Generally frustrated.

I have to say that lately I've been pretty frustrated with life. Things just don't seem to be going the way I planned, and I hate delaying gratification. The most frustrating thing lately is school. I'm on my Psych rotation, and I have to say that I hate it. I don't like the work, I'm frustrated with my coworkers, and I don't know how to handle people who feel so helpless in life that they frequently try to kill themselves. I've been coming home from work so depressed that I end up crying out my frustrations to Morgan, and inevitably I end up bringing him down, and then we're both in bad moods. The one good thing about psych, is that I'm usually so frustrated after work that I go for a run. I find that I can run a lot longer and a lot harder when I'm pissed off, and when it's done I feel mildly better. The bad news is that even though I'm running and biking more frequently, I feel like I've completely stalled in the weigh loss department. I was doing so well for so long, and I am so discouraged to hit a plateau like this. I haven't gone down any since Ty and Beth's wedding. :( I mean, I guess it's still good that I haven't gained it back, and I managed not to gain weight on the cruse which are supposedly notorious for making people put on pounds.
Money continues to be stressful mainly because the financial aid department at school is the most dysfunctional place I have ever seen, and the people there have no idea what they are doing, and they routinely screw up disbursement checks, which messes with my budget. Morgan and I had been hoping to go to Europe this summer as a way of celebrating both of our graduations from school, and making it the transition to the next big step in life, growing up, getting real jobs, starting a family. But with the economy the way it's going, it doesn't seem possible at this point. When I was in high school I was able to travel to Italy for 10 days for less then $1,500 which I paid for out of my summer job earnings. Now, it's hard to even find air fare for that. So that's a big disappointment. I know how much Morgan wants to go on that trip, and life circumstances would be perfect if we could afford it, but that doesn't seem possible now.
Another big strain is that Morgan and I want to start a family, but timing is a tricky thing. Baby and school didn't seem like a good mix so we waited. Now I'm less then 9 months from graduation, and it still doesn't seem like a good idea because I'll need to be working at a job for at least a year before I'll qualify for paid maternity leave, which would be really helpful because we're still going to have loans to pay off.
Top everything off with stupid random stressors like Phoebe getting her spay/neuter operation at the vet. I say 'spay/neuter' not because I don't know which one is which, but because she had both. Literally. The started to do the operation and stopped when they realized that she had the external genitalia of a male... so our cat is a boy.. ok, I can deal with that. But wait, it gets better. I get another call after they're out of surgery, and it turns out that she had both. She had two ovaries, one testicle (the right one incase you were wondering) a uterus, and a stunted penis. So we figure since she had a full girl set, and only half a boy set that we'll still call her a girl, cause it's simpler that way.
The latest thing that's bothering me a little is that I have officially found grey hair. I'm 25 and I am going gray. This is not ok. I consider myself to be a pretty reasonable person, and I don't think that I am normally vain, but seriously? Gray hair at 25? What the heck!!
So that's the update on what's going on in my life. To recap since I've gone on for quite a while: Psych sucks, exercising more, Not losing weight, Not time for kids, Money issues, hermaphrodite cat, gray hair.... Generally frustrated.

New England Cruise

So Morgan and I are back from our family vacation. We spent a week traveling up the New England coast with my parents, brother, aunt and grandmother. We had a great time enjoying the beautiful countryside as well as exploring some new cities. The cruise left out of Boston, and stopped in 1)St. John in the Bay of Fundy, 2)Halifax, Nova Scotia, 3)Sydney on Cape Bretton, and 4)Bar Harbor Maine. We took lots of Pictures. I'll tell you more about it when I have a chance, but right now I've got to get ready for my new rotation which starts tomorrow morning. No rest for the weary.

Tyson and Beth Garner

I just wanted to say congratulations you guys! I am so happy for you. I see how good you are for each other, and I know that you will make each other happy. Beth, I am so excited to have you as a sister-in-law. Welcome to the family (officially). You had such a beautiful wedding, I was happy to be a part of it. I hope you guys have a fantastic time in the Caribbean on your honeymoon. Love you both!!

Phoebe

I just wanted to post some pictures because a bunch of people have been asking if I have any, these are a few of my favorites.

Phoebe is almost 5 months old now, she is amazing, she's fun, playful, and very social. We love that Morgan is not allergic to her, it means that she can cuddle with us at night, unfortunately it also means that she may wake you up at 5am by pouncing on your head. All in all she is simply fantastic. She gets along with the other pets, and brings a unique personality to the group.

More Kitten Pictures!!

We are so excited about our new kitten! We just got more pictures from the owners. They are 4-5 weeks old in the pictures. We have two girls to choose from, and we will be able to pick ours up the weekend of April 19-20th. We can't wait!

Kittens!!

Morgan and I have wanted a kitten for a while now, but because of Morgan’s allergies, we have deferred and been resigned to the fact that we may never own a cat. Recently we found out that there is a type of cat that is hypoallergenic, and it’s not one of those freaky ones with no hair, it’s beautiful and looks like a little leopard. As a matter of fact the kind of cat we’ve been looking at is a Bengal, and it is actually a descendent of the Asian Leopard Cat. The reason the Bengal is hypoallergenic is that its “big cat” ancestor doesn’t have the same enzyme in it’s saliva that the domestic cat does, and therefore doesn’t have the same allergens. Anyways the long and the short of it is that after many e-mails and phone calls to catteries…. we’re getting a Bengal kitten!!! We know we’re getting a little girl, and we’re getting her towards the end of April. We don’t have exact dates because we have to wait till she has weaned from her mother. But we’re very excited none the less. I posted 3 pictures, Mom, Dad and the Kittens. We aren’t exactly sure which one is ours, but we have the second pick of females, we’re waiting to pick until they are a little bit bigger so their markings will be more distinct and defined. Yay for Kittens!!!!

Winter Break

Winter once again is in full force. We have had a couple of absolutely beautiful storms that have left the trees covered in inches of fluffy white snow. We had a White Christmas for the first time in many years, which always feels magical. I was really excited to be able to hang out with my brother and sister and my sisters boyfriend over my break from school. I feel like I never see them, and it was wonderful to catch up.

I have to say that I've really enjoyed my time away from the PA program. It was the most stressful semester yet, and there were times when I wasn't sure I would make it through, but by Gods grace, and by my husbands patience I seem to have made it through (and with better grades then expected).

Normally holidays bring their own kind of stress, but after all the stress of school, preparing for the holidays didn’t feel the least bit stressful. Decorating a tree, making holiday cookies, even shopping was enjoyable. I am really blessed to have had time with my family, and with Morgan’s family. This break was exactly what I needed. Now that I’m back in school I think the stress will return eventually, but with luck it won’t be the same level because the end is in sight. If I can make it through April then I will be done with the academics, and on to my clinical rotations which is what I’m really looking forward to. 2008 seems like it will be an interesting year to say the least.