On Vacation

Yesterday morning I unchecked
all of my alarms from this
quarter. Felt so stinkin' good!

9 months, 4 days to go. But who's counting, right? At least 2 people are: Mr. & Mrs. Eddi Girl.

9 months, 4 days...that's how long until I graduate. I took the finals for this quarter yesterday and I am DONE for the next 3 weeks.

Normally I get 2 weeks of "vacation" between quarters. Since my instructors scheduled all the finals on Monday of the last week instead of Friday, I made sure I had everything done by noon yesterday so that I could have an extra 5 1/2 days off. Every assignment, every test, every final was done by noon yesterday. A whole week early. I'm that good.

I'm exhausted from cramming so much work into the weekend, on top of studying for the finals, but it was totally worth it. In fact, I was so exhausted despite going to bed at 10:30 Sunday night so that I would be rested for the exams, that I actually fell asleep while taking one of my exams yesterday. Oops. That's not really a good thing to do.

It's quite a shock to the system to open your eyes to see a computer screen in front of you with a flashing mouse waiting for you to enter your answer & realize you're not in a bed & you're not supposed to be sleeping. I wiped my face--no drool, that's a good thing. I looked out the corner of my eyes at the people around me--no one was staring or trying not to laugh so I don't think I had snored, that's a very good thing.

3 weeks off from
afternoons driving
home like this.

Even though I fell asleep and had to fight falling back to sleep for the remainder of the exam, I passed. Not just passed. I could have gotten a 58% on the finals & still "passed" the class. I passed both Pharmacology--the most difficult class I have ever had to take--& Fundamentals of Professional Nursing with A's. I'm rather happy with that.


I came home at 2:00 yesterday, laid in my bed, & did not move until 6:45 last night. I slept. I slept great! Best, most rewarding nap of my life.

I got notes like this on my assignments.
Validation & appreciation feels so good.

I went to Amazing Grace & Blondie's choir/band concert last night. I was so proud of my girls & their talent. I was sad that this would be the last high school Christmas choir concert that Amazing Grace will be in & at the same time I was excited that it was Blondie's first high school Christmas choir & band concert. 

Then I came home & went back to sleep. Ah, glorious sleep. 

This morning I had to take my Prissy Princess Nemo to the vet because she's been having some bowel and urinary incontinent issues with blood in her urine. That totally sounded like a nursing diagnosis. 

She hasn't been going in the litter box, something that has never happened in her 12 years of life. She's old, arthritic, losing weight, & every winter for the last few years I have wondered if it would be her last. She gets cold very easily & she does some very senile things like running up to the wall, hissing at it, slapping it with her paw, & running away like it attacked her back. And sleeping on the bathroom floor with her head against the bath tub. And stirring the water dish with her paw several times before licking the water off of her paw, but refusing to drink it out of the bowl until the water is refilled because she is much too good to drink water that is now dirty from paw gunk. 

The only way to get Nemo out of the house is to wrap her up so she can't see where she is. Just the site of the cat crate will make her go insane. If she knows she's outside, she goes insane. There needs to be a wee bit of sneakery. I wrap her up, she curls up in my arms, & goes to sleep. The key is to keep her encased so she can't feel wind or smell the out of doors. Thankfully she's always been used to being carried like a baby in a blanket by all of the little girls in this house. 

Then into the seat belt she goes. Once in the car, I uncover her head so she can see that she's not alone. 

"I fall asleep in your arms to wake up
in this contraption. Not cool."

Waiting fot the vet. "I smell smells
I don't like. I hear animals I don't
like. I'll just hide in your arms."

After the vet left. "She put stuff in
my bum. If I cover my eyes, she
won't be able to find me to do that
 again."

After the vet left the second
time. "They held me down
& put something sharp in
my leg. Take me home."

My baby. 

Turns out it's not an infection, diabetes, or anything to do with her kidneys. I have a bunch of things to do at home while we wait to find out what is going on with her. Poor girl.

After that excitement with Nemo, catching up on my DVR & pile o' magazines, wrapping gifts, & working on Mt. St. Laundry, I am now ready for a nap. I can actually take one 'cause I have nothing else to do & no where to go. I am on vacation!