SeaYEAH!ttle

Hey folks.

     Do you ever just stick your head out of the window of your car while on the freeway, going 60+mph and it's so exhilarating and loud and freeing and hectic as your hair gets tangled into an unforgiving mess of tangles (including your eyelashes) and you can hardly breathe cuz so much air is coming at you and people driving by are staring at you cuz "does that girl think she is a dog or something"minus the slobber okay maybe a little? (sorry about the longest run-on sentence in the history of the world). That's kinda how this break has been. (And yes, I did get my baby-thin 4 locks of hair untangled successfully)

    Being home has been a wonderfully needed break. Mine and Derek's parents have been so gracious to open up their homes to us and let us stay with them, eat their food, and take up their time being their at-home children again. It's been so great bonding with the in-laws and the out-laws. haha I couldn't resist. And I have loved seeing my sisters a bunch and going to Chipotle. Those are the makings of a great break, people.

I learned a lot:

:: Derek has opened my eyes to the world of fishing. We tried both fly fishing and regular fishing. I prefer fly fishing, despite the fact that I didn't catch anything. And there are only small fish in the rivers of Western Washington. And all of them are catch-and-release. And when we did catch one larger than 3 inches, we considered keeping it, but I couldn't deal with killing it. (That fish is probably a father to some little fishy family struggling to make a living. I couldn't bear the thought of those baby fishies going "Where's daddy? Why isn't he home yet? Who will take care of us?" and the mommy fishy turning to the little one and saying "You're the head of the household now, little Ted." Tears. Tears.) Okay, that probably wouldn't happen, but still. And for some reason I don't think of that story when eating store-bought fish or any other meat. I couldn't handle being vegetarian.
And we may have dropped our camera in the lake while fishing one time. We got it out, but it is deader than dead. Thus, the lack of pictures. Whoops.

:: I realized watching an entire season of one show all in a row takes about as much concentration and stamina as a triathlon! I started watching ER starting with season 1, and I only got about 7 or 8 episodes in, and I got bored. And it's not a boring show, people are being cut open and operated on every episode!

:: Painting walls is kind of enjoyable. It's relaxing. We painted Taylor's room and it just made me excited for when I have my own house to paint and choose colors instead of our boring eggshell colored walls right now.

:: Being around Sophie has not satisfied my need for getting a puppy of our own. In fact, it has probably made it worse. So much so that husband has resorted to watching dog videos on youtube and sighing. Many times. 

:: C89.5 is the mecca of good radio stations. No commercials. House/dubstep/electronic/techno/modern music. All clean and edited. And they play the best songs before other radio stations get to them. Yeah, I'm one of those music hipsters.  (Have you heard The Fox by Ylvis? Didn't think so. You should look it up on youtube. It's so new, it's not even on iTunes yet!) It's the only radio station we listen to since we've been home. I just wish there was a way to listen to it in Idaho. 

:: Guys. guys. I went to Chipotle not once. No, no. 

Not twice. Heavens no.

THREE TIMES over the break! I am one lucky girl and one happy camper. And each time was            better than the last. I think they must put crack in the rice or something.

Rants and realizations:

:: I got a mini-job over the break and had the opportunity to chauffeur (def had to look that spelling up) two children to and from swimming classes. They were fine at first, but after a few weeks, their true colors came out and I came to find that they were entitled and spoiled children. And I realized that not only was it a job, but yet another example of what I didn't want my future family to be like. I drove them to what started out as swimming, but then to the park, then to doctor's appointments and haircuts, to the movies and restaurants, and a trampoline park. The parents even hired Derek to teach the younger one to ride a bike. Pardon me if I'm wrong, but I think teaching your child to ride a bike should be a milestone shared between parent and child. It only comes once. It felt a little like the parent's couldn't be bothered with their children, which was sad. I wouldn't be surprised if they paid their way through everything else, someone to potty train them, someone to go to their graduations, someone to be present at their weddings. It made me realize the importance of being there for everything you can in your children's lives and show them you love them by supporting them with actions, rather than money to buy their happiness.

:: Derek and I decided to take a Nursing Assistant course over the break. Why, you may ask?
       -cuz the class started and ended perfectly during the break
       -cuz we both need healthcare experience for future careers
       -cuz it can't hurt our resume
       -cuz it seemed interesting
       -cuz it's always good to have another marketable skill in this economy
       -cuz when we graduate, we may not be able to find jobs in our degrees right away
       -cuz we can! Yolo.
      The class time itself was brutally boring and long and I rather didn't like it. (Let's just say it wasn't rocket science. Or college level. Or even high school level.) Many things we learned were not so 'anatomy&physiology' stuff (which I thought it would be) and more just common sense stuff ("should you leave a patient alone on the toilet who can't walk on their own?" dur dur, i dunno.) But out of 23 students, only 12 graduated. Pity.

        But it was the clinicals that really opened my eyes. We got to work alongside a CNA in a nursing home in Seattle for a 40-hour week. Some things were gross. changing old people diapers. Some things were fun. talking to residents about their memories and past. Some things were awkward. getting hit on by 85-year-olds. Some things were sad. resident with alzheimer's asking to see her deceased husband. But overall, it was a great experience. I learned a lot about the job and about myself during that week. It's a very exhausting, hands-on job that requires patience and kindness always. Which I didn't know I was capable outside of family and friends. I always had low patience with previous jobs and didn't honestly care about the customers. But it was much more rewarding than some of my previous jobs selling shoes or making burritos. I felt like I was making a difference in the world. I would be willing to try and work in a nursing home again in the future if the opportunity came.
   I also somehow stumbled upon one career I think I might like that is actually in my degree, health education. Not in a school, but rather in a hospital, doctor's office, or private business. Basically, they teach people about behaviors that promote wellness. I am looking forward to the coming semester to find out more about it and how I can prepare myself.


Okay, deep Yoda-Morgan is done.


I am excited to go back to school and back to our closet-apartment. I kind of missed it! I'm interested to see how my classes will play out because I'm finished with foundations classes and only have major classes now. And I can't wait to see lots of friends and eat Thor's ice cream! (I've missed that wonderful place) And fall is pretty much my favorite semester. Lots of holidays, lots to do cuz it's not butt-cold yet, and pumpkin-flavored everything! And I'm glad summer is coming to an end, so I can stop working on my summer swimsuit body and start working on my fall sweater body.


xo