*yawn*

i need sleep bad.

You are reading the blog of a newly employed girl. That's right, I heard back from Hendrick yesterday. I got the job in pediatrics! Hooray! Now I can officially live in Abilene with Phyllis and Megan. (I'm sure I would have lived with them even if I didn't get the job, but this makes much more sense...)

I am currently watching Titanic. It has been ages since I've seen this movie. I think the last time I watched it was the 3rd time I paid to see it in the theater. For some reason I have one very vivid memory of one of the occasions on which I saw it in theaters. I was with Jenny Berry and Ashley Lord. Ashely was wearing a sweatshirt with Tickle Me Elmo on it that actually laughed when you pushed it. She accidentally hit it during a very quiet scene and allowed the whole theater to share in Elmo's felicity. (I love that word. Using it in context makes me feel like Miss Eliza Bennet...oh Pride and Prejudice...how I love you!)

Today at Cooks I helped take care of a 22-year-old girl with a probable relapse of Hodgkin's lymphoma. It was a bit different taking care of someone my own age as opposed to the infants and children we're used to seeing. She was a really sweet girl though, and it makes me so sad that she's having to go through what she's going through. She was diagnosed 2 years ago, and after 20 rounds of chemo and 25 rounds of radiation, had gone into remission. Then this week the doctors found a tumor in her lung that they are 90% sure is cancer. They removed it, and she's currently waiting for the biopsy results. I hope she gets good news. I can't even imagine what she must be feeling right now. There are times when I just don't understand God's logic. Why should this girl, who's the same age as me, have to deal with this life-threatening illness while I've never had anything worse than the flu or chicken pox? I know He has His reasons, but I don't pretend to know what they are.

My car died last night. Again. This time it was in the parking garage at Cooks. My dad came to my rescue, and we went and got it this morning and took it to this random place in Burleson to have them look at it. They located and fixed the problem in under one hour. Tell me, please, why the big fancy dealership I took it to multiple times in Abilene could never find the problem, yet this itty bitty place no one has ever heard of has no trouble? Seriously. And the best part? The people who actually fixed it charged me the same amount the dealership charged me to tell me there was nothing wrong with it. Lovely.

I'm still loving the preceptorship. The 3 consecutive days in a row wore me out a bit, but it was worth it. I'm learning tons and having a blast. But I miss my Abilene friends. I'm so excited to get back and get into our house. Megan moves in on Friday! Hooray! I'm planning on heading out there next weekend to help fix things up and catch up with my Abilene folk. Good times.

Random story of the day: today, as I sat at red light, I glanced over at the car next to me. At first glance, it appeared that the driver of the car was very enthusiastically scratching his neck. However, upon closer observation, I discovered that he was actually shaving. Shaving! In his car! Seriously, who does that? It made me laugh. Out loud. To myself. Yes, I am very easily amused.

Good news: I am not a drug addict. This comforting information courtesy of the mandatory drug screening I had to undergo for my preceptorship. I know you are all relieved.

I had my first day precepting on Tuesday. It was fabulous! My preceptor is only one year older than me, so it's a lot of fun. I'm on a post-surgical floor. I love working with the kids. I'm really hoping I get the job in pedi at Hendrick. Hopefully I find something out next week.

I am finding myself filling my days at home quite easily so far, which is nice. I was kind of worried that I would be sitting at home with nothing to do on my days off, but so far this has not been the case. There have been errands to run, old friends to catch up with, puppies to keep out of trouble, and flying trips to Abilene to make. Hopefully this will be a continuing trend.

I got my hair cut last night. It's pretty short. Shorter than I anticipated, but that's ok. A fresh hair cut for a fresh stage in life. Seems appropriate.

So I'm back in Arlington for the preceptorship. It starts Tuesday. I'm pretty excited about it. I could do without the having to be in Fort Worth at 6:30 in the morning, but what can you do?

I got my car out of the shop again, after having zero work done on it again. Apparently it only likes to spaz out for me, who can do nothing about it, and not for the people who might actually be able to fix it. Personally, I feel like the car mechanics should be able to figure out the problem anyway. I mean, a car that randomly decides not to start clearly has something wrong with it. Even if it's not acting up right at the moment, shouldn't there be some constant sign of abnormality? You would think, but what do I know?

I am trying to figure out what in the heck I am going to do with myself in Arlington for 5 weeks. My preceptorship will only be about 3 days a week, most likely. Depending on how my schedule works out, I may be able to sub at mom's preschool sometimes. That would be fun, plus a small source of income. Always appreciated. Other than that, I don't know. Pretty much all of my friends are elsewhere. I do have a friend from high school at TCU, so I think he and I are going to try to hang out some while I'm here, so that should be fun. I think I need a hobby. I've considered trying to teach myself to enjoy running, because that would be beneficial as well as time consuming, but I'm not sure how successful an endeavor that would be. I really hate running. We'll see...

This is him. Andrew Jackson. We will call him Jackson. Or, if we feel like confusing people, Jack, Jackie, Andrew, Andy, Drew, A.J., or Puppy. Or, if you're Megan's little brother, Old Hickory. Long story...

My car is still in the shop. I called today to check on things, and guess what? It starts for them. Figures. This whole situation is very frustrating. I'm almost ready to tell them to keep the car. I'll get a bike. Too bad that's not entirely practical. I just want my car to be fixed!! I want to be able to get in it, at any time I choose, and know that it will start. Is that so much to ask??

Oh man. Long day. Started off this morning with my last final ever!! Hooray for [almost] completing my college education!! Just got the preceptorship and state boards between me and real person-ness.

Lunch was good. Julie + Chicken Expresss = Happiness.

Had the interview at Hendrick today. I think it went really well. Everyone was super friendly, and very welcoming. Hopefully I'll hear back from them soon.

I bought some new scrubs for my preceptorship. They make me smile.

The car freaked out again today. This time I got it to the shop while it was still not starting, so hopefully they will believe me and fix it this time. It may also help that one of Megan's male friends had some words with the guy at the dealership about my situation and the ridiculousness of it all. He gave them his number and told them to call us both when they figure out the deal. He also agreed to accompany me in the picking up of the car to make sure they don't rip me off. You gotta appreciate a guy who will deal with annoying people for someone he's never met. I'm just hoping they'll be quick about things. I do have a preceptorship starting quite soon...

There was finally a new Gilmore Girls tonight.

When we move into the house, Megan is getting a puppy. We found the puppy tonight. Actually, he found us. We went to this lady's house who is selling lab puppies, and this one just climbed into my lap and started licking me. Then he did the same thing to Megan. He also managed to tip over the food bowl and the water bowl within a 5 second period, so we figure he's got about as much grace as any of us. Should be a good match. She got the parental approval, so it's a go. Now we just have to come up with a name. So far the top contender is Jackson. Opinions? Suggestions?

I am horrible with plants. That's all there is to it. Earlier this year, I bought this really cool plant that had spiraled leaves with red in them. It was the coolest looking plant ever, and I was determined to keep it alive. It has been sitting out on our balcony, dead, for about 6 months.

But I am trying again. Last week when we met with the nurse managers from Hendrick, everyone who came was given a little plant with a tag around it saying, "Come grow with us." Hendrick's method of recruiting, I suppose. Anyway, as I carefully perused the plant selection, I looked for the one that seemed to be the most low-maintenance, yet not hideous. I finally picked one that claimed to require "low light" (I think the previous plant died of darkness...oops). So it's been almost a week now, and my little plant is still alive. Hooray! Not only that, it seems to be sprouting new little leaflets! I got really excited about this fact, and decided to look my plant up on the internet. It's called a Philodendron cordatum. Turns out, this plant pretty much won't die. I read all these blurbs from people who have enough time to post comments about their plants on websites to be read by other plant junkies, and discovered that some people have had their plants for over 30 years. Holy cow. And, this particular plant is a vine, and if given ample space, will grow insanely tall with huge leaves. One person said theirs grew from floor to celing and back to the floor. Hmmm...not so sure about that.

Anyway, as you can tell, I am quite excited at the the prospect of having a living thing under my care that might actually stay alive. (A scary comment to be coming from someone who is about to become a nurse...) And, seeing as there is long-term potential for my relationship with this plant, I feel like I should give it a name. Hmm...I think I will call him Stanley (he is a boy plant, I have decided). Yes, that fits quite nicely. Stanley it is.

Lesson of the night: there is much to the so-called "college experience" that I have not experienced. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but at this point, I'm not really sure that it matters. What does matter is that I have awesome friends and we have a lot of fun. :)

So, in a sad, but not wholly unexpected turn of events, I now find myself single once again. I am surprising myself by being much more ok with this fact than I expected. Not that I don't miss him, or wish things could be different, but I know this is what is right. One thing I have learned through all the ups and downs of the past year and half or so is that God knows what He's doing. I believe that this is just as true now as ever. I cannot pretend to know what God has in store for me or for Ryan in the coming days, months, or years. But I am confident in the fact that as long as I keep trusting that He knows what's best for me, I will not be disappointed.