I finished the Superman quilt! This is very exciting since I've been working on it for over a year. I think for my next one I'm going to try a little more complicated pattern. I've been looking through my quilting book for ideas and there's a gorgeous fan pattern I might use.

Saturday night we had a lovely little potluck over at our place. Several people are going out of state for community rotation - most will be gone until next semester. It was really nice to visit with some of the girls before they left for the summer.

Kevin and I spent Sunday at Hammonasett beach. We had a nice little picnic by the water and spent the afternoon reading and napping in the sun.

Today brought another spontaneous trip to the beach, this time with some other students. We went to Silver Sands in Milford, which was beautiful. It was by far the prettiest beach I've seen since coming to the east coast. The weather was perfect, nice and hot with a cool breeze. It wasn't very crowded, being Monday afternoon, so we had great views of the water and islands. There were tiny little birds hatching on the beach and wandering around next to us. We even spent a little time studying for our last final on Wednesday.

The last few days have been really relaxing. School is winding down and I feel like summer is finally here.

We bought a wine rack yesterday.  I feel like our living room is finally complete.  The empty wall to the right of the entrance has bothered me since we moved here.  

I spent most of today quilting.  I just have the edging left to finish!  It's going to be hard to let this one go; I've put a lot of hours into it.  

It's almost time for my favorite part of the week - Wed sports!  We're playing kickball this week.  It had rained all day, but the sun just came out, just in time.

I got no studying in over the weekend, which means I had a pretty good one. Saturday, the beach party I was going to got rained out, so I ended up at an indoor potluck, which turned out to be just as nice. Sunday we went strawberry picking! I'm the top picture, Mary's hard at work in the bottom picture. It was really hot out in the sun, but it was worth it. Five pounds of strawberries for $5! We also got to sit in the shade and eat some before we weighed in. Delicious...

I saw a birth today! It was amazing and gross and fascinating. I wish I could write about it. I learned so much.

We celebrated Kevin's birthday today even though it's not technically until Wednesday. I got him the first season of Entourage, which he seemed to like:

Then we drove out to Water's Edge and enjoyed the famous and delicious gourmet brunch. The food was awesome and we had a great view of the ocean as we ate. This was the gazebo between the restaurant and the beach.

Everything else is going well. School is trucking along. Labor and delivery is very boring so far. I haven't even seen a woman in labor yet. Hopefully next week there will be more going on. I only have four days on that floor and I'd like to see something before I go. I had an outpatient experience at a community clinic in Meridan and I loved it. I've been thinking for a while that hospital work isn't something I'm suited for. They were really busy at the clinic, so we got to call people back and do initial assessments. It was so much different from the hospital. Now that I've seen a little bit of primary care, I want to see more! I'm hoping my community health rotation in July will be similar to the clinic. After graduation I can see myself working in a community setting. The more I see the more I realize that if I'm going to be the best I can be at my job, I need to start learning Spanish! At the clinic, many of the patients spoke little to no English and I would imagine in Arizona, language barriers will be even more common.

We're making preparations for Kevin's parents to visit. They get here the last week of June, the weekend before 4th of July. We'll probably visit Boston while they're here, a request from Dave. It will be nice to see the city when it's not freezing cold. Kevin's dad loves history, and I do too, so at least we'll want to see the same things. I just hope it's not too hot to walk the Freedom Trail. That's something I really wanted to do last time we were there.

Well, yesterday was awesome. I spent a large portion of the day at the beach, soaking up some sun. The friend I went with came over for a quick meal before soccer. We didn't plan on this and as soon as we walked in the door I realized how gross the place was and really regretted not cleaning it. I also regretted not warning Kevin someone was coming over. As soon as the front door opened he walked out of the office in his underwear. I thought it was pretty funny (you should have seen him jump!) but he did not agree.

After our meal, it was soccer time. A lot of people came and it was so much fun! I forgot to reapply sunscreen, so I did get a little burnt, and I think all of us may get poison ivy because the ball rolled into a huge patch of it, but it was worth it. It was that fun. We played for a couple of hours before we had to leave so Kevin could get to work on time.

I leave in an hour or so for my outpatient experience in Hartford. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a big waste of time, but it brings me one step closer to graduating so off I go.

It's June and school is still in session. I feel like I've hit a groove as far as studying goes, so I don't worry about school stuff as much. My stress is not as low as I think it is, though, because I've been having some weird palpatations that I'm sure are anxiety related. My doctor thinks so too, but wants to be absolutely sure, so this Wednesday I have to go get a Holter monitor hooked up to me. It's basically a portable EKG that I have to wear for 24 hours. I just found out this afternoon what day I have to wear it and it happens to be a day I planned on going to the beach with a friend. Awesome. I'll just have to wear shorts and a t-shirt because I'm 99% sure bathing suits and EKGs don't mix.

I've decided I'm going to try to update regularly again. No promises, but I will try!

The midterm went fine; I have another on Monday. When classes are only six weeks long, there's always a midterm or a final hovering over us. It's nice to have things change every few weeks - there's not much time to get bored with a class. On the other hand, you have to know your stuff and know it quickly!

I've been on the maternity floor the past three weeks. All the tiny sweet precious babies have made my desire to have a baby explode. It doesn't help that I found out in the last week that two of my three sister-in-laws are pregnant! I'm going to be on labor and delivery the next three weeks - I'm hoping the more painful side of birth will save me. Luckily, Kevin's holding strong that we should wait at least another year. Whenever I start thinking about how nice it would be to have a little baby in my arms, I try to think of having a teenager in my house and that clears things up pretty quick.

It's another steaming hot day out. I need to study, but I'm thinking I may end up studying at the beach...

We had a wonderful weekend. It was exactly what I needed. I feel refreshed, like maybe I can actually finish the next two months without becoming a raving lunatic. We saw a LOT of pirates roaming around the resort town and spent some time with them and a lot of time with just the two of us. We had 3 hour dinners and long walks on the water and even took an afternoon to see a movie together in the theatre, something we hadn't done in ages (we saw At Worlds End, of course).

Now I have to come back to reality and study a bit for the midterm I have tomorrow.

I'm now in my maternal newborn rotation. It's much more difficult than any of my others have been. It feels like I've been spending a lot of my time studying. Posting will probably continue to be infrequent at least until Memorial Day, when I promise I will post pictures of our anniversary weekend complete with pirate fest!

The weather here is gorgeous. We went on a lovely hike yesterday up to two different viewpoints in East Rock Park. Afterward, I made dinner and the people we hiked with came over for Pac-Man and board games. It was a pretty awesome day, a much needed break from the depressing monotony of school.

Everyone is starting to leave New Haven. All of the undergraduates are moving out for the summer and the grad students are finishing up and either graduating or going on summer trips. It's nice because there's finally parking downtown, but it's also a wicked reminder that I have almost three months of school left. At least during the summer there will be nicer ways of spending my time off. Summer in New Haven is actually pretty fantastic. There's tons of farmer's markets, free movies in the park, excellent plays, and the hiking is so much better with the sun out. There's also the opportunity for weekend trips to the beach - something I hope to really take advantage of this summer.

It's been a busy week. I finished up my pediatric clinical - it went by much faster than I anticipated. I ended up having a pretty awesome experience there. The hospital was wonderful and the nurses were great - if only it wasn't so far away! I will not miss getting up at 5am.

I had two finals this week, marking the end of two classes and the beginning of two more. It's hard to get used to the schedule here, where classes start and stop without a real pattern. We have semesters, but they have nothing to do with when classes begin and end.

I still have a paper to write and an online midterm to take before Monday hits, but I'm taking the afternoon off to go to the graduate "Chill-Out" where I've heard there will be free facials and massages. I'll write better once I'm relaxed, or so I tell myself. Meanwhile, if anyone thinks of a topic that will fill out 5-7 pages on an enduring issue in nursing, pretty please send it my way!

Good news! I got the job! It starts up next week. I think it'll be good for Kevin and me - a little extra money certainly won't hurt.

The weather was really nice for a few days - upper 70's, sunshine. It was beautiful and I tried to enjoy it as much as possible. I went hiking with some girls over the weekend and yesterday took a walk for some ice cream after class with the same people. It was so nice. It'll have to last me for a while, because it's already turned rainy and chilly again. It may be for the best, though, seeing as how I have two finals on Tuesday and really should use the weekend to study rather than hanging out in the sun.

Spring is finally here! It's supposed to be 77 and sunshine all day. Perfect for hiking and sushi. It should be a wonderful afternoon...

I know that there's a huge chance that you have no idea who Ellen Muth is. That's okay. I have a feeling that most people don't know who she is. No problem, I will fill you in - she's the lead in a show Kevin and I like called Dead Like Me. She looks like this (she's the tall one):

I sat at the table next to her today and ate some ice cream. Isn't that thrilling?!

I wanted to grab her shoulders and shout "I've seen you on TV!!!" Luckily I was able to control myself. Wise, mature, wordly Kevin was not excited at all - he saw Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman together and didn't get excited, so you can imagine Ellen Muth was pretty dull for him. It was the highlight of my week.

I probably ought to get out more.

The storm started last night and it continued all morning. Kevin and I had planned a brunch date at this little Italian restaurant that has live Jazz. We decided to brave the downpour and go since we'd both been looking forward to it. What a good decision that turned out to be! The food was amazing, the Jazz was perfect, and the tiramisu was just like Italy! It didn't hurt that it was one of the least expensive places we've been to since we got to New Haven. Kevin's put it at the top of his list of favorite restaurants - we will definitely be going there again!

I'm almost completely recovered from my sinus thing, but I still get tired so easily. It's very frustrating when there's so much I want to do! I talked to Kevin about the Pirate Festival (on May 26) and he has agreed! We booked a beautiful bed and breakfast and plan to spend our long weekend taking walks along the beach, exploring shops and restaurants, and maybe seeing a pirate show or two. Isn't that a perfect way to spend our first anniversary?

A couple of exciting bits of news:

1. I have a job interview next Wednesday to be an RA of the apartment complex.
2. There is a Pirate Fest in Newport next month. I haven't told Kevin yet, but I'm pretty sure not going would be fatal to my scurvy pirate heart.

I stayed home sick from clinical today. I feel kind of guilty about it, like everyone is going to think I'm faking. But I woke up at 4:30 with an awful sinus headache and chest pains and I was so tired after making myself lunch that I couldn't even eat it, so maybe it's a good thing that I took the day off. I've spent the day so far drinking water, reading, and throwing dirty tissues all over the living room because I just don't feel like moving a trash can closer to the couch. I picked a good day to be sick - it's been nothing but cold and rainy outside. It's the kind of day that was made for curling up with a cup of tea and a good book. Now if I can just gather enough energy to boil some water for that cup of tea, I'll be all set.

I haven't been very good about posting lately, mainly because there hasn't been very much to post about. School is occupying most of my time these days, and with clinicals so early in the morning, I'm usually ready to pass out by the time I get home. Pediatrics is the most academically challenging unit I've had yet. I think part of it is because I'm just not as interested in peds as I am in other areas of nursing. Our midterm is on Tuesday, so here's hoping I get a lot more studying done in the next two days! Tonight I'm taking a break for movie night. Apparently, there were some pretty awesome movies I missed out on in the 80's that I'm being introduced to later on today.

Kevin did make it home safe from Arizona. He had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back permanently. He's working four days in a row, which has been a little rough on him. It may not sound like much, but when the days are 12-14 hours of being on his feet all day and sometimes not even getting to stop for lunch - they can be pretty exhausting. I don't think he's taking as good care of his back as he could be, either. One more reason for him to cut back on work once we have kids.

I'm off to make cookies for Kevin to take to work tomorrow. He has to work Easter, so they're all going to bring in food.

I had a wonderful time last night. The play was... weird. There was a lot more nudity than any of us anticipated (especially those of us who anticipated none - chiefly myself). Afterwards, we ended up at a birthday party for some girls at the nursing school. There were a few drinks and lots of dancing. It's been a while since I've had that much fun. It made me resolve to go out with the girls more often. Still, I'm ready for Kevin to come home now.

The apartment is a different place without a boy living in it. Things stay where I put them, no messes are made while I'm away, I don't have to worry about what we'll eat for supper - cereal works for me. Yesterday I came home from clinical and slept for close to 13 hours. No one stealing the covers or snoring or waking me up to see if I want to be awake yet. Note: if my eyes are closed I do not want to be awake.

I've done a lot of reading and cleaning and catching up with friends. I'm going out with some girls tomorrow - it's grad night at the repertory theatre and we're seeing a production together. It'll be a nice weekend here by myself - a chance to catch up on all the things I put aside to spend time with Kevin. But I have a feeling I'll be ready for him to come home on Tuesday. He is awful sweet - he bought me those lilies as a goodbye present, and though I'm enjoying my solitude, I do miss him.

Spring is finally starting to come to New Haven. On my walk today I saw several flowers starting to bloom, and I even got warm in my jacket. I can't believe March is almost over. This year is flying by, just like everyone said it would.