The Latest....as of 6/17/09

Well, it's been quite a week here. Nothing terribly exciting but busy to say the least. Jared left us for Scout camp on Monday and won't be back home until Friday evening. He was a bit nervous when he left and so was Mom. I wanted to make sure he had everything he needs, etc... While I'm sure he'll be enjoying the trip and may or may not get homesick, I sure do miss him here and I never seem to stop looking for him around the house.

Yesterday Jason and I made the trip to Monroe, LA. Two hours of ALONE time. YAY!! Maybe if we hadn't had to wake up at 4AM it would have been a more talkative trip down there. Once we got there, we had special permission to pick up Elders Harding and Hansen and take them out to breakfast. We really enjoyed our special time with the two of them. Ya'll may remember Elder Harding as being a major Carris family fav. So, everytime I have to go to Monroe on business, I usually schedule something with him and his new companion. Yesterday Elder Harding reminded me it's been almost six months since he served here in our ward. Where does the time go?

With business matters attended to and the Elders fed to capacity! Elder Hansen can really eat!!LOL Jason and I headed back home. Now I don't know why it happens but everytime I am in Monroe I come home with a sinus headache. Allergies to something there, I suppose, but this time was a bit different. We pulled out of Monroe at about 1130am headed towards home (actually Minden first..explained later) with my headache fully onboard. EEK! Every bump in the road felt as if it were a knife entering my skull and tylenol wasn't touching it. So here we go. Great I begin running a temp.

Finally make it into Minden so Jason can see the foot doctor for a problem he's having at 2pm. You see, we're really trying to adopt a new lifestyle. With that comes some bumps and bruises. We are ok with this. We just didn't know about the blisters that would come on as part of our efforts to change our existence.

You see, Sunday, Jason, the children and I walked. Jason set the pace and off we went on a 5 mile trek. We really enjoyed our time and goofed off together as I struggled to keep up with my leggy children as they breezed by me in lock step with their father. Sheesh! I felt a little like a troll trying to keep up but I managed it without a trip to the ER and afterwards we all felt great! Except Jason. Jason had a sore spot on the ball of his left foot that was giving him some real pain. Upon taking off his shoes we encountered a blood soaked sock and a blister 2.5cm by 1.5cm deep enough to be classified as a stage 2 pressure sore. So, we dealt with it the best we could on Monday and Tuesday he HAD to see the doc. It was obviously getting infected despite my best efforts to keep a sterile dressing on it, clean, etc...

He sees the doc, and off we go to the house to sleep for two hours before he works the nightshift replumbing a kitchen at a nursing home and I go on exchanges with a fever. It was an enjoyable evening, Sister Heaton and I got to visit at length with two less than active families of our ward. It was a fun and exciting time. Once we got back to our meeting place to meet the other sisters, forty-five minutes late. I was ready to crash, so we chatted for a bit, and off to home I went.

And Crash I did........I hugged my children, prayed a short prayer, asked my hubby for a blessing which he did give me...(insert shocked expression here)......and for which I am very thankful!! And I slept....woke up this morning still a bit out of sorts, (as though ya'll can't tell from the drugged rambling in this post.)

OK...on that note.....I'm out! Hope you all have a blessed day!!

Ummmm....Yeah

Oh My Hannah...

I woke up this morning with a burr.....augh! Not an actual burr but more of an issue that I have been trying to figure out how to deal with for over a month. So, armed with a dream I awoke from and a day or two of sincere prayer I went about the task of writing emails. It was something that I really didn't want to do and yet knew it had to be done. There is air to be cleared here and I'm arming myself with the force of a Mighty Wind and trying my best to allow the Holy Ghost to lead me in the right direction come what may.

The Scriptures say in D&C 121:43 (paraphrased not quoted) that we are to nip things in the butt immediately with sharpness when moved on by the Holy Ghost and then afterwards show forth an increase of love toward those whom we reprove lest they esteem us to be an enemy.

So I wrote, and I wrote until the feeling in my stomach was gone and finally love began to flow through me again. I can't tell you how many countless lines or hours I had written about all of this in my journal or how many heartfelt prayers I had prayed, (I even fasted...ack!!) nothing seemed to bring about the peace and comfort I needed until now. It is my hope and my prayer that although scattered and hard to read they may be, the people reading those emails will know my intention is love and only love that inspired them.


~~~~~~~~~~Interesting update~~~~~~~



Well, I read my 'horror'scope this morning on Yahoo! and it went like this...

"Jump at today's big chance -- you can make almost anything happen, if you are willing to drop what you're doing and act! It may startle those around you, but you know it's all for the best. "

Of course my prayer is that it is only for the best....

~~~~~~~~Update ...AGAIN!!!

Astrology.com says my horoscope for today is this....

"After who knows how long spent in endless negotiations, you've finally found the magic verbal key. Yes, you really can prove your point now without offending anyone or gaining a reputation as a bulldozer. Hey, bounce it off a friend if you're still skeptical."

So even if my knees feel like jello and I'm quaking in my boots, there is even more confirmation I'm at least standing in the right place.

Antsy Morning......

Well, I just woke up...never the best time to be blogging. I'm supposed to go to the gym this morning with Hillary to work out but already I can think of a million and one reasons not to go. I woke up with a pulsing headache....took something for it and I'm hopeful it will go away before 0730 or I will have to cancel the gym appointment. It seems whenever I get a headache like this I battle nausea. Thinking it's probably not such a great idea to go puke in the gym today.

It seems to be a high anxiety morning too, not sure why other than my NCLEX results should be in today, I hope. Or maybe it's that I have six children here instead of my normal four which didn't help me sleep well last night. Who knows....at this point, I'm thinking of going back to bed and starting over in a couple hours.

~~~~~~~~~update~~~~~~~

Interesting to me was when I read my horoscope this morning just for fun and found this to be my daily reading...

" You have a headache, you didn't sleep well last night and everyone seems to want something from you. Just this once, refuse. Even omnipotent multitaskers are entitled to downtime."

I'm not typically a huge believer in Astrology but I do find it very interesting when it's this accurate.

~~~~~~~update #2~~~~~~~~

I did pass the NCLEX!!!! YAY!!! Got my license here in the state of Louisiana FINALLY!!

Patience IS a virtue.......

Finally at long last....yesterday I sat for my NCLEX examination!!!

I had really wanted to journal more on here about my hopes, feelings, etc... from while I was in AZ and since I've been home from visiting my family but my head has been so full of conflicting thoughts and emotions that I felt it all better kept to myself. It seems that with time and prayer the clouds are beginning to dissipate and the light is seaping through little by little. I hope in time there will be a genre for the opportunity to share the personal growth I've experienced as a result of that trip. For now, the morning of NCLEX...

Don't even worry about getting up late, I was up at 0445 ready to take on the world or at least a few ATI exams. (ATI exams are the mock NCLEX ) So, after making Jason's lunch, getting a warm heartfelt hug/kiss and good luck wish from him I sent him off to face the world of nasty chicken guts the various other ilks he was dreading about working with while doing the plumbing for the chicken processing plant in Farmerville, LA. (I'm so happy to not be a plumber!!) At 0515...armed with my cup of warm mint water, and my handy dandy notebook, I'm off.... First practice test, Pharmacology. Yikes! I did have to chose that one first....ummm yeah, well... An hour later with a 54% score and my ego in the dirt I decide (since I can't read my entire drug book in 3 hours) I'll just freshen up on the drug classes in the front. 30 mins later I'm back on the puter for test #2 Pharmacology again......Oh my Hannah....a rather frustrating hour goes by and I score 71%. YIKES!!! Looking at the clock...it's only 0750 so I've got about 2.5 hours to study. (forget about getting dressed, applying any make-up and the hair from hell....yeah, it's going into a ponytail today!) OK, not doing very well in Pharm so I switch to Med/Surg questions, the tests flow a bit easier for me but still only an 84.5% and I'm about to run out of time.....oh man, I still have to put clothes on...are you kidding me...nah, just a few more Med/Surg questions....I'll have time.

Jared and Alyssa get up at 0930, exactly thirty minutes before I had planned to leave, and decide to do something nice and make Mom (me) a "good luck on your test breakfast" of fried pancakes loaded with real butter and syrup....I go with it, yummy comfort food!! After all, my brain needs food...and the calories....well, I've heard somewhere if ya cut it into little pieces the calories fall out right?!!? O'well if they don't I'll walk a couple extra miles this week and pray it comes off my hind end in the process. Then there it goes.... my quiet, easygoing, peaceful, relaxing morning that I had discussed with all of my children the night before goes straight down the toilet. Let the fighting begin.....must I always have to be a referee?? Why do 12-13 year old children think the WORLD revolves around them???? That's all I have to say about that. So, in a state of complete frustration with one of my children and with my stomach in knots due to nerves, I leave the house and drive......now I'm just cranky....thank goodness I put all my documentation in the car Tuesday night because in my mood I would have forgotten everything I needed.


On my way to the testing site, silence. No radio. I just need to cool off. Once I've gained some composure I text a few friends and family to let them know I'm on my way and I need them to pray. Of ten messages, only three responded for which I'm extremely grateful. Talked to Jason, Hillary and Jerry during the rest of my journey and received encouragement. My cousin Derek sent me a text message wishing me luck....is there such a thing as luck? If so, I hope to be the luckiest person alive today!! Eeek! That's a rather selfish thought....

So, I get to the testing site at 1110 with a few minutes to spare before my 1130 exam and park under a shade tree at the far end of the parking lot...somehow the distance seems to allay the anxiety a little or could it be it just the truck was faced away from the building diverting my attention from impending doom?!?! Ummm...where's that smell coming from? Oh...ooOOOOoooOoOoo pizza. Looking up there was a pizza restaraunt right next to where I parked...yeah, that's a diversion.....now I can't think at all!!! Great!! Somehow then my mind went from the yummy fragrance of warm pepperoni covered in cheese to decubitus ulcer staging and ecchymosis....yip! that's completely disgusting but....it flowed well so I went with it. Talked with Jason and then with Sharon again really quick before walking the "green mile" of cobblestone that took to me my certain doom. Suddenly I remember to pray a feable prayer for absolute recall, comfort, reassurance and success in my efforts before getting to the door. I must have looked like an absolute idiot walking to the doors of this monsterous building talking openly to Heavenly Father....I'm sure it looked as though I was talking to myself. Yeah, just what I need the Nursing board to think....."schizo"....not!!

Finally I make it through the door a few steps to the elevator and suddenly my knees begin to feel like jello....gulp! My tired brain is screaming "Get ahold of yourself" and my stomach chimes in.....great...lions and tigers and bears...OH MY HECK can we stop it already!! Wandering around the second floor looking for suite 212 or a bathroom whichever comes first....oh no...it's not the bathroom. Suite # 212....the receptionist looks like someones sweet little grandmother. She must be used to nervous folks because it seemed she was able to read my thoughts through the desperation in my eyes. She quickly scans in my documentation, photographs me and takes my fingerprint and I now get to sign my life on the dotted line. Suddenly my bladder refused to cooperate as the blessed receptionist simply stated; "the bathroom is across the hall dear if you need to go, go ahead" Bless you!!! and I'm outta there.....

Another quick prayer in the cramped commode "Heavenly Father, PLEASE be with me through this..." and my reprieve was over. Back to Suite #212 for the test, with a short "we who are about to die salute you" I'm fingerprinted and taken in to the exam room, introduced to my computer and instructed to raise my hand if I need anything at all. I was assigned to cubicle #2 and given a dry erase board with pen for any writing I might need to do and the proctor wished me luck. Here it is..... the moment, my moment to shine...... a moment that took forever to tick-tick- TICK by with the huge round wall clock I was blessed or CURSED enough to be placed directly under.

Now, I had a well thought out NCLEX test plan and strategy for completing my exam as comfortably as possible, I picked soft loose clothing with comfy shoes. I used the bathroom before I left, and had planned to use it again one hour into my test which would also allow me to get a drink of water. My plan was for four hours of testing containing 205 NCLEX style questions. Best laid plans of mice and men/me.....much to my horror 45 mins into answering some difficult questions, some of which I know I pulled out of my hind end, my exam stopped, dead....85 questions, that was it. No more questions, no more chances.....just done. OH MY HANNAH, what do I do now? My stomach groaned in agreement. I raised my hand before my planned bathroom break and I waited for the proctor to come. I was pronounced free to go and escorted to the door. Now I wait for my results.........noone knows how long that will take so I wait....