Really fashion, really?

Today I saw a girl wearing stirrup leggings with little bootie heals and a big, loose sweater. This was at Cache...not the drag. What is going on? Stirrup leggings? Again? How did we not learn something from doing that the first time?

The little nut

Rob and I have a new little niece-Hazel!



For more pictures you can visit their blog :)

Yay, babies!

RN...here we come!

So, level one nursing students are kind of worthless. We don't know what we're doing. We thought we knew how to use "critical thinking" and "handle ourselves with poise" but really, when we walk in the room to do an assessment we're pretty much stabbing our way through the proverbial dark (in this case, our knife is a stethoscope and the dark is some patient who has been victimized and subject to student-nursing-care). It's kind of like this:

Walk into the room
Me: Hi Mrs. So-and-So, my name is Kasey, I'm an ACC Student nurse and I'm going to be helping out your nurse today. How are you feeling? Whew, okay, first step, introduce yourself, check. Okay...why is she just staring...can i stop smiling? Should I move closer? Does she hate me?

Mrs. So-and-So: I'm Ulna and I like beans.

Me: Okay, um. Well, she's sitting up, so that's good, and well she knows her name...or rather a name...it says here her name is Betty...but Ulna is close so I guess that's okay. And lets see, she likes beans, so...Okay. (Writes down, Alert and Oriented X3) Perfect, okay whats next.

***Assessment continues like this for the next 20 minutes, listening to what you think is her heart (wait, that is on the left right?) and what might be breath sounds...or maybe those were bowel sounds...it's unclear***

By the time you leave the room the nurse asks you what you've found and all you can really come up with is that she worked at the Post Office in Dripping Springs, TX since 1927 and "the mail system has really changed."

Your nursing diagnosis: Patient at risk for death related to being really old.
Nursing Intervention: Monitor patient for breathing and staying a good, safe distance from the light she often refers to.

Well, maybe this isn't so bad, I feel like a real nurse already!

bam

They dropped the balance.

Yess.

A Little Rant

Okay, so maybe a BIG rant.

I got a phone call today from the collection's agency (a.k.a. the worst job ever next to parking-ticket-guy) saying that my bill from our storage unit had been sent in. Isn't that just a little gem of news! I have had several (3) late payment notices from the storage unit sent to my apt and every time the phone call ends with an apology "for the misunderstanding"...for their mistake. Anyway, so I could barely get through the call from the collection agency before spinning my car around and heading to Public Storage myself. I planned on using my angry voice and piercing angry eyes to get my point across. I also planned on mentioning that one of the times I called to sort things out was on my HONEYMOON (I would raise my voice when I said that) and I was informed of the notices I was getting at home.

So I show up, barge in, and of course, lose all my angry confidence and start out very slow and calm. The gentleman helping me was in his fifties and some little dude next to him with his ear plugs in was probably in his early twenties (and also probably listening to Nickelback or something sensitive posing as angry. I don't know...). Anyway I start explaining what has happened and immediately I knew what this conversation would be like. He looked at me and thought, well, she's about my daughter's age, she probably has no idea what's going on...probably doesn't even know how money works! Well that's only partially true, I absolutely knew what was going on, but the money thing was pretty much on target...however, that is not the point! After I got through explaining everything he looked at me and just sighed and said, "and what's the problem again?" Seriously? So he looks it up in the computer and prints out my records and says, "maybe it'll help if you can look at this."

At this point I'm thinking, don't I somewhat resemble an adult? Even a little? Or are we working under the assumption that I'm going to go home and brush my Barbie's hair after this? Or maybe go grab the Leapfrog out of the car and learn my Spanish ABC's! If that's how this is, why aren't I talking to you in sentences that exclusively end in question marks, because it's probable that you're just going to go home and watch Jeopardy...or Wheel of Fortune...or whatever you watch! The point is I'm getting really frustrated and when I try to explain what he is not understanding, again, he stops and says, "well why don't you take a breath..." in the most condescending...stupid...annoying way...ever! Finally, the little dude steps in and explains to him what's going on and actually mans up to being the guy that helped me and made a few mistakes causing this "mishap" or whatever you want to call it. Being the rude, incouragable man he was, he then proceeded to look for something else that might be wrong so that he didn't look as incompetent as he did. When he couldn't find anything, he gave me some exacerbated response about what he was going to do and when he could get back to me on it.

After writing it down it doesn't sound as bad as it was. But, it was TOTALLY lame, I can assure you.

Really the point is (on top of the many other poignant points I've made) something that Rob has mentioned when I have had confrontations with a few people...the less important your job...the more power you want/try to enforce. It's true. And it's annoying. Sorry Public Storage, you have now been officially boycotted.

Ode to the babies

Typically I get a picture every other day from my brothers and sisters of my nieces; and every other day I think, oh my gosh it doesn't get any cuter than this...and then it does.

Matching mommy

The cowgirl hat I bought on my last trip home proudly displayed on her bald little head

"Contemplation"

Long night after the wedding, winding down with some Martinelli's

Cousin Love

A cardigan that is cute enough that I would wear it if they made it 20X larger

Partying at Trader Joe's

Grocery Shopping with dad (strapped securely in cart)

Hitchhiking?

And if Panda's weren't cute enough on their own...

Houston

This weekend Rob and I were in Houston for Candace and Josiah's wedding. We went down on Thursday to be at the rehearsal dinner, then Friday morning was the sealing and Friday evening, the reception and ring ceremony.

The rehearsal dinner was in a beautiful neighborhood right on the lake, so naturally, after 5 minutes or so of introducing and mingling, Rob took off in a canoe.







Then the brides father took off in a canoe after Rob, but we tried to ignore all that.



The sealing the next morning was beautiful. The bride was still happy as ever even when the rain came shortly after exiting the temple. (By the time I got the camera everyone decided to pretty much give up on pictures which is why I am lacking a happy-couple-exiting-the-temple photo.

But I do have a cute picture of them at the reception that evening, and also a close-up of Rob standing dutifully next to the other groomsmen (of course Rob was begging all evening, "Kasey, don't forget to take some pictures of me up there...I really want to capture these moments..." So I did what I could).





Oh and in between the sealing and reception we went and got delicious Fish Taco's from a place called Berryhill...which seems weird to me because there was no pie...and then we went and saw Julie & Juilia. I'm sorry to say it was terrible. Rob abandoned me at the end because I don't think he could listen to Julia's voice any longer, and I was left alone with the middle aged women laughing and crying...not actually knowing which was the appropriate option.

Either way, we had a really good time and I have to say, after that movie all I really want is to try and poach an egg.

So awesome

Today I learned about evisceration.


Ha! I can't help myself.

Don't Mess With The US!

Well, here it is. My mom and dad marching in DC at a tea party this past weekend. What can I say? I'm beaming with pride.

And yes, the sticker on my mom's shirt says, "Abortion is NOT healthcare!" And My dad's shirt says, "Don't Mess With The US!"

Way to represent Mom and Pop!

La la la

Soo I went to the temple today with Rob and I's friends, Candace and Josiah. They are getting married next weekend and so it was a first for both of them. As I was driving down I thought about my experience just a month ago and was SO happy that one of my friend's would be able to feel the same spirit and excitement that comes along with all the fun festivities of getting married (other than the periods of panic and anxiety that your cake won't feed everyone).

Anyway, I drove to the temple by myself the morning of my wedding and my mom's car had a limited selection of music. It was either Mormon Tabernacle choir, Celtic Hymns, orr Mormon Tabernacle choir. So I chose the Mormon Tabernacle choir. The first song was Climb Every Mountain and I always think about it now when I think about the wedding and the temple. I love it. Love.

Rise and Shout People. Rise and Shout.

So I didn't grow up in a family of "deals", of "bargains." If I wanted to purchase something my immediate response was not, "but where else might I find such a perfect addition to my closet?" (I'll say closet because I know everyone was thinking clothes...where else could she find clothes) Anyway, it seems I have married into a family of deals. Apparently I have been lost in the way of purchasing things: plane tickets, televisions, clothing, food, books. And its like if you can't find that deal to partially or completely subsidize the purchase...what good is it? Need to fly somewhere? Do you have points? Need to get a TV? How many credit cards will you use? Food? Oh how about this website that basically gives out gift cards? Oh you mean you didn't know about that? *whispering and mocking at all those paying full price for their meals*

And I've decided something about all this "bargaining." When one of them finds a good deal, the news then follows a chain. Notify the wife, Lyle, Susanne, and all of the brothers depending on who picks up. And for good measure lets throw in an Uncle too, and most likely Jeff. You are not only saving money, you are one-upping the last so-called "good deal" someone found. That's when it translated to me. I know all about one-upping, not done maliciously of course, just a fun little treat to share the hundreds of dollars you saved on your new flat screen (or in my translation: finding the perfect pair of jeans to replace your existing pair of jeans. Take that).

I'm learning so much.

Oh and although I may be studying (blogging) on Labor day, this weekend made up for all the medical diagnoses I'm about to make up.


Hung out with Lauren (my sister-in-law) and the baby (shown on the left enjoying a relaxing movie with Uncle Rob), bought some new pillows for my couch (with some validation of their cuteness contributed by Lauren), ate Sticky Toffee Cheese from Central Market...incredible, watched a BBC film, and had a very happy husband who came home from the Victorious BYU game resulting in a whispering of "Cougar Nation" that continued for the remainder of the evening...into the next day.

And it doesn't hurt that I saw this rainbow the other day.

Supersize it

Well there you go! Just as a reference the British measurement of 1 stone = 14 lbs. My sister was a bus driver, luckily she weighs approximately one pebble.

Goop

What did Rob do before I binder-clipped the end of the toothpaste? Squeeze from the MIDDLE of the tube?



Absurd.