Old Soul

Grace is an old soul and if you know her, you'll agree and would have already known this. She is so hilarious. She loves Little House on the Prairie. And lately she is infatuated with HGTV. I asked her today what her favorite thing is to watch on TV and she said, unsurprisingly, HGTV. Her latest passion is to be an architect and she is constantly drawing homes, and trying to sell them to me, and she is even using HGTV terms when describing the homes to me. For instance, instead of desk, she said it was a work space. Ha! I think she even said something about a trundle bed in one house. I think she spends half the day drawing houses, its so funny. But hey, I love that she has a passion and I love that she loves HGTV. We'll have to see how this plays out in her life later on.

Happy Father's Day :)

Happy Birthday

to my little nephew Isaac, who turns 3 today! I love you and miss you. Hope you're having a great 3rd birthday!

My Husband.....

is awesome. Just wanted to say that.

But honestly, I realize in talking with some of the other nursing students how "abnormal" for a husband/spouse to do so much. Really? I thought all people would be just as considerate and caring, but apparently not.

Well Ray, thanks for being abnormal. I love you and appreciate all you do.

There's nothing better in the world

than to have your husband not only have all the dishes done, dinner made and just about ready when you walk in the front door, have all homework done, but also have both kids bathed and in their pajamas after a long 12 hour day at the hospital.

than to have your daughter hug and kiss you and smile at you because she's happy you're home after a long 12 hour day at the hospital.

than to have your son wrap his arms around your neck as you lay beside him in bed after a long 12 hour day at the hospital and tell you you're his favorite mommy in the world.

Of course this is all after you've washed the MRSA (sounds like mer-sah) off your body :)

My Birthday

I spent my birthday on Tuesday in the hospital for clinical. Despite the fact that I had to be there for nearly 12 hrs AND I was coming down with a stinky cold on top of it, I had a wonderful day.

First, my study buddy (as we call each other), Linda, surprised me with a box of donuts, a birthday balloon, a card and flowers at the hospital. Then she even ordered pizza for lunch as a birthday treat.

That evening I came home, surprised by the fact that Ray cooked me a fantastic dinner, totally not giving him enough credit that he can cook a real dinner. I must say, he did better than I would have! He made steak, broccoli and cheese, and homemade garlic mashed potatoes. Man, those were restaurant style mashed potatoes! He did a great job and I feel bad I underestimated his ability. He had asked me what I wanted to eat for dinner that night and honestly I was wondering why we didn't just go out since I couldn't think of something for him to make me.

But I was WAY wrong. My hubby has hidden cooking talents. Now he may regret being so good at cooking :)

Anyway, I can't believe I am 34. It just sounds so out of proportion to how young I feel. I am glad everyone is surprised when they learn my age and tell me I look like I am still in my 20's (I hope this continues forever!) But I see 34 and think that's older but its not. Its me now. I don't feel it, so I guess that means more than what my birth certificate says.

It amazes me how fast life goes by. I think back at where I was half a life ago. I was 17. It seems so surreal. I was excited about graduating high school in the next year. Here I am about to FINALLY graduate college; it only took me 17 years. Ha. That was also the time, the only time, I've ever lost someone I really loved- my grandfather. After this year, I will have lived more years without him than I did with him. Before, it was always the opposite. But I still remember him and I still miss him dearly. It seems so long ago but at the same time, time has moved so quickly. I think I'm rambling now.

I think getting older only bothers me for a few reasons.

1. I am going to start my nursing career at 34 when I could have had 10 years experience already.
2. While I don't "feel" 34, getting older snaps me into reality that our lives have a mortality factor that we can't ignore. I might not feel 90, but that doesn't mean my body systems are going to work according to how old I feel.
3. The older I get, the older the kids get. I miss the days when they were 2, still in awe by the things around them. Still so wide-eyed and wondered. They still learn about their surroundings, but its just different when they're 2 or 3.

This makes me think of one my favorite songs to listen to on the radio, by a group called Revive. The name of the song is called Blink.

Teach me to number my days

And count every moment before it slips away

Taking all the colors before they fade to gray

I don't want to miss even just a second more of this

It happens in a blink

It happens in a flash

It happens in the time it takes to look back

I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time

What is it I've done with my life

It happens in a blink (x2)

When it's all said and done

No one remembers how far we have run

The only thing that matters is how we have loved

I don't want to miss even just a second more of this

It happens in a blink

It happens in a flash

It happens in the time it takes to look back

I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time

What is it I've done with my life

It happens in a blink (x4)

Slow down, slow down

Before today becomes our yesterday

Slow down, slow down

Before you turn around and it's too late

It happens in a blink

it happens in a flash

it happens in the time it takes to look back

I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time

What is it I've done with my life

It happens in a blink

It happens in a blink

it happens in a flash

it happens in the time it takes to look back

I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time

What is it I've done with my life

It happens in a blink (x4)

I love that.....

my 5 year old was doing my 8 year old's math homework- not doing it for her, just that he was able to do it.

Melt My Heart!

Me: "Pookie-bookie, you love Mommy?"

Nate: "Yes, more than anything in the whole wide world."

What a sweet little guy!

Because of Isaac

Ray's brother, John and his wife, Wendi have started an organization to help couples with the cost of adoption through Bethany Christian Services. The organization is called Because of Isaac, named after my nephew, Isaac, and John and Wendi's journey through infertility and adoption. They just launched the website today! Please help spread the word!!! Post a link to: Because of Isaac on your blog. Post it on Facebook. And send an email to those in your contact list. Most of all, pray for this organization and the first featured couple: Grant and Elizabeth!

Thanks!

Florida Fall Foliage?

During our trip to Orlando last week, I was amazed at how much the leaves have changed up there. Now granted, it's obviously NOTHING like up north, but for Orlando, and for December this was pretty impressive. Even a few of the trees in South Florida have changed as well:Pretty oranges and reds. We don't have a lot of the types of trees that change colors here in South Florida, but we do have a few.

The reason for these changing leaves? Several very strong cold fronts during the month of December. After tonight and tomorrow night, we will have had 6 nights in the 30's. Usually, we get one or two nights in the 30's all winter, and that's not until late January or February sometime. I love it! It's so beautiful.

And speaking of weather, we had the greatest weather that we've ever had at Disney. One day it was gray and drizzly and chilly, and it was just me and Grace, but it was SOOOOOO much better than sweating. Soooo much better. I was freezing most of time, and tons of people had gloves, scarves, hats, you name it. All I had was a scarf and a sweater......but it beats the heat in my book anytime. We were truly fortunate because the other times we've been at Disney we have had temps in the 70's-80's. We had a really great time.

On a side note, one night, we were driving home from Ray's brother, Rob's house and it was foggy out. Well, as we kept driving, the fog got thicker and thicker. It was crazy! I haven't ever driven through fog like that before because back home, if its foggy, it's only foggy for like a block and then it's clear. But this just kept going and going and going.

Tonight and tomorrow night we will have lows in the mid to lower 30's (yay). Right now, the cold front is blowing through, and it is SUPER windy with winds around 25 mph and gusting higher! I love the sound of the wind!

Here are some pics of the leaves, which do not do them justice. I don't have a very good camera, and I didn't get to capture all the leaves that we actually saw, but I tried.

Impetigo Again!!!

I swear, Nate must be a walking billboard for Impetigo. He has an Impetigo infection in his nose not even a month and a half after his knee Impetigo issue. Normally, this would be a non-issue really because I would take him to his pediatrician and then she would order an prescription and then I would pick it up and that would be it.

But I am currently in Orlando. Ok, so not really that big of a deal. I find a walk in clinic and go there. The insurance company says they take his insurance. They say they don't. I call the insurance company back and they say they do, but maybe some locations might not. So I go to the other location and they take his insurance. Great. A few minutes later, the guy tells me that Nate's insurance says he is no longer covered. Sigh. We just had to fill out the annual paperwork for the kids, which I am always on top of. However, the insurance people said I "didn't" sign the application (which I did). When I called them about something else a couple of weeks ago, the girl I was speaking to mentioned this but then said she didn't understand why because I had signed the application electronically since I did an electronic renewal. Ok. wonderful.

Not so much.

The guy I'm on the phone with today proceeds to tell me that I didn't sign my application until November 30th and that's why my children have to go without insurance until January 1st. So I quickly explain how one of the women I spoke to there at the insurance company said she didn't know why I had to sign anything when it was already done electronically . The man then asks me if I did it online and then I say yes and he puts me on hold. He then comes back and confirms that I did in fact sign it electronically.

Well great.

So then he asks which kid is sick today. After I tell him, he tells me that he has to submit this immediately to his supervisor and then once they approve it, it needs to go to the corporate office, then they have to approve it for the insurance be reinstated and to be "backdated" for the month of December. This could take "up to 72 hrs."

Great. Nate is sick TODAY with an infection that could spread and lead to other things. And I am supposed to wait 3 days.

Wonderful.

Needless to say, I am not waiting 3 days. I proceeded to find another walk in clinic since the one I was at when all the insurance issues arose wanted to charge $90 for the visit. I knew from experience of going to several of these clinics myself over the past few years that there would be some place somewhere that was a little cheaper.

And so my drama continues.

I go to one clinic, and the nurse practitioner takes a look at Nate's nose and agrees with me that its Impetigo. She then asks me a question about insurance and I explain to her the situation and that I would be paying today but I wanted to submit a claim later once the insurance issue was straightened out and she asks me which insurance. So once I tell her, she knows right away it is a plan that is offered through Florida Medicaid. She tells me that there is a federal law stating they cannot take medicaid patients for whatever reason. Apparently it has something to do with the fact that its because medicaid is under certain income guidelines and if you can afford to be seen there, you shouldn't be on medicaid, or something like this.

I mean, I get it, a little bit, but its pretty ridiculous.

Especially if the stupid Medicaid system didn't screw up my paperwork in the first place I would have had insurance to be seen with at the other clinic, which by the way, I don't know why the other clinic was allowed to see Nate for $20 more than this clinic was.

Whatever.

So, Nate and I left empty handed. I decided I would take him to another clinic and NOT mention the Medicaid thing at all. And he was once again confirmed to have Impetigo and we were given a prescription for it. The most unfortunate thing about that is I don't have insurance coverage on Nate right now which means he doesn't not have prescription coverage either. The med is $36 for a small tube of medicine that I have AT HOME because Nate just had Impetigo a month ago, but I am not home and will not be home for another 4 days, and Nate cannot wait 4 days. So thanks to the government screwing up my paperwork, I had to pay $100 today for services/products that should have been free and it stings even more that I have this medicine at home.

Sigh.

But poor Nate, my little Impetigo-prone child.

Brrrr

It was cold here last night. 32 degrees-ish. I know that when I finally got into my car it was 34, but the sun had been out a little. Now I love the cold so I am in weather heaven right now. I have to say, that even in late January and February when we get that one cold day that might dip into the 30's, I cannot remember the last time they actually said it might get down to 32. 36 is the highest I can remember. Between last week and this week, we've had 4 days in the 30's. We've already had the heat on for a few mins in the house just to take the chill out, and that usually doesn't happen until late January or February, if at all.

Wow.

It's not even January yet. I love it!

And they said it was going to a warmer winter than last year........

Happy Birthday, Nate

Today, my baby turns 5.

It's bittersweet, for sure. He's my baby. But he's 5, so he's not a baby. Sigh. They grow up too fast, way too fast.

Happy Birthday, Buddy. You are such a funny little guy. You bring a smile to my face everyday. I can't imagine my life without you. I love you, from here to the moon and back 1,000,000 times.

Amazing

how I wore capri pants yesterday and tonight it will be nearly FREEZING. Yes, temps will be in the 30's for 2 nights in a row. It's going to be nearly 40 degrees colder than it was during the warmest part of yesterday. We've had great weather all week thanks to a mini-cold front that passed through. Then just as it started to warm up, we got a stronger, colder blast that is giving us nearly a week's worth of nice weather and a couple of really colder-than-normal days for this time of year. Usually we don't hit temps into the 30's until late Jan-Feb, but I love it!

The weather always brightens up my mood. I really just LOVE this time of year!!!

Have I told you that I love this weather??

Kids Say the Darndest Things

The other day I was trying to explain to Nate that back when Ray and I were kids, we didn't have video games, or computers with internet to play internet games. I was trying to make the point that we had to find other things to do because we didn't have these technological things that the kids have today. Well, Nate seemed pretty surprised.

"You mean, back in the old days?" Nate asked me.

Sigh. Kids.