my life

well, i feel bad because i haven't blogged in awhile, but i don't know what to say. my life is so boring. it's super busy, but boring as hell. i just finished my psyc rotation at the austin state hospital, yes, the mental institution. i LOVED it. maybe because i'm a little crazy myself. i start my pediatric rotation at the new children's hospital tomorrow...i don't know if i'll like sick kids (and their parents)...we'll see soon enough.

i'm living with a great friend of mine who is putting up with me until jeff and i get married. it's great, but i am rarely there :) wedding planning is going well too...the bridesmaid dresses are being ordered this week, and i booked the bartender tonight.

i officially started weightwatchers yesterday. not "officially" in the sense that i'm going to the classes, but "officially" in the sense that i'm counting my points. i'm encouraged by my mom who has lost 15 pounds in her first two weeks back with weight watchers. i don't think my progress will be as good as hers because i don't have time to exercise as much, but hopefully eating better will make a difference, and i think it will.

jeff and i have both been sick from this really crummy virus that is going on it's 9th day of infecting my body, and jeff's 11th day. it sucks.

well, i've gotta go close up work then go home :) peace

gehrman/gabriel workout

so i clocked in my first two miles today.....

any comments about if tennis is allowed. maybe an hour = 1 mile or something...?

I NEED YOUR HELP (READ BOTTOM OF BLOG)

sorry stacy, you're always the one to complain to me. you're right...my blog is "way out of date" especially now because i'm BACK in school again :) i'm excited!! the first 5 weeks i'll be in a psychiatric unit, the next 5 weeks i'll be working in pediatrics at the new awesome Dell Children's Hospital, and the last 5 weeks i'll be working in OB (labor and delivery)!!! so overall, yes, i'm excited. i always am nervous at the beginning of the semester too. we have to check off all these skills and take math tests, etc, before we can start our clinicals....so we HAVE to pass. i'm working really hard to practice :)

i did have fun this past weekend...my last weekend of freedom before this semsester. i went to FLUGTAG!!! it was so fun! it is where all these people make crazy creations and try to fly off of a 30 foot stage but inevitably they always fall right into the water. there were some really cool ones and there was a group of girls who go to the university of minnesota and it made me think of my lovely sisters up there :) i'll attach a link so you can check some of them out...it was a blast...a bazillion degrees outside...but really fun :)
http://www.redbullflugtagusa.com/Texas2007/teams.aspx you can scroll down and click on the teams and pictures. KARLSUCKS was the team from MN


i also dyed my hair last week! i really want to cut it but i know i can't because of the wedding soooo i'm just dying it :) i am trying to get it lighter but my hair is naturally black/brown so it is difficult. i dyed it a dark ash blonde but it only lightened my hair MAYBE a shade or two. so we're going to dye it medium ash blonde tonight and see if i can get my hair to a light brownish color....i'll let you know the outcome :)

OKAY I NEED YOUR HELP! i already recruited my sisters, but jeff and i are putting together the play list for the dance at our wedding and we want some help. give me some suggestions! we might not choose your picks, but if we do...you'll know it's because of you :)

okay, peace out friends, i need to pick out a bridesmaid dress.

ahhlease

FINALLY

yahooooooooooooooooooo i'm OFFICIALLY done with summer school! whoooo hooooo i can't believe it. i think it has the been most difficult summer of my life. i can finally breathe :)

booodittyboooo

so, i'm busy. whats new....

1.) i got a vacuum for my birthday :) my mom can't believe how domestic i'm getting. (not really...) but i'm going to do a public service announcment for this vacuum. two days before getting it, i had vacuumed my apartment with jeff's vacuum. then i got it...the DYSON animal vacuum. i vacuumed my little 510 square foot apartment and it filled up 1/2 of the bin with hair, dust, and other odds and ends. jeff, my mom, bob and i were staring in amazment. we couldn't believe how well it worked...unbelievable...a true miracle :) i like it a lot. i know vaccuum all the time...jeff already took it to his house to see how much he could suck up with it.....and let me tell you....a lot.

2.) we set a wedding date! this happened awhile ago, but i don't think everyone knows. we'll probably send out save the date cards...but just fyi it is April 12, 2008. what a great day huh? it is going to be here in austin at this beautiful old victorian house right in the heart of downtown. i think it'll be fun...so get ready to pack your bags and come party with us!!

3.) i have my final this thursday then i'm officially done with the semester!!! summer school has been really crazy, but i am sooo thankful that i got accepted into the summer session. i had no life, but wow...it's already over! next semester i will be working in OB, pediatrics, and psych units...what a fun mix huh?? pregnant moms, kids, and crazies

4.) it FINALLY stopped raining. i'm even nervous to say this because i might jinx it or something. but this has been a wet summer. there has been so much flooding, and rain.....EVERY DAY. i mean it...EVERY DAY....until...two days ago. it has been a dry and HOT two days, but its been so nice. its like in minnesota its so cold for so long some people get seasonal depression...thats what it was like this summer...rainy depression...its like living in seattle or something.

5.) jeff and i just booked our flights to go to new mexico to visit my parents! bob just got a new car...i think the toyota rav4, so i get his old car cause mine is crapping out. i am leaving my camry behind and i am soon to be the proud owner of a crysler seabring coupe!! whoo whoo whoo (yeah heidi!!!). i'm excited to visit for another big reason too....TO VISIT CHARLEY!!! bob flew back with my cat because i'm moving on friday and my new place can't have pets :( . by the way extended family...one of my parent's cats recently passed away...vada RIP. she was stacy's cat. stacy took it hard....she actually took the day off when my mom told her they were putting her down :( awwwww. but now they get charley...for 8 months until i get married!!! yeahhh i'm so excited to marry jeff, he's so cool.

well, there is sort of a random update. i'm back to studying now (actually looking for bridesmaid dresses....) i suck at studying, especially this late in the semester.

hook em

summer school.

so i understand that updating my blog sucks right now...but i'm busy. i officially have 2 weeks of summer school left and i CAN'T WAIT!! it has gone by very fast, but it has been hard. my schedule sucks, and i'm constantly exhausted. i guess it's just preparing me for life as a nurse :) nothing new has been going on...i started wedding planning right away and got a lot of stuff done, but now i'm focusing on finishing these next couple weeks of school. we set a date! april 12, 2008 it is. we'll probably send out "save the date" cards, but you have a heads up...so save the date :) it'll be here in austin and i couldn't be more excited. we have our location, our pastor, our photographer, our caterer, and our dj so far. i think we're off to a good start!! my mom and bob are coming in town next week to come play. we'll probably look at wedding dresses too...it seems like such a daunting task though. it'll be a fun weekend though. we're going to hang out with jeff's family too for my birthday!! mmm....i'm supposed to pick the place to eat....i can't decide. i like to eat. there are lots of yummy places in austin. should i go Mexican, Italian, bbq, Japanese, or american (booooring)? okay. this blog sucks, but i don't have anything better to write about. i'm back to studying at my awesome job where that's all i do :)
peeeeeeeeeee ace (did you think i was just saying "pee")?

so jeff called me over and said he got me a surprise while he was out shopping. well, i was surprised alright....he loves his new purchase. he just got them yesterday, but so far that's all he's worn. he also changed his hairstyle...let me know what you think :)

We're Cute!

look at us :) jeff's roommate phil has been taking lots of pictures. it's nice, because obviously i don't. jeff and i don't have any pictures of us unless someone else has given it to us. thats lame...but phil's awesome...here are some of the pics.

this picture is from a couple weeks ago when we were downtown at 219

we were playing in prague. the bar...not the city. p.s. they have excellent mint chocolate martinis...mmmmm...they put a hershey's kiss in the bottom of the glass!! yum yum in my tum tum. i did get excited about this fact and expressed in grandly with my gestures, and i accidently knocked it over and shattered my glass. note: this is not an awesome thing to do and people don't like you if you do this in very small spaces....and it was $8.00 down the drain :(

we were at fridays...i generally hate this restaurant but its open late. but look at my cute hat jeff got me! yah texas baseball!!!

okay peace out.

Enchanted Engagement :)

Here are the proposal pictures that I promised!


I just love Jeff's buns. This is preproposal when we were just enjoying the view from the top of the mountains.


Here, Jeff started the beginning of the proposal with telling me how much he loved me, wanted to spend his life with me, and honor Christ with me.


Jeff turned me around and got on one knee (which is now all scratched up from the granite rock he was kneeling on!!)
I love him! He started putting the ring on the wrong hand...I quickly showed him where the ring's home was :)

Yeah!!!

My new pretty ring!

This was the beautiful background to the proposal. We are high up in the hill country as you can see.
On our way back down the mountain we took advantage of another photo opportunity.

Yeah!!! Jeff and I are engaged!!!!! We went camping this weekend with some friends at a place called Enchanted Rock. It is this beautiful place with natural granite mountains out in the hill country by Fredricksburg, Texas. We had hiked up to the top with our friends to watch sunset on Saturday night, and much to my surprise he proposed!!! The pictures sort of tell the story...so enjoy!

sorry stacy!

so stacy, this blog is for you. NOTHING IS NEW....thats why i'm not blogging. i'm on a two week break before summer school starts. i've been nannying for those cute little kids i used to watch last year...hana, riko, and joey. i haven't had this much fun in a long time. joey and riko are twins that just turned two, and every tuesday i take them to their swimming lessons. they're really fun. i swear i'll post pictures soon. i need to take some pictures of them wearing their goggles...seriously it's adorable. ummm....in august i'm moving in with my friend to save some money on rent, but unfortunately she's allergic to cats....so charlie has to find a new home. hopefully jeff's parents can babysit her for awhile or else she's being shipped to albuquerque. the weather is hot, austin is awesome, and i recently learned how to make a fantastic mexican martini...props to heidi and chuy's. i'm tired, so hopefully this will suffice for now.

seeeeeeya

snoooooring

so i talked with jeff's mom this past weekend.....i'm sort of disappointed. each time jeff and i go over to his parents, he always ends up falling asleep on the couch. i always tell him, "don't fall asleep now, otherwise you wont be able to sleep tonight!!". but no. he'll fall asleep at night, and doesn't wake up until 1pm the next afternoon because i've called him 1000 times. so back to why i'm disappointed....his mom said he has ALWAYS been like this. they've never understood it, but while the normal human needs 6-8 hours of sleep, jeff needs AT LEAST 10. lets be honest...10 sometimes isn't even enough. he could sleep for a good 12 hours every night, and still be sleepy. i told him that he's sleepy after that much sleep because he slept too much, but no, it isn't so. he is a sleep monster. i've decided that once i charge my camera i'm going to start posting pictures of jeff sleeping...and only sleeping. then yall may get to see him like i see him most of the time....drooling.

killer geese

jeff and i were taking this night little walk last night around this pond/lake thing. we then came upon this sign that said NO TRESPASSING 7PM TO 7AM. this sort of bummed us out but we decided to leave because we're lawful citizens. there were several ducks, geese, etc around us, then from about 150 feet away, i saw one with its neck sticking straight out and it was charging us. i started screaming and running, as did jeff. i'm not sure if he did this because i was doing it and he just reacted, or if he was scared too! we ran as fast as we could until we got to our car....it chased us for a long time. when we finally got into the car, we looked at each other and we couldn't believe what happened. after lots of laughter we eventually composed ourselves. contrary to what jeff believes, i am glad he didn't throw his flip flop at it....primarily because he would have to go face that goose again to retrieve his shoe. just so you know, we did get back out of the car to make mean goose sounds to tell our attacker that we were hurt by his unfriendly gesture towards us. it was a fun night.

whoooo hoooooooooo

YEAH!!! i made it into summer school. this means that i'll graduate next may instead of the following december. i am SOOOO excited!!! now i just have to study a lot to make sure i pass everything and CAN advance to next semester :) yes yes yes yes yes! yippppeeee!!! this is so awesome. the lord is great.

update

i gained 2.5 pounds while i was gone.....dang it.

whew

soooooo.....it has been a long couple of weeks. let me begin.

jeff's buppa (grandpa) got very ill and passed away last week. my teacher quit her job with three weeks left in the semester. as a result of buppa dying, i went to DC for the funeral, which meant i missed to days of clinical (this is a big NO NO). my new teacher changed the format of our homework that we have to hand in every week so this means much more time working on it for me. i BARELY passed my test, but i am very thankful for that. a 74.9% is failing, meaning a 75% is passing. i got a 76.89%. if i had gotten one more wrong i would have failed. THANK YOU LORD. i could have cared less what i got on that test, i had to leave the next day for DC, and i found out the night before that buppa died. i managed to sort of stay up to date with my homework despite being gone 5 days. but now i'm back. i think i've gained back to 12 pounds i've lost....we'll see....i'm going to the gym tonight. i'll update tomorrow. i'm babysitting butch and vada. my house is really hairy. i've lived there since january, but i don't have a vaccum. they're all getting along well and they're very easy but the hair is gross.

my biggest priority is getting back on track with a healthy lifestyle. i need to start eating right again, and hitting the gym. i'm supposed to go out of town again this weekend, but i think i've managed to get out of it. i have my last test on this coming monday before my final on the monday after that. honestly, i'm just ready for this semester to be over.

on friday registration begins at 5am for the classes i need this summer. if i get in summer school that will mean that i will graduate next may instead of the following december...it'd save me 7 months. the sucky part is that only 14 people get accepted into summer school. it's on a first come first serve basis, so you better believe that i'll be up a 4:30am getting everything set up to register.

i don't know what else to say, except i'm just tired...physically and mentally. i can't imagine being in summer school considering how tired i am right now, but i want to graduate early soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo bad.

i hope everyone who reads this is doing fantastic!! i hope that i didn't come off too down in the dumps, i'm just tired. sorry for the long lapse in blogs. peace out

i am so excited for easter. soooo excited. i do realize that my last post was " i heart austin", but i like getting away every once in awhile. i feel homesick for frisco even though i've never officially lived there. i think familysick...that seems more appropriate. jeff and i are making the trip either friday or saturday to enjoy the fun easter festivities. to my surprise, i also get to take butch and vada back to austin with me (bob can only take 2 animals with him when he moves to new mexico in a couple weeks...and of course he opted for emma and al E CAT). jeff said that he probably wont come over for the next couple of months while i have the 2 cats..plus mine = 3. he officially labeled me "that cat lady". i didn't lie...but i may have "omitted" the fact that i have a cat to my apartment complex. i'm not going to pay $300 for a pet deposit when i didn't pay nearly close to that for the actual cat. i like charley...but come on...$300...no way. anyway, i'm hoping that nothing breaks in my apartment or needs repairing because i think the maintenance man may notice 3 cats. mom: if i get fined, you're paying :) does anyone want to come visit me in austin?? i'd love visitors..or invites to go to other cities too!!!! i'm just in the mood for a new scene or something. well i better get going to get back to work (that was sarcastic...i just sit at a desk and surf the internet).

adios

i heart austin.

well, i truly live in a city that i love. this morning was the "capital 10k" downtown. everything is always closed for races. my church isn't even having their morning service because it'd be impossible to get to it. i'm not complaining....but i am upset. upset because i didn't even know the capital 10k was happening until last night. i really want to try to start doing little races like that. they're not too long, and i'd get a tshirt out of it! the only tshirts i own now all just say " 2006 NATIONAL CHAMPION TEXAS LONGHORNS". and yes, that is a shameless plug to our wonderful football team, but yeah, i miss vince. he was like glue...holding the team together. anyways, this blog's purpose is to publically claim that i am going to begin doing some local races....not to win, but to spice up my wardrobe.

p.s. jeff doesn't know it yet, but he's going to race with me too!!
p.p.s. we're going to be in frisco for easter...yehaw, and HOOK EM HORNS.

peace in the middle east.

i like tredmills

so i have a confession to make. i have this job where all i do is think of things to make me not fall asleep from 3-9 pm. and today it was reading my dear cousin katy's blog. and not just some of it, i read the entire blog from june 2003 to march 2007. WOW! i can't believe i really did it. now, i know what i've been missing out on! i do feel like i know her better though and i like it! in her last entry she shared a funny story, so i thought i'd share mine.

i was at the gym on the tredmill and i was wiping the sweat off my face so my rhythm got a little off sync and i totally tripped. i barely caught myself as the belt on the tredmill kept flying by. i then started laughing so if anyone saw me (cause there weren't like 30 other people around me or anything) they would know that i thought i was an idiot too. well just as i was about to let out my first nervous bit of laughter, the girl on the tredmill next to me did the exact same thing. that totally made my night better. we both laughed. all i could think of was, "what if a guy had just walked by and we both tripped...he would have totally thought we were googeling over him". and then i thought what would be so great about that is that he'd be the one looking stupid because we weren't googeling over him at all...we're just clumsy. we would have given him a false sense of confidence.

i guess that's okay though...we all need that sometimes. i think i need it today. earlier this afternoon a coworker said to me,

"well alyse, now today you look more like yourself" (i'm wearing a teeshirt, jeans, tennis shoes, and glasses with my hair pulled up in a pony tail). then she followed that by, "you looked nice yesterday" (i left my hair curly and wore a skirt...nothing super fancy).
now please tell me this...she said "i lookED nice", so does that mean i look bad on a regular basis?

oh well, i'm blaming it on the fact that she's going home sick today so she obviously doesn't feel well. so friends and family, i think you're great, and katyo, you made my day go by more quickly today, so for that i am very appreciative.

OUT

catheterization

well, this week we are learning about wound care and catheterization! personally, i am not really excited about it. i just reviewed everything i need to know about wound care, and frankly, my stomach hurts. but the urethral catheterization seems fun! well, not really, but it's something new that we'll get to start doing.

i just got home from visiting the familia in frisco, and i must say, i had a great time. i had a rough start with coda, but we ended up as great friends. charley totally flirted with al all weekend (we found them sleeping together under my bed and behind the desk multiple times). i'm glad she made friends with the cats, really she had zero problems with all of them. emma and coda on the other hand freaked her out. she could have cared less about bu, i think because they're about the same size. emma and coda tried chasing her, but she's a good hider. towards the end of the trip charley was actually the "top dog" if you can say that. emma was intimidated by her, maybe something happened behind closed doors that we didn't see. overall-it was really fun!

well i know this post is short, but i better get back to my studies (seeing as though i'm an awesome student).

HOLLA

p.s. stacy- i think there would be a unanomous vote that my cat is nicer than yours. heidi hasn't even met my cat, but i bet she agrees. i do love your little ladies, but you need to whip them into shape when guests are around. personally, charley is way cuter and more outgoing when others aren't around, but when people are around, she's still awesome and friendly...which is more than i can say about your children.

okay okay okay, number three

so i think my family looks at my blog more than i do. well i guess that's obvious because i've only written on it two times. but i have time now, and i've been harrassed a lot-so here is my contribution. lots and lots has been going on lately so i'll try to update.

* i just had my final today so i'm officially done with the first half of the first semester of nursing school! whooooo hoooooo. except, i got a B. i guess that's okay, i deserve it. my test grades were a 90, 91, 78, 89. that 78 really brought me down. but its done and thats all i care about! so now whoever wants to know about the fundamentals of nursing related to adult health, i'm your girl!

* on the nursing note... i gave my first shot the other week! all i really have to say to sum this up is that you should just be happy that it wasn't you. i was really nervous, but in the end all went well. he said he couldn't even feel it, but after i darted in the needle my hand was shaking so bad i couldn't plunge in the medicine in so the needle was just bending side to side. YIKES! even writing about what happened sounds like it hurts. good thing he was obese and was getting the shot in his belly :)

* another nursing note...i cried about a patient for the first time. i'm proud of myself that it wasn't in front of him or anyone...it was in the privacy of my own home. my clinicals have been a very eye opening experience. i work on the medical/surgical floor with mostly orthopedic patients. i guess i thought my experience would be much different, like a guy that broke his knee or something. but instead, its a guy who has a broken knee, end stage liver disease, hepatitis c, chronic respiratory failure, failing kidneys, and all his organs are swollen so his belly is like a big balloon, and oh yeah, he has lesions allllll over his body that are constantly bleeding because his blood wont clot. and one more thing...he's just over 50. everyday before we go into the hospital we have to write a big report about the history of our patients...and that is when i started crying. i feel like such a loser when i complain about cramps. he was dying...he may already be dead for all i know, i haven't seen or heard about him since i was there 2 weeks ago. i just couldn't believe it. this isn't like a one time ordeal....most patients in the hospital are suffering from several things.

* on a lighter note now....i love jeff! he's so great :) nothing new is going on with us, but i'm still happy!

* i have a new job. i've actually had it for about a month, but i guess its new from last blog. i sit at a desk and check out media equiptment to professors at ACC. but i work from 4-9, so there aren't tons of classes. hopefully now that i remember i have a blog i'll contribute to it more. this job is so great, i really don't do anything. i sit here and do all my homework. it really is a huge blessing because it allows me to actually have a little free time. here is my schedule now...

mon: work at job 1 from 11-3
work at job 2 from 3:30-9
workout from 9:30 - 11

tue: NOTHING :)
workout sometime during the day

wed: work at job 1 from 11-3
work at job 2 from 3:30-9
workout 9:30-11

thu: clinical 6:30-1:30
try to workout sometime...usually i'm really tired

fri: clinical 6:30-1:30
work at job 2 from 4-9
workout 9:30-11

* as you see, i have a new hobby....working out. i am trying my very best to finally get my butt in gear about my weight. and i think it is going great. being at the gym has been awesome. i workout, then go sit in the steam room, then i shower and go home to my warm bed. it has truly allowed me to unwind a ton! i feel like i'm nonstop most of the time, so it allows me to slow down, get away from everyone, and take care of myself. this is a new concept to me. my previous roommate danielle would be really proud of me. see, this is a concept she practices, but i never understood. the second she'd get home i'd be like "hey, whatcha doin, what do you wanna do tonight....blah blah blah...." and she'd just be like "LEAVE ME ALONE JUST FOR A MINUTE!!!!" but now, i really appreciate my time alone.

* i also now have an apartment all on my own. this was a new thing for me because i've always had a roommate. i was nervous at first, and that is why i moved into the complex across the street from jeff. it makes me feel a little safer. but i do have a funny/scarey story. i was driving home and there was this man walking on the side of the road (but within my apartments parking lot). i was thinking "oh thats nice, he's out for a night time stroll". then i noticed he started to stumble a little as my car was approaching him. as i drove by he started screaming something at my car and chasing after me. i quickly turned the corner, parked, and BOOKED it up the stairs to my apartment. i immediately called jeff cause i was freaked out he saw where i went or something. so being the great boyfriend that jeff is, he drove over and did a couple circles around the parking lot, but he never did find the crazy screaming man. so hence, i'm glad he lives across the street :)

* i got a cat! her name is charley and she is great. she is really popular so far with my friends and family, and she far exceeds the kindness of fASSbuten and peek. she does have her claws, but she only uses them in kind ways...like to say "please continue petting me", or "i think your hair is really fun to play with".....needless to say, the skin on my hands and arms are still intact, which is more than i can say about my visit to stacy's place.

* some of you may know my good friend Bu. well, i'm watching her right now too for spring break, so charley and her met last night. Bu totally ignores charley, (actually jeff said that bu just probably can't see charley), and charley freaked out. she hissed only a couple times, but she puffs all up and starts growling and arching her back. seriously, i don't think bu even knows that charley exists. when i get my camera back from my parents house i will try to attach some pictures of both Bu and Charley. it will be a crazy animal house and my parents over springbreak. here is the list of pets present:

Butch
Vada
Al
Emma
Coda
Charley
Bu

i guess it will just sort of be like we're at the orendors :)

i can't think of much else that is going on right now, but hopefully this will update you all. see ya when i see ya


PEACE