Ok, so I really want to get back into blogging. It's a very satisfying hobby for me...

Anyways, so in the past year since I wrote, a few things have changed, but nothing too major. I still am just doing school (working towards a nursing degree) and working. I applied for UVU's nursing program last fall but I didn't make it because they changed the requirements while I was in the midst of taking them so basically, my grades weren't high enough to even apply. Part of the requirement changes also made it so you can only retake each prereq twice within a 5 year period. I found this out when I was in the middle of retaking a class... So yeah, I'm ineligible to retake anything for 5 years, which means 5+ years before I could even reapply. Kind of cold of UVU to do that. Anyway, I still really want to be a nurse so now I'm trying to get into Provo College's nursing program. I'm retaking Anatomy to get a more competitive grade at Provo College (where the course is MUCH easier) while finishing an associates Degree at UVU (just because I'm so close and I may as well have it).

Wow, that last paragraph makes me sound really dumb... I'm not a horrible student and my grades range from decent Bs to good As but it's the few Cs in the really hardcore science classes that burned me.  Ah well, I will get where I want to be.

Yup, not too much has changed...

Over the last year I've had a lot of fun. I've hung out with lots of cool people, seen lots of awesome theatre, acted in Singin' in the Rain and had a fabulous time, took a trip to Colorado (so cool), hiked Timp (that was a feat), adopted a new kitten (named Mr. Henry), and many more awesome things. Life can be so much fun.

Anyway, we'll call that a decent update. Hopefully I will blog more often so I can stop doing these lame entries. :)

Update on my Life

Oh my land! I've missed LiveJournal so much!

So, I quit pretty much everything because of Anatomy and Micro last semester.  I went through with quitting at the nursing home, and my grades improved because of it.  But I have missed my residents/taking care of people so much.  Even now that it's been four months.  I also quit voice lessons and avoided auditioning for any shows because of school (both of which I will eventually begin again).  So, now that that semester from you-know-where is over, my schedule is so empty.  I am only taking one class (plus institute) and working only one job.  It's so nice but sometimes frustrating because I feel most alive when I'm busy.

My average week goes something like this:
Monday through Thursday: I get up around 9 AM and study and watch TV for a few hours.  In the afternoon, I go to a couple hours of school and then do whatever I want for the rest of the day.  I hit the sack around midnight.
Friday through Sunday: I usually work 7-3:30 everyday, with the exception of Sunday.  Sometimes I work, and sometimes I have it off to go to church and whatnot.

I must admit, this schedule is pretty sweet.  But I really wish I had a second job so I could earn more money.  I could pick up more hours at the hospital, but housekeeping is really starting to drive me NUTS.  I can only handle it so much in a week.  Not to mention, having two jobs keeps me from getting bored and also makes it seem as if I am working much less than I really am.  I have some debt plus I know that once I get into the nursing program, it's going to be very hard to put in many hours at a job.  I need to have something saved!

So yup, that's pretty much the essence of my life.  If anyone knows of any good job openings around, let me know.  :)

Update

Our house is getting close to finished with it's remodel.  I know I should have posted something between the fire and the present, but I obviously didn't get around to it...  So much has been done to our house.   A cleaning crew packed out all of our stuff to be cleaned and "O-Zoned".  Electricians rewired everything and we now have ceiling fans in every room and much needed additional outlets and switches.  We've had our old insulation sucked out and new blown in, a completely new roof put on, all new paint, and many more minor replacements/repairs.  Just over the weekend, we had our dining room, bathroom, kitchen, and a small area for the front entryway tiled.  (That was a challenge, you see, we couldn't walk on the tile for at least 12 hours, so, to get to the bathroom I had to enter via window.)  Tomorrow, carpeters are coming and so besides minor things, we can sort of move in.  The frustrating thing is none of our belongings have been cleaned yet because the insurance company has not paid the crews... Hopefully soon.  We have what we need to survive (and we at least got our computer cleaned) but we don't have much in the way of furnishings or clothing (including our winter coats).

After the fire, we lived in hotels for about three weeks and then "officially" moved into my grandma's house.  The insurance gave us money for rent so that was nice.  Although we have my grandma's house as a place to stay, most of my family usually stays in mine and Janessa garage bedroom.  (Yikes, it gets packed when all of us happen to be here.)  Usually, Janessa stays at her friends, and Clint also goes to a friend's house a lot.  I have spent the most time at my grandma's, going whenever I have a large enough relief from my busy schedule.  But yes, the house is looking amazing.  We've gotten a much needed remodel, all paid for by insurance.  (It hasn't come without it's pains though, but it'll be worth it.)

As far as school goes, I am currently taking Anatomy and Microbiology.  They are both hard classes, but Anatomy is insane.  It's very rigorous and the classes combined are eating up most of my time.  Because of time restraints, I am quitting my job at the nursing home (my last day is Friday) so I'll only have one job (at the hospital).  It's not like I work full time at both (not even close) but both jobs were getting a little annoyed by how little I was able to pick up shifts for them (mostly the hospital).  So, rather than lose what I've worked so hard for at the hospital (my  "foot in the door"), I'm quitting at the nursing home.  I'm going to miss the sweet sweet residents that I get to care for.  I've become so attached to some of them.  But I won't miss all the hard work, stress, and the overall fact that the nursing home is a poor employer.  I always feel like they're cheating me on my check and they have little regard towards me as a person.  So, it's bittersweet.

Update

The past week has been crazy!  First of all, on Tuesday (July 1st) there was a fire in our home.  Basically, it never really caught flame, it just smoldered (so I guess it's not really a fire).  Our whole family smelled smoke the day before and all night long, but just assumed it was one of the many wild fires that are burning nearby.  Early on Tuesday morning, my dad was watching the news to find out where the fire was (it had to be close, after all, it was getting hard to breathe within our home) but nothing was being reported.  Finally, he went out and looked at our house.  After a good inspection, he saw a thin stream of smoke pouring out of the backside of our roof.  He evacuated and called 911.  Janessa and I were woken after emergency personnel had already arrived--to my dad and cop in our room.  Yeah, pretty exciting way to wake up.
So, for the next few hours, we sat out on the sidewalk and watched as firefighters went in and out.  When they were through, we discovered that they had put out the fire by simply cutting out the rafters.  Very little water was used so there wasn't much water damage to worry about.  However, there's lots of smoke damage.  They used fans at the entrances to circulate or something, and it blew soot everywhere, clear back to the most rear window sill.  The fire occurred above the living room, and surprisingly, very few things were destroyed.  The piano and the china hutch that my dad built were totally fine.  However, we will need to replace our couch and carpet (which probably needed it anyway and now we'll get insurance to cover it :). )  Also, all life was saved too.  Our cats ran out and the firefighter carried out our aquarium.  (I guess a few spiders may have died though...)
So, the long and short of it is, we are now living in a motel and looking for a house to rent while necessary repairs are made. 

Oh yeah, we took some cool pictures which will eventually be posted on Facebook. It's kind of hard without a computer (I'm posting this from the library).

Random

Cummon Dad!  Let me play Guitar Hero!  Just think how you would feel if you were one of those concert goers and the concert had to be canceled because the lead guitarist's dad made her clean the table...

I wrote this paper on euthanasia for my Ethics and Values class and I let my dad read it.  Now he's been ranting for like an hour (and it doesn't look like he'll shut up any time soon) about how good it is and how I can make it newspaper worthy (he believes the newspaper is the highest form literature).  It's so frustrating because I have another paper to write for English...due today too...  Maybe I'll post the euthanasia paper up her later if I feel like it.

On Saturday morning I had rehearsal at 10 AM.  I set my alarm for 9 AM but didn't even wake up until 10:30   So I slept through my alarm for an hour and a half... I got up and called the director and he wasn't mad.  I got ready as quickly as I could.  On the way there though, I was digging through my bag to see if I'd remembered my waterbottle.  I was stopped at a red light and the car in front of me moved forward so I followed and then started digging in my bag.  I guess he stopped sooner than I thought and I bumped into him.  I have no idea what to do in the case of an accident, so I just got out when he did.  There were a few marks on his bumper but nothing was really hurt and he let me go.  Whew.  I really felt so bad (and dumb) though.

I was at rehearsal when my sister called and began our conversation with "the police are looking for you."  She was joking, but she did know about  the accident.  You wanna know how? My old young woman leader I guess saw me and called and left a message on our machine.  BUSTED!  I'm just glad it wasn't a big deal.  I only got a little mini-lecture from my dad.

Oh yeah, that reminds me, they have changed my role in A Wonderful Life.  I am now Dorothy, the person who marries Sam Wainwright.  I'm kind of shaken up by the fact that they are changing my roles, but the person to be Dorothy quit the show.  But I think I would rather be Dorothy anyway so I'm excited.  Although I still do not have a script...

Update

School:

My classes are going well, I mean, it's still school, but for school, they are going well.  I keep doing really well on tests and I don't know where it comes from because I do not exert myself or study nearly as much as I should, yet I continue to get As on tests.  Works for me.  It makes me wonder what I could do if I tried even harder though.  Nessa says I would actually do worse... Could be, could be.  And that prediction provides a good excuse to study less often... *evil grin*

The FAFSA went through, but I still have to get it cleared through UVSC.  The final tuition due date came though, and my mom paid the tuition for me.  Now I've got to finalize that FAFSA so I can pay back my mom.  I hope it works out.

I am basically done with my CNA class now, at least the classroom portion.  For the next few weeks, I will be doing various clinicals, and at the beginning of November, taking my final.  I like doing the clinicals because I am learning a lot.

Work:

It's pretty much the same old, same old.  I still only work one or two days a week, and I'm sure this average will go down even furthur since I've gotten myself involved in another show.  I discovered that for tuition reimbursement, I need to work at least 3 shifts per week, so I'm trying to work on that.  Hopefully, the FAFSA will come through and  then I won't have to worry about getting that average until the next school year.  I also hope that I'll be able to get promoted and work full time as a PCT so I can get my hours up.  Hopefully they don't average from the beginning or that could be difficult...

My biggest problem at work is that I am SO shy.  The best way to get a CNA job is to make friends with the nurses, but talking to people can sometimes be really hard for me.  I'm working on it and I'm gradually getting to know more and more people. 

Theatre:

Last week Crystal and I auditioned for A Wonderful Life.  She was sick during the whole audition/call-back process, so it was a little difficult.  But Adam really wanted her to be Zuzu again so it took a little convincing.  But now that she is feeling better, it's a lot easier and I think she'll be OK with doing the show.  As for me, I got the part of Ruth Reynolds Bailey.  My character marries Harry, George's brother.  I have a few lines when Harry introduces me to his family, and one line in the finale scene.  It's going a be a lot of fun and I hope that I can pick up a few other random parts because there are some good ones.  Last year, Karen, who played Ruth, portrayed her as kind of ditsy and I'm trying to see if there's a way that I could play her otherwise, but she does kind of seem ditsy according to the script, and it's hard to get past what I've already seen done a hundred times.  I am so glad though that we are having rehearsals at Center Street Musical Theatre all the way up until nearly the time that we open.  That is going to save me so much time and so much money because the Provo theatre is only like 2 minutes from my house, versus the 15-20 that it takes to get to the Springville theatre.