A Year Ago

I was pregnant and we were at the beach on our last vacation solo for a long-ass time.  We went to Holden Beach and stayed in a tiny effeciency right on the beach.  It was just right for us although lacking in some amenities (washer/dryer, dish washer, private cabana, shower).  I washed clothes in the bathtub twice.  It sucked, but I managed because I'm a hearty mountain woman.  The hard part was wringing everything out really good and then hanging everything outside and making sure nothing fell in the sand.  Anywho, I'm itching for some sort of vacation after our lovely 3 day weekend.  We had a pretty good time hanging out at the house, grocery shopping, buying crap for Lilly (see: high chair!).  It would be nice to get to do something similar (see: not really doing anything) at the beach.  That most likely won't be happening this year, but I'm mostly ok with it.  We're planning a few little trips toward the end of the summer and fall.  One long weekend to the mountains and one "business/research" trip to Greensboro (I'm not excited about this one at all).  And we're contemplating a journey west for Thanksgiving this year.  West as in Utah to the inlaws.  Might be fun to change things up and it'll be quite the adventure taking Lilly on her first plane trip.  And in to Vegas, no less.  Well, gives me something to work on today!  

Happy Fake Monday.

  

I Bought a Grill!

I almost totally forgot that the best part of this weekend (aside from our Star Trek adventure, of course) was when Lilly and I picked out and bought a new grill!  Its being delivered on Tuesday (which is tomorrow) and I'm sooooo excited to use it!!!   Soooo excited.  Here it is. Its got heavy duty steele and is just the right size.  I'm ready to rock out with my....something out.

Yay!

Friday Night at the SkyVueTwin

So Derek and I have been wanting to see the new Star Trek movie bad.  So bad that we decided to drag ourselves and sick baby to the Sky Vue Twin Drive-In.  The movie was set to start at dusk (which is around 9:00PM here) and we got there around 7:30.  So we pull up to the gate and Derek hands the cashier his debit card because we absolutely never have cash on hand.  I realize this is bad.  So she say's, "sorry, we only accept cash."  So Derek asks if there is an ATM close buy and she says "yeah, there's a gas station right down the road on the right."  

Well, this drive-in is about 10 miles out in the country, outside of Lexington and I only remembered passing a "Midway Mart" about midway between the drive-in and town.   So we take off back down the country two-lane so we can get us some cash and get parked for the movie.  So we get to the Midway Mart and Derek comes out about 5 minutes later.  Apparently the ATM was broken and there were some issues with communication (the attendent was foreign-go figure).  He had to buy something to get cash, but the attendant sold it to him out of the cash he wanted back. Does that make sense?  He asked for $20 cash, but with his drink he ended up with about $17 cash back.  Rediculous.  No consessions for us. 

So we drive in a hurry back to the drive-in and get our spot.  But our spot ends up being in the back row because we are in the baby mobile, hoopty SUV.  So we ate our dinner (which was iChing and it sucked hard), fussed with the fussy baby trying to get her to sleep, and constantly asked eachother when the movie would start.  At some point during our 1 hour plus wait this giant, extended cab pick-up pulls in next to us.  In it resides a lovely red-neck couple: one rough looking 40 something fella, complete with moustache, and a skinny, rough looking 30 something female with long braides, tight jeans and pink shirt.  She dressed way too young, but it made him happy.  So right when the previews started the tinted windows go up and they start humping like the earth is about to implode.  They were loud and inappropriate.  But then again, it is the drive-in and anything goes when you have tinted windows!   

Here's what we learned for next time: 

1. Bring cash 

2. Bring our own concessions (popcorn!)

3. Don't go to iChing ever again

4. Clean the windshield

5. Don't show up until 8:30PM

6. Bring layers

Refreshed, renewed,...re-ear infections?

So after a great weekend home in WV, little baby decided to go whole hog and get some hardcore ear infections.  From everyone's comments at work, I'm learning that this is quite a normal illness for babies.  Still sucks though.  She had a horrible temp all of Monday and we finally got her in to the doctor on that evening.  She's on amoxicillin and IB profen.  Her fever is gone but she's left with a lovely dry cough that wakes her up from sound sleep.  Oh, and she's still teething which hasn't helped this situation at all. Pure baby misery. One tooth finally broke though, but it'll probably take a while to really show.  

Like I said....

No more posts about Chemistry.  But I can post about my grade. 

B is for bitch, which is what chemistry is to me.  I can't wait to sell me book.  I'll use that $5 to buy myself something nice.

Love,

Molly Jane

Last Post about Chemistry 103

This was the hardest semester I've had since the last semester of college for my first degree. That was when I was taking Intro to Electronics in the Recording Studio.  Difficult material, bad instructor, zero comprehension = F.  My first and only F in college.  It was soooo horrible.  I was such a wreck those last few nights because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to graduate.  This particularly freaked me out because I had a bunch of my family in town (parents, sister, aunts uncles) and Derek's parents flew out for the occasion as well.  It was a big deal!  My fears were all unwarranted because the rest of my grades that semester (and beyond) were pretty good.  I would have graduated either way.  But I was thrashing and crying, I was sick of my roomate, sick of living in a dorm room, I was stressed out about getting ready to move in with Derek (what will the family think?  living in sin...oh my, oh my!...will I go to hell if I do this?...does hell exist?), no job prospects, no career prospects really (I had no clue, I wasn't happy about anything career wise), no apartment prospects.  I had no plan, we had no plan =  a bad scene for Molly Jane and her loved ones.  I drank alot of happy tea that semester with the genderist (thank goodness, right genderist?) and that about saved me.  She was wrapping up nursing school...

Everything worked out, though.  Derek and I found an apartment after a very difficult (2 day) search.  I found a temp job, which turned into a regular job with benefits, which essentially led me to right where I am.  Derek got his Associates Degree, Undergrad, Masters and will eventually obtain his PhD.  His education has taken us from Nashville, to St. Louis and eventually to right where we are now in Kentucky.   We have a beautiful, perfect baby which led me towards a career in nursing.   Which is why I took this chemistry class...which I think I've conquered.  Here's hoping they post the damn grade soon. 

Cheers,

Molly Jane

This week's to do list.

1. Walmart list: Small vaccum for stairs, hair gel, large flower pots (2), 2 rose bushes, broom thing to clean beams with and *clamato juice.

2. Run the weed-eater

3. Cut down small, half-dead tree in front yard

4. Plant rose bushes where small half-dead tree used to sit. 

5. Mulch

6. Clean downstairs

7. Clean out fridge/freezer

8. Clean out pantry

9. Do laundry

10. Pack for trip to WV (woo hoo!)

11. Get present for little sister's graduation

12. Get presents for Mothers' Day

13. Buy a grill, damnit.

14. Watch the Golden Girls

15. Spend quality time with Baby and Baby-daddy

16. Not worry about anything.

*The Clamato juice (tomato juice with a splash of clam juice) will be mixed with beer to make a Red Rooster.  Its something my grandma used to drink...I love it.  

What to do?

So we actually had a really nice visit with our family (albiet for a funeral, but it got us all together...thanks Grandma, we missed you).  It stirred up some thoughts with my husband and myself.  

Thought 1: A nice chunk of our family lives in Colorado, including my sister-in-law (and husband), an Aunt and Uncle, Cousin (with wife and child) and it would be nice to live in the same town as some of our family. 

Thought 2: Colorado doesn't require licensure to practice mental health professions.  So basically, my husband could hang a sign and start practicing as a Marriage and Family Therapist.  This is especially tempting because in KY or any other state (!) he has to have a certain number of supervision hours (therapy where he works with another therapist on the side to ensure he's "on the right track" essientially).  You have to pay a supervisor for these hours.  Once you've completed these supervision hours, then you can apply for professional licensure.  

Problem 1: Durango is in the middle of nowhere and really far from my parents (the farthest I'd ever have lived from them).  We're talking a plane ride across country, then a 3 hour car ride.  Talk about a pain in the ass to visit.  My in-laws aren't even that close to this town.  From where they live in Utah, its still an 8 hour drive.  Not convenient, might as well fly somewhere.  

Problem 2: Durango is in the middle of nowhere.  There is a college there (Fort Lewis College), but it has no nursing program, let alone a 2nd degree nursing program.  There is a branch of the "nearby" community college (Pueblo Community College) in town and it has some basic nursing programs (LPN, RN, etc), its not quite what I want and wouldn't be as convenient as UK or UNC Greensboro (both of which have what I want and would be convenient if we lived in their respective towns).  So there's that.  

Problem/Thought 3: Durango is a small resort town located in the beautiful white capped mountains of southwestern Colorado.  This means that realestate is really, really expensive and that isn't going to change...ever.  Although the views are breathtaking from any where you stand in Durango, a manufactured home (see: trailor) cost you upwards of $250K.  Really?  Really.  So you can imagine what an actual (stick built) house or cabin would cost you.  My family ain't livin' in no trailor, the end.  Unfortunately, the nearest subdivision is in Farmington, NM.  And although Farmington is nice, its not in Colorado, which means no practicing M&FT out of our

 home, with no license. 

Problem/Thought 4: What if Derek wants to continue his PhD?  Fort Lewis doesn't have any graduate programs.  Granted, we could move to Boulder or Denver, but that would mean being far away from the family (see Thought 1).  I just don't see the point to that.   

So here's where I am with this whole thing: Although the practicing therapy aspect of moving to Colorado would be great and somewhat easy to start up, I don't think its the best decision for us long term.  I'm afraid Derek will get bored or won't be able to build up a strong enough client base (in a town of 15,000) or that I won't be able to find a job or won't be happy with the nursing program thats available.  I have grown quite accustomed to living in towns that have lots of modern conveniences (like places to shop and lots of ethnic restaurants and things to do with the kids and religious diversity, etc, etc, etc).   Of course I could adjust, but right now I don't want to.  I get a sick feeling in the bottom of my stomach when I think about being so far away from my home-home/parents.  I realize thats normal and that feeling would probably fade over time?  Being close to the family would be great, but it'd be good in NC too.  I have two aunts and a cousin in Raleigh, and a half day drive from my parents.  Not bad.  All the modern conveniences, a synagog near by in Chapel Hill, tons of schools to choose from for Lilly, very reasonably priced realestate, lots of major employers, lots of colleges for Derek and I to choose from, the ocean or mountains only a 3 hour drive away, a major airport for Derek's parents/sister and my sister (who is officially moving to Mississippi this summer)...the list goes on.  The supervision requirements for Derek's licensure in NC are less than here in KY.  Have I mentioned the climate yet?  Summer lasts about 3 months in CO, here in the east, it lasts about 5-6 months.  And winters are hard in the mountains, I know this because I grew up in some.   Mild winters don't sound so bad to me these days, especially after this winter (which almost stole my soul).  I mean, really KY?  I thought it would be like TN here.  Its totally not like TN at all.   

I'm not feeling it right now.  That doesn't mean that I couldn't change my mind...I'm open minded enough, it could happen.  Do you believe me?   

Happy, happy, happy Friday,
Molly Jane