It's That Time Again!

As some would say, and I would agree....it's the most wonderful time of the year! Tomorrow begins the much anticipated 2009 OU football season. I can't wait. I love the sounds, the smells, the feelings, the competition, and comradery that it entangles. I love the feeling of being here...

and listening to the band play the national anthem followed by OOOOOOOklahoma which inevitably brings goosebumps to my arms and a sense of good ole OK pride. Ok ok, maybe a little water to the eyes as well. What can I say, I'm an emotional being. The excitement is tangible surrounded by 86,000 people all yelling in unison. I know there are a few in my family who would agree.....aaaaand then there are a couple who couldn't care less. But, all this to say, we are excited about the season as always, it seems to get more exciting each year. Look for Efren and I in the stands. We will be there thanks to my parents (and the fact that we are the only true fans left in the family ;) ). It should be a good one.

Just call me Aunt Cayce

Weeeeeeeellll, I'm not exactly Aunt Jemima, but I am most definitely Aunt Cayce!!! My brother and sister-in-law found out a several weeks ago that they are expecting a baby, due in March! It has been hard to keep the secret, but I am very happy to be able to talk about it freely now! It's very exciting since I will be an aunt for the first time, but also because my parents will finally be grandparents. My dad especially has been waiting for a little one to come along for years now. He encouraged marriage as a prerequisite, but I'm pretty sure he would have taken one any way they came! I'm sad B and KK live so far away, but I am looking forward to bump pictures alll the time!! (note to KK! ;) ) Yay for Baby James! Can't wait to meet you little one!!

Big Government. Small Brains.

So I was slightly bored and decided to do a little research. We have all heard of some of the crazy laws that have actually been passed in our states so I decided to post several of my favorites....er....most retarded from the three states in which my family resides. Enjoy.

Alaska:
*Owners of flamingos may not let their pet into barber shops.
*Moose may not be viewed from an airplane.
*It is considered an offense to push a live moose out of a moving airplane.

California:
~No vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour. hmmmm....
~City Council order reads: “No dog shall be in a public place without its master on a leash.
I am sure there are a few that would benefit from being on a leash...
~You are not permitted to wear cowboy boots unless you already own at least two cows.
(There are many many more in Cali, but too many weird ones to choose from)

Oklahoma:
>Dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate in groups of three or more on private property.
>Oklahoma will not tolerate anyone taking a bite out of another’s hamburger. We are all going to jail for this one.
>Whaling is illegal. Really? Even in Lake Arcadia??
>It is illegal to have the hind legs of farm animals in your boots.

Hmm...it makes me think of the circumstances surrounding the making of these laws...

Defibrillate at 200 jules

This has been a busy week for both Efren and I. He finally starts his masters program in Industrial Engineering on Monday so he has had to make several trips to Norman for various reasons. Unlike many he is so excited to be going back to school. When his books came in from Half.com it was like Christmas. Engineering statistics and something about the methodology of supply chain management and some such. I really don't know, and he is used to that so he just shows me with a big grin and I smile right back with, "so cool, babe!"
I had a course this week at the hospital that is known in the medical field as ACLS. It stands for Advanced Cardiac Life Support and is a certification for health care professionals. According to Wikipedia it is a "set of clinical interventions for the urgent treatment of cardiac arrest and other life threatening medical emergencies, as well as the knowledge and skills to deploy those interventions." Since I work at a heart hospital all RNs are required to pass the course and be certified. I have been dreading this for a long time because to be certified you have to perform as a "code leader" in front of instructors. This means they simulate a Code Blue situation and we have to take over knowing when to shock, how many jules to use, when CPR is indicated, when medications such as epinephrine, amiodarone, adenosine, atropine, lidocaine, vasopressin, and others should and should NOT be used. etc, etc, etc. It's a little overwhelming at first, but come game time I was ready and all went well. What a great relief when it was over.
It's interesting because since becoming a nurse I have thought alot about the work I do every night. Bare with me here because I have alot of thoughts about this and it's hard for me to write them out. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, patients die. As the nurse we tend to play the "what if" game for so long afterwards. The thoughts that I dwell on are the work that nurses and doctors due versus God's will. Ultimately, everything that happens in the universe is up to Him and in His timing. So if I sat at the computer all night and did nothing for my patients would they make it through the night because it wasn't when He had determined for them to go home? Or if I run my booty off allll night until I'm green in the face doing anything and everything I can for them, would they still die despite my efforts because it was their appointed time? God doesn't really NEED me. He doesn't NEED any of us, but He has chosen to use us to do His work. No matter what the line of work, God could have it covered, but I believe He likes to see His children work hard and use the abilities that He has given them to accomplish His work. Hmmmm, well, I'm not sure if any of this has made sense. I'm sorry if it's hard to follow. Just something I've been thinking about.

Road Trip!!!

So last week Efren and I had the awesome chance to take a little time off and go on a road trip. We stayed one night with Efren's cousin, Christian, in Salina, KS, and then drove on to Littleton, CO. One of my best friends in the world and her husband and sweet little boy live there. It was so much fun to see them and just hang out without anything major to do. It was a very different dynamic then what Alaina and I were used to. In college we were together all the time, lived together, worked together, everything. Now, throw in 2 husbands and a 2 year old. It was an interesting change and a good change of course, just different. We had both been around each other's husbands for short periods before but never for a whole week. That was fun to get to see the interaction and for all of us to hang out like we had talked about so many years ago, before Adam and Efren had even entered the picture. We shopped, hiked, slept, watched movies, laughed hysterically, played with toy trucks, cooked, road the Lightrail, ate, talked for hours, and laughed some more. It was a great trip! Thanks Adam and Alaina for letting us crash for a week! We love you! Here are a couple pics from the week!


Skywalker or monk?? Either way, CUTE!!

Natural amphitheater at Red Rocks!

The 4 of us on our hiking expedition!

Just Dance...but not Lady Gaga style

There are lots of things that really get my blood pumping. A few of those things are music, worship, and dance. I feel like these are such awesome forms of expression, especially when the three are combined. Over the last couple of years I have had a hard time finding my passion. Yeah, I'm a nurse, and I like to think I'm good at it, but it's not my passion in life. Recently, I have started realizing I have a huge passion for dance. Yeah, I've liked it pretty much my whole life, but it never was a passion like it has been in recent years. It touches me like few other things do. I love it...all kinds.
My mom put me in ballet and tap classes when I was young, but the tutus were way too girlie. I was always jealous of the outfits of the girls in jazz class. They were so much cooler. Now, looking back, I wish I would have stuck with it. I got into ballroom dancing a few years ago and absolutely loved it, but had to quit a few months later because it was outrageously expensive. I have wanted to go back since. Yesterday, as I was sleeping to prepare for tonight's shift, my sweet husband found several adds in the newspaper for the local dance studios, cut them out, and had them waiting for me when I woke up. I called them all looking for one that offers classes to those of us past our dancing "prime," aka over 18, and may have found a couple options. I'm hoping to get into a class or two for the fall and see what happens. I would love to find a place that I can worship through dance. It's kinda like "make a joyful noise to the Lord." Not necessarily a beautiful noise, but just a joyful one. I want to make a joyful dance move! Maybe it will be a beautiful one, that would be nice, but at least it will be joyful! Maybe this will be me in the future, who knows. Hey, one can dream, right? ;)

Awake

So it's 4:39 am and I'm wide awake. Actually I usually end up blogging (the very few times I have blogged) in the middle of the night because I am at work with a little bit of downtime, but this time I'm at home. Over the last few weeks I have had alot of trouble sleeping when it's dark outside. Maybe after a year of working nights my body is getting used to the schedule....which is good I guess, but makes for some very long nights when I'm off and there is no one awake to talk to me.

This has been a very different week for me, personally. I guess it all starts last November when my oldest brother and my sister-in-law moved to Huntington Beach, California.

That was big. Yeah he had lived in Fort Worth for a while by that time so I was used to not seeing him everyday, but at least at 3-4 hours away we could see them on a long weekend. That is not the case now. Fast forward 8 months and my parents moved to Alaska, followed by my sister this past thursday.

If someone would have told me a year ago that we would all be where we are today I would not have believed it. I am so happy for all of them and the places that God has pushed and pulled them, and I'm so excited for all the new and different things that they will each experience, but I have to be honest and say that I wish it were different. I know that is selfish but it's the truth. It may seem weird, but in my perfect world we would all live in the same neighborhood. Yes, it would be somewhere on the beach but where the cost of living was like Oklahoma. ;) Keep dreaming, right? I know. I dread the day when Tate graduates and moves too. I'm not sure what I'll do with myself. Maybe you'll have to commit me, or maybe I'll have to get pregnant to force my parents back down to the lower 48. Ha, that's terrible.....but don't think I won't do it! I know change is good, (not all change, but that's another topic) but I'm just not one that deals with it seemlessly, especially when it comes to my family. Being here without my safety net is something I will just have to get used to, but I don't know if I ever truly will. Praise the Lord for technology such as cell phones and skype, but even that is not the same as the craziness that is the 8 of us when we are all together. Maybe now I will cherish those moments even more.

I'm not trying to make this post a pity party, and I hope it doesn't sound that way. This has just been a major life change, and I couldn't help but write about it.

On a lighter note, Efren and I are leaving monday afternoon and heading to spend some time in Colorado with one of my best friends! I can't wait to get to hang out with her and her husband and sweet little boy. It will be awesome for them to be able to get to know Efren even more too. If you think about it, please pray for His protection as we drive. We are planning on leaving Monday around noon, or after I wake up since I'm working the night before. We are stopping in Salina,KS to spend the evening and night with Efren's cousin Christian, and then we will head to Littleton Tuesday morning. We will just spend the week hanging out, enjoying life and little Beckett then Sunday, we are making the looooong drive back since we both work on monday.

By the way, which flag is coolest??