Chrstmas Break

I thought I'd attempt this picture thing! Here are a few pics of me and my friends from our night out last week! I really have great friends!

After being a little bit of a bum all week, Casey and I went to dinner on the 23rd at Pappadeux to celebrate my birthday just the two of us! It was delicious. I am pretty sure I have eaten enough over the past week to last me until forever, but... of course I'll be eating much much more :) It never stops.

I headed home on the 24th to celebrate my birthday with my family and a nice Cuban meal, yum!

Christmas day we went to spend with my dad's family and more food, of course!

We had an extremely lazy Saturday and did nothing.

Today I spent Christmas with the Loredos! Lots of food yet again and great company of course!

Next week will be relaxing, I hope. Looking forward to the New Year and getting back on track with the training and eating and such! I can't wait! I hope you all had a great Christmas, and I hope you have a happy New Year!

Semester ends!!!

I have survived my first semester of PT schoo!!! And I think I'm still in for next semester! There were a few weeks that I was worried that I wouldn't make my B average to stay in the program, but I believe I've succeeded!! I am still waiting on 2 grades, but the others look good thus far.

As soon as classes were done I hopped in the car and headed to Austin!! Some friends and I are headed out to celebrate the beginnig of the holiday season and the end of school (and maybe my birthday :) hehe). I am so excited to see everyone! I can't wait!

Tomorrow we are headed to Ballinger to see Casey's parents and watch him and his friend play in San Angelo tomorrow night! It should be a fun show!

I'll be headed to see my family on the 24th, yay, I can't wait!!

Well, this was brief, but I think I got the message across..... I'M DONE (for the semester).... I SURVIVED!!!!

Thanks to all the friends and family for all the continued support throughout the semester. I would not have made it through without you guys!!!

"Snow" Day

Yay for no class on Friday!!! It has been snowing all morning here. Of course nothing is really sticking to the ground so it is more of just a cold, wet, day, but it is a day that I can stay in my pjs and do nothing!!! My professors cancelled classes for today which was oh so nice. I was able to catch up on some much needed sleep and now I am catching up on some much needed studying although it is very difficult to concentrate. I think I will just do a little bit and then call it a day and hit the books hard this weekend!

My first semester of physical therapy school is almost over. I can't believe it!!!! I will be a practicing physical therapist before I know it, this is crazy!!!

Thanksgiving Holiday

I am so very blessed and extremely greatful for all the amazing people and gifts I have in my life. It has been so wonderful to just have a week to relax and reenergize. I have definitely needed it after this semester.

Thanksgiving is such an awesome time to celebrate all that we have to be thankful for. My family is amazing and my friends are also incredibly supportive, thanks!! I am thankful for all the awesome food and great company I got this weekend!

I was able to go to Austin Monday afternoon and get some studying done before Casey got off work, then we went to watch his roommate play at Mother Egan's in Austin, so fun!! Tuesday Casey and I went to look at houses for him and his roommates to rent out and had a delicious dinner! I tried this white lasagna recipe (thanks Kim)! It was amazing!! And it made a ton of food. I took it to my family on Wednesday and we all had dinner and still managed to have some left over.

We had thanksgiving on Thursday, went shopping this morning (up at 3:30am!!) And it isn't over yet! One more thanksgiving tomorrow and maybe some dancing tomorrow night! I can't wait! Next week will be a wake up call though, back to the grind. Three more weeks of intensity then Christmas break! Not to mention I need to get back to the gym for sure after this craziness of intense eating!!

Wish me luck for the next few weeks!!! I hope everyone had a wonderfully relaxing thanksgiving!!

Sanitary Landfill

So this weekend I went with Casey to Ballinger, TX to have an early Thanksgiving with his parents!! Absolutely awesome. On the drive there (after my little nap in the back seat) I was looking out the window to see a sign: Sanitary Landfill. ???? How do you have a Sanitary Landfill? So, if you are ever headed to Ballinger, TX from Austin, you just might see that sign. I thought it was funny and wanted to share.

Anyway, last week was busy, studying, studying, and an anatomy test on Wednesday! Not so fun, but it is almost over for the semester, just 4 more weeks of actual class I believe. Yikes!! It has gone by so quickly.

Thursday I only had one class, which was amazing. I did some work for Splashway and managed to get a 6 mile run in!! I was so proud of myself, although my knees were not very happy with me after my run. I'm hoping that as I continue to train and get new shoes and stretch, etc, I will not be as sore after my long runs. After my run, i got myself ready to head out for the weekend.

So I headed to Austin on Friday after class and met up with my friend Jenna for dinner, amazing to catch up with her. Then Casey and I went to see "The Men Who Stare at Goats". It was so funny. We have not stopped quoting the movie.

I had a pretty awesome weekend. We had Thanksgiving lunch with his parents on Saturday. There was so much food I just did not know where to begin! Delicious!! Then we went for a walk so I don't have to feel too guilty for gorging myself all weekend and not really working out! That night we met up with some friends for dinner, got some Facebook Farmville pointers (it is absurd that we actually had a 20 minute conversation about Farmville strategy, we are such nerds :) After dinner Casey and I headed to San Angelo to do a little dancing and people watching at the Graham's Central Station. Good fun, but I'm so used to Austin's smoke-free environment that it is hard to get used to a bar that people can smoke in. We called it an early night and headed back to Ballinger to do a little star-gazing and then head to sleep. I woke up to a home cooked breakfast casserole and hash browns from scratch that his mom made. Once we loaded up leftovers at Casey's mother's insistance, we headed back to Austin. It was a great weekend and I was extremely exhausted, but loved every minute of the weekend!

I am ready to tackle this weeks since we really don't have any classes next week, which is amazing. I won't have that luxury for very long.

So... the Holiday rat race has begun!!! I love the holidays. I get to spend time with family and friends and celebrate all the amazing people and blessings that I have in my life!!

Well... I believe this is scattered enough for one post. Have an amazing week!!

Nicole

Five Miles!!!

So this was a pretty stressful week, but I have survived!! Monday I had to drive my mom's suburban to school and it was nerve racking because I am so used to my car and manuvering those corners in the parking garage was not easy. I survived and the car has no scratches on it!!

My parents were amazing and fixed my car and drove it all the way to Houston for me!! Apparently some creature crawled into my engine and chewed through a wire which is why my head light was not working and why my car wouldn't start. It is fixed now!!

I have been studying like crazy to prep for yet another Anatomy test! I feel pretty good about my studying thus far. The test is Wednesday, so wish me luck. We have a written exam and our lab practical, so... I'm hoping I prepped enough and learned the right material so that I do well on this test!!

On another note, I'm training for the Rock 'n' Roll half marathon in Dallas in March and this weekend, on Saturday, I successfully ran 5 miles without walking or stopping. I was so excited and extremely proud. Maybe I will actually be able to complete this half and run the entire thing!! Just got to stay motivated and buy some new running shoes so I don't mutilate my feet and knees in the training process.

Well, that's about it for this week, nothing overly exciting, just a taxing week.

Oh how life is funny!

I SURVIVED MIDTERMS!!! barely thought. I made it through all my tests, some more successfully than others which means that I will need to pick up the pace on the focusing and studying!

Since I worked hard and such to get through midterms, I decided that I would reward myself and head to Austin for the Halloween weekend. Yay!!!

Friday I drove in after class and hung out at Starbucks for a few hours to study then I went to Hula Hut with friends. It was so great to catch up with everyone!! I really miss my friends like crazy! I really miss Austin too!!

Saturday Casey and I got to hang out which was awesome. We headed down to San Marcos to meet up with friends and hang out. We watched UT win at Pluckers in San Marcos, so much fun!!! Then headed to Riley's in Hunter to meet up with friends. Then we headed to the square to meet up with more friends. I miss all the my friends and Austin. :( So, this weekend was bittersweet! I was upset that I had to leave, but school is great and I know that I am working towards something great.

So, among other things, Friday night we discovered that I had a headlight out, so we tried to change it (ok, Casey tried to change it) but the light wasn't working. The fuse was good, so we were stumped. Then, Sunday when I went to leave, my car wouldn't start! I was stranded in Austin, wondering how I was going to get back to Houston in time for class Monday morning. Luckily, I was with Casey and he worked on my car, tried to figure out what was wrong. Nothing seemed to be working :( He jumped my car and got it working, but I still have no idea what the problem is. According to Casey, my dad and Casey's dad, there is possibly a short somewhere that is slowly draining my battery. Not fun at all. So, instead of driving to Houston, I headed to Hallettsville so my dad can try to take my car to the dealership in the morning and I can get up at 4:30 am to drive to Houston in my mom's suburban. Yikes! Oh well, like my dad always says, if you didn't have anything, then it would never break and you'd be living under a bridge, so be thankful that you have things that break. I'm also thankful that I have such awesome peopel in my life who take care of me and spoil me rotten!!! Thanks! Let's hope that the rest of this week goes much better than today!

Midterms are upon us!

This past week was complete and total insanity. Monday we had a midterm in a class that we have only had 2 lectures in! How the heck can u have a midterm over two lectures??? Oh well...

Wednesday we had our second Anatomy test and our first anatomy practical. I was so stressed after the test that I was making myself nauseous. Luckily I passed the test!! and I aced the practical, so I just have to study super hard for the next few tests in that class. Next week I've got a midterm practical in my basic PT skills class and the week after that I've got 2 more midterms, then I think it is over for a little while at least!!! Yay!!!

On another note, I signed up for the rock 'n' roll 1/2 marathon in Dallas in March!!!! Not sure why I thought that'd be fun to do again, but I know it will be and the training will be awesome! It'll keep me sane and in shape, that's the hope anyway.

So... this weekend, Casey came to visit. It was the most amazing weekend ever. A much needed relief from the midterm frenzy. Friday, we did a 4.5 mile run and then drove to Galveston to hang out for the evening. We ate at a restaurant on the water, delicious, and then walked around the Strand/Historic District of Galveston, killing time until the Ghost tour!! It was so cool to hear about all the history and reports of "strange activity" in the different builidngs in the Galveston area. Too bad we didn't get any cool pictures, the ghosts did not want to come out and play with us on Friday night I guess.

Saturday we watched the Horns win against OU!! We ventured to Chili's to take in the game on the big flat screens they have in the bar! So cool. Then we carved a pumpkin and made cookies, yum!!! The weather has been absolutely amazing this weekend, and i hope it continues! It is actually beginning to feel like Fall!!!

Well, I guess I've got to be productive now, and get ready for the weeks ahead!! Here goes! Have a great week all!!!

First Major Test

This week has been the longest week yet and it is only going to get worse. Looking through my schedule, which I should never look more than a week or two ahead, but..... I did, I have become more than overwhelmed recently.

Monday we had our first Anatomy test. I did not realize how stressed and uptight I was during my test until after I walked out and felt how tense my shoulders were! I passed, yay!!! Now if I can just keep this up in all my classes :( It has become apparent that it is more difficult to balance every class than I had originally thought. The first two weeks I was keeping up with my readings and reviewing each class' powerpoint before and after the lecture, and I still felt as though I had time to get everything done. Now.... I barely have time to breath let alone read and get ahead. Some days I feel like I'm just keeping my head above water. I'll be able to catch up soon, I hope. It seems like we were all so very focused on this anatomy test that we barely looked at any other class for the past week and a half.

Now the race begins!!! From here until the end of October I've got 1-4 midterms/practicals/quizzes, etc. per week, not to mention all the little group projects and presentations that are due. Yikes!

I am going to have to get myself on a better schedule and make time to get everything done. My goal is to get more working out time into my life, because I really think that will help with my stress level! If anyone in the Houston area wants to help me train, that would be amazing. I'd like to start training for a run again, we'll see.

So, after the hell that was our Gross Human Anatomy test on monday, we all went out, with our professors to Chuy's. It was great, we got done with lab early (not sure that anyone retained anything about the flexor muscles of the forearm that day). We made it to Chuy's in time for a much needed happy hour and some dinner, delicious!

It has felt like Friday every day this week, but that God that tomorrow really is Friday!

Tuesday my mom came in town and we went to this awesome Cuban food restaurant in the Bellaire area. The best part was I walked out of there with 2 meals for the week!! I picked up the "Best of Houston 2009" issue of the Houston Press magazine and I'm determined to try some of the restaurants and other exciting places in that magazine. Now I've got places to go in Houston!!!

I am so ready for it to be Friday! On top of everything else this week, I woke up with a sore throat and a stuffy nose :( I'm hoping it is just allergies that are coming in full force with this front the weather people keep saying is coming! Keep you fingers crossed for me. More exciting stuff soon!

Cooking Queen

So I have decided that each week I will try a new recipe. Some of the girls at school were talking about trying new recipes and so on. I figured that it would be easy to pick one a week and then it would last for 3 or 4 meals and that would be perfect!

This week I'm trying Black Bean Croquettes! I hope they turn out.

Cooking is also a good way for me to get through studying. It is a great break and extremely productive!! So, if anyone has any good, easy, cheap, and healthy recipes that I could try, let me know!!

On a different note, Monday is our first big anatomy exam. YIKES!! I feel like I have done nothing but study for this test all week. I guess I'm just going to have to figure out the balance thing! With 6 classes, it can be difficult! I think I am prepared, but who knows. My goal is to study to be a good PT not necessarily just to pass a test.

Once I get through Monday, the rest of the week should be great! My mom is coming on Tuesday and then I am headed to Hallettsville on Friday after classes!

Well, I guess this week will be a true test of my ability to balance everything in my life! Wish me luck!

Hook 'Em

So I decided on Thursday that this weekend would be one of the last times that I would really have a chance to get away for a while since tests and all that fun stuff will begin shortly. EEEKKK!!

Friday I got out of classes around one, and I drove straight to Austin. My intention was to post up at a coffee shop in town and study for several hours until all my friends got off of work and it was dinner time. Did not happen. I don't know if it was just laziness or just lack of motivation or both, but i decided to head up to Crenshaw's and hang out. I got to see all my old co-workers and the kiddos I used to teach. It was a blast. Of course then I was "dragged" to the mall my friend Jenna. Ok, so I went willingly.

It was quite exciting because I discovered I had a gift card in my purse from Dillard's and it still had close to $20 left on it!!!! It was like Christmas in September! After shopping we met up with some of our other friends for dinner at Santa Rita and enjoyed the eveing. I then met up with Casey and we hung out for a little while!

Saturday was my cousin's son's birthday, so they had a big celebration at the tailgate! Jackson turned 2 and his mom baked and decorated from scratch two longhorn shaped cakes. Super cute stuff! It was quite the long day. I spent 9.5 hours tailgating and watching the UT game on Saturday. It was amazing! I got to see family and friends and relax and not think about school and how hard the next few years are going to be.

Sunday it had to come to an end and I headed back to Houston and did all the "fun" stuff to get ready for the week! Grocery shopping and studying! I hope this week goes well. Next week tests begin. I'll have to work on getting some good pictures and fun clips up on this webpage.

Yay I have internet!

I finally have internet at home! Only three weeks in the making! AT & T took 2.5 weeks and still never had it working. Comcast, 3 days and I'm up and running.

School is going well. This week was a lot of info, as usual. I guess I should get used to feeling overwhelmed most of the time! It will get better, but I feel like the next three years are going to be studying, class, studying, class, eat, studying, class, etc. All of the information is so interesting and I just with that I could absorb everything that is said in class.

We learned about sterile procedures and how to create a sterile environment. We practice putting on a sterile mask, gown, gloves and creating a sterile field. Those gowns were hot and I had a tank top and shorts on! I applaud the surgeons and anyone in the medical field who has to wear those things for long periods of time.

I also learned about bandaging of the upper extremities. That was cool. I guess I had never realized that there were different techniques! Now I get to practice, who wants to be a guinea pig???

Well, this weekend will be relaxing and studying mostly. Casey is coming to town so that should be super fun! He said he is going to cook for me tomorrow! I'll let you know how that goes, hopefully my apartment will still be intact post dinner :) (just kidding, he's a good cook).

I hope everyone else has a wonderful weekend! More to come later I'm sure. Maybe I'll figure out the picture thing soon!

Week One

I have survived week one of Texas Woman's University's DPT program! It has been a long, stressful, overwhelming week. It has also been extremely exciting and informative and I can't wait to keep going. (I know, seems odd.)

Well, there are 50 DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) students in the Class of 2012. We have many of our classes together. I believe that it will take us a while to get everyone's name down, but we seem to be making progress.

Our week started with Exercise Testing and Prescription and a pre-test. Our first class we had a test! Talk about intimidating. I hope it was not for an official grade because I don't remember half of that stuff that was on it. :( I am hoping that we will have it all down soon.

Then we had our intro to PT Practice and lunch. And after lunch...... GROSS ANATOMY!!!!

Seems odd that it is called gross anatomy! hehe! As a graduate student we do cadaver dissections, yes that is right! We had to get our tanks ready and prepared for dissections on Monday. No easing into anatomy, we jumped right in!

It was not as bad as I initially thought, but that is ok. Wednesday we actually began dissection. It was kind of interesting to see all the muscles and tendons and how each person differs so greatly.

Tuesday began with drug testing, yay we had to pee in a cup, but part of the program, and we only had one class after that which was amazing! Of course I spent the afternoon getting books, bleh and studying!!! I still feel like I have so much to learn and that I have to keep up with.

More classes and studying the rest of the week! By Friday, we were all ready to crash out and just be done. It has been an intense week of studying and learning and so on...

On top of the stress of starting a graduate school program that is so intense, my home internet has not been hooked up yet! AT & T told me that they would have it done the 26th of August! Apparently they had "no access to the apartment." So... I had to reschedule for Setp 1st. Ok, no big deal I'm thinking. We have wireless on campus and a killer computer lab, I'll be okay for a day or so. Monday morning, no internet in the entire building at school! The entire day Monday, no internet on campus. Talk about a bummer.

I got home Tues thinking that my internet would be working, but... no such luck. Apparently AT&T had put the order as complete but no one had come out to actually hook up my internet. So... Wed at lunch i spent 45 minutes on the phone with them, being passed around to three of four departments and finally got them to put a rush order on my internet. Yay!!! Thurs I had a call from a tech, did not say if he had hooked everything up. So... today (Fri) I spent another hour and a half being passed around trying to figure out if they had indeed come out to set everything up. I found out that yes, they did set it up, but my particular area of Houston has a network outage which they do not have a time frame for when it will be up and running!!! AAAAAAHHHHH!! So apparently everything is hooked up, but until the network comes back online, I won't have home internet. So I packed up and went to my parents a day early! I am spending time regrouping, relaxing and working a little this long weekend! I hope by Monday all will be working and life will be in order.

I am hoping to keep this updated regularly. I promise that not all entries will be as long an boring. I am new to this blogging stuff, so I'll have to figure out the picutres and all that fun stuff. Have a great weekend all!!