I made it!

I finished up my orientation period at my new job.  Starting next week I'm on my own.  Of course there will always be other nurses around at this job so that I can ask questions.  The last office I was at was not really my favorite of the ones I've been to, but it wasn't awful.  I am still waiting for my schedule though, so, I don't even know where I'll be next week.  The awesome thing about being contingent is that I can make my own schedule.  For example, I know the kids will be off school for MLK day next month, so I can choose not to pick up that day.  I'm also looking forward to only working 2-3 days a week. :)

I did not end up finishing up my Christmas shopping as early as I would have liked, but I got all finished up yesterday (mainly taking the kids out to shop for presents from them).  Today, I will finish up my wrapping.  I haven't had a whole lot of time to devote to it yet.  I spent some time last week while I was sick getting started, then wrapped a few last night.   I will be done before Christmas Eve, though, that's for sure. ;)

Work...

I enjoyed a nice 4 day holiday weekend, but it's back to work tomorrow. I'll tell ya what, though, I do not like this working full-time business.  I didn't like it 10 years ago, and I don't like it now.  :(  Four more weeks of Monday through Friday.  I did, however, really like the people I was working with for the past 2 weeks.  They were all very nice and made me laugh every day.  Tomorrow, I move on to another clinic and I really hope the people there are as nice to work with!

Hmm...

While I was out walking Bella tonight, I noticed no less than a dozen houses in my neighborhood that were already decorated for Christmas.  I understand that this past weekend was a good opportunity for people to get a head start on this since the weather was nice, but at least half of these were actually on. Maybe it's just me, but I like to get through Thanksgiving before I start decorating for Christmas. In fact, I still have scarecrows in my yard.  Now, the day after Thanksgiving is a whole other story.  ;)

On another note, I am liking my new job so far.  I don't love the fact that it takes a good half hour to get to my car after waiting for and riding the shuttle  or the 45-60 minute drive home (depending on traffic), but I much prefer this job over the nursing home!  I am, however, looking forward to having a day off tomorrow!  Yay!

This was me today:

Due to lack of parking, downtown hospitals are forced to spread out their employee parking among (seemingly random) parking lots throughout the city and shuttle employees in from different lots.  My assigned parking is in a very small, gravel lot.  There is literally not enough space to back out in one smooth motion unless you happen to luck out and leave after everyone else so that there are empty spots beside and/or behind you.  Not to mention that people park horribly, taking up 1.5 spaces in the already crowded lot, but that's another rant.  This was totally how I felt today trying to get out of my parking spot.  It seriously took me a good 2-3 minutes of maneuvering...

Christmas shopping?

Yep, this weekend, I officially began my Christmas shopping.  I only purchased a couple of things, but hey, it's a start!  I am usually not one to start until the day after Thanksgiving, but I would LOVE to get done early this year.  It is always my goal to not still be wrapping on Christmas Eve, but it usually ends up that I have at least a few things left.  There has been only one year that I have been completely done shopping and wrapping by December 1st.  And, I don't see that happening this year with my upcoming work schedule, but if I can be done by mid-December, I'll be happy!

I just rechecked my schedule tonight, and looks like I have a couple of short days this week.  I think Wednesday I'll be out a couple of hours early, Thursday will be a half day since I don't need to renew my CPR for another year, and Friday, I just have a meeting at 1:30.  Not sure how long that will take, but at least I won't have to get up crazy early.  :)  Then, unless my schedule changes, I will have next Thursday off completely.  Woot!  (I will be off for Thanksgiving and the day after, as well. Yay!)

I am certainly glad to have had an extra hour of sleep last night, but it still feels an hour later than it is tonight. I am sleeeepy.  Think I'll lay down and watch some t.v. until I fall asleep and get ready for another early day tomorrow!

Er Mer Gerd...Rercer's Curps!

I braved the cold, wind, and rain for over an hour with my son for trick or treat tonight. Now, I'm sitting here pigging out on candy! I am powerless to resist the deliciousness of all this chocolate! Sigh.

Day One Done

Well, my first day of orientation for my new job went pretty well.  I got my training schedule and it looks like I will be working either 7:30 am- 4:30 pm or 8 am - 5 pm (depending which location I am at that week) Monday - Friday through the week before Christmas.  Of course all of the locations I'll be at are at least 45 minutes away. :-/  I just need to make it through the next couple of months of a full time schedule then I'll be contingent and can make my own schedule!

Random

The other day, my younger daughter and I went to the garden store near our house to pick out a couple of mums for our mumkins.

Image retrieved from: http://www.foertmeyerandsons.com/fundraising/mumkins/

Anyway, the older sister of one of my daughter's friends happens to work there and when she saw my daughter, she came over to say hello.  She was going on and on about something while looking back and forth from me to my daughter.  When she finished her story, she barely took a breath before blurting out "wow, you two look a lot alike".  I seem to hear that a lot from people about both of my girls.  I always take it as a compliment, of course.  They, perhaps, don't as much. ;-)

Last Saturday was homecoming for my oldest.  Here are a couple of pics she was able to get before the dance with some of her friends.  The second one is kind of blurry because it was taken with someone's crappy phone camera:


She is growing up way too fast for my liking!

14 miles...not too bad, I guess.

I've been pretty lazy about getting to the gym, but I've been doing a lot of walking and bike riding instead while the weather is still nice.  Today I walked 8 miles then came home and rode my bike around 6 miles.  Once the weather gets too cold I'll have to make myself get back to the Y!

Tomorrow I'm working the flu clinic again and then I may do a little shopping.  I really want a fuzzy North Face jacket!  :)

Boys will be boys, I suppose.

Yesterday morning, I had to go pick up my son from school because he hit his head on some playground equipment and got a big goose egg on his dome.  He didn't fall, which I was originally told by the school.  Apparently he and some of his friends were playing a game and they were tackling someone and his head got banged against the thing (for lack of better terminology; not sure what it's called).  Anyway, this morning, it looked much better and the swelling had gone way down.

Today I am going with him and the other third graders on their field trip to the library.  It is only about a half of a mile from his school, so we are walking there.  Should be fun.

Tomorrow is my daughter's volleyball tournament.

Monday, I am working my first event with my per diem job since last spring.  I'll be back at the big company we did a lot of events for last year that I thought we were no longer working with. Apparently I was misinformed. I think it is a flu clinic, which will mean giving flu shots for 4-5 hours. That's okay though, it's super easy money. Almost makes up for having to get up early and be there at 7:30 am.  ;)  I just got an invitation to work it again on Tuesday.  I'm still deciding if I'm going to accept that one.  Christmas is coming though, so a little extra money isn't such a bad thing!

Serving

This week is the last one for regular season volleyball.  Saturday, tournaments begin.  Last night, my girl served.  She isn't one of the team's regular servers because at the beginning of the season, she had trouble getting her serves over the net.  She has come a long way this season and I am very proud of all her hard work.  Here she is serving the last 4 points to win the first set for her team.  (The last one comes back over and hits, but the other team faulted in sending it back over, so it didn't count.)  They lost the second set, but came back and won the third, for the game.  It was definitely a good game to watch. :)

Bring on the tissues!

I seem to have a bit of a cold.  My nose is stuffy and runny at the same time and I keep sneezing. Hopefully it won't get any worse than this.

This afternoon, I have to make tacos for my oldest daughter's color guard team and then pick my younger daughter up early from volleyball practice to take her to the high school to warm up with her middle school band who will also be performing during half-time at the football game tonight.

Before that, I need to work out and go to at least three different stores.  I need a few things from the grocery store, I have to pick up special make up for my oldest daughter (for color guard), and it would be awesome if I could find a pair of jeans that fit me!

Busy day for me! :)

Not my best of days

My son missed his first day of school for the year today.  He has had redness around his eyelid for a couple of days and has been complaining that it hurts.  This morning it was looking puffy too.  So I took him to the little clinic inside of a Kroger because the doctor has, in the past, not been available to see us on the same day and I wanted it checked out today.  Well, after going down there, waiting, being seen, the nurse practitioner there said it is not pink eye, and it looks more like an injury or infection and she would suggest seeing his pediatrician...

Okay, so, I called the doctor's office, and (as I figured) he had no available appointments today, but they could get him in to see their nurse practitioner.  So, I took that appointment because I didn't want to have to keep him out of school for another day if I didn't need to.  She mentioned thinking it is a chalazion, which is similar to a stye.  From what I have read since, chalazia don't generally hurt, but I guess we will see if this treatment works.  At least it's not contagious, and he can return to school tomorrow.

Before we left Kroger, I went through the self check out and got $20 cash back.  My daughter has a game tomorrow evening (every Monday and Wednesday, actually) and I knew I would need some cash to get in.  I figured I'd get that out of the way.  Well, somehow between the time I selected to get cash back and actually getting the cash, my son distracted me and I walked off without it.  In fact, it wasn't until about two hours ago that it even clicked in my head that I had forgotten it.  I called the store and, of course, no one turned it in.  So, I'm just outta luck.  And $20.  :(

Then, just now, I went out into the garage to get something from my car and killed my knee on a bike pedal.  Sigh.  I'm ready to just go to bed and call it a day.  Hoping my daughter's team can win tomorrow.  They came sooo close at last night's game!!

I survived

I made it through another weekend at work.  Saturday afternoon, around 3 pm, the nurse that was scheduled to come in at 7 pm called and said she couldn't make it in until 11 pm.  Well, after calling around and finding no one else willing to come in for four hours, I told her I would stay until 11 pm if she would work until 11 am today.  She agreed, so I worked from 6:40 am to 11:10 pm on Saturday.  It was a long day, but at least it wasn't crazy.  It was actually nice not to have to get up crazy early again this morning.  Fortunately, the nurse that came on tonight got there on time and I was able to leave right at 7.  Today would have actually been pretty awesome if I hadn't had to do an admission, but oh well.

Next weekend, I'll be off work and spending time with lots of family that will be in from Missouri and Virginia. Looking forward to seeing an aunt and cousin I haven't seen in a couple of years. :)

Gah!

Well, I made it to the gym this morning.  I didn't stay quite as long as I wanted.  I just ran out of steam and was hungry.  So, I left and grabbed a protein bar. Now I'm home and gonna go out and ride my bike for about a half hour, shower, then get some grocery shopping done before my little man gets home from school.  Tomorrow starts my weekend-o-torture.  :(  Gah!!!

Love it!

On Sunday, I did a little shopping and used some coupons I had for Victoria's Secret.  At checkout, they gave out samples of lotion from their new "love my body" line.  I have to say...I freaking LOVE this lotion!  Not only does it smell really good (I have the scent from the link: jasmine and water lily), it makes my skin feel really soft.  I will totally be buying some of this next time I go to the mall!  Good stuff.

Back to it

So, after a long weekend of crappy eating, I'm back to trying to be healthier.  I didn't go to the gym yesterday, but I did go on a 5+ mile walk.  Part of which was in the rain, but I didn't mind.  Today, however, after spending the morning being lazy and watching reruns of Gilmore Girls and Still Standing (both great shows, btw), I forced myself to go work out at the gym.  As usual, I feel better after getting in a good workout.  Now I need to get a shower and get ready to go watch my girly play volleyball at 5:00!  :)

Chocolate and the zoo!

Bad weekend for my diet.  My girls and I made buckeyes on Saturday and with the leftover chocolate, I covered pretzels and raw almonds.  I've been pigging out on those all weekend and not counting calories. :o  But, tomorrow, I'm back at it!

Today, my little man and I went to the zoo. He generally does not like to have his picture taken, but today, he wanted me to take his picture with everything!  Here are a few:







Love that kid!

Mmmmm....

I found these at Meijer yesterday.  All I have to say is...YUM!  They are so gooood!  :)

My girls

Awww

Volleyball

Tonight was my daughter's first volleyball game of the season. Her team played really well and was up for a little while, but ended up losing the game. They are all still learning, so I was really impressed with them. In fact, the 8th grade team played after the 7th graders, and they were not nearly as good. My daughter said they have scrimmaged each other a couple of times and the 7th graders won both times. Doesn't make much sense to me since, presumably, most have them have played before. Anyway, here is a little video I was able to sneak in during the game. My girl is number 5.

Obviously not the most exciting part of the game, but it's something. :)

Really?

Yay, my weekend of torture is now complete!  It actually wasn't too bad this weekend, fortunately. No admissions this time, and no one tried to die, so that's a major plus!  Part of my job is to answer pages from residents who live independently in the apartments attached to my building.  Every apartment is equipped with alert buttons throughout that, when pushed, sends me a page.  If they fall or need assistance or whatever, I have to go to their apartment and check them out.  I am not allowed to pass them medications or anything like that, all I can do is take their vitals and call 911 if needed.

This service is supposed to be for emergencies, however a lot of older people seem to consider things to be emergencies that really aren't.  (I've actually seen charting on residents who have called because their toilet needed plunged or they needed help reaching something off a high shelf).  Today, I received three calls from the same residents (two of which times I was forced to go up to their apartment) because the wife was having diarrhea...  Yeeeeah.  Old people.

But, work is over for another 2 weeks. :)  However, I'm starting a new class online tomorrow.  :(

Aww

I love that my little boy still wants me around. I mentioned a couple of days ago that he should find out what time he eats lunch and maybe sometime I could come in and eat with him.  He decided that he really wanted me to come in the next day.  So, yesterday, I went in and visited him at lunch. When he got home, the girls were both at their after school practices, so he and I got on our bikes and rode to a little ice cream place for a cone.  All in all a little over 4 miles there and back.  He mentioned how much fun he was having at least 3 times during our ride.  Then, this morning, he asked if I could come to his school again today.  Aww, I love that he still wants me around and isn't embarrassed of me yet. ;)

Today I am trying to enjoy my last day off before going back to work for 24+ hours over the weekend. :(  I know it seems I shouldn't have much to complain about with only having to work 4 days a month, but I still dread it so much!  I think if I liked my job a little better (perhaps in a different environment) or if my shifts were shorter (or both!) I wouldn't hate it so much.  Sigh.

So, I guess I am going to do my best to enjoy today.  I'm going to go hit the Y, do a little Krogering, and be home to spend some fun time with my little man. And, dang it, I'm ordering pizza tonight! :)

Proud of my girly!

Today was the third, and final, day of volleyball tryouts for my younger daughter.  I'm proud to say she made the team!  So, yeah, another activity for me to play taxi for. ;)  But, I wouldn't have it any other way!

This is already getting REALLY old!

So, I have been at my new job for a couple of weeks now.  Already, I have had no less than 5 requests from two other nurses to switch shifts or pick up a shift for them.  Ummmm, no.  Sorry.  I did switch one day with a girl and am working this Friday in exchange for her working Sunday for me. However, I am not going to continuously switch my schedule around.  I took this job because the every-other-weekend schedule really appeals to me since I still have three kids that I have to taxi around to and from activities throughout the week as well as still being in school myself.

Ughhh!  I hate telling people no.  And I don't want to tell these people no so many times that if I ever need someone to switch a day with me that no one will. I, however, don't plan on making a habit of doing that as it seems these other people do. :(

Not for me

So, high protein/low carb = not for me.  I tried it in the past and I hated it.  I couldn't stick to it.  I tried it again, knowing I wouldn't stick with it forever, but thought maybe a couple weeks or a month.  Nope, I lasted 2 days.  I find it way too difficult to get enough fiber eating this way and by last night, I went to bed feeling like I swallowed a brick.  After each meal, my stomach hurt.  I felt like vomiting almost all weekend and I felt sad. This morning, the thought of eating sausage or eggs made me want to gag.  So, I'm back to doing less calories consumed than burned.  I feel more freedom this way.  I will, however, incorporate more high protein snacks into my diet.  Especially on workout days.

Other than that, I spent a good portion of my weekend back-to-school shopping for my kiddos.  They all still need shoes, supplies and haircuts, but we made good headway in the clothes department!  Just 2 more weeks from today until they go back.  This summer has flown by!

What to do...

I have been kind of stuck in my weight loss recently.  Once again.  I know that it is due to not eating as healthily. Mainly while at work.  (We get free employee meals, not to mention all the crap that residents' families bring in for us...chocolates, cookies, brownies, pizza, etc).  I have been trying really hard not to go overboard on junk.  Though running around all day will help me justify a little junk.  ;)  Anyway, I haven't so much been gaining any weight back, but I do fluctuate within a few pounds putting me anywhere between 68-70 lbs down since last September.  While I am glad I'm not gaining weight, I still have some I'd like to lose.

My problem now is that I'm wondering if I need to switch things up a little bit.  Up until now, I've mainly been concentrating on calories and making sure I burn more than I consume.  I'm seriously debating if I should attempt some sort of a higher protein, lower carb diet.  I know that this cannot be a permanent diet change for me as I like food too much. What I've done so far has been working because I know I can still eat whatever I want, as long as I'm making up for the extra calories in exercise.  I haven't really felt deprived and I think that is what has helped me to be successful.  So, because of this, I fear attempting something new knowing that it would be something that I will not be able to stick with for an extended period of time.

Lately, however, I've noticed that I have been lacking energy once again.  Not that I ever feel like I have an abundance of it, but it was better for a while.  Not only am I always tired again, I am always hungry.  Always. (Ok, that's not really new either, but it seems to be getting worse). Today, for instance, I ate breakfast and also had a snack before going to the gym, and my stomach was still growling something fierce during my workout.  I felt so tired and hungry that I didn't end up getting as good of a workout as I would have liked.  So, I am really going back and forth in my mind as to whether I want to temporarily try out a new type of diet and see if it helps with my energy level as well as help me to feel full longer.

Hmmmm......

Diving

As of this year, the community pool we go to is now owned by the same people who own the community YMCA.  As always, with new management comes new rules.  Well, this year, they implemented the rule that if you are under the age of 15, you must pass a swim test to be permitted in the 4 foot pool without an adult in arm's reach or to use the diving boards.  In the past, my son has not ventured over to the diving boards and I'm usually at least by the edge of the pool when he's in the 4 ft pool, but he has been wanting to take the test all summer because he finally became interested in the diving boards.  However, he has been afraid he wouldn't pass it so he's been putting it off. So, we practiced and practiced and today he took it.

The swim test consists of being able to swim 2 laps in the pool without stopping or touching the side of the pool, then going to the 13 ft pool and treading water for 45 seconds.  Well, he passed the test and finally got to go on the diving boards.  I took a video.  This is of his first time on the "high dive" which, frankly, isn't even all that high, but don't tell him that. ;)  After the first time, I had a hard time prying him away from them to leave.  He was having so much fun!  


I love this boy SO much!!

Work

Today was my first day on my own at work.  I ended up getting a couple extra days of training on Thursday and Friday, then today I was alone.  Things have gone pretty smoothly on every one of my training days and wouldn't you know that today, it was one thing after another! I was told I wouldn't be given a new admission for a long time because of how detailed the process is and the massive amounts of paperwork involved.  Well, guess who got an admission today...  :(  On top of that I ended up having to send a patient out by squad to the hospital and had a resident in the independent living fall and bust her lip open and I had to go to her apartment and check her out. Those, along with several other things, made it a long, non-stop 13 hour day.  Ughh!  I hope and pray that tomorrow is a much, MUCH better day!  This work thing is not all it's cracked up to be. ;)

Uggh

Working three 12's in a row is no fun.  One day off tomorrow, then back for two more.  I am SO glad I'll only be working every other weekend.  Actually, I'd be happier if I was just working the same amount of hours on weekdays because I'm kind of sad that I'll be missing half of my weekends.  But, it is still much better than having to work schedules like this week all the time.

My shoes didn't come in until yesterday, so I wore them for the first time today.  They're not bad.  Aside from a little red, sore spot on the top of one foot (which, I assume is just from the mere fact that I'm just breaking them in) they were pretty comfortable.  And, my back did not hurt at the end of today like it did after yesterday.  Probably due to the fact that I'm on my feet for a good 75% of my day, at least.  So hopefully this will mean they were worth the price! ;)

I'm excited to get to sleep in a little tomorrow and spend the day with my babies.  I couldn't work like this all the time.  It's hard going back to work after being a stay-at-home mom for 8 years! Knowing it's just this week is making it bearable (especially after this morning when the fire alarms kept going off during my morning med pass - which means stopping what I'm doing, and going through the unit closing all doors, moving patients to their rooms, etc.  Not.  Fun.).

A little nervous...

Tomorrow is my first day at my new job! Tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, I will be training.  Then the following weekend, I will be on my own!  As in, the only nurse in my department on duty with 3-4 STNA's that I will basically be in charge of.  I'll be the one that, if something goes wrong, is supposed to know what to do!  That is an incredible amount of responsibility.  Thirty patients' lives will be in my hands.  I really hope I can do this!  AHHHHHH!!

On a side note, I had to go out and buy some new scrubs because all of the scrubs I had were way too big.  (I'm not complaining though.)  I also bought some Dansko shoes that I have heard so much about.  If you look around, you'll probably notice about 90% of nurses wearing this type of shoe:  

Image retrieved from http://www.lydiasuniforms.com/scrubs/products.asp?sku=406&cat=613&t=nursing_shoes_-_dansko_professional_patent_clog

They are apparently awesome.  I tried some on yesterday while I was out shopping and then ordered them online.  They should be here tomorrow.  Hope they're as good as I've heard!

'boutsta bussa cap!

I am in such a pissy mood right now!  It is difficult enough trying to wrap my tiny little brain around the concepts of chemistry without the neighbor kids repeatedly knocking and ringing the doorbell continuously until somebody answers the door resulting in the dogs barking and going crazy each time. Seriously?  What ever happened to knocking or ringing once and waiting?  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Two more days.  Just two more days....

Not again!

For the past week, my son has been sick.  It started with just pink eye, which is bad enough, but then he started running 103 degree fevers and vomiting. Usually, when this happens with him, it is either strep throat or an ear infection. I took him to the doctor last Friday and the strep test was negative and his ears looked fine.  He got eye drops for the pink eye and I was told just to watch him over the weekend and if he got worse or was still running fevers Monday to take him back in.  Well, he was spiking fevers all last weekend so, I took him back in Monday.  Strep test was still negative, but his ears were starting to look like they could be infected.  She gave him meds.

For the past few days, he has not had fevers and has been feeling much better.  This morning, however, he woke up vomiting again and feeling achy.  He hasn't even been able to keep ibuprofen down.  :(  Poor little man!  My younger daughter is also pitching in her softball tournament today, but I'm missing that because I'm at home taking care of a sick boy.  I hate when my babies are sick!  I hope he's feeling better soon!

On a side note, I have been able to avoid the sickness (and pink eye) so far.  I hope I don't get sick this week or next.  I don't want to be sick and have to try to learn this chemistry crap or take a final on it while sick.  I also don't want to be sick for my first days of training the following week!

What?!

I know already mentioned this, but I really, really hate chemistry!  I am taking an accelerated course right now (8 weeks of material in 3 weeks) and it sucks!  I was no good at this subject when I took it in high school, but I do think I am picking up on a  few things better now than I did then.  Probably because I am actually trying...

The course is completely online, including labs, which is awesome!  I just have go to a testing center for a proctored midterm and final.  Today was the mid-term, and somehow, I manged to pull of a 92%. What?! I was supposed to start in on the next chapter yesterday (according to the professor's proposed schedule), but I spent my time studying for today's test instead.  This morning, I studied more, then took the test, and the rest of the day has been spent working out and making and eating dinner (and now blogging, of course).  

I am still waiting for the class I originally had scheduled to start next Monday to be dropped.  I decided after this chem class, I want to take the rest of the summer off of school.  Well, that, and I finally got a job!  It isn't my first choice, but I think it will actually work out well.  It is in the skilled nursing unit of a local senior community where they also have condos as well as assisted living.  I will be in the portion that is basically a nursing home.  The pluses include the fact that it is VERY clean (I have been in a lot of nursing homes that have turned me waaaay off wanting to even step foot in them.  This one doesn't have the typical urine smell, but rather looks and smells more like a decent hotel), it is only about 10 minutes from my house, and once I get passed training, will only be every other weekend 7a-7p.  And...it is a start.  With some experience under my belt, it should be much easier to find another job in the future.  

Starting off will suck a bit, as I will have to work five 12 hour shifts in 6 days for training, then work again the following weekend, but once I get past that, I'm hoping it will be all good.

Well, I suppose I should stop blogging now and get back to studying!  Here's hoping I can do as well on the final next Friday as I did today (though I'm not terribly confident because the material is only getting more and more difficult)!  Ugh!

I. HATE. Chemistry!

That is all.

Date night

I went on a date last night with a super cute guy!  My little man and I went to see the new Pixar movie, Brave.  From seeing the previews, I wasn't sure if I would really like it, but I did.  It was much better than I was expecting.  It was fun hanging out, just me and my boy! :)

My weekend

Saturday my younger daughter's game went very well. They actually had to forfeit because they only had 6 players show up, so they scrimmaged. That being said, they played extremely well and ended up tying the other team. In actuality, they should have won, but near the end of the game, a girl on the other team foul tipped the ball and the ump "missed" it and 2 of their players stole home. So, they got ripped off, but I was crazy impressed with their game. :)

My aunt, uncle, and 2 youngest cousin's are in town this week, so yesterday, we spent the afternoon at my grandma's house for father's day and had a cook-out. Then, it started raining, so my brother, cousins, and oldest daughter started playing music on my daughter's guitar. She got it for her birthday last year and she played around with it some, but then it mostly sat in her room for most of the past year. Recently though, she started looking up how to play and has started learning a little bit. Here's a little video I took of her yesterday:

Well, that's nice...

My son, grandma, and I went to Olive Garden for lunch today.  My son has been begging to go there for at least a week, so I figured today would be a good day to go.  Free salad comes with every meal and I always order my salad with their light Italian dressing on the side.  Well, today, the waiter came back to the table a few minutes after ordering saying that they were out of the light dressing.  What?! Ugghhh!  He rattled off the other options, including squirting lemon on it.  Huh?  Ew!  I said it was okay, I just wouldn't have salad.  Well, the guy disappeared for a few minutes, and came back with 2 side cups of dressing saying "I don't know if you'll like it or not, but I walked next door to Red Lobster and got some of their reduced fat raspberry vinaigrette dressing for you because I felt bad".  That was certainly nice of him.  He didn't have to do that.  I ended up going ahead and using it (even though I couldn't find the nutritional information for it - I just found a generic version of it to go by) and it was decent.

On another note, I got the batteries changed in my heart rate monitor today and when I went to use it for a jog this afternoon, it was still acting stupid, so it must not have been the batteries. Sigh. :(

Busy week!

Between my younger daughter and my son, we have 7 softball/baseball games this week.  Two were tonight.  At the same time, of course.  I took my son to his game, but had to miss my daughter's game.  Next games are back to back on Wednesday, so I'll get to see them both.  Then Friday, they're at the same time again, so I'll have to miss one.  Then Saturday just my daughter plays.  On top of that, my oldest had color guard tonight, and another practice on Thursday.  Sheesh!  I guess it's a good thing I haven't been able to find a job yet!

My grandma is also here to visit for the week.  She got here today and is leaving Friday.  It will be nice to spend some time with her since I don't see her very often anymore.

Fortunately, I finished up spring classes on Friday and am off for 2 weeks!  I don't even want to think about the accelerated chemistry class I have to take this summer! :(

Fried

Yesterday, I took my younger 2 kiddos to the pool for the first time this summer.  Unfortunately, I forgot to put sunscreen on my legs and they got completely fried!  Ouch!  Even though it kind of hurts to move my legs, I was signed up for another 5k this morning, so I sucked it up and ran.  I, once again, felt like I wasn't going to make it, but I did.  I ran the whole time, sunburned legs (and one ear bud not working) and all!  When I crossed the finish line, the official clock said 33:41, which is a minute and 10 seconds faster than my 5k last month.  The people standing at the finish line asked me how old I am, I said 32, they said "well look at you, you're first place in your age group" and handed me this:

Pretty decent!  There must not have been many others competing in my group. ;)

Today is also my oldest daughter's 15th birthday!  Unbelievable!  Here is me and my "baby" girl tonight after her birthday dinner:

HRM

I have become a little obsessed with the whole calorie thing.  I want to know the exact number of calories in the food I'm eating and the exact number of calories I burn.  I know it's pretty much impossible to get exact numbers for both, but a close-enough estimate is good.  The way I have been tracking the calories I burn is by using a heart rate monitor that I wear during exercise.  However, after a month or so of using it, it started acting really dumb.  It would say my HR was 00, would say I needed to check the HR transmitter, or would just get stuck.  For example, it would monitor my HR as 140, but then there would be no fluctuation in the number and would even stay at 140 when I stopped.  Sometimes it will even throw a number at me like 275 when obviously, my HR was nowhere near that.

My point is, it thoroughly pisses me off when these things happen. I know it shouldn't, and I can get a fairly good estimate of how much I burned other ways, but I've really come to rely on this, perhaps a little too much. It actually went quite a while where it seemed to be working as it should.  However, as of the past week or so, it has started acting up again.  I'm going to take it to get the batteries replaced and see if that helps.  If not, it is time for a new one!

Got the leash!

I finally decided on a hands-free leash. I got the khaki color, which looks kind of green to me in the picture, but it is more of a khaki color. I've been able to use it a couple of times now and I've found that I actually prefer it when Bella runs ahead of me and pulls me a little bit.  Makes it easier on me! ;)

I also got some new running shoes:

Image retrieved from: http://www.sport-seasons.com/Womens-Nike-Dual-Fusion-ST-2/PAMIABKDMFOBFCKB/product

They are Nike Dual Fusion ST2.  I love the color and they're really comfortable too!

What?!

One of the benefits of facebook is reconnecting with old friends.  Oh, and having those friends remind you that it was 14 years ago today that you graduated from high school.  Ouch. 

Take me out to the baallll gaaaame...

 It was a good night for some baseball.  My son is doing much better this year and is actually getting pretty good at batting.  He still has some work to do with paying attention in the outfield, but compared to how he played last year (he wasn't really interested) he's doing 100 times better this year already!  Here is a short video of him hitting tonight:


My younger daughter is playing softball again this year, too.  She expressed interest in pitching and has been working on it.  Tonight, she got to pitch in a game for the first time.  She did very well.  She struck out 2 players, and didn't walk anyone!  She also fielded a ball hit back to her to get the girl out at first.  Here are a couple of pics from her game tonight:


On Base

I wasn't able to get a clear picture of her pitching.  This was the best I could get:

Summer is almost here!

Last night was the last high school choir concert of the year for my oldest.  My younger daughter is on her way to 6th grade camp this morning, and tonight is the first baseball game of the season for my son.  The kids have 10 school days left this year, including today. 

In a way, I'm really bummed that I can't find a friggin' job to save my life, but on the other hand, I am glad to be able to stay home with my babies.  It comes in handy on days like today, when my daughter called to say she forgot her water bottle for camp, and I had to take it to her.  Even if I felt a little annoyed that I had to get dressed and leave my coffee...I'm glad I was available to take it to her. 

Race Day

Today was the Race for the Cure 5K.  The serious runners (with chips for timing) started first.  Once they were all on their way, they brought up the people running for fun (my group), then the walkers.  The official time started with the serious runners, so my time is based off my heart rate monitor, which I pressed start on as I crossed the starting line.  I ended up jogging the entire time.  I never expected to be able to do that!  Honestly, even this morning, I assumed I would be stopping to take at least a few short walk breaks.

My oldest daughter stayed with me for the first 15 minutes or so, then she walked for a few and I didn't see her again until the end. She came in about 5 minutes behind me.  My time on the "official" time clock was 40:17 as I crossed the finish line, however as I said, that clock started with the first group of runners.  My time, according to my HRM was 34:51.  What?!  That was not only my fastest 5K to date (AND outside, at that!) but my run keeper app on my phone said the distance I went was 3.4 miles.  So, something wasn't 100% accurate there, but close enough, I guess. 

All in all, I'm feeling really good about this race! :)

Screw it

I have attempted to blog numerous times this week without success.  Just tonight, I have spent the past 15 minutes attempting to formulate a complete thought.  My brain just does not seem to be working this week for some reason.  So, I'm giving up.  This is my post. Goodnight!

Dog stuff

I am in search of a new dog food.  Currently, I feed them the Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain Formula.  Recently, however, they have both become seemingly very uninterested in eating it.  When it comes time for them to eat, they will just kind of stare at it, especially Bella.  For the past 3 days, she has only eaten a little bit of her food, even leaving it down all evening.  She will repeatedly go to her bowl like she is looking for food, sniff at it, then turn and walk away from it.  She eventually will eat it the next morning, probably because she's just so hungry.  (However, there is a fairly obvious reason I feed them in the evenings and not in the mornings. Food = poop, and I don't always have time to stick around long enough for them to go before I have to leave.)  I think maybe they're just getting tired of eating the same thing all the time??  I don't know.

So this, combined with the big Diamond recall (I have verified that the bag I have is not included in this), I think it may be time to search for something different.  I like the idea of  grain-free and not loaded with fillers for them.  Foods with fillers require them to eat more (and poop more - which they do enough of already).  It kind of saddens me, as it took me quite a while to decide on TOTW in the first place.  Now, it's back to researching dog foods. :(

I also decided that I really need something like this:


picture retrieved from: http://www.maxandzoey.com/all-products/nylon-hands-free-leash.html

I have seen people in my neighborhood using these and I really think it would be helpful to not have to hold on to her big retractable leash handle while jogging.  I just hope that it would not make it easier for her to pull me. :) 

Tired!

I am so not feeling being awake today.  I am dragging and I have a headache.  Today is my day to help out in my son's classroom and I have been there all morning.  I came home to grab some lunch and let the pups out for a bit.  I am getting ready to head back to the school for the afternoon then I need to hit the gym and/or walk/jog with Bella and work on my assignments for school that are due this weekend (one by tonight) that I've barely started on. Ugh...I'm not gonna lie, I am counting down the minutes until bed time tonight!

Down 60 and still going

I have been hanging out at around 60 lbs lost for a few weeks now.  I think I'm stuck.  It's frustrating because I still feel like I'm working like crazy to lose weight.  I'm working out in some form 5-6 times a week, still counting every calorie, and it absolutely drives me crazy when I hit a plateau.  Sometimes it makes me wonder why I'm still trying, but when I see a picture of what I looked like 60 lbs ago, I'm instantly reminded why I keep trying. 

This weekend, I tried on a pair of shorts that I wore last summer that were actually a bit snug on me then.  They literally fell right off!  That is also a fantastic motivator!  I decided to pull all the clothes out of my closet that no longer fit me.  As a result, my closet is looking rather bare, but I'm okay with it because all of those clothes are too big!



And me in my shorts from last summer:

(Please ignore my shiny face and limp hair.  This was taken post work out, pre-shower.)

I still have more weight to lose, and I have a lot of toning to do and it's easy to get caught up on how far I still have to go and to get frustrated when the number stops going down on the scale for longer than I'd like, but it's good to be able to look at how far I've come.  It keeps me going.

Zoo!

Today, I took my son, my younger daughter, and one of her friends to the zoo. We had a pretty good time.  Here are some of the pics I took:








Then, this evening, while my daughter was at softball practice, I walked/jogged 3 times with Bella around the 1 mile loop that surrounds the park she practices at.  Not a bad day!

Eight!

My baby turned 8 today!  He's growing up too fast! :(  He chose Buffalo Wild Wings for his birthday dinner, but was quite upset that they had remodeled. 

Me and my birthday boy!


Seems like he should still be about this size:

Happy Birthday, little man!

A few pics

Yesterday, I took Bella to the vet for a check up and some vaccines.  Here she is as we were checking out:


Then, I took Molly for a walk.  She always looks up at me when I walk her with what looks like a huge smile on her face.  It cracks me up!


Here's my baby girl on her way to a school dance tonight:


And here are my other two babies taken just a few minutes ago:

Awwwwww!

Getting there!

This long week is half over!  Tomorrow will be a pretty busy day.  I need to work on my paper, take Bella to the vet, my son to the dentist, and my daughter to her class at the YMCA.  Then, Friday, I'll be volunteering in my son's class all day. Of course, I have to take a kid to a birthday party on the other side of town on Saturday, but I'm hoping to maybe do some shopping while I'm out there and buy a new purse!  That always makes me feel better. ;-)

Today, I worked 3 hours this morning then came home and attempted to jog around my neighborhood with Bella.  I always do this and somehow think it'll be better each time.  Sometimes, it goes okay, but today I gave up on trying to make a good time after three, yes THREE, stops for Bella to poop (btw, she always just stops abruptly, too, leaving me to jerk my shoulder out of socket on the other end of the leash) and 2 stops to tie my shoes.  It is hard enough trying to jog with that dog as it is, let alone while also carrying multiple bags of dog crap.  She can't run in a straight line beside me for anything!  She will cut in front of me or bump into my leg.  I don't know how many times I've almost face planted!

I never seem to learn though.  I just feel too guilty to go out to walk or jog without taking her because I know she needs the exercise too.  And if she sees me getting ready, she goes to the front door all excited to go.  If nothing else, it gives the neighbors something to laugh at. :)

I did, however, jog the track at the gym yesterday as opposed to the treadmill.  I didn't have an exact time, but I came in somewhere between 38-39 minutes on my 5K.  Not great, but not terrible considering my fastest time on the treadmill to date is 37:41.  I can only get better, right?

Compliments

So, this older lady that I worked with yesterday couldn't believe that I have a teenager.  She said that I don't look more than about 22 myself.  (Ha!) Then, today, I ran into a guy I went to high school with who works at the company I was at.  He posted on my fb tonight that I "haven't changed a bit & still look fantastic". 

It's kind of crazy.  I'm not used to getting a lot of compliments, but it's nice to hear sometimes...even if they are a bit of a stretch!. ;)

Busy week

I have a few of events to work this week. (Yay, money!)  Today's event is from 11-6, so that will be decent, but tomorrow and Wednesday, they're just from 7:30-10:30 am.  It's ok though.  The problem comes with the fact that I will have to leave my house by 7 am and P will be out of town.   My oldest daughter leaves at 6:45 am, so that leaves my younger 2 to get themselves ready and on the bus 2 mornings in a row.  It always seems to work out this way when I have early events.  Fortunately, my 12 year old daughter is pretty responsible and is good at getting herself and her bother ready.  Good news is that the early events are at my "close" to home  location and bonus....they have their own Starbucks! :)

Then, on Wednesday evening, my son has his first baseball practice of the season.  Thursday evening, my younger daughter has her first iron teens class at the YMCA.  This is a 7 week class for kids 9+ to learn how to use all of the work out equipment in the gym.  After they've taken the classes, they are allowed to use the gym equipment with an accompanying adult.  She's looking forward to that.

I also need to get invitations out for my son's birthday party at the end of this month.  Better late than never, right?  Oh yeah, and I have to write a paper for school on how the ONC-Coordinated Federal Health Information Technology Strategic Plan is being implemented at my place of employment and include an analysis of my health care facility's plan, progress on this initiative in my health care facility, and my analysis of perceived challenges to patient confidentiality and patient self-determination.  Did I mention I don't work for a health care facility?  I do contract work on a per diem basis as a third party to insurance companies.  Soooo, I'm either going to have to make crap up, or hope that my teacher will alter the assignment for me.  Sigh. :/

Pity Party

I am SO very much hating my life right now.  I hate school.  I hate taking up a majority of my waking hours working on school.  I just found out today that it is going to take me longer than I'd originally anticipated to complete my bachelor's degree because I am going to have to repeat a few courses that did not transfer over from my ADN program.  I was originally thinking/hoping that I could get this done in a year, maybe 18 months max.  Now, I am looking at a minimum of 2 years.  So, it's 6 more months...big deal!  Right?  Well, right now I basically feel like I will never get this done.  I get to look forward to lots of BS dealing with financial aid for multiple schools, transferring credits from school to school, taking multiple classes at a time, and hating my life for the next 2+ years.  I just want to be done!

To top it off, I'm second guessing whether nursing is the right career for me after all.  However, at this point, I feel pretty much stuck with it.  After spending 3 years in school full time and accumulating tens of thousands of dollars in student loans, I don't have a choice now but to ride this out and finish what I started.  To find a job in a field that I might not have much interest in anymore, and deal with it for the next 30+ years until I can retire.  I basically cannot just give up now or all that time, money, sweat, and tears would be a complete waste! 

So yeah, I'm having a little pity party for myself. But it's my blog and I can do that here if I want. :P  Okay, enough of that.  Back to the books... :(

APA can KMA!

I hate writing.  HATE it!  I suck at it.  I really, really do.  Unfortunately, that is basically all this bachelor's completion program is.  Writing papers, writing threads on discussion boards, replying to other people's threads on discussion boards.  All of which have to include several references and be written in APA format, of course.  Ugggghh!  I hate this soooo much!  This might be easy for some people, but I have never been good at writing papers.  It literally makes me cry.  :'( 

On a brighter note, my 5K time today was 38:02.  I walked the first .09 miles then started in at 4.8 for  a few then bumped to 4.9 shortly then went to 5.0 and stayed there for the rest.  I hit 3.1 at that time, but then kept jogging to 3.19 just so I could say I jogged an entire 3.1. ;)  But, since I didn't notice what time it was when I started jogging, I just took the first 3.1 as my time.

I don't get it...

Yesterday at the gym, I jogged/walked a 5K in 39:09.  Not too bad of an improvement from 40:45 on my last attempt (on a treadmill).  What I can't understand is how drastically different it is, at least for me, to jog outside.  I understand that the treadmill is easier.  Obviously the "ground" is moving to help you along on a treadmill, plus there's the whole shock absorption thing they offer (and the nicer the treadmill, the easier it seems to be). 

For instance, my treadmill at home is not as high in quality as the gym treadmills, and jogging on it is quite a bit harder for me than at the gym.  Where I regularly jog 2 straight miles on a gym treadmill, I can barely make it a mile on my treadmill at home without feeling like I'm going to die.  And outside, well, I'm dying by the end of my street!  Seriously, I understand that it would be easier on a treadmill, but those are some major differences there!  I just don't get it. 

Getting my 5K on

I am by no means a runner.  However, as I've mentioned, I recently took up a little jogging.  It's not fast, though my speed is increasing verrry slowly.  I started out at a light jog between 4.3 and 4.5 mph.  Yes, that is a jog for me.  If that's a walk for you then shuttie, it's probably because you have longer legs than I do. :P

I have not been able to go to the gym 5-6 times a week, as I had been doing, due to starting back up with my schooling (sigh, that's a whole other story...I'm officially back to hating life).  I have made it to the gym more like 3 times a week.  So, not to make excuses, but that's why my progress is perhaps slower than it could be.  I try to walk on most of my non-gym days, but that doesn't really help my progress as far as jogging goes.

For the past week or two, I have been jogging at an average of 4.7 mph.  Yes, still slow, but an improvement, nonetheless.  My breakdown for today's jog is as follows (my stated distances are per the treadmill):

Walk at 3.8 mph until .05 miles to warm up
Jog at 4.7 mph for 2 miles
Walk at 3.8 mph for .2 miles
Jog at 4.7 for .25 miles  (blah)
Walk at 3.8 mph for .15 miles
Jog at 4.8 mph, and raising to 5.0 mph for .6 miles
Walk at 3.5 and slowly decreasing speed for .15 miles

So, I went a total distance of 3.4 miles in under 45 minutes.  My time at 3.1 miles (5K) was 40:45.  That is a totally sucky number for a 5K, especially on a treadmill.  But ya know what?  I'll take it.  For now.  Mainly because that is, by far, my best time. Not to mention that is something I would not have been able to do 57 lbs ago! Now I just need to work on improving that time, and perhaps more importantly, working on it on pavement so I have a shot at not making a complete fool of myself next month at the Race for the Cure!

Ah, new baby smell!

I took my kiddos over to visit with their cousins today and see the new baby.  We took over some pizza and just hung out for a few hours. 

Here are a few pics I got (btw, today is not a good hair day!) :






Cousins!

Birthdays

Yesterday would have been my mom's 54th birthday.  It's hard to believe she's been gone over 8 years now!  I still miss her every day. 

However, there was happiness yesterday because my new little niece came into the world!  After 3 boys, my bro and SIL got their little girl!  I got to see her in the nursery last night and watch her get her first bath. :)  Can't wait to take over some pizza on Sunday and get my hands on her and breathe in that new baby smell!!!!



Welcome to the world, baby girl!

Not my day

The day started out alright.  Then, when I got to my car after working this morning, I noticed a scratch along the side about 8-10 inches long.  I don't know if it happened while I was inside, or sometime in the past and I just didn't see it until today.  It's quite possible that it happened in my own garage or driveway with my kids (and their friends) constantly in and out with their bikes.



I stopped at a local body shop on my way home to get a quick estimate for the damage.  Looks like it's going to cost about $225 to fix.  Grrr!  I'm really not happy about that!  There's no way to know how it got there, either.  If it was another car, they're long gone.  If it was one of my kids, there's no way any of them would admit to it.  Either way, I'm just going to have to pay to get it fixed.

Then, as I was driving home on this lovely warm spring day, I stopped to get a lemonade from McDonalds.  Unfortunately, after pulling out onto the street, I took a drink and realized it was majorly watered down and not very lemony at all. :(  Sigh.  I was really wanting me some lemonade!

On top of that, after working out and showering and still in my undies, I opened my bedroom door to ask my oldest if she was getting ready for her orthodontist appointment, and my younger daughter and her friend were standing at the top of the stairs (which just so happens to be right outside my bedroom door...).  I just love having house guests that I don't know are here.

And now, my stomach hurts.  I just want to go lay down in bed and hope tomorrow will be a much better day!

Work

I've got a decent amount of events to work this week and next.  Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, both this week and next, I'll be at the same place I've been working events the last couple of weeks.  I like this location because it's fairly close to home.  Not to mention it starts at 7:30 as opposed to 7:00. :)  I'll take an extra 30 minutes of sleep any day!  On Wednesday next week, I actually have a second event to work in the afternoon from 2-6 pm.  That will be a nice long day.  I'm not complaining though.  It's decent money and it's so easy!  Bring it!

2 Miles

While I was jogging at the gym yesterday, I got to a mile and thought I should keep going to 1.5 miles.  I'd done that once before but I have just been stopping at 1.  So I did.  When I got there I figured I could keep going so I went for 2.  And, I did it!  Woot!  That was the first time in my LIFE I've jogged 2 miles without stopping.  Maybe that's not a big deal for a lot of people but, for me, it's pretty big.  AND, I did it again today. :)

On another note, I got some new flip flops on Saturday.  It has been awesome flip flop weather lately and I needed a new pair.  The only bad thing about new flip flops is breaking them in.  The tops of my poor feet were all marked up by yesterday afternoon:
 

 They are gel filled on the soles, so once they're broken in they should be nice and comfy!

Frustrated

I would really love to be able to find a real job.  The events that I'm working are okay, it's definitely easy money.  But, they are not reliable.  I will go weeks, at times, between working them.  And recently, several of the events I'm scheduled to work end up getting "decreased" at the last minute and I'm "not needed".  This has happened at least 3 or 4 times now, including one day last week, and today.  I am still scheduled, as of now, to work tomorrow and Wednesday.  Assuming they don't decrease the staffing between now and then.  They already decreased the time by an hour.  Ugh.

It's not for lack of trying though.  I submit resumes and applications several times per week to hospitals, doctor's offices, home health companies, anything I can find.  In the past 5 months, since passing my RN boards, I've been on one interview (just a few weeks ago).  Although that interview went well, the doctor ended up choosing a nurse with 35 years of experience.  I can't compete with that!

Some days I'm fine with it, other days I get a bit frustrated that I can't find anything and worry that the longer it takes, the harder it will be to find something.  I don't know.  Oh well, I guess I'll just do my thing and keep waiting it out.  I start classes for my bachelor's completion program at the end of this month through OU.  Maybe that will help...

Yummy snack!

 
A naval orange and a bosc pear.  I was very hungry.  Now I'm not. :)

Yay me!

Last week I was finally able to start jogging a little bit again.  I hadn't really been doing a whole lot of jogging, but I would now and then.  After spraining my ankle last month, I hadn't been able to jog.  Today, after 30 minutes on the elliptical, I actually jogged an entire mile without stopping.  That's kind of a big deal for me.  I haven't jogged a straight mile since probably my freshman year of high school!  That's not all though. I could have gone longer if I'd pushed myself, but I took a break and walked 0.4 miles then jogged another 0.6.  That's crazy!  Sure, I wasn't sprinting or anything. I was jogging rather slowly, but jogging nonetheless. Woohoo!

New specs

My new glasses finally came in.  I hate waiting!  That's why I usually go to Lens Crafters and get them in an hour.  But, I decided to go to a local eye doctor that is in network with my insurance and save a little money, even if it meant having to wait a week for them to come in.  So, I just picked them up.  For some reason, the contacts I ordered at the same time (that usually come in within a day or 2) are still not in.  Methinks someone may have forgotten to order them.  Good thing I still have some.  They also didn't have a case for my new glasses and I'll have to pick one up next time.  Sigh.  Anyway, here they are:



And the side:


Like I said before, aside from the decorative earpieces, they are very similar to my previous glasses in shape and the main color is brown as opposed to "cranberry".  Apparently my prescription in my right eye changed slightly, so it will take a couple of days to get used to the new strength...

Ew, snot!

I have a head cold.  Blah!  I have felt slightly congested for a while, but last night my nose started running.  It wouldn't stop no matter how many times I blew my nose and I still feel congested.  I actually had to sleep with a tissue stuffed up my nose to keep it from dripping out all over my pillow.  I know...super sexy! 

On a positive note, I had an eye appointment yesterday and ordered some new contacts and glasses.  I like my current glasses, but they are 2 years old and have had a nice scratch across one of the lenses for a year now, and I recently cracked an earpiece.  So, it was time for new ones.  The frames I picked out are similar to the ones I have, but slightly different.  Here is a pic I found online of them (or some that are very close):