smiling

My nursing school applications are due tomorrow.  The feeling of elation at having them fully submitted might rival the elation that I will feel when (if) I get accepted.

I have scheduled myself a nice massage this weekend to celebrate.

actual email from a student:

Dear Ms. Reed,

I will need to take the torture quiz on Friday during my study hall.

Thanks,
John

(In case you were wondering, he meant to write torque instead of torture.  Dang auto-correct.)

dreams

I have had two notably strange dreams in the past week.

First, I dreamed that Sammy was talking to me.  I can't remember what I had asked him, but his exact response was:

"It's not about the money, money, money.  I don't need your money, money, money.  I just want to make the world dance.  Forget about the price tag."  Then he shook his head, crawled under his blanket, and went to sleep.

In my second dream, I was teaching my senior class and had the worst gas in the history of bad gas.  It was loud and frequent and embarrassing.  And, being seniors, they all commented on it.  I woke up in a complete panic that it was real and I had officially lost all of their respect.  It was not real, but whether or not I have their respect is still up in the air.

lately....

So, a few major events have occurred over the past few weeks:

1.  I finally told my boss that I am not coming back to Bullis next year.  He said that it is going to be a huge loss for the school, but was very supportive and is excited for me.  He is writing me a recommendation letter (which I think will be AWESOME - he is in a program at Georgetown currently, and knows exactly what kind of skills most programs are looking for.)  We had a great conversation about how much my career as a teacher will benefit me.  It was hands-down the most positive conversation I have had about this career change yet.  I really have the best boss ever.  (This is not my crazy department chair boss, but my principal.)

2.  I found out that more than half of the students entering Georgetown's second-degree nursing program receive 80% tuition scholarships through their scholars program.  Up until now, I was applying there mostly just to see if I could get in.  Now it has become an actual real option ($8000 in tuition is way easier to pay back than $40,000.)  I could ride my bike to school every day, they have a great hospital system for rotations, and their program is really fantastic.  

3.  I registered for the Utah Valley Marathon in June!!!  I will be spending a week or so in Utah at the beginning of the summer!  If anybody wants to (a) come watch me run and cheer me on or (b) just hang out while I am in Utah, let me know!!!  Katelyn and I will both be running.  It looks like a beautiful course through Provo Canyon and ending on Center Street in Provo.  I am so excited!  I have way too many friends  and family in Utah that I haven't seen in way too long.  I am also looking for a fall marathon.  I am debating between Marine Corps again or maybe Chicago.  Or something else....

4.  I am trying to finish my entire Nutrition course in two weeks.  The way my schedule worked out, I am now taking 4 online classes this semester, which is stressing me out just a little.  (And by just a little, I mean a lot.)  Luckily, BYU's independent study classes are unbelievably flexible, so I can set my timeline however I want.  I usually don't promote BYU so heavily, but I recommend their online courses to anyone and everyone who has classes to take.  

5.  I have started tutoring 3-4 hours a week.  There is a kid who graduated from Bullis about 5 years ago, and ended up hating his job in finance.  So he is going back and taking all of the science classes he needs to get into med school.  I am tutoring him in his first physics class.  This job could not have come at a more perfect time.  It will more than cover the cost of all of my classes, plus give me enough money to make it through the summer after I stop getting paychecks from Bullis and before my financial aid for nursing school comes through.  (This will also be funding my trip to Utah in June.)  

6.  I bought a new pair of hot pink running shoes.  They are the style that I like (Nike Free), they are PINK, and they were half price.  Done.

the monkey business illusion

We watched this video at our faculty meeting yesterday!  (I counted correctly, by the way)

a little something...

that a lot of people would be embarrassed by, but of which I am immensely proud.

I know which Target stores have the best post-holiday candy clearance.

(In case anyone was wondering, or wanted proof of my knowledge)

The Wheaton Target (unfortunately the one closest to my house) does NOT SELL POST-HOLIDAY CLEARANCE CANDY!!  I find this to be an abomination.  However, the Rockville Taget has a rather large selection.  Unfortunately, they never get marked down more than 70%.  The Arlington Target (on highway 50 at Patrick Henry) has a decent selection, and if you wait long enough, it gets marked down 90%.  

Also (since I know you are all dying to know) I spent $15 on clearance Christmas candy this year.  Please don't do the math.  You don't want to know how much candy I brought home.  

New Year's Resolutions

Since my New Year's resolutions were such a smashing success last year (not eating processed foods (with the exception of clearance holiday candy) and making my bed every day (I aim high, people)) I decided to make some new ones this year!

1.  Keep my house organized.  I already went through and donated 5 bags of old clothing, shoes, and other crap that I have had around my house for the past two years.  I decided that if something has been sitting under my bed since I moved in, I probably didn't need it that badly.  I am pretty sure I will not miss any of this stuff.

2.  Track all of my expenses.  I don't have a monthly budget, since certain my spending fluctuates pretty vastly from month to month (for example, January is a great month to buy clothes since there are a million after-Christmas clearance sales.  And who can pass up a $30 down coat, or new running shoes (pink ones!) for half prices?  I, for one, cannot.)  However, I want to be aware of where my money is going, so I keep a running tab in my phone of how much I am spending on gas, household stuff, groceries, clothing, entertainment, and Sammy.  Apparently those are the six most important things in my life.

3.  Actually plan my meals.  I buy a lot of great-looking stuff at the grocery store (coconut flour) and then have no idea what to do with it.  So my goal is to plane what I will make to eat each week (dinner, dessert, snack, etc.) and only buy the food I need for my meals.  Hopefully this will result in less wasted food.  (hopefully)

4.  Get accepted to nursing school.  There's not a whole lot more to say about that.

pretty cool - landfillharmonic