I Am a Billiken!

Here's a copy of my official student ID card. Meredith gave me the DSM-IV desktop version for my birthday. She said that it will fit into my scriptures and I can do secret psych evals on people at Church. LOL! Savannah got me St. Louis University Billikens T-Shirts and license plate holders. I think that a Billiken (whatever it really is)is a strange mascot. Apparently it was one of those fads in the early 1900s, kind of like a pet rock, or mood rings. They were supposed to be sort of a lucky mascot elf thing. Who knows. I think he looks kind of creepy, like the Grinch. Oh well, who cares.

I ♥ Gilad/Happy Halloween

When we lived in SLC in the late 80s-early 90s, I used to do these workouts that were shown on ESPN. It was called "Bodies In Motion" and the host was a man by the name of Gilad Janklowicz. He was a trainer for the Israeli National Army. His sister, Ada, had a program called "Basic Training." I loved doing these workouts. I was able to do them in a half hour prior to work.

Years passed, having several surgeries along the way. Imagine my joy when I found my old friend, Gilad, on the Fitness channel. So, I have taped a few episodes and did my first one today. I was amazed that I was still able to do it with a few modifications for my paralysis. I got a good workout. I have been using the eliptical along with doing some yoga. I have been eating a low fat veggie diet. I have been feeling much better and have dropped about 6 pounds. Now if I can just get my sleeping schedule straighted out....

Tonight we are going to the Ward Trunk or Treat. We were to bring chili beans. Forget that noise, I am bringing Cajun Beans. LOL! Happy Halloween everyone

Catching Up - Daisy RIP-School Acceptance

I had to take an external fetal monitoring class earlier this month. I have such good and fun friends at work. Above is a picture of my "classmates." We have a good time at work together.

On a sad note, Daisy had to be put down. As many of you know, she has been running away and going around in a pack. No matter how many times we captured her, she would break out again within the hour. These dogs were getting into a lot of trouble, and many complaints were made to the police department. Animal control caught up with them and Daisy was caught. I called to find out about it, since we saw the animal control guy driving behind our house that morning. He had told me that Daisy and her gang were going after kids. They chased a boy on his bicycle. The kid kept going faster, and the dogs just went faster. He eventually fell off his bike and got scraped up. I called an animal rescue place to discuss this. Even they felt that she should be put down. I felt better after talking with them. I am so sad, and I really miss her. I have had her for about 8 years. I can't believe that this happened. I hope that when we get to the Spirit World, that I will get her back. So this was a major bummer this week.

On a brighter note, I found out that I was accepted by one of the two colleges I have applied at. (Still waiting to hear from the 2nd one.) However, at least I know I got in somewhere. I was accepted for the Psych Nurse Practitioner Masters Program at St. Louis University. It should be easy to continue with my Doctorate after I finish this.

Well, as Alex would say: "Ranger Rob Out"

Pennsylvania Visit

Last Friday, I left for Pennsylvania to visit with Jess, Savannah and their family. It was a really laid back, relaxing week. I got to see their new house. I can't wait to see what Savannah does with it, she is so talented. I had a really good time playing with Pantera. She has quite the imagination and is so funny. Zeke had his first birthday while I was there. He wasn't feeling too well, I think he is teething.

We took both kids to the pediatrician. They both had to get shots. It took both Savannah and I to hold Tera down. When I left, she was still wearing her bandaid. Funny how those things help with pain. LOL!

I had a really good time. Thank you Jess & Savannah, Tera and Zeke!

Yes, Daisy Joined a Gang

You all know how Daisy has been digging her way out of the yard. Well, she's been AWOL for quite a while now. Well over a week. We see her running around with 2 German Shepherds. They come up on the hill behind our house and taunt the other dogs. Daisy will come home when it rains. She is afraid of thunder, but I am sure that she is telling her homedogs that she has to go and protect the humans because they get so scared.

When we see her, we call her. She looks at us with disdain and runs off with her posse. Déja vu! A friend of mine that lives nearby sees them running around together too. We are hoping that this is just a midlife crisis. She obviously thinks that she is too cool to hang with Dirtball and Mena.

More Pix From Weekend w/Jake

The one with three guys in it are Jake (middle) with 2 of his buddies. These other guys were in charge of security on that day. We had to sign in and sign out there.

Jake put on the top part of his uniform so Meredith could have a picture. You can't see that he is wearing jeans on the bottom half. LOL!

I don't know if you can see this. The screen is in the way. This sign is in Jake's window specifying whose room it is.

I had a really good time. I miss Jake. Both Jake and Alex are coming home for Christmas.

Trip to Camp Pendleton

We went to see Jake at Camp Pendleton. We had a good time. It was SO good to see him again. It was fun to see where he lives and meet some of his friends. I loved playing in the ocean. I had such a good time that I didn't want to leave.

I really miss my kids who don't live at home. I hope that Meredith, Savannah, Alex, Jake, and Samarah know how much I love them. I miss them when they are gone.

I haven't heard from St. Louis University yet. However, I am in the process of applying for the program at University of Cincinnati. It appears to have more support for the students. They seem to be on top of things and very caring. Wish me luck.

Samarah Turns 16!

Can you believe it? Baby girl is 16 years old! I just had her yesterday. Plus, she is now a junior in high school. So, we had a party. Samarah wanted a mud fight. Dad went along with it, which stunned everyone. Coco, Kyle, and Talmadge came to help chaparone. It took us a week to get rid of the mud.

I haven't posted in about a month. Dad and Samarah went back to Pennsylvania to visit Jess, Savannah, and the kids. I couldn't go because I have been held hostage on the mountain by the hospital. We have been 3 nurses short, moving to another floor, and all sorts of craziness at work. I told my boss that I am tired of having my schedule messed up and of this hostage situation! Things are STARTING to improve. I have a few new nurses to help train, one of them being my friend, Cheryl, who just got her LPN license. She is still in nursing school for another year, and I will also be her preceptor for her capstone.

Haven't heard anything definitive from SLU yet. When I called to check up on it, I was told that they were behind and finishing up processing the fall enrollments. I should hear something in a couple of weeks.

Mark, Samarah, Meredith, and I are meeting up in California to visit Jake for a couple of days. I can't wait to see him.

I have not been feeling well the past month or so due to a change in medication. I am starting to get over it, but have a doctor appointment this coming week to check this out.

Mark and I have been talking about places where we would like to live after Samarah graduates. We are thinking either Pennsylvania or Colorado. There would be more for us to do in PA with genealogy, Steelers, etc.

I have been continuing to write my letters to my congresspeople, emailing them and calling them as well. I keep up on the politics and am busy trying to save our country from those who would want to take our freedom away.

That's all for now!

Scary Step

I don't know if this logo is going through. Anyway, it is for St. Louis University. I have chosen this school to apply to. I started the application process last night, and have to gather stuff for approval. I am working on getting the information together.

If this all works out, I will do this on line, with a few visits to St. Louis, MO. I am applying for the Psych Nurse Practitioner tract. This is a master's program. I can stay there and complete a doctorate if I so wish. I would like to do this. That way I can say that I am Dr. Houser, Doogie's mom. LOL!

Anyway, I have some different options to look at. I would like to work with the Veterans Administration to help military personnel with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), perhaps some forensics, and especially managing meds for Meredith's patients.

The beauty of this university is that I can live anywhere I want, it doesn't matter. We will see how this goes. I am really excited. I don't know how long my body will hold out for bedside nursing, as much as I love it.

Colorado Trip

Last week, we were able to take a few days and go to Colorado to see JT, Meredith, and their boys. It was a nice escape from the stupid move. We really needed to get away. We listened to a book on tape during the trip, and that really helped the time go by nicely. Samarah & I were able to do some shopping, as in the White Mountains, we are store deprived.

The kids were so cute. They made me laugh. We played quite a few games together. Ryan and Jordan beat me at "Sorry." Mark helped them tile their bathroom floor. All in all, it was very difficult to leave.

Thank you Meredith, JT, and boys for your hospitality.

Savannah's Painting

Savannah did this painting of Jesus and Mary using her sister, Meredith, and little Ezekiel as the models. I love this.

No More India

We got rid of our internet provider for the past 3 weeks, Hughes Net. Everytime you call in, they route you to India. Then these people with heavy accents that you can't understand give you an American name. Like that is going to fool us into thinking that we are talking to an American. Nice try, Bhanu, we weren't fooled. Anyway, we went back to our old provider, and it is so much better. A friend of mine sent me the above pictures from India to explain why we were having so much trouble.

Renée At War With India

We moved into a rental house in Snowflake. Trying to squeeze 2500 sq ft of stuff into a 1400 sq ft house has been daunting, but we are not done yet. You all know that I was not blessed with spatial relation skills.

On top of the aforementioned, we switched internet providers. They were supposed to be faster than our old one through the phone company. Plus, we didn't have to get a land line. Well, it was slower than dial up in the 90s! After 3 days of this, and not being able to get on the net, I call the company. I get transferred to their "customer service" department in INDIA! I explain the problem to them. I go round and round with them. It turns out that they gave us a bad modem. They will only ship a new one via slow boat from China. I go after them about 10 times. They keep getting off the phone to talk to their supervisor. I ask to talk to the supervisor, who doesn't want to talk to me. I tell the guy to inform the supervisor that he is a "pantywaisted wuss." The reply was, "Pantywaisted wuss? We do not know what the meaning of that is." LOL!

So, we got the modem yesterday. I have removed the nuclear warheads that I had aimed at them. They were so frustrating. I hate outsourcing.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

Alex's Fishing Derby

Over Memorial Day Weekend, they put on a fishing derby for the military. Alex caught 3 halibut, the largest being 29 pounds. He was really excited about meeting Sarah Palin. She was there and he got to shake her hand. He said that "she was hotter than Miss Alaska." He also said that she was very nice.

One Sick Puppy

I was visiting with Jake last night. He was telling me about this Marine that he knows who had some powder out. This guy stuck his finger in it and put it in his mouth. He invited Jake to do the same, which he did. Jake asked what it was, and the guy said that it was the ashes of his deceased mother. Ewwwww! I asked Jake if he got sick. He said no, but that he should have figured things out when he saw bone shards. Apparently, this guy has some of his mom's hair in a baggie as well. I asked Jake what was up with this guy. He replied that he is just one weird dude. He has that right. Meredith, what about a psych consult here? Brings back memories of the stories of "Finger-toe Joe." I want you to all know that I did warn my sons against taking things from strangers.

The Move

No, this isn't the vehicle we used to move. We rented a big truck. Sami had several friends there to help us out. We got alot of the stuff out, but we have a long way to go. Old house was about 2500 sq ft. New one is about 1400 sq ft. I can't wait to put my pictures on the wall. We did get the dish tv, and I am reunited with all my old friends, Vern Yip, Emeril LaGasse, etc.

Happy Memorial Day!

This past Saturday, we went to a Memorial Day program for the Veterans in Taylor. They have a memorial wall that they etch the names on to commemorate Vets from the area. Alex and Jake were added to this wall and were inducted this past Saturday. I am so proud of them and the service that they provide.

I am thankful to be a mother, daughter, granddaughter, gggrandaughter of Veterans. I am thankful to these people who put their lives on hold to protect us and our way of life. I pray for these brave men and women and invite those who read this to do the same. God Bless the USA and our Troops!

Speedometer

Last week, I was on my way to work. I was keeping up with the traffic, or so I thought. I looked at my speedometer and it read 110 mph. People were passing me by as I slowed down to the speedlimit. It didn't feel that I was going that fast. Yes, I know that I have a lead foot, but this was ridiculous. Then I noticed that it was being measured in miles per kilometer! I had just had my oil changed, and the Jiffy Lube people must have accidently monkeyed with it. I had to call Dad (Mark) to fix this. Then I was back to normal. That was funny.

Samarah's Dented Head

We were moving stuff yesterday. Samarah kept having weird things happen to her head. First she had the boys' spear from Scout Camp fall on her head. Then she hit her head on the moving dolly. I think that there was a dent in her head. She says that it was there all along. Now there is a small bump on her head. This is probably what her head would look like if she were bald.

Happy Birthday, Mr. T!

There have been a lot of changes at work, some that upset us, making us cranky. So, yesterday being Mr. T's birthday, I decided to have a "Mr. T night." I got a birthday cake from Walmart that said, "Happy Birthday, Mr. T - I pity the foo' who doesn't want cake." We all laughed and told Mr T stories, which lightened the atmosphere considerably. The house supervisor used to work in Chicago, and had his own tales to tell, having met our birthday boy. Yes, this was totally random, but we had fun. Thanks to Savannah for alerting us to the date.