you know will raise your kids according to your values, etc., but also a family that can afford your children. Perhaps the Duggars are not the best choice as they have 19(maybe more?) of their own. Raising a kid is expensive and raising someone else's half-grown kid is a large financial burden to take on all at once. I'm not saying you should be shallow and quickly befriend the highest-paid aquaintance that you've got, but you don't want any extra stress added in this potential transition, for your children or they're Godparents who, I'm assuming, are your friends.

Well that's all I've got for now. Sorry for being morbid, but the thought kind of startled me and I found it blog worthy. You should also know that without talking to my husband I will gladly sign us up as your little's Godparents. He may or may not appreciate that fact. I'm kind of a basket case, but I'll have a stable job (eventually) and I'm really good at loving. Hubby's good at loving too and will provide the most stability as he is much more laid back and even-tempered than I am. I would appreciate that you tell your kids about the birds and the bees BEFORE you leave them to me though...only request.

So do YOU have Godparents? Would you become one if asked? What are your thoughts on the list (i.e. what did I miss)? I don't have Godparents, so I'm a little curious of the dynamic here. Lauren I'm looking for your opinion because I know you've got a Godmama!

XOXO & A promise of less morbid talk next time,
Hannah (potential Godmother extraordinaire)

Our First Anniversary and New Car!

Hello all! Slacker blogger back again! This blog is mostly pictures, but hopefully I can make it interesting as well. We'll see.

Three weeks ago my husband and I celebrated our first anniversary! I  cannot believe it's already come and gone, but time flies when you're having fun! Not that it's all be fun, but living with the person you love most in the whole world certainly does make life much better than it has ever been before. I've always heard that the first year is the hardest, and if that's the case it's smooth sailin' from here on out. That's not to say we haven't driven each other crazy a little bit, I still wish he'd consistently close drawers and he still wishes I would use the bathroom with the door closed, but that's all part of learning to live with someone I suppose! All in all, it has been fantastic so far and I look forward to soooo many more anniversaries! I'm one blessed girl and I'm certainly aware of that fact.

So, for the big one-year we headed to Mexico Beach for a little weekend getaway. As usual, we got completely burnt on the beach the first day so we weren't able to go out the second day! Exhibit A:

Cute right? For some reason this picture won't center, so forgive me for the awful layout of this post. Here are a few more pictures from our weekend of love:

Sun whipped, but happy to be together for 364 days! (This was June 11th, the day before our Anniversary!)

I said "hold up your one year finger and smile!" This is how he feels about spending a solid year married to me...perfect! Especially my clueless idiot expression...I had no idea he was making that face.

And, keeping with tradition, we ate year old cake for breakfast the next morning.

Precious didn't want to, but being the good man he is he went along with my shenanigans anyway. His face says it all though...as usual.  

Freshly showered, I was slightly more eager. It wasn't delicious (obviously, it was a year old), but it wasn't terrible either. I ate more than one bite...Fatty Patty doesn't say no to dessert regardless of how old it is.

This is where things get interesting...on our way home (on our actual anniversary) Eddie the Explorer began to smoke from his hood. We pulled over at a gas station in Tallahassee and checked it out. It was quite romantic, obviously.  

Turns out Eddie shredded his serpentine belt.

So we spent the majority of our first anniversary in this lovely "Super Lube" lobby. After a small inspection by an angel named Keith (I swear he was an angel or just an awesome person, he stayed late on a Sunday to help us out and went above and beyond what his job required, simulateneously restoring my faith in humanity) we found out that the belt was shredded, the air conditioner needed to be replaced, and the power steering was jacked up. Basically, we found out that Eddie's necessary replacements/surgical procedures would cost far more than Eddie was worth...so we needed a new car.

And, after nearly 3 weeks of searching, Tyler decided he wanted this fabulous car! A 2011 Honda Fit Sport! Please note his extreme enthusiasm over taking a picture with his new ride. He's giving me a sarcastic thumbs up if you can't tell.

Here's a side view, mainly for the parents who haven't seen the Honda yet. So far we are absolutely in love with it and it gets EXCELLENT gas mileage. We also got a compliment from a sweet old man at Barnes and Noble today...and who doesn't love compliments?

All in all we had a great first anniversary! Eddie threw a wrench in our plans a bit, but I'm glad to have my sweet hubby in a safe, reliable car now!

Tyler my love, there's no one in the world I would rather have been sunburned and stranded on the side of the road with! Here's to infinitely more anniversaries and many more years of just us before cute baby Lipseys come along "messing everything up." I apologize in advance for the blog PDA, but I love you forever and truly thank God for you and the best year of my life thus far!

XOXO & Hopes for you to find your Prince Charming too,

Hannah 

Blog Drought

These past few weeks I've been the unofficial worst blogger ever. I actually wrote a blog last week, but part of it could have been offensive to some, so I'm editing. It'll come later when I think of a way to say what I was feeling at the time without offending others...now you're curious aren't you?

Here lately I haven't had too much going on. Just ordinary work stuff during the day, and kickboxing at night. That's a stretch actually, I've only been to kickboxing twice. I'm working on it though because I'm magnificently out of shape and feeling down right old...bye bye awesome metabolism that is currently non-existent!

If you've never been to kickboxing before you should know there's nothing easy about it. Every single muscle in your body that you never knew you had will be sore the following day. Including your sphincter muscles as one of the hardest parts is keeping yourself from passing gas. Yes, I said that. My mom hates the word fart, but that's exactly the response that kickboxing elicits. There were times I had to squeeze everything I had to avoid letting one slip, which caused me to totally lose focus on the exercises we were actually doing. Perhaps that gets easier with time?

After dragging myself to the first class, I spent the first few minutes giving it all I had. We were running in place and, for the first time ever, my belly was moving. Side to side. Jiggly wiggly. MOVING GUT. Not cool. Hannah needs to workout constantly. I digress. So we're running and I'm keeping up and I'm thinking we should be about halfway through, so I was proud of my jiggly self. SIX MINUTES. That was it, all we had done. I had 54 grueling minutes of workout left.

Luckily I was still ok until we were about halfway through and the room promptly started to spin. Here's something you should know about me: I hate to be embarassed. And for me, quitting before all of the older people in the room (or anyone else in the room for that matter) was embarassing. So I kept going until I really thought I was about to hit the floor, when I less-than-gracefully bowed out for a water break. A longer than necessary water break, might I add. Kickboxing is brutal for the out of shape individual. BRUTAL.

I made it through though, and for the second class I was totally prepared for the overall brutality and managed to pace myself. I'm easily in the bottom half of my class, but I'm not the worst so I'll keep going. I'm pretty awful, but not so awful that I've shamed myself or my husband, so I guess I'll be happy enough with that. And I'll keep the updates coming...as long as I keep going to class and sweating profusely. I straight up stink afterwards, but that oddly makes me feel accomplished.

In other news, I've been having some strange intestinal/digestive issues which led me to the doctor last week. First: I'm seeing a new doctor, who is actually a PA. And I LOVE her. I may never go to anyone else again because she was spectacular. She also called me an "ideal patient" which made me feel good because I'm a child. But I'm also an ideal patient! Unfortunately she did not have any candy or stickers for me though.

At present, we don't know what's going on in the ole stomach, but we're pretty sure it is actually my stomach that's the problem. Perfect. And I got to take my first-ever stool sample which was really special. Tyler wouldn't allow me to take pictures to post here (I do have more sense than to do that anyway) and I will spare you most details other than to say it was an interesting experience and I will never view saran wrap in the same way ever again. Also, poop is kind of neat if you can forget that you're actually playing with your own. Perhaps I was just relieved for further proof that I can handle the icky side of nursing school? Probably. I took a shower immediately afterward if you're curious.

All blood tests and stool tests came back normal! I was glad to hear that even if my stomach still hurts. I'll keep you updated on my super fun digestive journey and spare you all most gruesome details!

I think I've said enough, but I promise to be a better blogger this week at least. Also, congrats to my cousin Cody and his new wife Mrs. Christa Penson! I'll post pictures from their wedding & her bachelorette party later as well.

XOXO,
Hannah

An Enhanced Quality of Life

Well, today I got a pedicure. And my nails painted. Which was supposed to be a manicure but the precious lady who did it missed the mark. Let me set the scene for you: I'm sitting in the sweet massage chair with my legs awkwardly hanging over the foot spa tub with freshly painted toe nails when she yanks my hands down in order to paint them simultaneously. Thank God I've danced my whole life and I'm flexible! Otherwise she might've either thrown my back out or pulled both of my hamstrings. So I'm dangling there all hunched over with my armpits cupping my knee caps (but seriously, that's how it went down) while she says something I can't understand and grins. Yay mani/pedi! She gave new meaning to the phrase "mani/pedi." Because those are supposed to be two separate pampering sessions and she definitely combined them.

In honor of my good day and new pink nails, I've created a brief list for you entitled "Reasons You Should Always Get a Manicure, Pedicure, or Mani/Pedi with Hannah":

Reasons You Should Always Get a Manicure, Pedicure, or Mani/Pedia with Hannah
1. I will always get the person in the room who is least fluent in English, so you wont have to worry about that intense language barrier.
2. Regardless of whether I can understand said person or not, I will never say no. Anything goes.
3. I will laugh hysterically while having my feet tickled or attacked by a cheese grater for feet.
4. The whole process makes me nervous + I have hyperhydrosis so I will sweat a lot and joke about it (this keeps me from crying about it)
5. I will always end up with some sort of surprise design on my toe and/or finger nails. Always. (See #2)
6. I will peer pressure you into getting a similar suprise design on your feet, which will never actually end up looking like my design surprise.
7. I won't judge you when you don't tip (ahem, Jami Lyn)

I thought I could make an even 10 but 7 is supposed to be a lucky number anyway! So, while sitting in the chair today my pedicurist (not sure that's a real word) says, "asdjfhasufh?" To which I respond, "Excuse me?" "asdjfhasufh?" I sideways glance at Jami Lyn and give a really bold, "ok." And I ended up with this...

SURPRISE DESIGN!!! White & silver glittery weeds!! Toe nails aren't so bad, but what's the deal with my weedy ring fingers?? *Awkward* Not the worst design surprise I've ever had though, I once found myself with an entire beach scene on my giant big toe nails, so I'd say weeds are pretty tame in comparison. Though the beach scene was rad as it had birds, a sun, water, and a palm tree....all on one nail. Pretty intense.

Regardless of the less-than-gorgeous-and-slightly-awkward nail designs, I had a great time. As Tyler would say, my girlfriends "greatly enhance the quality of my life." And I love them for that. Here's to more girls time (please!), more pampering ourselves, and always saying yes...or at least "ok!"

XOXO,
Hannah

Days Away

Hello blog friends!

I'm having a sort-of drought in my blog brain and feel like I have very little to write. It may or may not be due to having SO MUCH to do right here at the end of the quarter...it'll get finished though. All of the nonsense and writing papers/making powerpoints that I was capable of making in 4th grade. That could be a stretch but making a biographical powerpoint on Mark Twain is slightly offensive to a college sophomore for the second time. I can easily say that I've learned absoutely nothing this quarter and I'm incredibly glad its almost over.

I'm still praying about my decision for a future career and more specifically nursing school, but I'm about 95% sure I'm going to do it. It has the potential to combine all of my favorite things and is truly the only thing I've ever dreamt of doing. In fact, my senior year of high school I was always angry when somebody else was going to nursing school. Why? Because I was sure they didn't want it as bad as I did. It's a good thing I'm not so immature and ridiculous anymore, but I'm trying to go back to being that ambitious and so sure of that dream. A scholarship would surely help!Your prayers help also, so please keep them coming! And a big thank you for all of the comments on my "dream job" blog. You are all so encouraging and I truly appreciate your input. I'm thankful for you all.

Another thing that's been weighing on my mind is the fact that we are mere days (4 to be precise) from our first anniversary! WOW! Where has the time gone? I cannot believe a year ago today I was so stressed about our wedding and the tiny details that no one really noticed. More than that, I can't believe how much we've been through and accomplished since June 12, 2010. What a blessing my husband has been to me! I'll blog more on being married later, probably another list about things I've learned from my first year of marriage. I do love my husband. And I do love calling him my husband. He leaves me feeling like the luckiest girl in the world on a regular basis! Enough of that! Saving it for a future blog!

I am happy to say that this June we get to do the wedding thing one more time. My sweet "baby" cousin Cody is getting his own ball & chain on the 25th. He's actually almost 23, but being the sass I was when we were kids I thought I was his mom, so he'll always be a baby to me. I even gave the kid spankings. Good parenting at age 2! Now baby Cody is at least two times my size, but I still run the show & he knows it! Looking forward to 2 weekends in Chatsvegas for that one--one bachelorette party (there WILL be cake at this one!) and one wedding weekend! Congrats again to Cody & his bride-to-be Christa Faye...I can't wait!

Well, for someone who doesn't have much to say I'm getting long-winded. Typical. Keep prayin' folks and I'll keep you updated on all things in Lipsey Land.

XOXO,
Hannah

My Potential Dream Job...s

Hi friends! I'm still reading Quitter and still forcing you to read about me reading Quitter, but this may be the last day because no one seems especially interested. Which is fine. There are other things going on in my life aside from the book I'm ready/enjoying, so I can go back to that. But first you must muddle through a blog about the chapter that I'm sure will be my favorite of the whole book--Chapter 2, which is about figuring out what your dream is. YES! Thank you Jon Acuff! This is what I needed help with!

He starts right out of the gate saying "We don't know what we want, but this isn't it." Story of my life. I don't know what I want to do or what I was meant to do, but I know being a receptionist is surely not it. I did not accumulate 13K in student loans just so I could sit behind a desk and answer a phone all day. Additionally, I am not meant for a sedenary job/lifestyle. Though I will quickly admit that I'm lazy, time passes faster when you're busy. And I prefer to be busy moving around, rather than sitting in one spot doing the same things over and over and over. You with me?

So I got my highlight button ready on my kindle and absorbed the entire 2nd chapter. And, thankfully, I believe I have narrowed down my dream job to three, which may or may not be subject to change and may even be able to be combined. We'll see. In the book, Acuff states that he thinks your dream job is not something new that you are shocked to find that you love, but something that you have loved before. He calls it "a process of recovery." [Can I just insert here that I feel like he's talking directly to me as I read the book? I realize that's the point, but he's saying things that I think I should've thought of but haven't, and certainly things I should consider.]

I obviously can't tell you all that he says in this chapter or in this book. For one there are copyright laws and for two I think you should read it yourself. I will tell you the questions he has caused me to ask myself and the answers I have come to thus far...please note that I am still reading (this is just chapter 2 after all), still praying, and still working very hard to remember past moments that I have loved.

In trying to help his readers figure out their dreams, he gives us a few questions to ask ourselves. The one that stood out most to me was the first one, "What do I love enough to do for free?" I answered this question 3 different ways.

The first brought me to blogging and more specifically writing. I blog regularly (usually...this is the 4th day in a row!) and I love doing it. I get started and just go. Rarely do I even have to wonder what I will write about because it just starts flowing. I love writing. I have loved it as long as I can remember. As a child I wrote plays, some really terrible poetry and at least 2938472938 different versions of "A Day in the Life of Hannah Henderson." Thanks to my parents for always suggesting that I write the very same story over and over again. Could I make this a career? Maybe. Though my creativity for story-telling is quite limited. I am actually still writing "A Day in the Life of Hannah (Henderson) Lipsey." But practice makes perfect, so maybe someday.

The next thing I thought of was volunteering/"interning" at the hospital when I was in high school. Unfortunately those days were spent just watching things happen...and cuddling babies, who doesn't love cuddling newborns? But if somebody would've asked if I wanted to clean up/suction a baby straight out of the birth canal I definitely would've said yes. I've already mentioned I'm obsessed with pregnancy/child birth. We wore scrubs (and I've already expressed how much I love those), watched circumcisions, gave babies their first ever sponge baths, and watched deliveries. Do I think my love of watching a cesarean section makes nursing my dream job? I don't know. But maybe!  Could somebody guarantee me a position in L&D?? That might just make up my mind.

The last thing I thought of was volunteering/mission work. You know: loving on kids, feeding hungry people, cleaning up messes, giving support...that kind of volunteering. Non-profit volunteering. Taking care of other people who need me warms my heart and makes me feel like I'm living with a purpose. I love loving. It's what I was made for. Know of any non-profit jobs that pay enough for me to afford having my own children? Yea, me neither.

The good news is that I think all of the above could be combined. What is nursing if not taking care of and loving on other people? And plenty of nurses write too--I know because I've read a ton of books on nursing that I found on Amazon.

Either way, I feel like I'm making progress and that's all I can ask for. Want to figure out your dreams? Buy the book! Or, for a fun weekend in Nashville with yours truly, sign up for the Quitter Conference July 30th! See my last post for more info. Keep praying with me please!
XOXO,
Hannah

Quitter Conference!

So the book I'm reading, Quitter, is being turned into a conference. And I want to go. And I really want someone to go with me. It's in Nashville, $102, and July 30th. Any takers? For more info (cause you probably want to know more) click here: http://www.jonacuff.com/blog/events/ Let's change our lives together! Let's Quit! But seriously, let me know if you're interested...I want to go!! I'd ask hubby, but he LOVES his job so he doesn't want to be a quitter like me.

XOXO,
Hannah

PS: Look for Quitter chapter 2 blog tonight!

Quitter:Chapter 1 and Some Background

TWO DAYS IN A ROW!! Aren't you proud? I told you I'd be a better blogger.

Today, I'm reporting live from the workplace...at least for the first part of this blog, but I'll probably finish at home because it's almost lunchtime. That's one perk of my job, I get a lunch break. Though that doesn't really compare to the summer break that my teacher hubby gets. Yes, I'm bitter. I get one week of UNPAID vacation this year, he gets two months paid. Of course he'll also have to deal with our kids for 2 months straight eventually, so maybe it'll end up being fair. But that's another story for another day.

Today, I started Jon Acuff's new book, Quitter. It's about "bridging the gap between your day job and your dream job." Sounds simple, right? I bought the book on kindle for a few reasons (get ready for a list):

1. I had giftcards (yay in-laws!)
2. Jon Acuff mentioned me on Twitter which makes me feel cool and automatically makes me a fan
3. I would really like a dream job, please.

So I thought it couldn't hurt. When I started reading I expected to immediately want to turn in my 2 weeks notice, so you can imagine my disappointment when the title of chapter one showed up as "Don't Quit Your Day Job" Seriously, Acuff?! Rude! I needed you to give me a little take-this-job-and-shove-it pep talk! I guess that explains why I'm now blogging live from my desk...

Let me start the Quitter journey with a little background as to why I'm interested in being a quitter myself. For one, my mom never let me quit anything as a child, so now that I'm grown I feel powerful that I'm able to quit things. Irrelevant, but true. Aside from the "power" of quitting, I also would like a job I enjoy.

Where to begin? I started my "career journey," if you can even call it such, as a home economics teacher. Thrilling. I never wanted to be a teacher, certainly not the cooking, baby-raising, interior-decorating kind because I enjoy drive-thru dinners, not being a parent and a messy house. It was a poor fit. I blame someone else for this poor major decision, but I'm working on taking some responsibility too(this is another story for another day). At present I'm a college-educated phone answering superstar. I sometimes file, and on rare occasions fill out forms to help jack child support from dead-beat parents. That's my favorite part. Why? Because it serves a purpose. I need a purpose. I'm at my best when I'm doing something else for somebody else. I often spend time poring over these verification forms and imagining myself as somewhat of a hero because I'm helping these kids get food, clothes, and the ever-important health insurance. I really play a microscopic role in the process, but I'm ok with that, its a purpose nonetheless.

So I'm now soul-searching (for approximately the 1863468 time) because I don't know what this "dream job" I should be seeking is. I literally have no idea. When I was in 5th grade, someone came in our social studies class and asked everybody what they wanted to be when they grew up. I said I wanted to be a perfectionist. The adults laughed=positive reinforcement. This continued to be my career goal for longer than necessary because I really like thinking I'm funny. In high school I switched to nursing, but I'm not really sure why/I just really want to wear scrubs. They are comfy and people respect people when they're wearing scrubs. I also got to watch a c-section thanks to my health occupations teacher and her "internship" program (and no thanks to the excruciating process of mitering the corners of bed sheets), which I think is why I'm so completely obsessed with pregnancy and childbirth. I probably would've been a nurse by now if I wouldn't have been a complete moron and chosen a college with no nursing program. Now that's good planning!**Aside: I'm still glad I went to UGA though, otherwise I wouldn't have met my incredible/goodlooking/superpatient/perfect hubs!**

All of this to say I remain undecided on what my dream job might be. I've got all kinds of hobbies, but I'm just not sure where I'll end up in the long run. I've done A LOT of praying, but I've found that I sometimes seek "signs" from God that point me to whatever career I like best that day, and even sometimes hear Him saying exactly what I want to hear. Now I'm just praying He'll open doors and dead-bolt others...this is hard, I'm a control freak and often would like His plans to align directly with mine. Pray with me? Hopefully an answer will come as I continue reading "Quitter," or I'll at least get some better ideas of how to get there when I do figure out the dream job. I'll keep you updated while I follow the first chapter's advice and keep my day job!

XOXO while the phone rings,
Hannah

PS: I apologize if this isn't exactly coherent. Because I'm working it was written in segments throughout the day!