kapachino

Author: Kathleen

  • Back To School Encounter

    It was back to school today, my last first day of school. We had a really good lecture about cellular anoxia and hemodynamic monitoring, but I will spare you the details of that. Instead, let’s review the following conversation that I had with one of my classmates.

    ***

    E: So did you get anything really great for Christmas, did you get engaged or anything?

    Me: Not yet.

    E: Sucks, doesn’t it? I was sooo disappointed.

    Me: Oh, were you expecting it?

    E: Yes, and he gave me a ring, too! In front of his whole family. I was so excited, all ready to say yes, and when I opened the box it was this ugly ring, and it was missing something called a diamond. I was so mad I wanted to cry. His family probably thought I was so rude. And then later I went into the other room and I did cry. I mean we’ve been together forever, and I don’t want to just keep dating and then have him dump me for some 20-year-old, because that’s what will happen!

    Me: Wow, that’s not fun.

    E: So I keep dropping all these hints. I found the exact ring that I want, and I keep leaving the catalogue lying around where he’ll see it, open to that page. The other day I asked him if he were to buy an engagement ring, which one would it be? When he showed me I told him it was the ugliest thing I had seen, and I would return it if he gave it to me.

    ***

    And this was after she showed me all these pictures of her and him making out in front of the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City, where she says she wants to get married (even though she’s not a member of the church). My thoughts? I’m so glad Boyfriend David and I are on the same page with our desires and plans for our relationship.

  • bouncing back

    Life is busy, and obviously sometimes it’s hard for me to keep up with writing here. Sometimes, for one reason or another, I’m tempted to quit. But I’ve come to realize that I really like this thing, this little space of mine. So I’m still plugging away. It wasn’t a resolution of mine to blog more, but it’s as good a time as any to try to. You might get some entries that aren’t very interesting or good, not that they ever are really, but from now on they might be even less so. I’m just saying.

    Now onto my topic for the day. It’s tough when things don’t meet expectations, even little things. For example, for Boyfriend David’s birthday I bought him an FM Direct Adapter for his Sirius radio to get hard-wired into his truck. What this is supposed to do is eliminate all the static which annoys him to no end. I thought it was an awesome present, and when I gave it to him last night he was really excited. So we decided to take his truck in to Best Buy to get it installed today while we were both at work.

    We dropped the truck off, and I gave him a ride back to work. A few hours later they called to say it was ready. As we drove over to the store we were both really nervous that it wasn’t going to work, but deep down we knew it was going to. Why would they sell the things if they didn’t work? So we got to the store, paid, got his keys, and then both climbed into the cab for the moment of truth. “The Lighthouse’s Tale” by Nickel Creek was blasting, and guess what? So was the static. Our hearts sank.

    We got the guy from the Geek Squad to come out and listen to it, and he told us that the FM direct adapter that I bought must be bad, that there was a bad batch of them, that everything else with the installation went fine. He said he would exchange it for a new one and reinstall it. In order to do that we had to go to customer service to print out a new receipt, after waiting in a long line, of course. Finally, receipt in hand, we went back to the garage and handed it to the guy. Almost as an afterthought, we asked if he had any more in stock. Of course, as it turned out, they don’t. Neither did any other Best Buy around, except for one about 30 minutes away, which supposedly had three.

    I went back to work, and David started driving out there to pick one up. But he didn’t get far before turning around, because the traffic was so bad. He decided to go in the evening instead, and have a coworker help him drop his truck off tomorrow. But when he went to the store this evening, the Best Buy that supposedly had three FM direct adapters actually had none and never did have any. So now we’re stuck with a faulty one, waiting for another shipment of some kind.

    Many times today I’ve had to fight the urge to feel bad that my present that I was so excited about didn’t really work out, and instead only caused more stress. It could have led to a disappointing evening. But David and I are learning to adapt and be positive, and instead we got Bennigan’s to go and spent the evening eating, playing with the dogs, watching our favorite show, and enjoying each other. I am very grateful for that.

  • hello, happy birthday, the year begins!

    Hello friends. Funny thing. I just got back from vacation, and I wrote a whole post before I left, but then I forgot to publish it. Sorry about that. But before I get any farther, happy birthday David, my love, and I hope to spend many more with you. :)

    Had to get that out of my system, but before I get too sappy, a brief rundown of my vacation. For the fourth year in a row I traveled with my good friend and former roommate Carmen and her sister Lauren to stay in a cabin in Angel Fire, New Mexico. We decided that three years of doing something makes a tradition, and so this has become one of ours. Highlights of the trip included skiing, snowmobiling, eating, holing up in the cabin and reading, watching movies, and playing games.

    Now I am getting back into the swing of normal life. I was back at work today, and classes start Wednesday. Also on my priority list is running to get ready for that fast-approaching race I’ve entered and trying to pay off some of the credit card bill that I somehow amassed.

    Oh, and happy new year! Last year, one of my resolutions was to floss my teeth every night, and that one actually stuck. For the record, this year I resolve to stop sending text messages while I drive, an action that, although it is something at which I excel, I recognize as a dangerous habit. I already broke it once because I forgot, but I’m trying really hard now.

    It’s going to be a momentous year!

  • A Brief Christmas Review

    We all had a good round of Guitar Hero, even Mom and Dad. I am very proud of the fact that I have not once gotten booed off stage in this game.

    Anyway, Christmas was great. The best. I loved it. And then, later in the evening, I got the blues. The post-Christmas blues. I just love it so much and I never want it to end, really. So when it did, I started stressing about applying for the nursing board exams and going back to school, and stupid finances. Also, I’ve totally relaxed over the holidays and haven’t been running much or really eating that great, and now I have to whip myself into shape in just two months for the big race. Argh. So I got depressed on Christmas night and the day after. Anybody else suffer from this affliction? Anyway, I think I’m over it. :) See?

  • Christmas Is A-Comin

    Katy tagged me to complete this Christmas survey, and since I am full of holiday cheer, I would like to share it with you. Also, I tag Tabaitha, Megan/Peter, and Erica to complete it, if they so wish. Without further ado:

    1. What kind of tree do you have?
    We have about a 3-foot high artificial tree that we take very seriously. It is decorated with a theme of gold and cream colored ornaments, and it took us a good two hours to get it just right. Every time Cleo knocks an ornament off with her tail it is a crisis.

    2. What is your favorite Christmas movie?
    I think I have to say Home Alone. So hilarious, so classic. It totally reminds me of being a kid.

    3. What is your favorite Christmas holiday food?
    Fudge – HANDS DOWN.

    4. Do you use wrapping paper or gift bags?
    Wrapping paper. Gift bags are no fun to open or to look at, and one of my favorite parts of Christmas is wrapping the gifts in pretty paper and seeing all the different shapes and sizes of packages under the tree.

    5. Do you have a nativity scene in your house?
    Not in our apartment, but my mom has enough at home to make up for that, although I don’t know if she’s actually put them out yet. She also collects nativity ornaments and has enough now to make our tree one giant nativity scene.

    6. What is your favorite Christmas song?
    “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” and let me tell you why. Not only is it hauntingly beautiful, but the words really get to me:

    O come, O come, Emmanuel,
    And ransom captive Israel,
    That mourns in lonely exile here
    Until the Son of God appear.

    Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

    Just as Israel was lost in exile and yearned for the Messiah, we are in exile here on Earth, longing for Him to come again to make things right. I love the hope that this song brings.

    Also, no one can sing “O Holy Night” like Celine Dion. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, when she hits that note at the end, I am compelled to stop everything and experience it.

    7. What is the most memorable gift you received as a child?
    Probably my first bike. That one made me super happy. Also, my grandmother gave me Jane Austen’s complete novels and the Bronte sisters’ complete novels. I didn’t appreciate them at the time, but I am still reading out of them today.

    8. What was the worst gift you ever received?
    I love getting gifts and I’m usually happy with most things, but this year at our secret Santa at work I got a Texas Hold ‘Em travel game. First of all, I hate poker. Second of all, it’s not even a good gift for someone who likes it. How are you supposed to bluff against a computer?

    9. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
    I don’t get annoyed easily, but I will say traffic. I happen to work right next to the biggest mall in the area, which is great for lunch break shopping trips but not great for getting home in the afternoon. Also, there are certain songs that I would gladly never hear again in my life, but that seem to be very popular on the radio and pretty much everywhere I go.

    10. Favorite thing about this time of year?
    I can’t pick one thing. I love the time off from work or school, shopping, giving gifts, getting gifts, competing in the college bowl game pick ’em with my family, spending time with them, decorating, the excuse to eat lots of chocolate, and the chance to reflect over the past year and to appreciate everything in my life. But especially remembering what I consider to be the greatest miracle – that a holy and awesome God became a human like me.