whew I survived.

It's Friday. And that means that I survived my first week back to the hospital. I won't lie and say it was easy because it definitely wasn't. I probably shed more tears on Monday alone than Everly did all week! The week flew by though and I have some great people to be working with that made the week easy on me too. I am able to go pump 3 times a day and some of the specialists are recent new moms (within the past 2 years at least) so they understand the importance of breastfeeding, pumping, and keeping up your supply so they are always reminding me to go take a break and pump. Then that gives me time to flip through my phone looking at pictures of Everly and time to just take a little rest. It is exhausting jumping back into things after being gone for so long! But thankfully I've had a lot of support from Jordan and my parents this week...I never would have survived without them and their encouragement, love, and support! My mom had to practically kick me out the door on Monday because I was stalling so much but now I'm ready to leave each day because the sooner I start my day, that means the sooner I can get home each night. Eight weeks flew by when I was home with Everly so I can't imagine how quickly these next three weeks are going to go and then I will officially be done! All that's left then is the certification exam...which I'm not even going to think about right now because that's not until the spring. I'm just thankful to have the opportunity for this internship and the chance to finish it after having Everly! Now onto the good part of the week....it's Friday! And my whole family is going to be in town this weekend for the Iowa game so I can't wait to see them, relax, enjoy some homecooking (I missed my dad's good cooking so much when they were living in Texas!), and love on Everly every chance I get! Happy weekend everybody! Hope you enjoy it by doing something that you love!

on the clock...

I'm officially on the clock and down to one week left of staying home with Everly... next Monday I will be going back to the hospital to finish my last four weeks of my internship. While I'm excited to get back into the swing of things and finish it up, I'm dreading the thought of leaving her! Ughh....too many hormones and too many emotions, and not enough time! I am pretty thankful to be part of a department that is so family oriented though and understand what it's like to have a baby and to come back to work after having a baby so that makes it better. And leaving Everly with my mom will make things a thousand times easier...I would be a real hot mess if I had to drop her off at a daycare or with someone else!! Now I'll be spending the next week snuggling and loving on her even more than I do as I count down my days until I head back to the real world... which reminds me, I guess that means no more days on end of lounging in my sweats and glasses. Time for wearing real pants and making myself look presentable everyday again!

new rotation = last rotation!

Today was a big day for my internship because I started my new rotation on the 3rd floor pediatrics unit and I am beyond excited for it! With the start of this rotation, it also means that I am almost done already with my internship. I can't believe how fast the past 7 weeks have literally flown by and how much I have already learned and accomplished. Anyway! Third floor at the hospital is the same unit that I used to volunteer on for Dance Marathon and where I spent a lot of time working when I was a Child Life Assistant. There are several patients and families that I already know and have a close relationship with so I'm really looking forward to working with them again and being able to spend time with them while developing my skills for my internship. These next five weeks are going to fly by...I have a lot to learn and do in the next 25 days so here goes nothing! 

a day in the life of an intern...

I left work on Friday as a Child Life Assistant and today I walked back into the hospital as a Child Life Intern! I don't think it really hit me until I got started for the day by going to a procedure in the clinic then attending rounds in the NICU. For being 26 weeks pregnant, being in the NICU kind of freaked me out. Ok, not kind of.... it definitely did. There were babies there that were born anywhere from 22-30 weeks gestation and it was very surreal seeing babies that were born and are smaller than the Peanut I am currently growing and hopefully keeping as safe as possible in my belly! I truly admire anyone who becomes a NICU parent and the strength of those babies because they are truly fighters against all odds and are little miracles! The first day was a whirlwind but a great whirlwind and the time really flew by... I'm so thankful for this opportunity and am looking forward to all that I will be seeing and learning in the next 12 weeks!

Friday Funnies - 5.31.13

Whoop whoop, another weekend is here upon us! And it's the last Friday of May...how is this year just flying by like crazy fast?! Jordan and I have a suuuuuper busy June with something going on EVERY weekend so it will be jam packed but we are definitely looking forward to all of it! We have weddings, baby showers, baptisms, going to see WICKED, and he has a guy's weekend in Chicago while I have a girls weekend with my mom and sister! Ahh I can't wait for all of these fun activities and to see so much of both of our families and friends. It's going to be amazing and I'm so excited! Unfortunately, I have to start off the month of June by working this weekend, blahh! But at least it's my only weekend for work so I guess I can't complain too much... and we are watching Safe Haven tonight for activity so I'm pretty excited to see that (and most likely cry my eyes out) with the other teenage girl patients! Here's to a fun (even though it's work-filled!) weekend and I hope you all have a great kick off to summer break!

image via Pinterest
I would always choose the ice cream over a bikini bod!
I wonder if I'll still say that after the baby is here...

How Girls Fall Asleep...

Great, now I'm going to have a nightmare about the human centipede!

Boyce Avenue and blogging....

I have spent the past few days since my last post on the couch, in bed and in the bathroom. That's it. I have had a wicked fever that keeps bouncing between 99.5 and 103.0 along with several other flu symptoms that I will spare you the details of. I've watched Pitch Perfect (twice!) along with every Disney movie I own.... I haven't done a lick of homework, reading or studying because it wears me out just trying to eat and get dressed. This flu bug is the worst. I have also spent many hours blog-hopping while jamming out to Boyce Avenue. That. Is. The. Life. I loooove me some Boyce Avenue and if you don't know who he is or any of his music, you are most definitely missing out! Here, take a listen:

Boyce Avenue with David Guetta - Titanium

Boyce Avenue - God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You

Oh. My. God. Old school N*Sync has met their match!!!!

Ah he is sooo good. And so dreamy. And this is why I could listen to his voice and singing all day long....it just sucks you in. Take a listen and youtube him for many other awesome songs as well! These are my favorite kind of days: blogging and Boyce. Not to mention, lounging in bed and cuddling with Paisley while Jordan takes care of me is a good deal too but I would very much like to stop feeling like this. Four days is enough! Let's go hot water with lemon and honey, start working your magic on my stomach and insides! In the meantime, enjoy the new jams and I hope you all stay healthy!

time for plan B

Looks like it is time for me to figure out plan B for this summer and my career path....I guess an internship just wasn't in the plan for me at this time so now I need to regroup and figure out where to go from here. Disappointed? Yes. Life ruiner? No, not by any means. But to say last night was a pretty emotional and somber night around here would be quite the under statement... I actually spent 45 minutes curled up in bed in the fetal position with Paisley by my side as I cried myself into a long nap. But, the sun always rises and where there's a will there's a way so now I am going to cut myself some slack, rethink some things and start attacking plan B.... thank goodness this week is half over!

some serious hump day blues....

The rejections continue and my list of internship opportunities are quickly diminishing. Combine that with non-stop stress, worry and anxiety about it along with not sleeping and eating well and that all adds up to one run-down sick me. Ugh. This has got to be the most frustrating, upsetting, difficult process to navigate and work through. I would gladly take wedding planning any day over all of this in case I haven't already mentioned that! I know it "will all work out how it's supposed to" but I am sick of hearing that. Patience is a virtue and my patience is running thin at this point....something has got to give! I may have some hospitals crossed off my list but I still have options left so I will stay positive for those and hopeful until it's the end of it all! As for me, I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon posted up on the couch napping and cuddling with Paisley! That's the best cure to get rid of any sort of blues!

Friday Funnies - 1.11.13

Ahh it's Friday, Friday! The first Friday Funny of 2013 I might add because last Friday doesn't count since it was our 5 month wedding anniversary! :) And I could NOT be happier to be home, in my sweats, and relaxing on the couch. I NEED some funnies and a pick me up after the week, especially this day, that I have had! It was a long week hammering out those 40 hours and a brutal day at work when I checked my email and got my first two rejections from hospitals saying they are going to pursue other candidates for their internship. Ouch. BIG ouch. So that sucks, not even getting considered for an interview and completely turned down. That leaves me with 10 options so I haven't lost hope yet but panic mode has definitely increased to say the least! Well, Jordan and I have NOTHING planned again this weekend which is always a plus. There's something about a weekend of nothingness but relaxing, napping, movie watching and snacking with Jordan and Paisley that I really love and enjoy! The only thing we have planned is to watch the movie Pitch Perfect tonight. And that is because it is so damn funny. If you haven't watched it yet, you are seriously missing out! Watch it tonight for a good laugh, great music and to watch a really cute dude! And on that note, it is time for some funnies and good laughs to start off this weekend! Back to some old school Disney revamped...

Image via Google
Uh oh...drama in the kingdom! Look out!

Mean (Disney) Girls

Oh Ariel, you would only be so lucky to fit in with Aurora, Belle and Cinderella!

40 hours is for the birds.

Four weeks ago, I offered to fill in for several shifts this week and next week at work. Enough shifts in fact that they all added up to 40 hours this week and 40 hours next week. Today I have worked 8 of those hours which leaves me with 32 left on the week. And I am already exhausted. This working 40 hours a week thing is definitely for the birds and not for me! If I could at least sleep in until like 7:30 or 8:00am, that would make my whole day so much better. Waking up when it is still dark?! Not ok. Jordan even admitted that while he likes chocolate chip waffles, he never wants to eat them because he knows how much I like them and he doesn't want me to be even more mad in the morning! Haha! So I guess I'm not a friendly morning person... At least I have a loving husband who saves the waffles for me and does dog duty in the mornings so I have that much more time to mope around while getting ready and making my lunch! To all of you who work 40+ hours a week, I commend you because that is not easy to do! I NEED school to start again because I miss that routine and am not cut out to be working so much right now! At least I know I will have a pretty nice paycheck at the end of these two weeks and that's motivation enough for me to stick it out. Ready or not, Tuesday will be here before I know it and it will be time to hit the grind again! Happy work week everybody!

and may the odds be ever in my favor....

Well, here they are. All of my hard work and countless hours poured into my internship applications all sealed up and ready to go. The top picture is what my life has looked like for the past two weeks trying to get everything completely finalized and organized. I had a very systematic way of doing each application packet and I triple checked each envelope to make sure I had included everything. It was a great sigh of relief today as I mailed them off but now a whole other set of panic and anxiety has set in....there is SO much riding on the line for these internship applications. I have applied to 12 and all it takes is 1 offer. Just ONE! That is all I need and want! As of right now, this trumps any wedding stress and worries I ever went through because I knew the wedding was still going to happen no matter what. This is a whole other playing field! Well all I can do now is wait until I hear from each hospital and hope for the best and an interview to start with! I will be sleeping with all my fingers and toes crossed for the next four weeks and trying to keep my attitude positive about the next step of the internship process! Now it is definitely time for a drink and to relax for awhile...poor Jordan and Paisley have been getting the brunt of my stress and completely ignored for the past 48 hours as I was on edge and trying to finalize everything. Thankfully Jordan knew it wasn't anything personal and just the stress and nerves talking....I'm lucky he is so patient! Time to get a cold one and enjoy some snuggling to a movie as we enjoy this lazy weekend together!

Friday Funnies - 11.30

Today is the last day of November. I have so many blessings in my life and I am thankful for each and every one of them. I'm thankful for my family and friends, Jordan and Paisley, my education, the roof over my head and food in our cupboards, my job and my car, and all of the awesome families and kiddos I get to meet and interact with each week. Just to name a few things.... To sum it up, I have a wonderful life and am truly lucky for everyone and everything that I have in it. Now let's celebrate the fact that it is Friday and time to relax for the weekend!! Also, today is officially my one year blog-iversary!!! Can I get a hell yeah for sticking with it for one year and sharing all of our highs and lows with you all?! I can't wait to see what the next year will bring us but I am sure it will be entertaining either way! Be sure to unwind and laugh a little this weekend even if you have to work!

image via Google
Oh so the Thin Mints aren't a diet plan?
Could have fooled me!

yeah? yeah? covered it with what?

Paisley loses her mind just thinking of being tricked like this...

It's so close it hurts!

Two weeks! Two weeks from today and we will be sailing away enjoying paradise on our honeymoon trip!!! AHHHH!!!! You can do anything for two weeks, right?!! These next two weeks are going to be chaos for both me and Jordan but we have no choice but to power through it all. And the reward that we have waiting for us at the end of the two weeks is totally worth it all! Jordan has his final two weeks of student teaching, yipeee!!! And then has to present his teaching portfolio and get everything lined up for his teaching position in the spring. I have to write two papers, grade projects and then take my final exams.....and get all of my internship stuff finalized and ready to be mailed. It is all consuming me and I am trying to not become a stressed-out-crazy-emotional-person but it is hard! The whole process is a huge time and money commitment and it makes me paranoid...there is so much riding on the line to not get an internship let alone an interview! BUT! Today, I am not going to worry about that! Because, like I said, it is two weeks away from our honeymoon and we absolutely cannot wait! Cheers to that!

Well one week later....

After indulging in an ungodly amount of calories over the past five days, enduring too many belly laughs to count, and working the cramps out of my face from smiling....we are in fact, alive and survived Thanksgiving and Christmas with the Cross Family. And I am so sad that it is all over. The time definitely went by way, way too fast. My parents got to Iowa last Monday night and we all enjoyed some pizza and beers along with some laughs and good conversations. They headed up to Wisconsin on Tuesday while Jordan and I had one last day of work/school for the week. We packed up all of our stuff and hit the road first thing Wednesday morning and didn't stop going until we made it back home yesterday afternoon!!

Thursday was Thanksgiving obviously but more importantly, it was Teagan's 5th birthday! Holy smokes, where does the time go?! I can't believe that she is five now.... She is growing up into such a smart and sassy, hilarious and beautiful little girl! It is so fun watching her grow up and I'm lucky that I have gotten to play such an active role in her life. It would make me sad being so far away from her and Kemper that they don't know me when I come around! Anyway, we celebrated T's birthday after Thanksgiving dinner. She was spoiled with gifts, had a blast beating up on a pinata and then topped it off with cake....which I made! Yummm homemade chocolate cake with peanut butter icing! We capped the night off by having a bon fire once the kids went to bed....

We then quickly shifted gears and went right into Christmas mode on Friday! We watched the Hawks lose, again, first thing which was a total bummer. Not only did they lose to Nebraska which gives them a share at the Big 10 title but it also confirmed they are for sure not going to a bowl game.  Extra sucky. We got over it quickly with a few drinks that we had during the game at least. Then after successfully stuffing our faces again with the Thanksgiving leftovers, we let the Christmas festivities begin! My mom had planned a "fashion show" for all of us...she made all of us tons of awesome projects and crafts! It included some crochet infinity scarves and gloves, fleece hats and jackets and lots of new Iowa gear. Score! My mom just keeps blowing all of our minds with how crafty she is and it rocks! Presents were a big hit with the kids and watching their eye light up with each gift they opened was enough to keep all of us happy. They are so cute and were so thrilled with everything they got...very heart warming to watch! After the kiddos went to bed and so did our parents, things got real crazy. Us adult "kids" played a new game that Scott and Kat got that is called "Cards Against Humanity." Basically, it is like a very very inappropriate version of Apples To Apples. But ridiculously hilarious and awesome. I'm not sure if we have ever laughed that hard before while playing a game before.....it will definitely be played again at our next reunion!

Saturday morning however, came way toooo early! We all hit the road to Charles City and made it to Grandma's! Just when I was thinking I couldn't possibly eat any more food, I managed to stuff myself completely. Again. There's just something about Grandma's home cooking that is irresistible. We all played several rounds of cards together and Jordan finally won two games! Third year of being at the Cross Christmas was the charm and he hit the jackpot twice! Which made me happy because then I didn't have to pay in anything, mwahahaha! 

And just like that, our four days together came to an end once we all woke up on Sunday morning. We were all avoiding saying good-bye to one another because we knew what it meant. That our parents would be driving back to Texas and that meant that none of us know the next time we will see them. And that sucks. Just leaves a giant pit in my stomach. As if I wasn't trying hard enough to fight back the tears, hugging my Dad goodbye after he just said goodbye to his own mom and sister with tears in his eyes and his noticeably choked up voice, was really tough. My dad can always put on a smile though and gave one last bear hug before getting in the car. Let's just say I was a hot mess of emotions on the first thirty minutes of our drive back home....

I'm thankful beyond thankful for the family I have in my life and these past four days just weren't enough. But I am so grateful for the time we did get to have together, the laughs we shared, the hugs and love we exchanged and the memories with each other that we made. I love how much Jordan fits in with my family and how we can all have so much fun with each other without having to do much. I can't wait until we are all together again and am already looking forward to that. I hope the day comes when we all live within a few hours of each other again because this whole living in Texas thing sucks for all of us! Wahh real life! Well I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving and the time spent with family and some delicious food! I know we definitely did and now I'm dreading the pile-up of school and work stuff that I have been ignoring...well, happy Monday!

Mad about Monday?

It's Monday. I got the afternoon off unexpectedly and my parents are on schedule to get to Iowa about 2 1/2 hours earlier than I thought they were going to! How can I possibly be mad that it is Monday?!! Ahh I'm so excited to be able to spend some quality time with them tonight and enjoy some laughs, cold drinks and good conversations before mass chaos hits on Wednesday and the whole family is together. I love them all, don't get me wrong, but with so many of us it can be hard to get a word in sometimes! I'm thankful to have such a close knit family and for the special times that we get to share with each other! Tomorrow afternoon is going to be my baking extravaganza because I got put in charge of desserts for Thanksgiving and I'm really looking forward to it. I have quite the list of treats to make and it includes caramel apple cheesecake with streusel topping, chocolate cake with peanut butter icing and my famous puppy chow! Yummmy! Can't wait for all the good home cooking and treats this week...thank goodness my metabolism is still on my side!

a surprise visit...

Today while at work at the hospital, I got a very sweet surprise visit from a former patient who was back for her 3-month check ups and scans. I hadn't seen Izzy since she left after her last chemo treatment well over 3 months ago and I was not expecting to see her sweet and sassy self! When she was first diagnosed, Izzy didn't take it very well at all and was terrified of anyone and everyone who walked into her room, and rightly so for only being four years old! She refused to come to activity and didn't want any of us to hang out with her in her room to play a game or do a craft. She wanted her normal four year old life back and to spend time at home with her parents and newborn baby brother. And all I wanted was to make a difference in her stay at the hospital and her course of treatment. So every single day, I went to her room and knocked on the door, knowing she would get upset and tell me no and send me on my way just like she did to everyone else. Until one day, that all changed. Izzy finally said, "well I like princess books and puzzles." So I brought some in and together we read some books and worked on some puzzles. It only lasted maybe a half an hour until she got upset when her pole started beeping and she was snapped back to the reality of still being in her hospital room and undergoing cancer treatment. But that one day of books and puzzles was all it took. I returned the next day, and she greeted me with a smile and invited me into her room to play Barbies and princess with her. I guess you could say the rest is history...

We hit it off and she was always quick to give me a hug or snuggle onto my lap. My heart was overwhelmed and I think it was the first time her mom finally breathed a sigh of relief. Izzy then always referred to me as "her best friend" and rarely let any of the other child life assistants do the 1:1 activities with her like she let me. There will always be those adults, kids and patients that I will form different relationships with and a bond with in different ways but I'm so thankful for the bond I formed with Izzy. She trusted only me to chase her around the hospital while she rode the tricycle as we went from floor to floor. And the day she left the hospital after her last chemo treatment, she gave me a sign she had made and decorated that said, "i luv child life and katie. xxxoooooxxoxoxo" and she drew stick people giving hugs to each other. Straight from the mouth and mind of babes...so precious. And I was so beyond happy to see her today as she walked into the playroom healthy with a head full of hair this time, a smile on her face that no one or anything could wipe off, and a big hug waiting for me full of love. Nothing makes my heart happier than a surprise visit from a special kiddo who no longer fears the hospital and I know I made a difference in her life. I'm thankful for my job and the miracles I get to witness day in and day out!

Sunday Snuggles

snug as a bug.

It's been a cold and drizzly day here all day long so that calls for some Sunday Snuggles! I actually had to work this afternoon at the hospital so I made the most of the morning and got a good snuggle session in with Paisley. I spent the afternoon at work checking on some kiddos and making sure that they have enough activities and games to keep them busy for the day. Then I hung out with the sweetest and sassiest 7 year old I know! She is a recent relapse but her spirit, sense of humor and big bear hugs would definitely make you think different. It's hard to complain about an afternoon at work when I get to spend it being inspired by such amazing kids.

Once I got back home though, it was right back to the sweats and hoody to enjoy the rest of this lazy Sunday! The afternoon NFL games were still on so I got to catch the second half of the Vikings game....as well as Jordan freaking out excitedly one minute and ranting the next. Always hate to see the Vikes lose but at least our Hawkeyes won and pulled off a huge upset over Michigan State! And since it's so cold and crappy out, I opted for some go-to comfort food tonight and we had the rest of my homemade beef stew. Yummmy! I whipped it up after making a pot roast last week then with the left overs, I added a packet of dry onion soup mix and a can of beef broth....just like my Grandma does and it was just as delicious! Now it's time to settle in, snuggle up and enjoy some of our favorite Sunday night shows, Dexter and Homeland! Hope everyone had a good weekend, enjoyed some R&R and are geared up to start another week!

Just Breathe.

Holy smokes, it's been 8 days since my last post. And what a crazy-whirl wind-nonstop-emotional-challenging-awesome-exciting-big mix of emotions it has been in 8 days! This semester is definitely going to challenge me....not so much in the classroom (whew!) but definitely outside of it. I have officially started my new position at the hospital so along with that, I am still teaching two discussion sections, working at the rec center, trying to teach Paisley new tricks, make crafts/gifts/decorations for the wedding and trying to keep up with Jordan's hectic schedule and also keep our relationship fun and exciting. This is recipe for a five course meal because clearly, just one plate isn't going to cut it. Thankfully, I have become obsessed with excel and already have all of my obligations for school and work stuff scheduled in on each day and of course, color coded. And I have weekends and specific nights marked as NOTHING NIGHT. As in, we're doing absolutely NOTHING school-work-wedding related. Just lounging. And watching movies or playing games or whatever we wanna do damn it! Because we can and we should! It's healthy! 


Besides school and work somewhat taking over my life the past week...although, starting next week it'll really amp it up when I start to juggle working 34 hours on top of my own classes and teaching two. I'll report back later how that goes. I just need to remember to breathe and tell myself that it will all be worth it. Anyway, the best part of January is that all of the fall shows are finally starting up again after their long winter breaks. I have never understood that anyway. Why do they always do that to us as viewers, get us engaged and on the edge of our seats then take a 2 month long break?! Dude, ABC and NBC producers, if you need some creative writers and some new ideas, I'd be more than happy to share my thoughts with you. Anyway, enough of that. I don't even know why I'm complaining because obviously I waited the 2 months and am still going to watch all the new episodes as if they didn't just ignore us! 


Paisley had to make another trip to the vet's office today. She went under the knife and got fixed and more shots. And she also took a huuuge crap right in the front office on their welcome mat. Basically saying, "you're gonna cut me open today? I'm gonna shit on your floor, jerks." At least, that's what I'd like to think she'd say if she could talk. I could just tell by the way she looked at me that she knew I was leaving her there. Seriously, the puppy dog look?? It's A MILLION TIMES WORSE when it's a real puppy giving it to you!!!! I held her on my lap and kissed and cuddled her for as long as I could until the vet assistant was ready to take her back. Ironically, she wasn't as happy about this visit. It's like she knew that going in the door on the other side of the office didn't just mean some quick shots and lots of treats. Poor Paisley. She kept looking back at me as she was getting  taken to the back room so I had to leave before I lost it. And duh, of course I shed a few tears on my drive back home. Because I'm a paranoid freak about stuff like this. What if she doesn't wake up? What if she has a bad reaction? What if she gets a bad infection? My mind was going crazy all  morning until they called and said she was waking up and recovering just fine. Ahhh what a relief! So we picked her up at 4:00 and she has been cuddled up on her pillow snoozing away ever since. She has been wagging her tail at least but damn, she just looks so sad and in pain. I'm so thankful our vet sent her home with pain meds to take over the next 5 days. Hopefully, she'll bounce back sooner than later!

And that's just the beginning of the endless thoughts and ideas that are constantly running through my head! It's no wonder that I have bizarre and off the wall dreams and can't ever sleep a whole night through! Just never know what you'll get in this crazy life of ours! But it's a journey that I'm glad to be on and wouldn't trade it with anyone else!