be THE match

I met a wonderful young woman named Stephanie in my nursing program who donated bone marrow when she was 27, after 5 years on the registry. Talking to her about how easy it was to donate, and how passionate she is about her responsibility to give if she can inspired me.

I joined the registry. It's SO easy. You take a glorified Q-tip and swab your cheek. That is it. Chances are you will never be asked to donate, but if you get lucky...you can save someone's life. Give someone you don't even know a second chance.

So I challenge you. Look into being a match yourself. Questions? Research this. Don't join for me, join for that 5-year old with leukemia who needs it. Or the 25-year old mom who hasn't responded to Chemotherapy. It's SO easy and takes less time then...well, most things.

Join the Registry - Be The Match Bone Marrow Registry

Snuggaly Buggaly

My dear sweet brother gave me a Snuggie for my birthday this past summer. At first, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not, but it is actually very convenient. I mean it's a blanket... and a robe!

It turns out a lot of people like the Snuggie.

Matt likes it...


Brandt likes it...



Elma is hoping for her own to arrive under the Christmas tree!


Sam wishes he bought the 2-for deal and kept one for himself.


Dave got in on the fun.



Even Lucy loves the Snuggie!




If YOU want to join in the fun, come on over and we can snuggle up on the couch and use our hands at the same time! :)

My love!

I am soooo in love with Sean. He has been the most supportive man-friend I can imagine having. Our friendship has grown and continues to grow every day. I make mistakes...quite often (big surprise) but this post is to show him that when it all boils down the mistakes don't matter. We have something VERY special.

Living with a boy

I have been well aware that I live with a boy for the entire year+ that I have been living with Sean. Dealing with things such as messiness, filth and...well, "boy" has been manageable.

Tonight was the very first time I wished I didn't live with a boy. I guess this boy specifically. I had a long night, and when I got home I just wanted to make some plain noodles, eat them and go to bed.

For the first time I realized that living with a boy changes things. I started making my noodles, only to be looked over my shoulder by Sean...telling me how long to boil the water, judging me on how many noodles I cooked and finally, what I garnished the noodles with.

I love living with Sean. He usually makes me a better person, but tonight I remembered what it is like to live with people whose judgment doesn't matter. There are good and bad aspects of the situation, but tonight was just a reminder of how it used to feel to get home late and exhausted. I get wrapped up in life as a couple with a back yard and a dog and I forget about "Mali" who is actually a pretty cool chick, even if she likes plain noodles.

I can't forget about "Mali."

My 5:30 a.m. anti-Blues...It feels so good.

Sitting in the cardio-thoracic unit of the big hospital at 5:30 am gives me time to reflect on my day and get excited about upcoming events in the near future. "A" of all, you say, "Why is she in adult world?" No thanks to the nurse managers, they shipped me to B4/5 to sit for 8 hours. whoo-hoo.

Secondly, what pray tell, is to be excited about? Well, this weekend we are going to Iowa to celebrate Jana and Ben's nuptuals. I cannot wait to see my besties from college and probably eat some bacon and corn, eh? Directly from po-dunk Iowa (sorry jana) we are driving to LaCrosse for Amos and Steph's wedding. A large river, boat to carry us on said river with good friends, and booze to imbibe in...nuff said.

In a few weeks, things get really shaken up as I begin coursework for my nursing program and spend a weekend getting to know my classmates in Oshkosh! Sean's brother Greg is getting married in Detroit which is turning into a semester-long extravaganza. And concluding the wedidng tour '09 is the grand finale of driving to Colorado to climb mountains, get dressed up and play with friends...again.

So it is easy to see why I am excited about this fall, but interestingly enough, I am excited about the near future also. I came to the conclusion in my daydreaming here that working stretches of night shifts is sometimes like going for a long run. A funny comedian pointed out how ridiculous it is that runners say they do it because it feels so good...afterwards. I feel the same way about night shifts. I NEVER drift into sleep so quickly as when I am done with a loooong night's work. Even better though is the feeling of going to sleep in the morning and knowing that I have no obligation to return to the hospital for at least 36 hours. Other than the fact that I specifically work for moolah, I really do it because it feels sooo good...afterwards.

Now what the hell is that beeping?

I Got In!!!

My incredibly exciting news of late is that I finally was accepted into a nursing school. I am going to UW-Oshkosh and the program goes from October '09 to October '10. Then I will have a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing!

Another exciting update is that Sean, Kyla, Matt and I went to stay at Chataeu Christgau for an extended weekend. Good times were had by all!


Kyla relaxing with the tot.


We celebrated being good ol' Americans


We went out to the Broken Oar with old friends after the fireworks. They had $1 shots- I miss the northwoods! and we even got some good EPH playing in.

Inspired by my new buddy/distant cousin (whaaa?!?) Kaylee, I signed up for a triathlon for July 12th. Turns out my coworker-Britta is also doing the triathlon. The cheap-o that I am, I am determined to train my booty off to get my money's worth from the registration fee.

So, my days have begun to consist of more exercise than ever in my life. This doesn't mean much in comparison with a lot of other people's workouts(ahem, Kyla and Sean), but it has been a trip. Just ask Lucy...the poor dog has been training for a triathlon and every time I drag her back to the house from our runs, she looks up at me with those sweet brown eyes and says, "Hel-loooo I did NOT sign up for this."

I am still waiting for the physical benefits of this exercise, but assure Sean he will have a mega-hot gf soon.