SCHOOL'S OUT!!!!

School is out and I am loving this time off I am having right now. Finals were rough but they are done and I have gotten a couple of my grades in so far. Will post again when I get them all. Work is going great. Winter is the busy time around here. Lots of people coming down with stuff and think they need to go to the ER. Oh well it keeps me employed so that's a good thing I guess. I really do love my job. I know I said that with my last job but this time I really mean it.

Now that school is done I get to spend some more time at home. I love spending time with Elizabeth and Meredith. We finally ate the chicken that Elizabeth wrote about in her blog. I was skeptical just because I watch the chickens running around in the yard everyday and I see the looks in their eyes when you feed them and stuff like that. But honestly once you get over that guess what it tastes like chicken!!!!
Really good chicken as a matter of fact. Elizabeth fried it in this really yummy breading and it tasted fabulous. The best fried chicken I have ever had.

I am looking forward to having a vacation and seeing some of you out in Utah. For those I don't see in Utah I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Julia's Kinda Boring Life

I know it's been a long time since I blogged but honestly not much has been going on in my life. School is almost over so that's good but that also means final are coming up. EEEEEEEK!!!!

I am very nervous for finals this year. Especially in spanish. We have to remember everything we learned this whole semester and do a pronunciation test and an oral report in from of the class. I am so nervous. I also have a big project due in Cell Biology. My teacher assigned us each a different scientific article to read and do a presentation on. I have read mine so many times and have yet to comprehend anything its talking about. I guess I should do some research and talk to my professor. Chemistry is going very well for me. And physics isn't too bad either.

I will be done with my finals on the 12th so I will be able to breathe much easier after that. I will be in Utah for Tahras wedding from dec 28th to Jan 9th. I can't wait to see all of you that will be out there for that happy event.

Speaking of Tahras wedding most of you know that I was asked to be a bridesmaid which I am very excited about. Tahra gave us kind of free reign when picking out our dresses for the event. We went through so many different options. Everytime we thought we got one picked out there was something wrong. It took about aminth to finally pick out a dress that would work for all of of us. So I measured myself and got the dress that fit my measurements. I got the dress in the mail about a week ago and guess what???!!!! IT DOESN'T FIT!!!!! Not even close to the measurements on the stupid size chart. It was about 6 inches too big. There was no way that having the dress altered would work because it would look ridiculous. I was furious. So I called the company and they had me send the dress back so they could fix the problem. I really hope they do fix it because otherwise I won't be able to be in the wedding and I want to be there for Tahra.

So that's the drama in my life. Not much (other than the dress issue). I hope everyone is having a great week and hope to read some updated blogs soon. (sorry no pics Im doing this from work and don't have my camera with me.)

CHICKENS!!!!

So this weekend Spencer and Elizabeth are up in New England on a recruiting trip for the school and I get the responsibility to take care of their chickens. So far so good. They are all still alive and all still in their box but that may change because they are starting to fly a little bit and are almost getting out. They are really cool looking. I can tell they are going to be loud. So maybe I won't feel so guillty eating them if I think they are annnoying. I definitely won't be able to be there when they kill them. They are getting big and they are getting their feathers in on their wings.

Well I must go back to the Red Sox. They are winning game 3 but I don't want to jinx anything. So I'm not gonna post this till after the game. Ok they won so I am posting this. Hope you guys like the pics of the chickens. Am gonna try to post some videos as well but dial-up is too slow to do that so I will try to do it at school or something

GO SOX!!!!!

Sorry for not updating in a while. I have been busy. And I don't have my camera with me at school here so there wont be any pics on this post. Sorry again.

First I must say GO SOX!!!! I have to work almost every night that the series is playing. I am kinda mad about that but we do have a TV in the lobby right outside the lab so if I sit at the front desk and turn my head just right and pray that nobody needs to get stuck I can watch most of the game.

I am a very tired person these last few weeks and this week. The games aren't getting over till about 1 am and then it takes me a little while to fall asleep. So needless to say I have been very sleepy for my 8am class every morning. (That's if I go at all) ;)

School is going ok. I need to study more. If anyone has any great study tips and wants to share them please do. Especially tips on how to study spanish. I have heard that spanish is one of the easiest languages to learn. Whoever said that is a dirty rotten liar. It is so hard. I think I'm doing ok then the teacher asks me a question and I answer it totally wrong. And on the tests I think I do ok and then I get my grade back and its a C. UGH!!!!

My other classes are going fine. Have a physics test tomorrow and need to be studying for that. (Oh and I lost all respect for my physics teacher because he thinks that me being a sox fan is stupid because I'm not from Boston.) He's a redskins fan and he doesn't live in Washington DC. Hypocrite. Other than that he's a good guy.

Spencer and Elizabeth are going up to New England for like 6 days so my responsibility on the farm is to feed the chickens and make sure they don't die. I'm a little worried.

Exciting Happenings at the Hospital

So on Monday I was working my usual shift and we were kind of busy. (Nothing unusual for a Monday) But that day there was a code blue called in the ER (A code blue means someones heart has stopped) And my job as a phlebotomist is to go to wherever the code blue is called and wait there and see if they need my services. They did. I had to draw blood on basically a dead person. (They did end up reviving her)

So that was exciting but my night was not over yet. I got orders to go up to the nursery and draw blood on a brand new baby. I have never drawn blood on a baby. I have seen it done a few times and its basically the same as an adult except much much smaller. I used a tiny needle and stuck it in his tiny arm and actually got blood. I was shocked. I figured my first time I was going to miss.

I work again tonight and I hope we have a quieter night but a little excitement now and then is a good thing.

School is going good. I took my first tests last week and did good on most of them. Spanish is still an issue for me. If anyone knows a good way to study for it please help me out.

School and Work in Virginia

Well I have officially been at school for 2 full weeks now and at work for 3. I finally had a breather and had time to write an update. I am actually at Jared's house right now. Jared and I went to a RedSox game in Baltimore (for those of you that follow them you know how it went tonight, not pretty). But we had fun anyway.

Ok so back to school and work... So far I love my job! Never thought you would hear me say that huh? ;) I am busy enough to not be bored but slow enough to not be driven crazy. I love the work I do. I go around the hospital when someone calls and draw different patients blood for tests that need to be run. I feel like I actually am doing some good here.

School is going very well. I think I will be ok in my chemistry class and maybe my physics class (Ian I may be asking for some help with that class) It's my spanish and cell biology class that I am worried about. The school itself is really good. It's a great atmosphere to be in and the teachers are all incredible. I have my first tests this week so I guess we will see how those go. Hopefully will have a positive update next week once I get my scores.

Church is going well. Haven't started teaching my temple prep class yet. They still need to get a list of who needs to go to the class. So will hopefully start teaching it within the next couple of weeks. There was a co-instructer called last week so I guess we will taking turns teaching it. That should be good. I am also taking an institute class on how to be a better teacher of the scriptures. It is a fabulous class.

My personal life is good. Am making friends at the school and at church. Life is good in general. Better than it has been in a while. I am starting to really see why I came here to Virginia. It was definitely a great thing for me am so glad I made that decision. As always hope everything is going great for you all. And keep in touch.

What a Week!!!!!

So I started my new job this past week. What an adventure it has been. The first few days are just orientation and training. Kinda boring. Then the las couple days of work have been a very rushed training of the computer systems they have and procedures because I am working by myself Monday night. They said they normally don't let someone loose this fast but they are short staffed so they need me on my own. It is going good though. The phlebotomy is coming back to me. I have used big needles for the past 2 years and these small ones kinda scare me. But I think I will get the hang of it soon. It's a small hospital only about 30 beds and a small emergency room but the lab keeps pretty steady.

School also started this week. I am taking Chemistry, Cell Biology, Physics, Spanish, Scuba Diving and an institute class. I think I will be fine with all the science classes but the spanish one I am terrified of! I also have a calling in the student ward I am in. I am the Temple Prep teacher. So the rest of this year should be very busy for me.

It is hotter than hades here in Virginia. I do have ac at work but not in any of my classes or at home. So the 3 days a week I am at work I will probably be busy but will at least be cool.

Fun with Meredith

I was baby-sitting Meredith yesterday and snapped some pictures of her. It has been sooooooooo hot here that she has been running around in just a diaper. ( I wish I could do that!) We had fun reading books and eating rice. Don't ever feed a baby rice so messy and sticky. But we got through it after about 10 baby wipes, a wash cloth and a mop. She found one of my fake roses and put it in her mouth. SO CUTE! Looked like she was getting ready to dance the tango.

She does this cute thing when you ask her where something is like her kitty. (Her new favorite stuffed animal.) I caught a picture of her doing it. We are teaching her where stuff is like her nose, ears, hair, belly, and other parts. When you ask her where her nose is she sticks her finger up it. I know we shouldn't encourage it but it's so cute.

Elizabeth and I have fun spending the day with Meredith. Since I don't have a job yet I have a lot of free time on my hands. I try to help out when I can. Meredith is just such a good baby that she is a joy to be around.

Snake in the Grass

So a few weeks ago I was looking out the window and Spencer yells at me to come outside quickly. So I run out the kitchen door and this is what I see in the backyard... A freaking SNAKE!!!! It was just a black snake they aren't poisonous but this one was very angry. So we thought we would see what Miss Sophie would do with a snake. It was cool to watch. She didn't hurt it just played with it a bit and then got bored. I haven't seen it since so maybe it really didn't like the cat. I will keep you all updated on any snake sightings!

INSOMNIA

Well, as you can tell by the title I am having trouble sleeping and when that happens I go online and surf the web. I noticed that 3 of us Kohl's have blogs now (4 if you count Ian & Susan's 1 post blog!) I wanted to make it 5. So here it goes. I don't know where the cord for my camera is either since I now live with a 15 month old. Carrie I may not have one of my own yet but I know exactly how it goes. So this post wont have any pics. Sorry.

I have been here in VA for almost 2 months now. And for all those wondering no I don't have a job yet. So if anyone wants to help out and send me some money I would love you forever! I am just kidding. I am doing great. I have had a very promising interview at the hospital and am waiting to hear back from them. I would be working as a phlebotomist in the lab and it would be the perfect schedule for school. So everyone please pray that I get this.

So now you ask what has Julia been doing for the last 2 months if she hasn't been working. Well here is the answer you desparately are seeking. NOTHING!!!!! I am getting so bored. I do have a VERY cute niece to play with all day though so she makes life a little interesting. Meredith is a little bundle of energy and she gets into everything! But she is so darnd cute that I forgive her for any mess she makes. I have been trying to help Spencer and Elizabeth get there house all finished. They still have painting and some other stuff like that to do but their cute little house is almost finished.

Oh wait. I forgot to tell you that I am living with Spencer and his lovely little family. They have been awesome! Putting up with me is hard work. (Ian & Susan can attest to that) I decided that for at least this semester I am going to be staying here so I can save some money and pay off some bills and also focus more on school since I wont have to be working as much.

So hopefully in a few days I will find the cord and take some pics of the house and Meredith to post. And to all of you who don't have a blog yet........ COME ON!!!!! Everybody's doing it!