Mr.T's words of wisdom

True dat yo! Love the outfit... :)

Like Momma like son

I took Sirius to the vet today because he's been acting strange since last week. Not eating, laying around looking all pathetic, not wanting to jump on the couch/bed with us, tummy probs, etc. Ben took him to an after-hours clinic last week and they said it might be an infection or he might have thrown out his back. They gave him antibiotics and pain meds and figured one or the other should work. He got better for a few days and then last night he was acting strange again. He could barely make it upstairs to bed and his tongue was really pale/white-ish. That really got my attention so I took him in to see Dr.Mauldin today to get this figured out once and for all.

Turns out he threw out his back! Odd, I didn't really think dogs did that. I mean, I know they can have bad hips and knees so I'm not sure why I was surprised, but I was.He ran some bloodwork too and the white tongue/gums were a sign of pretty bad dehydration, so they hooked him up with 300 cc's of fluids under the skin on each side of his back. Poor thing looked deformed when they handed him back to me, 2 big bulges on each side.

He's ok though. We have to take him back in a week for a follow-up to make sure it's better after some R&R and some anti-inflammatory meds. If not, he may need some X-rays to rule out any disk herniations etc, but we're hoping that won't be necessary. Ben says he's just wanting to keep me company since I'm always hurting my back, LOL!

The Host movie!!!

SM just announced today on her website that her book The Host will be turned into a movie!!! YAY! I'm so excited about that, it was an incredible book! More info here.

WOOT!

Dis-gust-ing

I just got home from school tonight and Ben was ready to tell me about this story. I hadn't even heard about it until now, and ironically it hasn't been spoken of in my Nursing class... hmm, I think I shall mention it tomorrow.

I am appalled. Absolutely 110% disgusted and beyond words with frustration for these 2 honorable nurses who were doing their job, that is protecting their patients!!! It is a sad day indeed when you lose you job, get thrown in jail and slapped with thousands of dollars of fines for following the Ethics Code of Nursing. There are laws that are supposed to protect nurses against reprecautions for whistle-blowing, but sadly enough, the DA in Kermit, TX believes he is above such laws (more info here).

As a future nurse, this is really disturbing to me. I will be following this closely and hope and pray justice prevails for these two nurses who were just doing their job and placing their patients' well being and safety above their own.

ARGH! GRR!!!

Fun with the boys!!!

This weekend was Nate & Tiff's anniversary, so they took a little trip out of town for some R&R and we got to take care of our nephews! It was a blast, although 2 out of 3 were not feeling very well, so that was sad :( We got a crash-course in Parenting 101, complete with staying up late with a sick baby, getting up early with a sick 2 year old (who we then took back to bed with us but would not go back to sleep; instead he used my back & arms as a "road" for his cars/trucks for hours) and potty training woes with the 4 year old!

Our dogs were there too, and while that was a source of stress for me (as they are unaccustomed to little hands and feet, grabbing, pinching, and kicking) I'm happy to report that they behaved themselves very well and no one got bit! Jackson and Brandon were very gentle and I was so impressed by them all! Ben is so cute with the boys, I can't wait for him to become a daddy someday! My favorite part of the weekend were those moments when the boys would make some sweet comment (Jackson praying and thanking Heavenly Father for us and asking Him to bless that "Uncle Ben and Aunt Alex will stay and play a looooong time") or Brandon tackling me to give me a big hug and kiss, and when I fell asleep on the couch with Andrew on my chest. I think that those sweet moments, which I got but just a tiny sampling of, must be what makes parenting so worth the fatigue, blood, sweat, and tears!!! I remember being so tired Friday night (I'd gone to work at 5:30am and then taken care of the kiddos alone most of the afternoon/evening until Ben got there around 8:30ish) but I was laying on the couch with Andrew asleep on my chest, and it was just the best feeling in the world. That's the stuff happiness is made of, for sure! :) Thanks to Nate & Tiff for letting us have a little slice of heaven this weekend!

Anyway, enough of my sentimental gab, here are some pics of my adorable nephews who rock my socks!!!

Jackson and Brandon having fun in the sprinklers!

Andrew, giving me the stink eye for putting him down on the grass! :)

Sirius loves to lick Andrew!!! He didn't seem to mind though.

Who is the cutest baby ever??? Andrew is!!!

Happiness is a baby sleeping soundly on you!

Uncle Ben, Andrew trying to love on Mini, and Brandon.... um, looking kinda confused? (In his defense, he had just woken up from his nap)

Jackson being a ham!

PS> This has nothing do do with this post, but I just had to say.... BOOOOO Kanye West! Not cool dude... NOT cool! That is all.

Perspective

I cannot believe that it's been 8 years already... time flies but I hope these memories will never grow dim, as unpleasant as they may be. I love this video and wanted to share it. Even within the most difficult of trials we can see the Lord's tender mercies He shows us.

Catching Fire

There are just no words... seriously.

I stayed up until about 1am finishing the book last night. Part of me wished I could put it down, not read it quite so fast, wanting to make it last as long as possible... savor every page. It was impossible though... I took it with me everywhere yesterday, sneaking in a page or two every spare chance I got. My 5-9PM class was torture, but as our professor gives us breaks every hour, I spent them reading as much as I could then as well.



This woman is a genius. It's written in first person, which I know not very many people are a fan of (Ben being one of them), but for me- this is what makes these books so emotionally charged and poignant. The highs are higher and the lows are lower. The Hunger Games was horrific in so many aspects, but this book just takes it to a whole new level... emotionally, more so than "gruesome." It is also very politically charged, and while I personally hate anything to do with government and politics (as Ben can certainly testify to, seeing as I groan and moan about my stupid PoliSci class daily) reading these books has helped me to empathize with and understand how people can get so worked up about these issues. It has helped me to realize the dangers of apathy.

I definitely give this series 5 stars!!! I can't believe I'll have to wait until Fall of 2010 for the final installment of this trilogy to be released... If the cliffhanger was bad in The Hunger Games, this one is by far ten times worse... in both a good and bad way, it's hard to describe. Anyway... I highly recommend these books, they are... well, like I said before, there are just no words to do them justice. GO READ THEM... NOW! :)

"May the odds be ever in your favor!" ~ Effie Trinket

Bad, baaaaaaad Alex!

Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins came out yesterday and I got it last night after my CNA class. It had been a long day of work, tests, doctors appt, and more school so I was exhausted... BUT I just couldn't not read!!! I stayed up till 2 am because it just kept getting better and better and although I kept promising I'd stop at the end of the chapter... well, no, I didn't.

I paid for it this morning when I woke up late (duh) and was almost late to my 8am class. It didn't help that my professor was droning on and on about ionic and covalent bonds and all that other chemistry stuff I loathe... It was one of those classes where the clock just couldn't go by fast enough and staying awake was a monumental task... but I kept my eye on the prize... the handful of hours between my day class and my night class when I can devote my full attention to my book!!! I'm about 1/2 way done now and just wanted to say, IT'S SO GOOD!!! :)

Ok, back to Katniss and Petta and the the uprising!!!