Snow Days

I hardly ever look at the forecast. I just check my weather channel iPhone app when I wake up on weekday mornings so I'll know how to dress for work. Well, Monday morning I woke up to a major surprise. It had snowed! My first thought was, "SH*T!" I did not want to miss work. When it had iced the week before, I missed a day and my nazi of a boss wouldn't let me use vacation time to make up lost hours. So, when I woke up Monday morning and saw the snow I knew that I would have to drive in it. NOT FUN. I got to work at 7 am with no troubles. Out of pure defiance I didn't do any work. I did on algebra and played on facebook. TAKE THAT ATTENDANCE NAZIS! After a while I looked out the window and noticed that the snow was POURING down (is that the right verb?).

View from my office

HUGE flakes. It was so pretty, but I couldn't appreciate it because I knew it would only make my drive home worse. Boo snow! Then my coworker, Jamie, came in and asked me to go play outside with her. I put aside my anger at the snow and we ran downstairs.

Right outside my building

We measured the snow. 2 inches at that point.

Then we snapped a pic of us being retarded. Fun times!

We ran back inside only to discover that it was lunch time. We put off work further to go stuff our faces. Woot! Then Jamie discovered a loophole in the inclement weather policy and we all rejoiced that we would soon be able to go home...after we ate, of course. We went got back to the office, we heard that UAMS decided to have mercy on us and said we could leave. TTL! I was so happy! Until I got to my car and the stress began. I made it out of the parking deck only to get stuck on a hill...twice! I thought I'd burn my motor up trying to get up that hill. ANGER! Then there was someone blocking my entrance to the interstate. I had to wait for about 10 minutes before that was cleared up. I don't know what my hurry was... I proceeded to sit on the interstate for 2 1/2 hours! I literally rode in 1st gear almost the entire way home! My blood pressure was so high and my bladder was so full. To top it all off, I had forgotten my ipod, so I only had the radio and Blueprint III cd to keep me company. Misery! I finally made it onto Hwy 67/167 and kicked it into high gear (3rd...ugh) and passed those slow bitches that were about to make me pee on myself. I finally made it home w/o killing myself or peeing on myself. SUCCESS!

By home, I mean the home where I was house sitting/dog sitting. When I got there, I had to trek up a steep hill through about 3-4 inches of snow. Remember earlier when I mentioned that I didn't normally look at the forecasts? Well, that means I didn't know snow was coming and I didn't pack proper snow atire. So, I'm trekking up this hill through the snow in my tennis shoes. My the time I made it up the hill, my pants, shoes and socks were SOAKED. Awesome. And THEN I found out that the snow had made tree branches fall in the back yard. One of the branches took out part of the fence. Great. I have four dogs that need to go out. UGH!!! I HATE WINTER! Thankfully, it was the fence separating my backyard from the neighbor's back yard. The neighbor was super nice and said he didn't mind if the dogs wandered over there. He made sure his gates were closed. Whew! Crisis averted. I changed clothes, let the dogs out and then took a minute to pause and appreciate the pretty, white snow. SIKE! It sure would've been nice if I hadn't been afraid of the UAMS attendance nazis, then I might've stayed home and have been able to appreciate the beauty of the snow. But, no. Because I had wasted the whole day at work, I had missed out on the fun stuff. By this time it was pouring rain and was ruining the pretty snow. UGH! I HATE WINTER!!!!!

View from the front porch

View from the back door (the fence to the right was knocked down)

Sam LOVES the snow. He frolicked around the backyard with the other dogs.

Since his face is squished, when he'd put his face down to lick or sniff, he'd come up with a face full of snow. CUTE!

So, that's my overly dramatic telling of my snow day. Hope you enjoyed. I actually missed work today. My boss took pity on us and allowed us to use a vacation day today. I have no idea what changed her mind, but believe me...I know it pained her to say that. You could tell by the look on her face. Anyhoo...I woke up early and called all my patients to cancel clinic (they weren't coming anyway) and then went back to bed. Yippee! I slept til noon and then cleaned up the house. I packed up our stuff and then we were on the road by 2:00. HOME SWEET HOME!

On a different note...On Friday night, Rach and I saw Dear John. We mainly went because Rach LOVES Channing Tatum. My advice to you: wait for DVD. It's not a bad movie. It's just not a movie you should rush to the theater to see.

Okay. That's all folks.

Work...

We had a wedding shower for one of our girls last night. I took some pics and thought I'd show off our team.

This is Kristina, the guest of honor. She's the newest Liver Transplant Coord. She's a Godsend! I wish I could clone her!

Seth - PharmD, Karen - Social Worker, Valerie - Kidney Program Coord, Denise - Liver Financial Coord., Sona - Adm Assit.

The crazy hostess! She's sooooo wild and I love her! This is Paula - In patient nurse coord.

Sue, my supervisor. She's a kidney transplant coord. I love this pic cause she's kicked back and chillaxin'! =) She's British and says cute things like "trousers" and "queue".

Cake!

Food!

Prezzies! This is Kristina with my "classy" gift. Margarita set. I even threw in the tequila, mixer and salt. I was a little embarrased because everyone else got her something nice. But...who cares! My prezzie was fun. =)

Love this pic. Paula in the middle is telling a ridiculously dirty story and Sue is dying laughing. That's Fadelle on the far left. She's another kidney transplant coord. She's our mother hen.

Pals!

Not Very Exciting Update on My Life...

Life has been hectic the last couple of months. The day after my friend, Ashley's, funeral I got a call from work asking me not to come back for a while. They put me on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. WHAT?! I'm not going to go into the investigation, but I was cleared (Cause I'd done nothing wrong!!). Two other members of my team were not so lucky. Now we're too people short and work is SUCKING. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude though.

So, back when I was on admin leave I came up with Plan B and I've been trying to make Plan B happen. I've found a roommate. She's actually looking to buy a house in Arkadelphia right now. Or build. Either way, I'll have a decent place for Sam and I to live. I've applied for several jobs in Arkadelphia...the hospital, state jobs, admin jobs and jobs at HSU. It would be ideal if I could get a job at HSU so I could save myself money on tuition. So far, I haven't heard ANYTHING on the jobs. I'm starting to get a little nervous. I have to move out of my current house by August. Deadlines are good and bad for me. They're good b/c they actually make me get my arse moving, but they're bad b/c they give me such stress! I haven't been handling stress well lately.

Speaking of stress, I had a little breakdown after Ashley's funeral. I had to go to my doctor and get some meds. (Did I blog about this already?) First, she changed me from prozac to paxil. Anyone have any experience with paxil out there? My doc says that it doesn't promote weight gain, so we'll see... She gave me an rx of Rozerem (sleeping pill) because the anxiety is keeping me up at night. And last, she gave me an rx of Xanax. I've been staying away from the Xanax as much as possible. I'm afraid of getting addicted to it. I had a friend go to rehab b/c of a severe addiction to xanax. I don't even want to go there. I also use the sleeping pills sparingly. I don't want to be dependent on anything. I just keep the Rozerem and Xanax for emergencies.

Anyhoo...back to the job thing. So, here I am desperately searching for jobs in Arkadelphia so I can move and go back to school. I have made up my mind. That's what I'm going to do. THEN my boss tells me that she's going to give me a 10% raise starting in July. WHAT?! Now?! I've been trying to get a raise for TWO YEARS! Why now when I've finally convinced myself that it's okay to leave. I mean, I WANT to leave. I don't love my job. Why tempt me with a raise now? Sigh. Is that a sign that I SHOULDN'T move to Arkadelphia? My friend, Brian, said, "Courtney, how important is that 10% raise going to be to you in 5 years?" Um, probably not very. Cause if I continue with Plan B I'll have my bachelor's degree in 5 years and be working on my Master's.

I hate making these kinds of decisions!!!

In a way, I feel like I'm moving backwards. Back to the poor, college life. At the same time, I'm excited about starting from scratch. I'm so mixed up inside. I just want to do something GOOD. Something that I can FINALLY be proud of.

So, I'm in the waiting mode. I'm waiting to see if Amanda buys a house. I'm waiting to see if I get a job in Arkadelphia. I'm waiting to see if it all falls into place.

Yay waiting! (long Borat pause) NOT!!!!!!!!!!

So, that's what's up with me lately. Actually no, that's what's up with work and moving. What's up with me? Well, I've been very social lately. I've been making a point to spend time with my friends and family. Life is too short. This past weekend was memorial day. Friday night I went out to dinner with friends and then hung out with my pal, Caleb, at his house. Saturday and Sunday, I spent time in Hot Springs with Amanda and her son. Monday my mom and I went to see What Happens In Vegas (hilarious) and then did some shopping. Fun times! I'll post some pics tomorrow when I'm back at work. I don't have any of those pics on my home pc.

Okay. That's all folks! Sorry for the long, stream of consciousness post.

Early life crisis?

I've been having some crazy thoughts lately. After three deaths and now work stress...I feel like I'm having an early life crisis! Everything I've been doing with my life lately seems ridiculous. I'm not happy in my job. I'm not exactly happy with my living situation. Not that I'm unhappy with my roommate, just the fact that I'm renting a room in her house. That sucks. I'm 31 years old and feel like I'm going nowhere.

When this work stress popped up, I started freaking out and came up with "Plan B" <--hehe. clever name, huh? As my friend, Angie, said...it's so original! That's just how I roll. Anyhoo, Plan B is this:

Quit my job

Cash out my 403b

Pay off my debt (except for car & student loans)

Move to Arkadelphia

GO BACK TO SCHOOL!

OMG! I can't believe I'm even considering this! It's so scary. Quit the job I've had for FIVE YEARS. I'm comfortable there. I feel like I have job security (kinda). I have great medical/vision/dental insurance and a good retirement plan. Sigh. But, I'm tired of being comfortable. I'm ready to start LIVING.

I was scared to tell my mom what I was thinking. Eight years ago I left Arkadelphia at the lowest point of my life. I had spent the three previous years (98-00) in a drunken haze. I was afraid my mom would say, "NO WAY! You can't go back there!" Not that I need my mom's approval b/c I am an adult. But I NEED my mom's approval! =) She totally surprised me. She said, "Courtney, you're not the same person you were eight years ago." WOOT! It's true! I have changed. I can handle this. Plus, she totally echoed my thoughts...I'm single, no kids, no ties...just DO IT.

So, even if this work stress turns out okay for me. I think I'm going to quit and go back to school anyway. Is that crazy?! Tomorrow I'm going to fill out applications for employment at Henderson State Univ. I found out that Henderson employees are exempt from tuition. That would be ideal for me! I'm going to apply for a library and a secretary position. It's a major step down from what I'm doing now, but at this point I just don't care! As long as I have enough money to pay my bills, I'll be happy.

Anyhoo...it's 2:20 a.m. and I really need to go to bed. I'm pretty sure this post isn't even coherent, but I'm too tired to go back and proof. =)

OMG! OMG! Just as I was about to sign off, a Henderson State University commercial came on t.v.! Interesting...

Babysitting Kidneys/Project 365 - Day 2

ABB's always asking me about babysitting the kidneys... =)

I don't actually babysit kidneys for a living. I work for the Liver Transplant team and sometimes help out the Kidney team. Today we have a kidney in the office. We're "taking care" of it until it's time for the surgery. It goes on a perfusion machine...I'd explain it to you, but I have no idea how it works!

Anyhoo, I took this pic to show ABB the kidney and also...to use for Project 365! Enjoy!

Office Diet

So, almost every woman I know wants to lose a few pounds. My office is full of women...and they've decided they all want to do this one specific diet. It's called the Sacred Heart Diet. Have you ever heard of it? Basically you eat a lot of soup and veggies...

Anyhoo, my whole office is doing it. I thought I'd do it too. I'm a little scared. It says, "It will flush your system of impurities and give you a feeling of well-being.", which basically means we'll poop a lot right?! Eeeeeew. It also says, "By the end of the 7th day, if you have not cheated on this diet, you should have lost 10 to 17 pounds." Now, that I can handle.

What do you think? Do you know anyone who has done this?