M.I.A.

I know, I've been M.I.A. again. I tend to do that often don't I? Life is my excuse this time. It's finally down to the last month of school and things have been hectic around here lately. All the projects and papers are beginning to be due and so extra work has started in order to get everything turned in on time. Honestly though, there hasn't been much going on to talk about!

* I did get inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society. Here is a picture of the people from my nursing class who also got inducted.

There were a lot of people from other classes who got inducted, but I think our class is the best! I guess I'm kind of partial though.

*I had my family birthday dinner...even though my birthday was 2 weeks ago! We had steaks, baked potatoes, and asparagus. It was so good! I love spending quality time with my family:)

That is really all that's been going on around here, aside from the piles and piles of school work! I have a test on Wednesday so I'm going to go study, but hopefully my days will calm down here soon enough and I can get back to blogging! Hope you guys have a great Easter weekend:)

Erin

Surgery.

This may be too much information and it may slightly embarrass my mom (Sorry mom!) but I have to tell this story.

My mom has had a knot (a cyst...lots of people get them.) on her head for a few years now, not like protruding, but you can definitely feel it. Earlier this week it became infected. So she went to the doctor and they decided it needed to come out.

So today, I went to the surgeon with my mom in hopes that I would be able to watch the "operation." Being a nursing student, I'm supposed to take every opportunity I can get, right?!

It was so cool! The doctor started by numbing around the area with lidocaine/epinephrine and after a few shots around, the pressure started building up--so much so that the cyst began to rupture and pus started oozing out. Oh. my. gosh. It was so awesome!

Then he took his scalpel and cut this shape around the bump (), took some tweezers and started pulling and cutting with his scalpel. The cyst ended up being about the size of a large pea and she had a gaping hole in her head. Also really awesome! The procedure took all of about 8 minutes! He stitched it up and....are you ready for this??

....told ME to take the stitches out in 10 days!

That may seem so trivial, but to a girl in nursing school, it's really cool, haha :)

I'm excited about this weekend. Tomorrow I'm going to lunch with a few of my good friends and tomorrow night I'm having my family birthday dinner! (I realize this is about 2 weeks late, but I was out of town and then everyone got busy...we figured we should go ahead and do it before April rolls around.. ha!) Then on Sunday my family and I are eating lunch with another friend and her family before our induction ceremony into the international nursing honor society! It's a full weekend and looks like it's going to be fun! What are you guys up to this weekend??!

I hope it's a good one!

Erin

Good Mommy.

I'm a good mommy. You want to know why? You probably don't. And you're probably going to get a little sick when I tell you why. In fact, the queezy should just stop reading now and come back for the next post.

Over the course of the last week and a half, Marley has been terrorizing his tail. The poor boy has been scooting his butt across the ground, running around in circles chasing his tail. As a good mommy should, I looked at. It wasn't red, there were no fleas, and there were no bites. What then, was the problem I wondered? I put neosporin on it, like a good mommy, a few times and forgot about it.

Until last night.

I was fast asleep with my sweet puppy curled up underneath the covers at my feet. (Good mommies let their babies sleep in bed with them. Didn't you know that?) All of a sudden he frantically comes running bolting out from under the covers. He runs circles on my bed until I wake up. "What on God's green earth has gotten into you?" I asked him. As soon as I turned on the light, he jumped off my bed and started scooting circles around my floor. Oh no. His tail problem is back.

And then it hit me. My old roommate's mom was a vet. I remembered a teeny tiny story she told me once about how dog's need their anal sacs cleaned out occasionally because if it gets full and they don't clean it out themselves, it begins to hurt because the pressure builds up. I sat and watched her squeeze her dog's anal sac thinking it was gross...and smelly...and I would never do that. And then I put it out of my mind....because it was gross...and smelly...

Until last night.

Do you see where this is going?

At 12:00am, I got out of bed, strapped my squirming, 5 lb. dog in a headlock and proceeded to squeeze the juices out of his swollen anal sac. Once he felt the "release of pressure" (I'm sorry, but this is grossing me out writing about it), his whole body relaxed. It was gross and it was extremely smelly, as I remembered it being. And when it was over, he kissed me and loved me for taking care of his...problem.

I am a good GREAT mommy:)

Weekend Fun

This was such a good weekend! Thursday afternoon, one of my best friends and her boyfriend came in to town to meet their new niece! (Who is cute gorgeous, by the way!) They stayed with me though since the family was trying to get little Emerie on a schedule! David came up Friday evening so all four of us went to dinner at Maggiano's. It was so delicious--especially their bread, haha! Unfortunately, my crazy self forgot to take pictures...isn't that so typical??

Saturday was beautiful here, how about where you are? It was mid-70's so I laid out, of course! I didn't think I would get any sun! Both my mom and David said, "oh you won't get any sun, the sun's still too far away to get a tan!" So I laid out without any sunscreen on. Well, guess what? It wasn't too early to get sun. I got the mess burned out of me!

I know I look totally sick in this picture, and the picture doesn't even do the burn justice, but at least you get the point! My shoulders, chest, and stomach are so, so red. Ah well, the first burn of the year, I'll be sure to take better caution next time!

Today I felt pretty crummy from my burn, so I stayed inside (it's okay because it has rained all day!) and worked on some school work. I have a presentation tomorrow and some other projects to begin working on. I hope I can make it 5 more weeks!! :) Summer is slowly creeping closer!

What did you guys do this weekend? Anything fun? Did anyone else get burned?? :)

Erin

We are Family! Part Two

I told you not to expect a post yesterday...or the day before... I had a test yesterday and spend Tuesday evening babysitting/ studying for my test! But today I'm going to introduce you to the other half of my family. Enjoy! :)

David Bell:

(He's #9, the one about to head the ball!) David is one of the kindest people I know. Everyone who meets him loves him because he is so kind. He never meets a stranger and is so fun to be around. He makes me laugh like no one else can and I can count on him to always be there for me! He is a soccer player (and a hot one at that!) and has been his whole life. He even got a scholarship to play soccer at Clemson! (Go Tigers!) He now works at BMW, has bought a house, and drives a Z4 convertible--that sounds like the life, yes? Oh. And most importantly: he dates me! :) I love you baby!

Mama Bell:

This is David's mom. She is also one of the kindest people I know. That's probably where David gets it from:) She works in a middle school as a math specialist and is verrry good at what she does. Everyone loves her! (Again, this must be where David gets it!) She is very supportive of her children and will do absolutely anything for them. She is a wonderful gift-giver and a wonderful person. She is awesome and I'm so glad to have her in my life!

Papa Bell:

This is David's dad. He's a cool cat, isn't he? He works at the University of Georgia (it's okay, I forgive him.) in the radio and film department. He films the UGA football games and hosts a radio show in Athens. Talk about a cool job! He is a great boat driver in the summer--especially when there is an innertube being pulled along the back! He is very personable and funny:)

Sister Bell:

Susan is David's younger sister. She is beautiful, isn't she?! She is a senior at UGA (I'll forgive her too...!) and is graduating with a degree in elementary education. She wants to be a teacher, just like her momma! She is so sweet and outgoing! She is a great friend and is going to be a wonderful teacher! I can't wait to see what she does in her life!

This post was short and sweet--I hope you enjoyed meeting the other half of my family!

Erin

We are Family! Part One

Would you guys like to meet my family? I was trying to come up with a good post for you guys today because:

1) my morning started off great and quickly turned sour when my car started pooping out and I'd rather not relive that experience and
2) I talk about them a lot sometimes and thought you might like to put faces to their stories. Also, I don't know what else to blog about today so this is what you get!

Without further ado (is that how you spell that word?? oh my gosh I don't even know.) introducing:

MOMMA ROBERTS:

Momma Roberts is, well...what it says she is. My mom. She is the best mom in the whole world universe, and no I'm not just being sappy. My parents have been divorced since I was a baby so she's been the one who has kissed my scraped knees (as long as there wasn't too much blood...that becomes a job for someone a little less blood-phobic...), driven me to practices, and watched me grow up. She's pretty awesome and I love her! I talk to her at least 3 times a day when I'm away, if not more. She's a teacher and extremely good at what she does! She's renewing her National Boards this year, so keep your fingers crossed for her!

MACY ROBERTS:

Macy...what is there to say about Macy? She is an 80 lb. golden retriever lug who just wants attention. She likes to think she's a 5 lb. lap dog and sometimes that doesn't work out too well. And sometimes she can squeeze out a fart that laps the best of them. They are some real stink bombs. But she's always smiling and happy, even when she gets in trouble--especially when she gets in trouble! She's a booger, but she's Marley's best friend.

MARLEY ROBERTS BELL:

Yes, Marley has 2 last names for now. I will not let him give up his middle last name until his mommy gives up hers;) He is a 5 lb., adorable ball of fur. He thinks he is an 80 lb. lug (do you see some role reversal going on here??) and lets out a fierce chicken squawk bark. He very much believes to the depths of his soul that he is ferocious enough to take on the pit bull that lives next door. He is a mommy's boy if there ever was one (and there have been plenty I know this for a fact) and has the biggest ears you've ever seen on a dog. Interesting fact: just because he has big ears does not mean he minds me better. It means he has a larger range of "selective hearing".

UNCLE MIKE:

Probably my knight in shining armor. He comes to the rescue (all 2 streets away, he doesn't even need a horse for that trip!) any time there is a major catastrophe--such as blood gushing out of my knee so much my own mother couldn't be near me (see related family Momma Roberts for full details.), or the time right after my jaw surgery when my nose was bleeding so much and he couldn't stop it so he sped like a bat out of hell to get me to a hospital, or even when our refrigerator blew up bit the dust. He's a baseball coach (and a good one at that!) and pretty much the best uncle ever. Sorry folks, he's taken!

AUNT DIANE:

My mom's sister, my uncle's wife, and my aunt. She works at a dentist/orthodontist office and can spot a type 3 malocclusion (or something like that...) from a mile away. My second home is her house where she reprimanded me took care of me while my mom was working. She's my go-to person when I'm going through something "scary" and feel like I'm five years old again. Like when I had 4 inch tampon things pulled out of my nose (the whole jaw surgery thing again...) wide awake. As in no anesthesia. It's a good think I don't really remember very much--but I do remember her holding my hand!

SCOTTY AND AMY:

"Scotty" is now referred to as Scott. He would probably shoot me if he read this. Although I can call him what I want. I am his favorite cousin after all. Amy is still referred to as Amy. I'm her favorite cousin too. I'm not being conceited, I'm being truthful. :) They are pretty much my brother and sister (lucky though for me, I could give them back!) I spent enough time with them growing up for it to be so. Scott is a senior at Georgia Tech and will be attending Duke in the fall for a masters program and Amy is a freshman at UNC. Wow...a family full of smart people--watch out world! I love them. So don't mess with them. Or else.

GRANDDADDY ROBERTS:

Previously known as "gan-gan" (heyy...I started talking at 8 months, give a girl a break.) and "granddaddy-o" (I liked to make up names...) he is the gentleman in my life. He is always willing to do anything for anyone and loves, loves, loves his grandchildren. He runs 6 miles a day and takes me on weekly Starbucks dates. He is strong, kind, gentle, and very much in love with my grandmother--which is so daggum precious. He is retired and likes to travel with my grandma. I love him:) Isn't he cute?!

GRANDMOM ROBERTS:

"Grandmommy-o" is brilliant. Literally speaking. She has her doctorate in English and to this day, continues to write papers for conferences with her friends. She travels all over Europe and brings home the most unique goodies. She is also retired and spends her days lunching with friends and cooking the most delicious meals. She has an amazing sense of fashion and likes putting outfits together for her granddaughters! I am not complaining! She is fabulous and loves to spoil her grandchildren. I'm sorry if you don't have a grandma like her:)

Well that's it for part one. I'll have the other half of my "family" tomorrow--ish. Hopefully. If I have time. Otherwise it will be in a few days ha:) Happy Monday!

Erin

Home Again, Home Again...

I'm home! I'm glad, but I'm totally missing the beach! We had such a good time! David and I left Thursday after he got off work. Here we are at the beginning of the trip:

* Notice I'm having fun, David...well he's just too cool to have that kind of fun;)*

I didn't take any pictures 5 hours into our trip because it was just that awful. You can thank me later. We got there about 10:30 pm and it was so good to see everyone! It ended up being David and me, two of my nursing friends, Dev and Vanessa, and Vanessa's boyfriend Dave--and their 3 dogs! Talk about a full house. It was awesome.

*Me, Vanessa, and Dev on the beach Friday night!*

Friday, the girls got up and headed to the outlets to do some damage! I love, love, love J. Crew and that's where I got most of my stuff on Friday! (Do y'all get excited about new clothes? I have half a mind to wear my new shorts and tank tops to class tomorrow. I cannot. wait. for summer so I can wear my new clothes!) Friday night, we all got ready and went to San Jose's for a nice mexican birthday bash! (For me of course. Are you sensing a pattern? My birthdays don't end on March 10th...I pretty much drag them out as long as I can...ha!)

*This is one of the outfits my grandmom got me for my birthday--she's got style doesn't she?!*

I really have some of the best friends a girl could ask for because after dinner we got to eat this:

*I feel so special to have my own cookie cake! *

Saturday, we decided we wanted to take a ferry somewhere (hey...we're adventurous...ish)

*Vannessa and Dave on the ferry! They are so daggum cute.*

and we decided to head to Wilmington for a little more shopping! I mean, what good is going to the beach if you don't go shopping as often as possible, right? That is where David got my birthday present. Which I'm in love with. Entirely too much.

*Isn't it beautiful?!! I. am. in. love.*

I got it at Aqua Fedora so if you're ever in Wilmington, you need to stop on in. I promise you won't be disappointed.

We had a lot of fun spending the day walking around downtown and visiting little shops, but were happy to get back that night! We packed up early this morning and headed home. I miss my boy so much, but was very happy to see my little angel when I got home! I hope you guys had a great weekend! I'll leave you with a few more beach pictures:) Have a wonderful week!

*We were going for the windblown look...did we succeed?*

*Well, if not in that first one, then definitely in this one. For sure.*

*Beautiful.*

Erin