Moose Alert

Driving home the other day my dad and I spotted two moose, a cow and her calf, just below our house. They were covered in burrs and disgusting! No wonder they are always so moody.

Look at the steam coming out of her nose.

There was a magpie that kept landing on her back.

Trick Trick Trick

Guess who doesn't like tricks? ME!!

So this kid asks me last week if I wanted to go help a lady count some fabric. Well I like to be a nice little helpy helper so of course I will go, no big deal right?? We were to meet at nine (at night), so we all get in this car and SURPRISE...the fabric store is in Burley (an hour and a half away) and we are going to be counting every yard of fabric ever made since 1911. Here are some things you might not know about me, when I go without sleep I get extreme stomach pain which converts to anger which makes me Godzilla. The challenge: count all fabric by row and shelf with cost and amount of yards...by morning. I hate going into a JoAnn's for 10 minutes with my mom, so I knew the next 13 HOURS were going to be miserable!There was even better news, no one brought a cd player. So two people played music off their phones. We had anywhere from Enya (if the goal was to put me to sleep you nailed it!) to the Ying Yang twins to random chapters of a book on tape. Also you can't count and talk to people, so there was no talking.These are some of the sheets of rows and shelves. Hardest $60 I ever made

Moral of the story: always think twice before reckless service!

FINALS!!

I just finished my last final. I haven't seen my grades yet, so the worrying continues but for now I need to get myself together and clean up my act. This is what happens to your room during a semester of Med-Surg nursing...

There is a crappy book shelf with books exploding off the edges. The floor is full of papers and careplans and clothing. There is a bike tire, pilgram hat and cd collection strug out everywhere! How can I live like this? (Thanks to my roommate for introducing me to the show Horders, I have a great desire to clean all this crap up before I have to strap myself to a chair so I don't fall and get wedged in my clutter!)

Bad Day

Do you every thing you are having a bad day? It could be worse, you could come home to the sound of gushing water to find your basement flooding and your ceilings caving in. Broken pipes always ruin the holiday cheer!

Grampa Kirkham in his snow boots vacuuming up water.

Trying to catch the water flowing through the ceiling

What used to be a ceiling.

Christmas Spirit

The city of Pocatello is probably on a very very small budget, but despite that they still managed to string some Christmas lights professionally.

Things that bug me...

1. Finding mold on my brand new cucumber
2. Waking up to a clogged toilet (I assure you I am not the clogger)
3. Having the bottom of my pants be wet...all of the time
4. Studying so long my bottom feels like it has a pressure sore
5. Being so tired I fall asleep trying to decide what I will do that is productive
6. A messy room (which it looks like Hurricane Katrina right now)
7. People leaving rotten milk in garbage cans so it smells like vomit and I begin to dry heave
8. Almost breaking my neck in adorable high heels that I apparently can't walk in
9. Having to pay 42 cents for a stamp (or more, I can never keep up with these dang increases)
10. People talking as loud as possible in a clearly marked no-talking zone of the library
I really am full of holiday cheer somewhere deep down!

Thanksgiving time again...

Thanksgiving started out going home and trying to find things to do. I went to the elementary school and helped some 5th graders make bread. I think that is what the pioneers would have wanted me to do!

I am thankful for a hot convection oven to cook out all these little kid snotty nose germs!

We ate at The Farm on Thanksgiving and earlier that morning someone ran over Grandmother's mailbox. She was very very angry. (If you have a letter for her you might want to hold off for a little bit!)The lovely starts of a Thanksgiving meal. My mom did a lot of work and made a lot of food for this day. Unfortunately I didn't get my sweet potatoes but I am trying not to be bitter. The good news is I did make a 7-layer bean dip (my favorite) Uncle Ed and Madi rockin out on the piano. My grandmothers two favorite people. (I didn't make the cuts for this picture)The day was as exciting as it looks

The yearly pheasant hunting trip. It was a beautiful day!


The collection of guns

Cait's first time hunting

I rocked the double barrel shot gun. I didn't hit any birds but I did nail some flying cow turds.

We got seven out of 10 birds. Not to shabby!

The proud hunters. Japhy was so excited to go hunting, he was running around, jumping in cat tails, working so hard to scare up some birds. But like everything, he is getting old and the next day he couldn't even get up by himself. Poor dog!

At my brothers work he found some explosives. He was so excited when he finally got to bring some home. You have to mix this chemical concoxion for 45 seconds then place it a minimum of 50 yards away and shoot it and a magnificent explosion will occur. He stepped it up by placing it in a pumpkin.

Yep that's it, the long awaited for explosion. Very anti-climatic! Crappy explosive powder never works! (but brother did get some for his girlfriends birthday, SURPRISE this is what you get to look forward to!)

Nursing Updates

It has come to my attention that I am in nursing school and never talk about what I'm doing so here is a little recap of the semester thus far...

I am now doing clinicals and it is crazy busy but super fun. I love being in the hospital! I have been on the medical floor where I have placed catheters, given IV's, wiped bottoms, been exposed to the swine flu (millions of times), gotten the swine flu, wiped more bottoms, infused blood, given my own blood (and almost puked at the size of the needle), had patients dies, had patients get better, been yelled at by cranky old people for smiling too much, and creeped past prison inmates.

I have also been in the operating room and recovery. I have seen knees replaces, been hit in the face (mask) with shards of bone, I have been splashed with a spinal block when it blew from an osteoporosis vertebrae, I have watched a baby be born(c-section is very violent) and tubes tied. I now know exactly what they did when they removed my gallbladder, and helped people recover from nicked bladders. The saddest thing I have dealt with is a little child waking up from anesthetic screaming because they don't know why they are in so much pain.

I have learned a lot and can't wait for more and more to come!

Fall Time Fun

I was able to go to Rexburg for a weekend to enjoy the holiday festivities. Here is waking up to the Tetons in the horizon. Isn't it so beautiful!We had a scary dinner with scary food. Nothing like purple dye all over your face so it looks like you can't put on lipstick.This is jello with fruit in it, but it did look really gross.Then the pumpkin carving began...Little dog, also known as "Mahana you ugly" cleaned out the pumpkin guts for us.Chris got a little out of control while flinging goo, lets see what this tree grows next year.It keeps kids busy for hours (or until they start crying)This was my pumpkin. I wanted a money sign because they are so expensive but I started cutting it opposite and it was to hard and didn't work out so I quit!My roommate is over the universities athletics and cheerleaders so it would only be appropriate if she dressed like a cheerleader to make fun of them at their own party!We had to pick apples for cider, apple butter and pie filling. (No that is not me in the corner bent over)The fruits of our labor!This walnut tree started shedding it's leaves at my grandmothers house. There was no wind, no disturbances and all the leaves started falling until nothing was left on the tree. It was one of the wierdest things I have ever seen!

Getting into Pocatello, on the side of the road was a gaggle of geese!