hobby lobby.

This past week as I've been struggling with not going back to school I've been thinking about how I need to invest in a hobby or start some new project to occupy my time. Well I was inspired by the little dears know as candice and erin who just got the CUTEST apartment/condo living situation I've ever seen for college/single kids. It's beautiful. Anywho they were talking decorations and things like that and when bedspreads was mentioned I got inspired. I'm going to remodel my bed who's in need of some serious help when it comes to a new mattress pad, pillows etc.. so it's gonna be pretty awesome. hopefully finish it tomorrow...

As I was getting all gun-ho about being more domestic and creative through hobbies I received news from my boss that I'm going full time at work!!! wahoo!!!!!!!!!! I've been working pretty much full time hours all summer so it's nice to go to an official full time status. down side-eligible for benefits now which means going to have dental insurance again and braces will probably be resurfacing long before they are welcome, followed by jaw surgery I'm sure. not excited about that but am excited over the fact that I'll also be going to night shifts full time. So long day and night shifts and hello to at least some regularity and consistency in my life! things are looking up at the workplace too. trained a nurse today actually and I was shown just how many things I've learned about long-term and rehab nursing, I'm WAY more comfortable there now than I was back in June and while I'm still not a 100% and still lay awake and stress every time before work, things are improving!!

Speaking of today did I mention that I've worked 5 shifts in the past week?? 2 nights and 3 days to be exact. I'm very tired. hello future paycheck!
things are also looking up in the working world for my former classmates. out of our class of 20-only 2 were employed as RN's majority of the summer(myself being one and daron being the other). We are now up to a total of 7. also we are currently sitting at a 100% class first time pass rate for NCLEX. Katie takes it next week and if she passes we are a solid 100%. I hope we get it because I want to be invited back down for a free dinner in the spring : )

I got a letter from Jacqui this week(YAY!!) well a be-lated birthday card I guess I should say. That crazy girl always knows what to say even thousand miles away. love her. miss her.

I think I'm finally going to cave and buy a smartphone tomorrow. not just a smartphone the iPhone. I've been wanting to do it for a while and now that I've gone full time why the heck not! it's a celebration.

I did start reading a book. I'm borrowing it from my daddio and it's Larry H. Millers book called Driven. it's pretty great so far and to end on a positive note here's a quote for the week from it: "Waste is unjustified and especially the waste of time...one must live,not only exist;he must do, not merely be;he must grow, not just vegetate"-Spencer W. Kimball.

now I'll really end this with some pretty awesome old pictures I discovered on my parents computer...
This is my amazing dad himself on the swing over the pond at the beck reunion a couple summers back. I love it.
Back in the day when: we discovered self timer continuous shots, we enjoyed our roommate situation(only with us of course) and the now holy jeans didn't have a single hole in sight and was still appropriate to be worn in public without being labeled white trash.

driving and moving myself down to cedar. believe it or not when I first went there all my stuff I owned actually fit into my car. back in the day.... oh and I got a bloody nose on the way there which I still get those all the time : )
happy sunday night.

should be sleeping.

this is what I call whine down time. I just got off work(so 12 hour shift) and when I get home I can't fall right to sleep because I'm still adrenaline rushed from work so I normally blog stalk, facebook stalk, etc... instead of that tonight or morning now I guess I have just a few or more things on my mind....

let's talk about first of all how school started at SUU on Monday and for the 1st time in years I wasn't starting school. Let's just say I started a mini depression about 2 weeks ago when I was working one monday and my aide was talking about it was her last day cause she had to move for school. mostly out of curiosity and trying to be nice I asked where she was going and I was not expecting her to say SUU, nor was she expecting my reaction when she said it. I immediately dropped what I was doing and started drilling her on questions such as "where are you living" "what is your professor for that class" and giving her all sorts of advice of what fun things there is to do down there(basically summed up in one sentence: make your own). I found myself depressed talking to her realizing I wasn't going back down to the ol CC and it was then that it really started to hit me for the first time all summer I'm not going back to school. I think it mostly hit me because she had the life I had for years, summer CNA job quit, move and go back to school. So it began...

I think the depression got worse when I realized that part of the reason I loved going back to school was how much change I experienced this time of year normally: new roommates and/or new apartment, new school schedule, new ward, new town, etc... all these changes and I suddenly felt trapped. I'm not leaving my job, I'm not moving anywhere anytime soon, and I don't get to buy school supplies(still a hard one for me, I just love me some new notebooks, planner, and pens!). It's rough I tell ya. The frustration/depression or whatever this funk I got in continued to get worse probably due to the fact that I hate my roommate situation. true story that I've lived with 2 girls for the whole summer and I can't even tell you their last names, cell phone numbers, or where one of them was from. how pathetic is that right?? our personalities have been so different and so have our schedules that I never got to know them, and I think I was secretly hoping things would change like I'd get back to a fun living arrangement again by moving back to cedar, but instead I'm stuck.

One of my other favorite things this time of year was the re-uniting. I used to have this group of friends that I've referred to ourselves as the CCC(Cedar City Crew) just a nickname I made up once and it stuck for about the 2 years we were all friends. We'd all be our separate ways over the summer but that night before the first day back at school and we were all in the same town again, we'd party! we'd check out each others apartments, run over all the schedules for the week so we could coordinate us all going to the free food back to school events, we'd go out to eat or bring food home and ramble on and on about our summers and how happy we were to be reunited. Frequently dance parties would surface, if we weren't creating them ourselves we were hitting up the house parties that always took place those first 2 weeks. Life was fun, and our group of friends knew how to have the most fun of anybody in town , we used to joke that we ran the town and knew everyone. The crew doesn't exist anymore and I was reminded of this as I attended one of my best friends wedding that same week my reality check was setting in, steph who was also a member of the crew looked beautiful in her dress and SO happy! all I could think of was I'm the only one out of all those girls here. Life doesn't always turn out the way we plan, also added to the depression/frustration : )

Summer's pretty much over. well okay I won't sugar coat it, summer's over! and that right there is enough to send someone over the depression ledge! I can't believe how fast this summer has gone. I swear it's gone the fastest yet and between NCLEX and job hunting I was robbed of a summer anyways so I'm sad thinking I still have this list of all these things I wanna do this summer and it's over! no more rodeos, fairs, pool days(not that my albino skin saw much sun), hiking, boating, etc.. all these other things I wanted to do not to mention I haven't even been to one bonfire all season! I feel robbed, and I'm not happy about it. I wish summer could stay forever!

anywho I think that's enough whining for now and I feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier so I should take this night nursing body to bed. I'll end with a few good news: Things between my roommate Sharon and I are getting better and I got a new roommate, last night actually who I haven't met but will hopefully be fun and cool. My boss told me I was getting a full time position starting September so I'll be able to get my truck soon. Candice is back from haiti so I have a friend in p-town again : ) my family is still amazing and I have the most stinkin cute niece and nephew ever!! I took a trip to cedar last week to get my feel of the south in, weird feelings but that's for another day!
things are looking up and I just need to be positive to see the change that I'm still getting in my life without moving back down to school, and I'm sure my depression about school will disappear once I read f-book posts about former nursing friends clinicals, and the word homework.
life is good. nighty night!!

THE place.

a few weeks, or maybe only a couple weeks back the fam and I made a visit up north to visit this is the place monument. I hadn't been since I was a little kid so I didn't quite remember much of it but it turned out to be a great day, really really hot day, and kez and jaxon loved it! There was pony rides for the kiddos, train rides, crafts,picnic lunch, bank robbery, petting zoo, a large snake, lil doll house figurine village, Indians, etc....










thanks for the fun day fam. ps. like my hat?? my great friend Candice gave me that beauty for my birthday : )

FYE

FYI, FYE means For Your Entertainment.
This following post is for that very purpose along with the need to preserve a precious time capsule that was created by the shady ladies 2 years ago. Enjoy!

SB 9 Roomies in 5 Years from September 17 (2014)

Brook’s predictions:
Brittany- married. No children
Jacqui-married with1 child
Candice- married with 2 children
Herself- married with 1 on the way

Brittany’s predictions:
Jacqui-married with 1 child and pregnant
Candice-married with 3 children
Brook-married with 1 child and 3 cats and 1 dog.
Herself- single and really wealthy with a love interest, has 1 dog

Jacqui’s predictions:
Candice-married with about 3 kids, maybe 1 on the way.
Brook-married with 1 kid, and 2 cats and 1 dog
Brittany- Recently married at tail end of 5 years with 1 dog
Herself-married with 1 kid and 1 on the way. 1 dog

Candice’s predictions:
Brook-married with 1 child. 2 cats 2 dogs
Brittany- married within the 4th or 5th year. No children yet.
Jacqui-married with 2 kids
Herself- married with 1 kid and 1 on the way


Brittany’s man: goofy, reserved in front of unknown crowds, more serious than her when both being serious, skinny, tall (Jacqui hoping for midget), really good with her family, wavy/shaggy hair, administration type guy, (Moustache-Jacqui), dirty blonde, really likes kids, manly man(cowboy!).

Jacqui’s man: romantic, suave, intelligent, hard worker, business type man, big and tall with clean cut dark hair, gorgeous smile, athletic, presentable in front of a crowd, good public speaker, really likes kids

Candice- VERY churchy, same height or barely taller, good build-not too skinny, not bulky – but soft, seminary teacher, strawberry blonde, (receding hair line- Brittany), enjoys outdoors, Nice teeth and beautiful eyes, general authority material, funny because he is awkward, sweetheart, kind and tender hearted, really likes kids, trustworthy, takes commands. Same age or younger

Brookie-outdoorsy, adventurous, blonde/dark blonde, likes kids but doesn’t want a lot, muscular build, fire fighting/search and rescue man, couple inches taller than her but with heels on still shorter than him, makes brook laugh, buddy buddy with her dad, likes hunting, big truck, likes dogs but keeps the cats around just for Brook, Brook makes more money than him.

All of us with have beautiful last names, beautiful children, and all of us will go boating, camping, and shopping.

former roomies I must say you should get busy!! my predictions for you and all your children must come true soon : )

B+

At work yesterday some co-workers and I got talking about blood types, yes such is the life of health care workers. We all went around and said what we were and got talking about - blood and the down sides during pregnancy's and such. Anywho the respiratory therapist was B+ blood and went on to tell me to stop being so negative. No pun intended. However it got me thinking...
It's been a bad week. Work was rough last weekend and put me in a bad mood to say the least. I being my usual self went all sorts of negative and yes the thought of quitting crossed my mind. My mom told me the same thing: stop being so negative.
So after an extremely negative week here it is folks some positivity.
I grew up listening to country music of course and one of my favorite things on Sunday was 98.3 country music countdown on the radio. I thought it was just for that station but as I've grown up and branched out of the little world of Helper Utah I've learned that it's a nationwide broadcast of American Country Countdown. It's amazing seriously I love it, they count down the hits of the week and have special dedications etc...
So on my way home from church today the countdown was on in my car of course and I was enjoying it seeing as how I haven't listened in a while. Well as I was about to turn off my car Tim Mcgraw's song Live like you were dying came on and I thought it was another radio stations way of rubbing it in my face that I missed out on the concert last night but turns out it's a special segment. People write in online about things they are doing to live life to the fullest or how other people are living life to the fullest, both sick/people with life threatening diseases and healthy people. It peeked my interest so I came in my house and looked up the website. amazing people I tell ya, just going about life crossing bucket list items off left and right. I'll admit I have a bucket list and some things these people do aren't on my list but there still awesome. Living life to the fullest doesn't always have to be something as extreme as skydiving(but I am still going in the next 2 months) and the website was just a good reminder to not take life so serious, or take it for granted. So check it out: http://americancountrycountdown.com/sectional.asp?id=31391

and start crossing things off your bucket list or just read them to be inspired and stop being so negative like yours truly.
happy sunday.

big girls don't cry

august 4th kezy girl turned 2 years old. crazy how time flies...
Dear Kezy:
I still remember when your parents announced you were going to be born, it was Christmas morning and when grandma read that plaque out loud your aunt brittany here jumped up off the floor and yes kez I started crying. I was that excited.
The summer of 2009 is one I still talk about all the time because it was that awesome, and at the close of that amazing summer August 4th came and then there you were. I still remember that day and all the crazy emotions your aunt had going on already. I was so nervous I'd be the last one at the hospital when I got the text at work that morning saying your mom was in labor. however, you were just not ready to come yet because it was almost 12 hours later that you were born. As weird as it may be for everyone else I got to be in the room when you made your grand enterance and I still remember how quiet it suddenly got when you came out and it was as if we were all holding our breath waiting for you to take your first. Then came out the cry and yes baby girl I cried again, at least it wasn't as much as your dad did : )
The past 2 years I've got to be around for you in ways that most aunts don't get such an opportunity. With daddy going off to Iraq, I got to live with you for a summer during that time got up with you in the night(s), help get you ready for bed, babysit you during the days mom worked, and watch you learn and grow in those close quarters of grandpa Fife's basement. Kez you're the closest I've got and probably ever will get to being a mom and I thank you for putting up with this rookie and my inexperienced ways.
You've made us laugh, cry, laugh some more, and yes in your stubborn little ways have sometimes even made us mad : ) I love you baby girl, 2 years down but I'll still be around to continue watching you grow up.
Love Auntie britt aka Aunt Burtney.

twenty three is golden.

I had my golden birthday on the 23. 23 years, crazy. I was thinking about it the night before about just how many years it is and then it hit me just how old 23 years is! I realized I was turning into one of those people that insist that I'm not really that old! then I laughed because I realized 23 is not old, Utah county just makes you want to believe that because they have this little checklist of everything you're supposed to have accomplished by the time you hit your 23rd year. their wrong.
I may be 23 and single but I'm happy. My great friend Jeni and I were talking recently about how people think that you haven't accomplished anything in life until you've taken the plunge and we talked about how frustrating it is, because life can still be lived and adventures can be had, and most of all accomplishments can be made being single. best part is, we can take off for these type of things and not have to check in with anyone, worry about what we're going to make for dinner beforehand, and don't even think twice about having to find a babysitter. It's great. granted all you married people and moms are great and I admire what you do, but just sayin utah county is rough, Utah is rough! anywho enough of the tangent...
I celebrated my golden birthday the whole week long! I had work off so I took full advantage and did something each day and counted it as celebrating my birth. Festivities included but were not limited too: lonesome dove movie afternoon with channy; exploring SLC with Jeni including her introducing me to another great food place; seeing the new and final harry potter 3D style; 7 peaks day with the fam and triplet clan; kids rodeo in Fairview; seeing captain America with brookie and a row of buddies also eating noodles and company for the first time; watching the cutest kids aka my niece and nephew in my parents ward pioneer day parade; dinner at Texas roadhouse followed by the Fiesta Days rodeo in Spanish fork with the ladies and post rodeo cowboy stalking : ), and picnic up the canyon with the fam on the 24th.
It was a fantastic week full of lots of photos of course. some of my favorites include...













I obviously thought more people would be joining me in not getting ready for the day prior to parade and pancake breakfast festivities. I was wrong!



Channy decorated me car. I loved it!!!



cutest, coolest, and funnest cowgirls in the whole arena!!




action shot of the frisbee action. kez loved it!! I'd post a video but I don't know how.



Thanks for the great week and all the birthday wishes ya'll. cheers to the golden year! it's gonna be awesome, or at least that's what I keep telling myself : )