Midterms and Mini-trips!

This month has been very good . . and not so good - - all in one!

I have been sick (in more than one way) this month . . coughing up LOTS of crap - and now since I know all I am coughing up and what it means, I find myself critiquing my body functions.  I had a sore throat for a while, then headache, then running nose (that I could not catch) then the stuffy nose, then the nose bleeds. . . I think I am now just dealing with the bleeding nose. . . no more messed up digestive system and no more stuffy sinuses. <- I am very thankful in that regard.  SO, please pray that February is a little more healthy for me!

Celebrating my birthday was a lot of fun.  On January 9th, Laura organized dinner and surprised me with the girls cross team being there! It was nice since I had not been able to catch up with them in over a month!  On the 10th David took me to Hoggy's where I had a Hog-a-rita . . mmm . . and then we met up with Laura, Mel and Rachel at the Little Bar for a couple drinks!  It was fun to get to be with the girls so we mostly just talked (and listened to music that we got to pick out with a free $5)!  On the 11th my family came down to visit and we went to dinner at the House of Japan - - it was a hit!!! I had SUCH a great time and it was nice to be with my family!  I LOVE the House of Japan and I'm glad everyone else liked it just as much!!!

The rest of the month has been filled with school . . . I had my first 2 midterms . . One went really well - -the other went as well as I could have hoped! (I'm taking a pharmacy class that is DEFINATELY for pharm majors (I AM NOT!)) I also have been taking a lot of Brittannie time . . I am taking a break from running this quarter (due to a conflict of practice/class time) and have really been able to enjoy other opportunities!

This past weekend I went to Chicago!!! One of my housemates, Katie, invited us to her home and I decided I wanted to go!  There was a group of 8 of us!  4 of us left on Friday night (Annie, Joy, Lyndsay, and me) and the other 4 left earlier that day (Ann Marie, Katie, Vivian, and Jen).  We arrived in Chicago at about 12:30am and headed to bed within the hour.  We went downtown the next afternoon and went to the BEAN, Millenium Park, and Magnificant Mile! I went into Tiffany's and Coach . .and other such stores that I couldn't afford!! We had a lot of fun - being goofy a lot of it - and just daydreaming about what could REALLY be done with that kind of money! I posted pictures on my yahoo site . . . photos.yahoo.com/wannabehissurfergirl (under Junior Year @ OSU) so enjoy!!!

As far as David goes . . wuhahah . . and wedding bells in the air .. (haha) we are slowly thinking of ideas - mainly for the Honeymoon :) We are thinking of a cruise (the most for your money) . . so now we are just picking where in the world to go! But we are having fun just being together and enjoying our time before he leaves for grad school in the summer/fall.  I'm trying to come up with creative ideas but won't really start too much planning until the summer!!!

OOOOK - -there is my post for you Heather! I love you!

Home In TIME FOR CHRISTmas!

WOW - WHAT a trip! :)

I arrived home on the 23rd at about 10pm in Dayton, OH.  Our flight plans had changed SO many times from Tanzania to here that we were just thankful to get home before Christmas! Our original flight from TZ to Ethiopia was delayed by 6 hours so we missed ALL of our connecting flights - which then gave us a huge headache all the way home!  Our motto the whole trip was, "It's part of the experience" so good and bad this was also part of our experience.  We ended up flying from Kilimanjaro Airport to Dar es Salaam, TZ to Rome, Italy to Frankfurt, GER where we spent 6 hrs in a real bed instead of on the airport floor, then to Chicago, US and finally to Dayton.  Mel's parents were kind enough to take me halfway to Columbus where David picked me up and took me to my apartment to get a nice shower!  The next afternoon I drove to Canton to meet up with my parents and sister, brother-in-law, and niece!! . . . I was supposed to be in Denver on the 23rd to meet my entire family there with Steven and Ashley - but we all know what happened in DIA! (So we leave tomorrow instead! I won't lie I don't want to get on another airplane but the other end will COMPLETELY make it worth it!) I guess I could also add that my luggage never made it out of Ethiopia - after our 7 hour layover.. funny, right? . . . So as you can see - just explaining our way home is worth about 10minutes of your time so think about how long 2 weeks of updating will take!

I wouldn't have been able to plan such an amazing trip!  I thank God for all the opportunites He made available to us as we were there and for our safety every STEP of the way!  I'm also very thankful for Heather and Nate and their willingness to open their hearts and allowing us to visit!  I was afraid after 2 weeks we'd cramp their style but they were very welcoming and it was a blast to be with them!!!

There is just SO much to share!!!!  I will tell about the whole trip in just a few days.  We are going to Denver tomorrow and JUST incase Steven and Ashley pop on I don't want them reading it first-hand . .I want to tell them!

But- Merry Christmas (Furaha ya Krismasi) and Happy New Year! . . (I've still got the little bit of Swahili I know on the brain! )

4 Days

Look to the left of this page . . See where I am pointing? That is where I will be in, yes, 4 short days! (Feel free to Google Earth it *I have already*. . I'll be in Katesh, Dodoma, Gairo, Dar es Salaam and Arusha!!)

All is finished for my trip - I am ready, Mel is ready and I sure hope Nate, Heather, and Emmanuel are ready!  Those of you in may family (most of you) will hear about it first hand in CO! :)

Respiratory Therapy Quarter #1 is coming to an end and next quarter is just as much stuff to learn!!! A little more bloody . . but the profs say I will be ok . .

and. .  I am also engaged . . .  (The twist-tie David gave me has taken its place of residence in the ring box (which he gave to me on Friday) .. but he is keeping the ring for safe-keeping while I do my travels! )

WOO HOO!

OSU beat M*ch*g*n . . .

It is almost thanksgiving . . .

and I updated my pictures: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/wannabehissurfergirl/my_photos
(new ones under "Junior Year")

Enjoy!

Learning Goes On . .

So it is now almost the END of October - and I can say that I have successfully made it through a month of classes. 

Life has been up and down - but luckily I have been too busy to notice it!  Respiratory Therapy is good for me - and I think I will do well at it once I 'toughen up'.  I'm having a bit of trouble watching some procedures (that MY profession is responsible for) such as bronchoscopies and arterial blood gas punctures .. I talked to my professor though - she said to hang tough - one day it will get easier - so I will wait.

Tanzania is going on 6 weeks from now - I find myself making a to-do list (for when I'm over there).  I do not want to miss anything - and just today I thought of how I should take panoramic pictures so I can recreate Africa here . . . Set it up around my computer  . . . That'd get me through undergrad I think!  I told Mel, my travel partner, that when we get to about a week to go - I will be freaking out! Not the "Wow we are leaving-I'm so excited" freak out, but rather the "I've waited for 3 years for this trip and it's actually going to happen now" freak out!  And then I will find myself on a plane going over the Atlantic Ocean and I will smile - because a little boy who lives across it will be smiling at the thought of my arrival!  I can't wait for a hug.  I hope he likes to hug because that is one thing on my to-do list: maybe even Number 1: Hug Emmanuel.

Ok - back to studying - Lab checkoffs tomorrow: Suctioning, Aerosol Therapy, Humidity Therapy and the like!