AN UPDATE

Last Saturday we ran to Rugby to see Darren's family. They all got together at the Econo Lodge hotel. We were not able to use the pool because it was being painted...bummer...but we still had fun anyway. Auntie Missy was home and she bought a Strawberry Shortcake kite for Cassie and the game Elefun for both the girls. Cassie LOVED the kite. She didn't get too active with Elefun. Cassie just stood in one spot and waited for the butterflies to fall into her net.

Sunday was an unbelievable beautiful day. It was super warm...well, warm for North Dakota...so in the early part of the day Darren took off on the 3-wheeler to look for deer sheds. She found two but they were not a set. When he got done I made him dig out the grill and fire it up for steaks, hot dogs, and potatoes. He grilled and watched the girls in the yard play on the swing set while I went out and rode horse. It was great to get out. The horse needed it too, she was pretty spunky and even let out a few playful bucks. Cassie jumped on the horse by herself and I led her up and down the road in front of the house when I got back. Darren said he doesn't know which is worse, the smell of wet dog or a sweaty horse.

Sunday wasn't all great. When I got Jessie out of her crib and laid her down on the couch for her morning diaper change she was COVERED with a zillion little red bumps. They were similar to spider bites and they were on her face, arms, legs, and she had a few on her belly. I was not sure if they were chicken pox or not since the girls really are not around other children. My mother came over after work and she wasn't sure what they were either so we took her to the clinic on Monday and it turns out that they are hives from some sort of allergy. The doctor prescribed us Benadryl and Prednisolone. When the hives go away, I need to keep a journal of what she comes into contact with and then we will be able to SLOWLY determine what caused the allergic reaction if she breaks out again. She is starting to clear up really good.

Monday was cooler, but still nice enough to get the girls outside. I had Darren cook hamburgers on the grill. My mom and dad went out for a short bike ride and stopped by the house. My brother was home on Sunday too for a little while and came over to visit for a bit. He also brought me some tin foil from my mom's since I ran out. That was really the main reason he came over.

On Wednesday my mother came over after work so that I could get a lot of homework done. I really like it when she does that because I seem to get a lot done when she is here. That night after my mom left Jessie got sick and was throwing up every where. I had a mental breakdown and I called my mother back over to help me out with Jessie until Darren came home. I had some Phenergan that my mother gave to Jessie and Jessie fell back asleep just as Darren walked through the door. She was sick yesterday too and is doing better today but she still will not eat anything. I do not know why Jessie is getting sick like this all the time. She should be since she had her flu shot. Luckily, Jessie has a checkup with her doctor today so the doctor and check it out. I also called the doctor and had my Prozac refilled. I have been stressed out to the max lately and with everything I have going on and Darren not being around a lot to help me out I really do need it right now.

I have pictures that I want to post from the other day but Blogger sucks at posting photos right now and since I am still on dial-up it takes forever to load my photos onto Photobucket and then post them on Blogger. I am going to wait for the next time I am at my mom's and post them then.

Later peeps.

A COUPLE OF SHOCKING MOMENTS

I was very surprised to hear on the news yesterday that my 7th grade Social Studies teacher died of a suspected heart attack while driving his vehicle. I am in total awe. I liked Mr. Flynn's' class and his daughter had a baby around the same time that Cassidy was born so I saw her a lot at Baby & I with her son, Aiden. I feel terrible for the family. I would like to send something to the family, but it has been a better 11 years or so since I even spoke to Mr. Flynn and I don't know if it would be appropriate or not. My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Dosch died a while back. It has been MANY years now, but she was battling breast cancer and her health was not all that well. She even had one of her breasts removed when Kevin and I were sixth graders and I remember her telling the class a story about a dream she had one night. She said that in her dream she forgot to put the prosthetic boob on before coming to school. She saw humor in her situation even though she was terminally ill. Her death was bitter sweet. She was sick and through her death she was free of pain. But Mr. Flynn just blows me away because it was one of those sudden accidents that you never expect.

Another shocking note........I CANNOT believe that Sanjaya made it through yet again on American Idol!!! His song of the 60's stank and he should have been gone long before the woman tonight. I was watching Fox News and some guy made T-shirts that have a picture of Sanjaya on the front with "Stop Calling" printed beneath the picture. He plans to wear it continuously until Sanjaya is voted off the show. I want to know how I can get one of those shirts.

WEEKEND PLANNING

This weekend is supposed to be beautiful. In the mid to upper 40's. I think we are planning on going up to Willow City to visit Darren's parents for a bit. Darren was also told by one of his cousins that all of Deb's brothers and sisters are coming home this weekend. So we might make a few stops in Rugby on the way home and visit everyone.

Darren is getting sick. He has come home with a cold again and he thinks he may have gotten it from his cousin. His cousin has been sick for 3 weeks and finally went to see the doctor. The doctor in Rugby wanted to admit him into the hospital because he had bronchitis along with another terrible upper respiratory infection....Darren couldn't remember exactly what all his cousin had but it wasn't good. I hope Darren hasn't brought that home into the house. Last thing we need is for everyone to be just terribly sick again.

ANOTHER DAY

As I was flipping through the channels on the TV after I made the decision to stay home yesterday I saw something on VH1 that really got my attention. I seriously thought that I was watching Doug, 10 years older with about another 50 pounds added to him, perform on VH1. I hollered at Darren and he informed me that it was the band Metallica and that was their lead singer. Doug, dude, you look just like the guy. Start eating more and lifting a few weights and you could be his twin!

I have not heard from my Laboratory Procedures instructor in a while. I have tried to email her twice, I have have not gotten a response. It makes me wonder if something has happened that I am not aware of. If there was a problem, I am sure that she would have wrote and said something. I took a test almost 3 weeks ago and I have not gotten a grade on it yet and I should have by now. I wonder if she even got the test via mail. I am hoping to get a lot of work done in my Keyboarding II class this week. I also have to tweak my Hematology, oncology, and Immunology dictations and those will be ready to hand in too. So far, things have really picked up in my medical transcription class which is good.

It looks nice outside today but it is really cold out. I would like to get the girls out of the house for a bit so there is a little change in the normal every day stuff we are doing right now, but I don't want to make them sick so I don't know if we are going to do anything or not. I do have to get into Devils Lake some time to pick up my necessities. I am thinking of calling my mom to see if she could watch the girls while I run to town to get my stuff. I am not sure if I want to run into town myself, maybe I can talk my mom in to picking up the stuff for me when she gets off of work.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

I hope that everyone enjoyed St. Paddy's Day!

Darren went to Willow City to visit his mother. On his way home he stopped in Rugby and went to a bar with his cousins. He did not get home until 6 this morning!!! I would have loved to go up to the bar with him to celebrate too, but I was at home with the girls. It would have been nice if he would have asked if I wanted to do something though. Oh well, I will have my shot when I go to the medical transcription conference in Mandan in April. Then he will have the girls by himself for 2 days.

Yesterday my mother came over to watch the girls while I took some tests in my Medical Law class. It was a BIG help. I completed all of my tests except for the final, which I will take next week some time. Now all I have to do is submit my journal entries (yes, we have to keep a journal in this class....it's silly) and complete the final exam and I will have completed this class about a month and a half ahead of schedule. However, I will not get my grade until the class ends in May.

I was hoping that we would be able to go see Wild Hogs at the movie theater today and get some Wal-Mart shopping done, but since Darren is still in bed with a massive hangover I am sure he will not be leaving the bedroom today at all. If I do, it will probably be right before I go to bed myself. I was thinking of going to my mother's for something to do but there is a NASCAR race today. My dad never misses a race and it is not a good idea to have the girls over there when the race is going on because if they get crabby, start screaming, or cry it makes my dad super mad. his tolerance for crabby kids is about -10. There is a lot of speech under his breath and eye rolling too that I just hate to see. I know that it is his house and he and my mother has raised their children so he does not need to put up with mine and that is totally understandable. It is just best to stay away on race day.

I need to start thinking about getting lunch ready. Jessie will be getting up from her nap and she will be hungry. Cassie is getting antsy. It has been a while since I have taken her outside because the weather got colder. I cannot wait for warmer weather. Then the girls and I will not be so bored all the time.

GRRRRR...

I skipped out on my MT chat tonight because some of the girls are covering part of our Cardiopulmonary assignment and I still have to go through it and finish some dictation. So I planned on sitting down with a hot cup of coffee and watching CSI since I don't get too much time to myself. Wouldn't you know it, there was class "B" boys basketball on and it ruined my whole night! On the plus side I will be able to see the premier of October Road, which I have wanted to see since seeing the clips for it.

PIGS AND CLASSES

The other day I took Jessie to my mothers so Cassie and I could visit a neighbor south of here and look at their pigs. Cassie absolutely LOVED the pigs. The came right up to us and they liked to chew on our rubber boots so you had to watch out for them. At one point, Cassie became overwhelmed with all the pigs trying to chew her boots so the farmer put Cassie on top of a hay bale. That didn't stop the pigs. They tried jumping against the bale to get up to Cassie. Cassie wasn't scared of the pigs at all. She just laughed when they started jumping around.

I have a lot of homework to get done. We are into midterm and I have to start wrapping a few things up. My advisor was going to review my transcript and see what I have left for classes, review what I need for the HIM, and then she is going to email me back and we are going to try and set things up so I can finish everything in a relatively quick order. It will be nice to finish up my college work and actually start working. Hopefully this time next year, I will have my MT degree and most of my HIM taken care of.

This morning I woke up to A LOT of snow falling and blowing around. Now the sun has come out and I am hoping that some of this new snow melts. I am getting tired of snow and I cannot wait for it to be gone.

HAPPENINGS

Darren is pretty excited. He Studied really hard over the weekend and on Monday he went and took his CDL permit test. He passed. Darren's uncle contracts a farmer who has 3 trucks in Martin, ND. Darren called the farmer and the farmer said he would hire Darren but there is two downsides. 1) There is no insurance and 2) The farmer does not take taxes out of the paychecks.

Darren's mother is in Bismarck today having back surgery. Darren wanted to be there for his mom really bad. When he spoke to her about it on the phone she told him no and not to worry about it. Darren felt bad and I think he seems left out because his father and sister are going to be at the hospital as well. Whenever he has asks his mom about going some where to be part of the family he is told 'no' a lot. His father is going to call us today when the surgery is over and let us know how she is. They are putting rods/pins in and I believe she is also having a couple of vertebra fused together too. She will be in the hospital for a few days before being discharged home.

My Medical Transcription class is going a lot better. I was chatting with one of the girls from my MT class last night after our assignment discussion. There is a MT conference at a hotel in Mandan and she wanted to know if I was thinking about going. The instructor of our class said that would be a great experience and we should all try getting there because new things are talked about at the conferences. We would also be able to meet people from the class, as well as our MT instructor, face-to-face too which would be nice. I would like to go but I don't know if I can afford it. I would also have to make sure someone will be around to watch the girls. The instructor is sending us information on it. I will have to check it out before making a final decision.

It is supposed to be nice out again today so I am going to take the girls over to a farmer's place this afternoon. The farmer raises pigs and they have some little piglets now. Cassie went over there once last year and has always wanted to go back. There is also an elk farmer down the road from us. I and his wife are friends and she is going to let us know when the elk start to calve so we can go over there and see those babies too. I love spring time. Everything is starting over brand new and innocent.

Stephen King , whom is my favorite author, is getting into the comic book scene. They are not going to be your average comic. The comics are going to be dark and scary just like his books. Yeah, I am excited and I cannot wait to read the first issue.

CARE BEARS

Some people build swimming pools in their back yards. But outdoor pools in Alaska just won't work. Since this particular family lives on the outskirts of Anchorage, they decided to build a sturdy, colorful playground for their 3 and 4 year old sons, with smooth-stone gravel all around it to avoid knee scrapes and other injuries.

They finished building it on Saturday evening, and the following morning, as the mom was about to wake up the boys and have them go out to play in their new play center, this is what she saw from the upstairs window:

BOSTON LEAD SINGER DIES AT 55

ATKINSON, N.H. -- Brad Delp, the lead singer for Boston, a huge rock sensation in the 1970s, was found dead Friday in his home, police said. He was 55.

Atkinson police responded to a call for help at 1:20 p.m. and found Delp dead. Police Lt. William Baldwin said in a statement the death was "untimely" and that there was no indication of foul play.

Delp apparently was alone at the time of his death, Baldwin said.
The cause of his death remained under investigation by the Atkinson police and the New Hampshire Medical Examiner's office. Police said an incident report would not be available until Monday.

Delp fronted the rock band, who rose to fame in the late 1970s and had several hits, including "More than A Feeling." The group sold millions of records.

REGISTERED FOR SUMMER

Today I registered for summer classes. I am disappointed because two out of the four classes that I wanted to take this semester are not available this summer. They were supposed to be, but the instructors made last minute decisions to take the summer off. Instructors are entitled to time off like everyone else so I am not mad about it. I just wish they were still available. I will be taking Medical Terminology II, Applied Surgical Transcription, Pharmacology for Business, and Intro to Computers.

Instead of Applied Surgical Transcription and Intro to Computer I wanted to take Human Diseases and Surgical Procedures (to help me prepare by understanding the terminology used in Applied Surgical Transcription) and Applied Medical Transcription II. Oh well, I do need all these classes anyway no matter which order I take them in.

There is a new procedure for ordering our textbooks too. However, we will not be able to order the books until the beginning of April since the bookstore does not have the list of the books needed for the summer classes by the instructors yet.

It is beautiful outside today so I have decided to take the girls to a farm south of town to pick some fresh eggs. Cassie really likes doing this. We may stop by our neighbors barn and check out his yearlings too since we will be going past his broodmare barn. Then we will probably take some of the eggs to my mom’s house since she flies through eggs when she is baking.

Darren and I wanted to go out to the Spirit Lake Casino to see Williams & Ree, also known as Indian & the White Guy. I have wanted to see them for the past four years but have never been able attend. However, it looks like this year is a bust too because we cannot find a babysitter. We may go to Wild Hogs instead when my mom is available to watch the girls.

'ARE YOU BEING SERVED?' MR. HUMPHRIES DIES AT 71

LONDON - Actor John Inman, best known for his role as campy shop assistant Mr. Humphries in the long-running BBC comedy “Are You Being Served?” died Thursday. He was 71.

Inman died at St. Mary’s Hospital in London after a lengthy illness, his manager, Phil Dale, said in a statement.

“John, through his character Mr. Humphries of ‘Are You Being Served?’ was known and loved throughout the world,” Dale said.

“He was one of the best and finest pantomime dames working to capacity audiences throughout Britain. John was known for his comedy plays and farces, which were enjoyed from London’s West End throughout the country and as far as Australia, Canada and the U.S.A.”

Inman’s long-term partner, Ron Lynch, was “devastated” at the news, the BBC said.

Actress Wendy Richard, who played Miss Brahms in “Are You Being Served?,” said she had been regularly visiting Inman, who had been ill with Hepatitis A.

“You just have to regard it as being an end to his suffering,” a tearful Richard told BBC radio.
“I think John was one of the wittiest and most inventive actors I have ever worked with. He was a brilliant, brilliant pantomime dame. He was a very good all-round actor, really.”

Inman’s character Mr. Humphries attracted criticism from gay rights groups upset by what they saw as his portrayal of an over-the-top homosexual.

“He never ever said Mr. Humphries was gay,” Richard said. ”He was just a young man who was very, very good to his mother.”

CONCIDERING MORE COLLEGE

Sorry peeps, it has been a while since my last post. I have been busy. I will try to post daily again.

My spring semester of classes is almost finished. I only have 5 more classes to take and I will have completed my Medical Transcription certificate. I plan to take 2 or 3 classes this summer and finish the rest over the fall. Once I have my certificate, it is only another 4 classes, which I plan to take spring/summer of 2008, and I will have my Medical Transcription degree.

I have been checking into other programs offered through Williston State college and I have given the Health Information Management program some very serious thought. There are two options available within the HIM program which are Front Office and Medical Billing & Coding. Once I have my MT degree there are only 2 classes I need to take to get degrees in Front Office and Billing/Coding. I could pick up these two classes while I take the spring/summer classes for my MT degree and then be certified in the areas of Front Office, Billing/Coding, and MT. I have decided to do all of this because medical transcription will not be around forever with all the voice activated electronics becoming available so eventually I will have to look for something else and I figure the HIM will make me very employable. I have also wanted to go to work outside of the home when our youngest child starts Kindergarten too so the Front Office will be handy.

Darren isn't too excited about all of this. He wanted me to start working after only months of taking classes, not years. However, I think it is very well worth it and I am going to do it anyway.

The girls are doing great. Jessie kicked her cold about a week ago and is somewhat back to her happy self. She is still pretty crabby and whiny at times though. Cassie has been a big help with Jessie lately which is great. I also bought a 20" TV on sale at Wal-Mart with some of the money I had left from financial aid. We put the new TV in our living room (since our 32" crapped out and we don't have the money to fix it right now) and put the 20" TV of my mom's that we were using into the girls toy room along with a VCR/DVD combo that my mother bought the girls for Christmas. Cassie and Jessie spend a lot of time in the toy room now watching their cartoons and playing with all their toys. Now I can watch Fox News all day and not worry about the kids screaming for cartoons. However, Cassie has lately gotten into the old movies like National Velvet with Mickey Rooney & Elizabeth Taylor, My Friend Flicka with Roddy MacDowell, and The Man From Snowy River movies. Since she is getting into the older films, I think she would love The Ugly Dachshund by Walt Disney.

This is about all I have time for tonight. I want to get into the shower and get to bed. I have been very tired the week or so. It seems that even if I sleep 12 hours it is not long enough and I don't know why.

SNOW

It has been a very cold start to March. It has been snowing since about 8 a.m. yesterday (or earlier.) I gathered the girls up and we rushed to Leeds to pick up some food with the rest of the money I had to my EBT card since we are in for another 2 days of bad weather. I also had my mother pick up a few things from Wal-Mart on her way home so we had everything we needed if we got house bound and stranded for a few days.

Darren was able to make it home last night. He got up with I and the girls for breakfast and then headed outside to blow snow so we could get the vehicles out of the driveway. He finished around 10 a.m. and then took his shower and headed off for work. On the TV almost every school in ND is cancelled or running a minimum of 2 hours late because of all the snow. I don't have any idea how much we have gotten so far but it has definitely been a lot.

A couple of counties to the south of us are in a blizzard warning for today. We are only in a Winter Weather Watch right now. I am not sure if we are expected to get any of the blizzard conditions, but I would be surprised if we did.

All I have really been doing lately is watching the snow fall and collect on the ground. Hopefully it will not hang around too long. I also need to get moving and do some homework while the girls take their naps this afternoon.