Bethel Student

Well classes are in full swing. I have my first test tonight in my Anatomy lab. Spanish test on Friday, then Chapter Exams in Anatomy and Micro next week!! It is very weird to be a full time student once again, but I am enjoying it. I have class and work, and all the rest of my time is spent studying. It is good to be back because it feels like I am FINALLY on my way to being a nurse.
It is a completely different experience being a commuting student versus living on campus. I think there are perks and downfalls to both. I think that as a commuter I am more focused on my studies and schoolwork. When I lived on campus, I thought it felt a lot like a really long session of summer camp except with homework. The focus seemed to be more on making friends, group activities, and get-to-know-eachother gatherings. One thing I really miss is having my little community of nursing major friends. I find myself wishing almost every day that Heidi and Mary were still here going through these tough classes with me! I also miss having Becky across the hall and Stephanie on the other side of the building. It is very clear to me that everyone here seems to have their little groups and cliques. I do feel like a bit of an outsider!
Also..... just a slight complaint. I do not understand all of these girls that come to class at 7:40 am in full makeup with their hair all done up and wearing little dresses and heels. Like.... come on. This is Spanish, and it is 7:40 am. Are you serious? Also. Where do these college students come up with the money for highlights, fake nails, and designer clothes? I should not be asking these questions. I should expect this coming to an expensive private school, right?
Anywho. Besides school, not much else is new. Work is the same old exhausting thing. Nate is the same old goofy boyfriend : ) Family is good. Kitty is good. Life is good. I feel very thankful.

1-2-3 Penguins!

Good morning. It is my weekend of work, which stinks. BUT - I did trade Sundays with a coworker, so I have tomorrow off and work next Sunday instead. My life feels incredibly dull right now, I feel like all I have to talk about is work.... Cuz thats basically all I feel like I am doing. I sort of feel like I am just getting through the days til school starts, because that is the next chapter of my life. It is really weird for me to think about being a full-time student again. It has been 4 years now since I was full-time at Bethel! It will be a life change, that is for sure. But I am psyched, and I am ready to work my butt off and get good grades. My loans are pretty much all figured out, so I don't have to worry about those until I graduate.

I have found that I rather enjoy the taste of Pepto Bismol. It has a nice spearmint flavor.

Oh! I made camping reservations for a long weekend in July, and I am so excited. I have been wanting to go camping for like, 2 years now. Last year when Nate and I tried to go, there was not ONE campsite on the entire North Shore, and we had to stay in a nice hotel! We ended up in a luxury sweet with a fireplace, jacuzzi, and flat screen TV. Not exactly roughing it. We even had to order in pizza, because all we had were hot dogs and marshmallows but no fire pit. So yes. I made reservations for us and Nate's sister to stay at Lamb's Resort, and we have a nice site very close to the water. I am so excited!!

I should probably think about taking a shower since I have to leave for work in about an hour. Ho hum. What a waste of a shower though, since I will just be going to work and getting people's poop and germs and bodily fluids all over me anyways. I love my job!

Hopefully my next update will be a bit more interesting. : )

Holy Moly Update!

Wowzer..... Time is flying. I don't know where my days are going, seriously. Sorry to any faithful readers (ahem - Stephanie). I don't even know where to begin, since its been like 2 months since I have updated! Well.
I went to Milwaukee with Nate at the end of May. Some highlights included the Brewers game, the Milwaukee County Zoo, Decemberists concert, RiverWalk, Kari-and-Jeremy time, Streetza, the Milwaukee Art Museum wings, and lots of walking. The Decemberists concert was so amazing. They played the entire Hazards of Love album from start to finish, without even introducing themselves. Then they took a brief intermission type break, and played another set of their older songs. Usually I get kind of whiney and tired from standing at shows, but not this one! I had a chair and I didn't even use it once. : ) I am so pumped to see them again at Rock the Garden on Saturday!
It was really fun seeing Kari and Jeremy. We joined them and a few of Jeremy's friends downtown for a birthday thing for Jeremy. Our little group had a good time crashing the date between the couple at the next table. We kept inching closer and closer to them until we had our drinks on their table, Nate's feet on the guy's stool, and Cameron smoking and using their ashtray.
The next weekend Nate came with my family on a trip to California for my cousin Alyssa's graduation party. Most of the Lindahl clan flew out there and we all stayed at a really nice hotel next to Disney in Anaheim. We pretty much just relaxed on the beaches and explored the beach towns. Nate and I went to the Dodgers game and got dressed for 80's night at the stadium. We were completely decked out and saw only like 5 other people dressed up. Out of like.... millions. I have tons of pics of the trip on Facebook, so please check them out for a visual : )
I have been trying to get my schooling all figured out for this Fall, which is difficult when I have such a small amount of time free during the week. I have been sneaking lots of phone calls and emails from work, trying to figure out my classes and financial aid. I have most of my classes all set, except I need to fit CWC in somewhere, which is just not working out. And it really sucks because it is a prereq for more classes that I need in the near future. As far as the finances go, I have a lot of money that I need to come up with in a little bit of time. At 23, I am still required to provide my parent's financial information to the government, for them to decide how much aid I need. I think this is totally out of this world ridiculous. I have been financially independent, living on my own for several years. My parents do not provide for me anymore, yet somehow Bethel and the government think that they should be able to fork out about 26 grand for ONE year of my education. I understand that I should be expecting this kind of bill with a private school, but I am still outraged that apparently I have very little "need" for assistance beyond my parents. For crying out loud. When are they supposed to save for retirement???? I understand coming right out of high school that my parent's income should matter, but I am an independent adult. Okay, enough venting. I have complete faith that it will all work out, I am just not sure how yet. I have a meeting with my financial aid counselor tomorrow morning, so hopefully I will learn of some more payment options.
I have been feeling very detached from everyone lately, and I really don't like it. Kari is still on vacation in California, and I haven't spoken to her since before my own trip two weeks ago. Stephanie is drinking coconut juice and eating spam without me in Hawaii, and we haven't spoken on the phone the whole time she has been away. I finally got to see Emily today because she is home sick from work, and this is my evening off. I don't even feel like I have talked to Nate much lately because I am going to sleep right when I get off work so I can get up and ready for the next job early in the morning. I am wishing I could cut back some work hours, but now that I have this Bethel bill looming over me, I feel like I can't afford to work any less. Summer is definitely slipping by, and I miss everyone.

Sunburn!

Only in Minnesota can you walk out into the snow one day, and two weeks later be suffering from sunburn.... I have really been enjoying the weather this week : ) I have decided that I really love my work schedule. As much as one can enjoy any work schedule that is. I work the pm shift at my job, which is 2:30 to 10:45 pm. I am pretty good at waking up around 9 every morning, so I always have like 5 hours of daytime hours before I have to leave for work. LOVE it. I don't remember having so much freetime during the day since the good old days of summer vacation!
Ah yes. So I got a phone call from Admissions and Bethel the other day, letting me know that I have been accepted (again). : ) So it looks like I will be starting classes this Fall! I am planning to set up a meeting with someone from the Nursing department to talk about registration, and getting myself on track for success. I used to think of going back to Bethel as a step BACKWARDS. It has taken me a few years to realize that it is actually the best way for me to move forward and accomplish my goals. Yes, I kick myself often for leaving in the first place. But I have experienced so much within the last few years... I don't have any regrets.

That is all for now my friends.

Go outside and enjoy the sunshine!

The snow is almost melted.... again

Hi friends : ) I am killing the last hour of time before I go to work. I had my annual physical this morning, and all I have to say is that my doctor needs to cut her fingernails... ouch. I stopped and got myself some sushi from Sushi Tango on my way home - yum!!! I love sushi so much. I always feel so pleasant when I am done eating it.
Interesting - I just got a phone call from one of my former supervisors at the Credit Union, and he asked me if I would be interested in coming back and helping out for a few hours every day before I go to my other job. My answer was yes. I need money, it is a familiar job, I am good at it, and the hours work. Yay! He is going to call me back when he has more info for me. It might suck working more in the summer, but I think it will be a good thing. Now that I am working my new job, it made me realize how easy it was working at the CU : )
Nate and I went to a concert on Saturday night at the Fine Line - it was really fun, but next time I won't wear heels : ) It was Los Campesinos! Here is a link if you want to see one of their videos. The music is super fun and bouncy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc4GethJnBg
Oh - we also saw the movie Sunshine Cleaners with Amy Adams. I definitely recommend it. Or reccommend it. Whichever one is spelled right.
Still waiting to hear back from Bethel on my acceptance. I am not worried about it, I am just being impatient. I want to get the ball rolling!!
Happy Monday to all!

I am alive!

I have conquered the sickness! I actually have been feeling better all weekend, but haven't had a chance to post til now. I was still feeling slightly weak and foggy on Saturday morning, but then I realized it was because all I had in my system for the previous 4 days was saltines and gatorade... So I ate a lot this weekend, kept it all down, and I am feeling completely refreshed and healthy.

It was a really good, really full weekend. Nate's dad came into town, which was a surprise to us until he arrived. Communication errors. He brought the trailer down and we helped Jeni (Nate's sister) unpack all of her belongings into her new garage. She and her bf are renting a really nice house in Hudson. I have never really spent much time in the Hudson area, which is surprising because it is so close. Anywho - its a pretty cute, quiet town on the river. It will be nice spending time over there this summer.

I am SOOOOO excited for summer!!!!! I wish we could all take a summer vacation from our jobs. Wouldn't that be awesome? To have the freedom that we had when we were kids? Even if we didn't have paychecks coming in.... How fun would it be to be able to just hang out with friends and play stupid games outside all summer long? I would be happy eating PB&J sandwiches for every meal. I am so excited to go camping, and hiking, and exploring! And playing catch and frisbee, going on long walks, and reading outside in the sunshine. I love how nice weather allows so many more opportunities than the cold snowy winter. There is no excuse to lay around watching tv. Summer is all reruns anyways : )

Here is a thought I had this weekend. Isn't the human heart an amazing thing? I think our health is something that we easily take for granted. The human body is really incredible. Think about your heart though... It is constantly pounding, pumping blood and keeping us going. Our hearts NEVER ever EVER stop working until the second that we die. Even when the rest of our body is recovering during our sleep, the heart is still pumping away. That is INCREDIBLE. I want to be good to my heart. I want to work hard and be healthy so that my heart doesn't have to work so hard. I really think it is a miracle the way our bodies function. I think we all need to give God some major kudos for designing our bodies the way that He did. Good job, God!!!!!!

I love you all, and I hope your day is happy.

no, the picture is not my own design... it is andy warhol's : )

Crackers and Gatorade

It has been a few days since my last update. I figured since Steph and Becky were both in town for the weekend, no one would be online to read them : ) I was able to see Steph for a few hours on Saturday which was LOVELY. I had plans with Becky last night, but had to cancel due to my puking : ( Super bummed about that, but we will make up for it next month when she is in town! Yes. I started feeling really raunchy at work last night, so they told me to go home. I puked 3 times before I got my key in the ignition, then went home to puke/sleep the rest of the night away. I will not go into too much detail about other symptoms, but you can probably imagine when I tell you that I haven't even been able to keep crackers or Gatorade inside of me. So it seems that I have finally caught this flu bug that has been going around. I am hoping it doesn't last as long as Steph's bug did.... ew.

My brain has not been stimulated much over the past day, so I am having trouble coming up with much to write about. Perhaps later on today I will have more to add.