Just pictures.

There will be no words today.
No cute little post with some-what catchy phrases.
It has been too long of a day, filled with worry and stress.
Tomorrow will be different but today has worn me down.
So, just pictures.

I didn't make the bed this morning...




I have a beautiful Momma.












There is a little bit of God in this, don't you think?

< Life >

I will be the first to admit I have always been neurotic.. every-picture-straight, shoes-lined-up-in-a neat-row, socks-paired-a-certain-way type of neurotic. I always knew my house would be a model-type setting where everything is in its place and you would swear no one lived there..

And then I got married. And then I acquired two miniature schnauzers. It was not uncommon for me to have a mini break down when I come home from a long 4 or 5 day work stretch to find crap no where near where it was when I left. Chase has plenty of stories to tell there.

But I am slowly rehabilitating, accepting the fact that schnauzers do secretly sneak in sticks to chew up into tiny splinters in the carpet, husbands do leave dirty socks randomly throughout the house, dust does magically appear, and bathrooms are inherently the dirtiest and my least favorite room to clean in the house.

I am slowly realizing my favorite thing about my families' homes is that fact that they are "lived-in". The sight of grubby grass-stained tennis shoes by the front door suggesting afternoon lawn mowing had been accomplished, dirty wines glasses in the sink after a girls night get-together, a blanket wadded up the couch that someone left unfolded after a good long nap. Those are things I love. They are HOME.

Sometimes I make myself not make the bed. Because after a long day, I see those messy sheets and I think damn I slept good last night and now I get to curl up in them again. And I do. I crawl right in where I had lain before and I am happy.

Life is messy and I love it. I know now my home wont be the glamorous one in Better Homes and Gardens, I wont be the wife who always has the laundry done and a plan for dinner, and I won't be the perfect park mom with the diaper bag readily stocked with plenty of diapers, toys, and organic snacks.

My home will be the one with the grass that should of been mowed a couple days ago, I will be the mom that forgoes cleaning up the kitchen for one night in order to rock her baby to sleep, and I AM the wife who doesn't always remember to get all the laundry done in preparation for a new week.

But we will have a beautiful home. I will be a great mother. And I am always trying to be a better wife.

So although I really really feel a strong urge to vacuum the carpet, pick up the empty bottles of water on the coffee table, arrange the pile of shoes by the front door, and go make the bed- I not going to do that right now. It can wait. Right now, my dogs need walked and and it's a beautiful day! Me, my girls, and my Nikon are going to go enjoy LIFE.

HELP: In need of advice.

Kyla, my friend that you met in the previous post, is wanting us to get together and go back to school. And I want to as well! We found a great program through Chamberlain College of Nursing where we can get our BSN in three semesters- about a year and a half. It is all online- NO CLINICALS!! We could potentially have the same classes and schedule as long as we sign up together. The catch.. dun dun dun.. It costs $18,000 to $22,000. This is still cheaper than ASU's $34,000 bill for their bachelor's program.

I am so interested. I feel like, why not? I can scout out scholarships and talk to their financial aid advisor. I know that it won't be worth it to just stop at a bachelor's. I would need to seriously consider continuing on to get my master's if I am going to be footing this big of a bill.

With us having just moved, Chase starting a new job, me looking for a job in Rogers so that I won't have to commute, and having to deal with the house in MH.. maybe this isn't the right time. However, I may never get another chance to do this with a friend. Kyla would motivate me and I wouldn't be alone. If I don't do it now, will I ever?

I don't want to hold back. Sometimes I have trouble believing in myself. I would hate to look back and wish I had experienced everything I was given the opportunity to.

I need guidance. It is my nature to be impulsive so I really need YOUR honest opinion. Should I do it? Or should I wait?

Hit me up!

-A

Friends and Such.

It has been pretty busy lately over on South 28th Place.

We have had several visits from special people to check out our new place! My Mom came by on Tuesday and stayed overnight. We did a little shopping and went out to eat. But like a goober, I completely forgot my Nikon. I know. Shame on me. I was so upset we when got back to the apartment after a full day of activities and realized I did not have any pictures to show for it.

So when Suzie and Siera had a surprise visit from an old friend, I didn't make the same mistake. I had my camera out and ready.

Meet Gracie, the sweetest schnauzer ever!




Kyla is Gracie's momma and my very good friend from nursing school. She moved to Tulsa after graduation and this was our first visit in a while. We realized she is only about two and a half hours from Rogers so we see many visits in our future. While our girls ran around barking, wrestling, and playing tug-of-war with all the toys, we caught up like friends do. And when Chase got off, we headed to Chik-Fil-A for our favorite chicken sandwich.



I loved our visit with Kyla. She reminded me of why having good friends are so very important.

Speaking of friends, our girls want to make bestest friends with the rabbits around our apartment. Either that or they want to attack and kill. I'm not sure which. I walked outside the other morning and saw FIVE of them in the yard. I managed to get a quick pic of one.

I fear for its life lol! I can see Suzie pouncing on the cute little thing.

Well, this concludes another week at home. And what a great week it was! I am driving tomorrow to Mtn Home for a four day work week. I will be leaving two very worn out schnauzers (they get hyped up from all the company and then crash when they leave) and my wonderful husband who by the way had a great first week at work! I will miss The Greens but the time will go by fast. And I get to see my Momma :)






I hope you have a great weekend. Enjoy it for me.

Love, A

Just Beautiful

I saw this and just had to take a picture. So beautiful!

The Simple Things.

Delight. Elation. Satisfaction. Merriment.

That is what we feel when we leave the hospital after three long days or nights of work at the hospital. Because no matter how much we love our job, it is nice to know family is at home waiting for us and we have a few days off to spend with them. We see so much sickness, tragedy, death that we appreciate every minute of healthy good time with our loved ones.
During the two and a half hour drive to Rogers, I had a chance to reflect over the past few days. And it made me grateful for everything I have. My soul settled into it's grateful place and I rolled the windows down, blasted the music, and took in the beautiful surroundings. Happiness is a wonderful place to be.

Here are just a few of the million simple things that make me happy:

Siera's golf ball obsession.

I love that she loves golf balls. Mostly because we are now on a golf course and they are free!

She's got two so far and she keeps them in her sight at all times.


Water fountains.
Pretty.



Green. Makes me think life, growth.. Spring :)




Looking at the baking stuff at Bed, Bath, and Beyond make me very happy. Now if only I could buy it! These are on my wish list!!



Unfortunately, we won't be with family tomorrow for Easter :( But I plan on making something special for dinner. I have been obsessed with seafood lately so it probably won't be a traditional Easter meal. And I have a cool new desert recipe to try out!! I hope everyone else in the family is able to get together and takes lots and lots of pictures of those pretty grandbabies!

I must get started on my recipe search but let me leave you with a little piece of Spring. Happy Easter, everyone!

Be happy.