Sunday.

Well, I'm at work again. I took someone's shift yesterday afternoon. Honestly, I don't mind picking up shifts one bit. I love working here.

Today we've been pretty busy. We had sort of a..."rush" I guess you could say around noon. But it's died down slightly since then. Well, more than slightly. We only have a few patients left here.

I'm extremely tired today. You know those nights when you get eight hours of sleep but when you wake up it only feels like you got about 5 minutes? Yeah, that's me today. Plus, I have a blaring headache to accompany it. Definitely not fun, but endurable.

Let's see what I've been up to lately...

Friday I went to a movie (World War Z) with Cory. We also had Einstein Bagels and Starbucks for lunch. It was an eventful day. Well, more eventful than usual. But, I had so much fun! We sure had a lot of laughs, like we always do, and it made my day awesome. I think we played the Wii that day too. We tried a whole bunch of different games that James and Jordan had in their room. It was a challenge setting everything up, though, because the twins had hidden half the things you need to play the Wii in the first place. We found everything eventually. It took us a pretty long time! Let me tell you, those twins have the best places to hide things. We ended up finding the nun-chucks for the remotes in a red bucket under their computer desk that already had a soccer ball in it to look like it was full.

Saturday I gave Zeke his first bath. He was so shiny it was practically unbelievable. We were going to go on a walk with Cory, but right as I got to Cory's house, he called me saying he was going shooting with his dad and invited me along. We brought Zeke with us.

He did pretty well considering the loud sounds! He only whined a tiny bit, and he stayed in one general area the entire time. When we finished he took a little nap in the car. I was surprised considering he had done terrible in the car previously. He loves to whine a lot when we go places because he gets a little car sick. But, as long as he's by a window he's generally okay. Oh, he also got a ton of dust on his freshly cleaned body. Oh my goodness I almost wanted to cry. But, lucky for me he's an awesome dog and loved the bath! It took me all of five minutes to get him all cleaned up when we got home. Cory helped me the second time around.

We sat at Cory's house before we gave him a bath. We took him to the park and tired him out for a little bit and then sat in Cory's front yard on that nice swinging chair that he has. We even got Zeke to sit up there with us at one point.

Sitting on the Swing

Really fun days! I enjoy them :)

Waking Up.

That night shift was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

I ended up having energy throughout the entire night. Energy well wasted because we only had three patients...well, four I guess...the entire night. All of them came between 1900 to 0000. One got admitted to the Main.

Not a very eventful night, but it was enjoyable talking to some of the nurses.

I came home and sort of crashed. I took Zeke out for a potty run and gave him some food, then came into my room and watched Lost until I fell asleep. And let me just say now, that was probably the deepest sleep I've ever been in.

Aunt Lorna, Chitomi and some of the Wilkinson kids came over and I didn't even hear them until I woke up on my own. It was insane. I don't think I've ever been able to sleep that well. I only slept 5 hours, but I feel very rested!

I'm super happy that I was given the opportunity to work for such an awesome facility!

I'm loving my life! Everything seems perfect. :)

Night Shifts.

Well, I'm four hours in to my  twelve hour night shift. It really isn't bad so far! I just hope I'll feel like this toward the end of the shift. I slept all night and day before coming (by total accident, I actually meant to stay up all night and sleep all day...but you know, my body needed some sleep). Mary and mom just brought me a coke and a weird noodle soup thing. It's like ramen with vegetables, so says Mary. I've had them before but I'm really just not into them. They don't taste as good as ramen.

I'm listening to my entire music library on my laptop, and of course blogging, because I've been trying to do that as much as I possibly can.

Oh! I forgot to mention (though I probably have in recent posts) that today is my official first day/night on my own! No more orientation for me, even though it was really fun and entertaining at times.

We really aren't to busy...actually, we're pretty much empty. I wish it'd be a little busier though, because I like being able to do something.

It just makes the time go by that much faster.

I didn't get to play much with Zekers today. I woke up a few times to take him out to the bathroom and feed him, but other than that we really didn't get any play time.

He's doing a TON better about not having accidents in the house/on the balcony. In fact, (hopefully I don't jinx myself for saying this) he hasn't had an accident in almost three days. I just hope it stays that way for a very long while.

He sits on command very well. Sometimes he needs some reminding, but he knows with a surety that he needs to sit and calm down before going in the house, and if he wants to come inside he needs to sit at the glass door and not scratch.

At the BBQ yesterday, he was actually laying down on command fairly well, though he was super excited and riled up because his new BFF Cooper was there.

I'm so happy that they got along so well.

Z, the educator at work showed me some of the leather cases for shears that he made. I'm going to buy one when I get paid on Friday. I'm seriously considering buying two. One of them had the fertility symbol on it, which might be funny to wear around, but man did that thing look awesome! The one I'm for sure getting is a dark orange/faded red color with a sun (looks South American) etched into it. Super excited to wear that, plus my old shear holder would catch on to cords all the time while I was in patient's rooms so this will be an awesome change.

The twins and Dad went on a week long scout camp to Bear Lake. They left this morning at about eight. I hope they have lots of fun up there and stay safe! Who knows what crazy stories they'll come back with at the end of the week.

Cory's family invited me to go to Yuba Lake with them on July 26th for a couple nights.

I am definitely going to this one. I need a vacation from everything, and what better vacation can you have than one with your boyfriend? None, I'd say.

Cory really wants his parents to rent out some jet skis, but I'm not sure how excited (or nervous) I am to ride them. I can't make up my mind. I see so much potential damage that could happen, but at the same time it seems extremely thrilling. I just hope Cory doesn't kill me on that thing. Or no one else gets severely injured on it.

I forgot to upload some of the photos I took from our little get together for Jayson's birthday. I also have some pictures of me being a tad bit bored at work, along with other things.
Family Fun and Work

I get paid on Friday, and I'll actually have enough money this paycheck to begin saving. Of course, I'm already paying my parents rent that goes towards my future down payment on a house or a condo, but I feel that I should save money on my own as well and get into that good habit. I've never really been good at it because I really don't have much patience for things like that, but I'm determined to achieve this small goal of mine. I want to save $150 a month until I move out, and then I'll push it down to about $100 a month.

I need that kind of security for myself in case something fails somewhere.

I got new lenses for my glasses today. They're anti-glare, which is awesome. I've always had anti-glare, but these new glasses didn't have them on the lenses for some reason, so Mary and Alex went to figure it out one day and ordered new lenses for both Mary and I. Thank goodness, because I have no idea how I would handle a migraine from that kind of light.

That reminds me! I haven't had a migraine for nearly a month, which is a new record! It's awesome. I don't remember the last time I went months without a migraine. I though I felt one coming on the other day, but it was only a false alarm. Everything went back to normal in a matter of minutes.

Well, that's really all that's happened today. Mostly sleep and now work.

We'll see if I have enough energy to blog in the morning!

Family BBQs and More.

So, I went to two different BBQs today. One was planned.

Cory's family is awesome. I can't believe how they managed to cook so much food and have so much fun! There were two cute babies there--Ian and Seth--and 6 dogs (2 puppies).

Zeke and Cooper were the two puppies. Cooper is an absolutely adorable german shepherd! The two had a lot of fun playing around. It was hilarious to watch. In fact, Dan (Cory's brother-in-law to be) posted a video of them on facebook. Probably the most entertaining thing I've watched for a very long while.

Ralph set up a tightrope looking thing for us to walk on. It was pretty hard, but super fun watching everyone try and trying it myself. I could only walk a step and half without the shovel helping me keep my balance. It was intense.

After everyone started to leave from that BBQ, Alex texted me asking when I would be over at Tiersa's house for their BBQ. It was a bit hectic for Cory and I, especially since we had already gone to one that day, but I got an amazing roll over at the Wilkinson's Family BBQ, and got to see some people I hadn't in a while. A few people met Cory for the first time. I think some were shocked to hear that we'd been dating for 2 years already.

We didn't stay there very long, only about 10 minutes. But it was nice being there for the short time we were.

After, we came home and realized that we had been locked out, so we had to drive all the way back to the 2nd BBQ and grab a key from Alex. Then we came back, fed Zeke and watched some Lost on my laptop.

Overall, I'd say we had a pretty good day!

Gravity.

I have this beautiful song stuck in my head.
I feel like it's always going to be relatable to anyone who listens it. We all face that adversity while we try to reach for what makes us happy--for our "light."
I can't think of a better song to describe our struggles.

Father's Day is tomorrow! I already bought my dad his present and gave it to him. It was a SuperFlash tail light for his bike with an accompanying headlight. He loved them and it made me really happy that I was able to get him something that he would use!
He seriously took about five minutes to run downstairs and hook everything up to his bike. It was great.

Today there was a lot of things planned and I honestly didn't know about half of them. The only one that I did know of was little Jayson's Birthday Party!! Happy birthday to him! :)
All the others go as follows:
Father's Day BBQ for my ward--we ended up leaving the house at noon (an hour late) because I either didn't know about it or had completely forgotten. They had some pretty delicious hot dogs there though. I could only eat about half of one because I've had hot dogs for the past three days, but still. They were good.
Tennis--I guess Cory and I had a miscommunication about when we were supposed to go play tennis today. I thought we were going earlier and he thought we were going later (after Jayson's party). So, as I write these words now, we're not sure which time we'll go at...if we even go at this point. Oh well, these kind of things happen!
Shooting--ahh, shooting. I guess Cory wanted to go today before Jayson's party because he hasn't been in a while. I haven't been in an even longer while. I don't think we'll have time to go though because the party is in 3 hours down at the Alpine Splash Pad. I really do wish we could have gone, but next time it will have to be planned out a little better.

I believe that's it for the unexpected plans today. Mary and Taryn went to the Herriman Days Carnival about a half hour ago. I think they were a little bored at the BBQ.
Zeke is doing well! He's getting a lot bigger than when I first saw him a couple weeks ago. The little pup is almost at 30 lbs! He actually might be; I haven't taken his weight for about a week (he was 27 lbs at that time).
He's as busy as ever...I don't think I can find him just calmly sitting. He's always chasing his tail, or running to get a toy, or chewing on something (sometimes chewing on things that he shouldn't be).
It's been a really good start to the summer!

One of Many Last Days.

Today is my last day of department orientation at the hospital!

I've learned a lot while I've been here, and I'm so happy to have a job that I love. It's amazing to know what it took to get here and how lucky I've been in receiving a position such as this.

I'm happy.

We've been really slow today. There's not much going on.

I hope that I jinx myself and tons of patients all come in at once, because although laid back days such as these are great every once in a while, it's a lot more exciting when interesting things walk through the Emergency Room doors. I believe we've only seen four patients total today (starting from 07:00 until 15:30)...you'd think we'd be getting more because we're an awesome emergency department...but no, sadly, we aren't today. Some days, though, we get a ton of patients! Those days are really fun.

My first night shift is on this upcoming monday. I'm interested to work nights because I feel like more outrageous things will come through those doors.

I think I was supposed to work with my dad that day, but he may have gotten it off for scout camp or something.

Too bad...it would've been cool to work with him for once.

I bet I'll have plenty of other opportunities to work with him though.

I'm hoping that some time or another I'll be able to work at least part time, and then eventually full time. I absolutely love this place!

Bike Ride.

 I rode 3.5 miles on a road bike today. My dad came with me on his new bike, too. Well, actually it was more like he invited me to go with him. I enjoyed it though. It was pretty fun; I actually felt like I got a workout from it this time.

I finished the journal of "Our Story."
I surprised Cory with it today.
He really liked it, and that made me really happy. He was completely unaware that I had been saving everything from the past two years. I wasn't quite sure what it was for while I was saving all the little random things, but I'm sure glad that I had them in order to do this.
The journal turned out amazing! We even have a good portion of it left in order to write more in it.
I think this could become a cute thing that Cory and I could do together, he really did seem excited to get it.

Mary, my sister, hurt her foot the other night playing night games. She's such a trooper. I think she might have torn something in her foot, but I'm not sure. I do hope that she goes in to see a doctor tomorrow, though. She shouldn't be walking around on her foot, especially while it looks the way it does.
Hopefully everything is alright and it's not anything serious. I'm almost 100% sure that she'll have some sort of splint on it though--her foot is swollen and is beginning to bruise.

This Friday is my last orientation shift at work, then I have the rest of the weekend off and I begin to work on my own the following week. I'm very excited to start working nights! I feel like I'll be more rested. Although, I do have to still work day shifts.
We'll see how well I can adjust to working both days and nights. I'm sure I'll be able to switch around fine. I have in the past.

I like where my life is going.
I feel like I have everything I've ever wanted and needed.
I have a family, a loving boyfriend, and I'm able to get the education I've always wanted for myself.
All in all, I feel so blessed and happy to be alive!

Zeke-y Boy. and Other Things.

Little Zeke got his puppy shots yesterday! We had to start the set all over because the vet said 6 weeks is too early to receive the first shot. They don't really work at that age.

He's definitely a little stinker. I am having the hardest time trying to potty train him, but he is getting there. Last night was the first night without any accidents in the house. He did pretty well, but I'm curious to see if he keeps up with it.
He's going to be a very smart dog, I can tell. He's very curious though! Always looking in places that are new.
Yesterday he found a bag of cotton balls and completely ripped the bag open.
The cotton balls scattered everywhere. Zeke really enjoyed that.

Zeke: 3rd Week Home

I'm really loving the fact that I have enough time to blog now. It's calming and allows me to ponder and reflect on things that I may not have otherwise. I think writing is something that I will always keep with me. I feel that it's one of the best possible ways to explain how I feel.

My mom is convinced that I should go to BYU for college instead of the community college I'm going to now. Or instead of Westminster when I want to go to Nursing School. The thing is that I really don't want to go to BYU. I'm not the kind of person who likes going to religious schools, although I adore my religion. I feel as though if I went there I would drive myself crazy from how many rules and restrictions there are. Not that I'm bashing on anyone that currently goes there, it's just not the school for me. Just like how Westminster or the University of Utah aren't schools for other individuals.
I do understand that those two schools I would like to go to are relatively expensive, but I feel like they offer the best possible education one can receive here in Utah.
I've also thought about going out of state for school, to somewhere like Seattle. I would love to study there. Ever since I visited that one time a few years ago, I've always wanted to go back. It's just so artsy and different from things here in Utah.
I just want a new experience.
I'm saving up for a downpayment on a condo right now, so we'll see where I end up moving to.
I hope to be officially moved out at least by the end of this year, and I want to be in the position where I won't have to worry about coming back to my parent's home. I think, truthfully, that's the best way to go.
Cory is still working at the ammunition factory. At first, when he started, it really worried me, because they weren't using protective gear and didn't provide any. I was concerned about his lungs and the gun powder. It isn't good for him, let alone anyone. But now they provide masks and gloves, and I hope soon enough they'll provide some kind of safety orientation.
My job at the hospital is fantastic! I love it every day that I work. Ali, another of the EMT's who is nearly done with nursing school, is my preceptor and she's done fantastic with helping me understand everything that goes on there. I might become an Emergency Medicine doctor eventually, it seems so intriguing. Although, I would love to work as an RN in the Emergency Department as well. I feel like I would enjoy myself more than a lot having that sort of job where you never really know what will walk through the door.
I'm excited about where my life is going. I'm finally figuring things out a little more, and I know more fully what I want out of myself. I feel like my attitude on life has completely flipped around from where I was just a few years ago.
I'd really like to keep up with this care-free and happy attitude I have. It's making things so much easier in many aspects of my life and several challenges I must face.

I'm thinking about trying to write more short stories. My head is filled with random little stories I make up during the day. I feel like if I write them down, it would be of some use to me in the future. Maybe, they could be stories I could read to my children when they begin to grow up.
That's a cute thought.

I watched a movie called "Like Crazy" today. The girl in it kept a record of her relationship with her boyfriend with all these pictures and writings. It was really cute and it made me want to do something similar. I may start one of my own today and try to collect the pictures I can.
I'm going to wish myself the best of luck in that endeavor.

I'm in a Cutesy Music Mood.

I seriously cannot stop listening to songs by Michael Buble, Jason Mraz, Maroon 5 and John Mayer. It just fits my mood and is making me extremely happy today.

Maybe I should list the songs I'm loving so much so I can listen to them at a future time in my life. Or maybe even tomorrow.

1. I'm Yours -Jason Mraz

2. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You (With Naturally 7) -Michael Buble

3. A Beautiful Mess -Jason Mraz

4. Won't Go Home Without You -Maroon 5

5. Gravity -John Mayer

6. Dream a Little Dream of Me -Michael Buble

7. To Be Loved -Michael Buble

8. Nothing Lasts Forever -Maroon 5

9. Hold On To What You Believe -Mumford & Sons (because they're awesome)

10. Save Me -Muse (also, because they're awesome)

That's just a small portion of what I've been listening to while I've been sitting at work.

Let's see what's been going on lately.

I got a new puppy! His name is Zeke. I'm considering putting the name Ezekiel on his registration papers, but I don't know how far in depth I actually want to go with the names and nicknames for a little puppy. I feel like Zeke would be just fine as his actual name.

Anyway, Zeke is a nearly 11 week old purebred black labrador. He is absolutely adorable! I cannot believe, though, how fast he is growing. When we first got him, he was 20 lbs. That was at 9 weeks. He now weighs 24 and you can even tell that he's getting a little taller and bigger. He's such an adorable puppy. I absolutely adore him and can't wait to teach him more tricks. So far, he only really knows how to sit on command. Retrieving is a little difficult for him right now, but he's getting the point little by little. He also likes to play a game called "Touch." We put treats in the palm of our hand and trap them in a fist and he has to touch his nose to whatever hand he thinks the treats are in. It's enjoyable for both Cory and I, we had some good laughs the other night when we played around with him. He has also started to chase his tail, which is hilarious. I got a tiny video clip of it, but he's a very curious dog and likes to watch me do everything.

I already know that he'll be a large dog when he's full grown. His paws are so huge! 

Zeke: The Drive Home and First Week

Ponder the Moments. Live in Them.

I am absolutely in love with this picture, and not just the picture, but the man in it.

Isn't it strange how much life can change in just a couple of years? I can't believe where I'm at in life now compared to when I had just graduated high school in 2011. I had honestly no idea what I wanted out of my life back then. All I had were a few best friends, brothers, sisters and parents, and my smart head. My stubborn head.

I've been trying out new things on my own, trying to find what works best for me a lot more than most people, I like to think. It's not so much that I want to be rebellious. It's more that I just want to know for myself. I want to figure out on my own what's right and what's wrong. I guess some people think that's really crazy that I don't want to follow other people and what they've done. I believe that every person finds their own quirky, special way of doing things. I think once you find that way of life, you truly are happy. So far I've pieced together little bits and pieces of what I want out of myself and my experience while I'm living.

I know I love the gospel. I really truly believe and know in my heart that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only correct and true church out there to be found. It's teachings are wonderful and bring the greatest sense of peace to one's life and those around them. I know that an education is an extremely crucial thing to have, especially in times like these where society seems to be crumbling. It's so good to love. To love with all your heart and remember to never have any regrets at all. I know that it's good to question things. It's good to ask why something happens, where you want to go next and what you're doing now. I also know that it's good to just let loose for a while, to relax and just let whatever comes...well, just come.

It's a hard life, this one, but it is most definitely worth it. More than worth it.

Like I said before, life is so much more different now. Friends have come and gone, while family has stayed the same. I have a love that I can't quite explain. I have a love I want to keep forever.

I wish that I were able to explain what he is to me in a way that others could understand. The very least thing I can do is explain what I think, what I feel and if someone understands it, then I guess they do, and if they don't...well I don't really have anything to prove to them anyway. I know exactly what's in my heart. I know exactly what I love and will always love.

Cory James Powell is my best friend. But while he is that person I can always go to for anything at all, he is so much more. He's what keeps me going when I have nothing else to hold on to. He helps me realize things about myself that I've never wanted to know, never wanted to admit. He makes me feel like I can do anything and be anything I want to be. He's the safe place I want to always crawl back to when I feel like I'm missing something. He closes that gap I used to feel.

I don't know how else to explain it other than that. I love him with all my heart and he really is my everything.

There are times where I feel so terrible because I said something wrong, or I hurt his feelings, but he always forgives me. Always. I can't believe that he does sometimes, but he does without hesitation. He makes me want to be better every day.

Shall I move to a different subject?

We went hiking; that's where I got the lovely picture from. Of course I edited it, because that's become my new hobby. I love Photoshop! It's kind of becoming my new best friend. I spend so much time with it and I love watching videos on their site of how to do things. I've been aiming for a darker view of things, with a contrasting light. I like what I've been able to do to a lot of my photos. I may or may not even scrapbook some of them.

Our hike: Mount Olympus

(click on the link to see more pictures from our hike!)