Our Home… make-over!

I'm revisiting our blog because I'm FINALLY finished with pharmacy school and since we have our new baby… I feel like I may have a few things worth writing about.  I thought the easiest place to start back would be the long-over-due "after" pictures of our house make over.  So… here we go!

 Let's start with the living/ dining space.Of course, this is a "before" picture!  The blue carpet and polyester curtains had to go!

I had decided to use the left side of the room, in front of the doors, as our dining space.  So, the ceiling fan had to go and be replaced with something fabulous!  You'll see in a moment!

Did I mention the popcorn ceilings?  Well, let me tell you, by the second bedroom, we had the technique mastered!  Use one of the pesticide spray bottles to saturate the ceiling and scrape with the ceiling scrapers you can get at Lowes.  It goes so much faster if the ceiling is saturated.  It makes a huge mess, so its best to do this part of your make-over first!  Good luck!  It isn't much fun, but worth it.

Like the stove in the living room? 

Lots of paint when on the white walls!  That is Lana, one of the lovely ladies from our church!  We had so much help from our awesome church family in this process!  We were so blessed!

The orange wall is one of my favorite parts of this room.  It adds character I think!

Now, this is the fabulous antique light that is over our dining table.

We got it from this cute little store in Searcy called the Bee's Knees.  It is so cute and it was such a bargain.  All it needed was the ceiling plate that I picked up at Lowes.  There is more from this store, you'll see!

 We got all of our flooring from Quality Floors in Melbourne.  They were another great company that we dealt with during this process.  

Now, let me tell you, I'm a hardwood-laying-expert!  If you know me very well, this is probably surprising, I'm not much on labor.  But, when you, your husband, and 3 dogs are living in your childhood bedroom with your dad, you get desperate to get your house finished!

After all of this… are you ready?  Here are the final pictures!

The stand that our TV is on is also from the Bee's Knees!

Next, I'll cover the nursery.. It is my favorite (of course)!

Thanksgiving

We are fortunate to spend Thanksgiving with my dad's family every year.  It has become a tradition that I very much look forward to as part of the holiday season.  There were many years that we didn't get to see this side of the family... reasons for which I am not sure since I was a kid and no one shares those details with kids.  Nevertheless, we see them yearly now.  It is a great time that we are getting to know our cousins better.  I'm the baby of 15 first cousins, most of which are much older than me.  But, as adults, age doesn't matter much anymore.  My aunts, simply put, are just lovely!  Every time we get together, its like we never skipped a beat.  I don't think I've laughed so much in a long time.  Oh, and it is important to note that Eddie fits right in with this crazy crew!  

My dad is in the plaid, with his brother and sisters.

This is 10 of the 15 cousins.

First cousins, spouses, and kids.

These are the good times in life.  Family is what it is all about.  It's important to keep this in mind during the business of the holidays.    Hopefully, we will have many more years to get together like this.

Let me catch you up!

Well, as always, the semester has gotten away from me and I have left my loyal readers behind!  Well, I have about 30 minutes to spare to catch you up and add some photos from the life of the Ishmaels.  So... here goes!

Starting with last night, I have to tell you about the Apple Butter I made last night!  It is fabulous!!
3 lbs Red Delicious Apples
1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
3/4 Brown Sugar
5 tsps Cinnamon
1 tsp ground clove

1. Peel, core and slice apples into 8ths.
2. Throw them in the crock pot with the vanilla on low. (My setting was low/8hrs)
3. Stir every 30 minutes.
4. After about 2 hours, they become soft.  You can use a potato-masher to get a more desirable consistency.
5. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and ground clove.
6. Let cook on same setting for another 2 hours storing about every 30 minutes.
7. Then fill jars, let cool and seal.  Store in refrigerator.  



Eddie and at the N. TX game

8. You can use a canning technique here to keep from having to refrigerate. 

Now, let's talk about some FOOTBALL!  How 'bout those RED WOLVES!  The ASU football team is the number 1 team in the Sun Belt.  We are so excited.  Coach Freeze has done amazing things with our football program.  It is sort of funny that the whole selection of universities in the south comes down to football, but I think that this season is going to be the turn-around for Arkansas State University.  I really hope that the community comes out to support the team next Saturday.  It would be great for it to be sold out.  

Brock clearly thinks his uncle Eddie is a little goofy!

Bryant and "Mom"

 A couple of Saturdays ago, Eddie was in charge of planning our day.  It was fun.  We went to Pinnacle Mountain and climbed to the top.  Then we went to the Firefly place to paint each other a coffee mug.  We will be picking those up this weekend, hopefully they turned out alright.  Anyway, take a look at the pictures from our mountain adventure!

 

Moving on... Youth Group has been extremely busy.  We've come a long way though!  We took 7 kids to Sr. High Youth Rally in Little Rock.  We are going to pray at the abortion clinic for 40 Days for Life on Saturday.  We are in progress of getting a band together to lead the music before Youth and at the Youth Mass we have each month.  At any given time, we could have 60 kids in the Youth House.  It is kind of sad that we've only been in the house for 2 months and we've already out grown it!  But it is also extremely awesome that we've out grown it!  We are so excited to have so many kids coming each week.  We have created an award for "Peter", to recognize a Youth member who "got off the boat."  The kids have great ideas to improve a grow our ministry.  Also, we are working on our plans for Brazil for World Youth Day 2013!

Well that is all I can come up with in the 30 minutes that I allowed myself.  Thanks for reading my blog.  It is nice to know there are people out there who care for us enough to read it and who are praying for the work we are doing with the Youth.  Have a great weekend!

Living the call...

I know that my last post was less than encouraging.  It was a little depressing but it gave me an outlet to express my frustration at the time.  That's what a blog is for, right?

Well, tonight, after a meeting with the CRE teachers at church, I have to say I have something a little brighter to write about.  I know that the bigger picture of being a pharmacist is to help people when they are sick, to be an ear for those who need to talk about their illness, and to be a resource of answers for those with questions.  Hopefully, I will be able to do all this from the business that my father started.  But in addition to my calling to be a pharmacist to help my patients, I think that it is also to support my family so that we are able to fulfill God's other calls to us for service.

We have been very blessed to be apart of the St. James Parish.  Eddie has been blessed with the position of Youth Director, it is a part time position, but nonetheless it helps to buy the groceries from time to time.  We have also had the opportunity to meet wonderful teens who have a lot to teach us and a lot that we can help them learn.  They've all come with outstanding parents!  We couldn't do any of the things that we've done in the last year without them.  They get the kids where they need to be, enforce the values of our faith at home, volunteer to chaperon and to provide dinner for 40 kids some nights.

In addition, I believe that Eddie might, possibly have found his niche in the world.  Since his experience at Steubinville, he has been on fire!  He has a new blog where he is sharing all of his thoughts on our faith. He has new ambitions to fulfill in Youth Ministry.  It is refreshing for him to have such a big voice in our religion and faith these days.

Back to my original inspiration for this blog though.  I'm sitting here making powerpoint lessons for our Confirmation class.  I'm realizing how much I have learned from this whole experience in Youth Group and now in Confirmation.  A few things I've learned:
1.  It is a lot of work to make lesson plans.  Props to you teachers out there!
2.  Teenagers are mean!  They stare at you like you're talking to a brick wall sometimes.  Even had candy thrown at me last year.  But this is all ok!  It just draws attention to the areas in ministry that need improvement.  If they look like they don't care what you're saying, then they probably don't.  There is something I should be doing differently to get their attention and keep it.  Also, if they're throwing candy at you, you should probably be praying for them.  And also, give them the attention they are looking for. Whether that be praying with them in the hall way, talking with them one-on-one, or telling their parents.  Either way, it highlights the areas that need attention.
3.  I seemed to have missed a lot of this during my religious education!  I have learned more in the last year than I think I ever learned as a Catholic kid.
4.  I'm not sure where, but we are losing our Catholic kids at some point between 8th grade and adulthood.  Where are all the Catholics in their 20s?
5.  God has a plan.
Anyway,  I'm hoping that these things will come with more knowledge and more answers in the next few years.  I hope that Eddie and I will continue to have this opportunity to fulfill this call in our faith.
If you ever have the chance to be a CRE teacher, I highly recommend it!  It isn't always rewarding (i.e. when you're looking at 10 brick walls), but if nothing else, you can walk away from the experience with a great knowledge of our faith and maybe, just maybe, you were able to get the attention of one student.

It's been way too long, friend!

It has been a while since my last post.  It has been a pretty busy summer!
I've been working at my dad's pharmacy this summer and I have actually enjoyed the experience.  Granted, my dad can be difficult to work for... but this seems true for most kids working for their parents.  They hold you to higher standards than the other employees, but I guess it is only to make you better at what you do.  Anyway, I feel like I've learned more about his business and more about retail pharmacy in general.  I've gotten to do a lot of counseling and it has been nice seeing his patients that remember me from when he opened the store 11 years ago.
Other than working, I've been taking a class the PCCA Institute in Houston, TX.  It is an advanced compounding course that I took online and then went to the lab portion for 2 days last week.  I got to see their amazing training facility and make several dosage forms that I had no previous experience with.
After the lab, I flew to Florida to meet Eddie and my mom in Destin for my friend's wedding.  She had a beautiful wedding on the beach.
We've had a pretty exciting summer, lots of traveling, or driving anyway.
In addition to this, Eddie and I have been working on getting organized for Youth Group and the Confirmation class that we are teaching this year.  We have some exciting events planned for our amazing group of teenagers!  God willing, it will all work out and we will be able to recruit even more Catholic kids to strengthen their faith.
Oh!  Almost forgot!  Eddie took a group of our Youth members to Springfield, MO to Steubenville!  It was an amazing experience and the kids that went came back renewed with the Holy Spirit.  The conference has a way of making an impact on the teenagers who attend.  We're so excited about the 2012 Steubinville!  We already have it on our calendar and hope that we can take 50 kids with us!

Oh Gosh... Where to begin!

What happens when you go so long with out making a post is that you don't even know where to begin. 
Well, let's begin with today and work our way back a little bit to update you on the life of the Ishmaels here lately.

Today, I took my third midterm of the semester, and it marks the beginning of my spring break!  I've been looking forward to this break for a while now!  It would be even better if Searcy Schools (where Eddie works) had the same break.  Oh well, I guess that's life.

So... what's on the agenda for my spring break?
Well I'll be in Jonesboro some, of course.  There might be a quick trip to Cherokee one day.  I will probably do a little shopping and scrapbooking.  I plan to sleep in, clean, and if I have an ambitious day towards the end of the break, I might start studying for our therapy test that is the next week... but we'll see. ;-)

I'm not sure I've blogged about this yet, but Eddie is the new Youth Director at our church!  This is way exciting for us!  We've been able to make lots of changes and recruit more kids.  We've got some amazing support from the parents of the youth members.  We had a bake sale last weekend after Mass and raised almost $300!  We got a grant from the Diocese and we've been able to buy a TV, DVD player, and a new youth program for Catholics called Life Teen.  Also new to the Parish is the Youth Mass that we are having on the third Wednesday of every month.  I can't wait to see how our new priest contributes to this event.

Well, I know that I'm missing a lot of updates that have happened in the last few months.  I promise to be more dedicated to my loyal readers.  Life is good. 

If you know me very well, you know I don't quote scripture very often, if ever.  But I would like to leave you with this... it will be on the back of our new youth group t-shirts:

Do not fear, for I am with you, Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you.  Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. 
Isaiah 41:10

Basically, it is the best thing since scissors and glue!

To my fellow crafters, scrappers, and creative ones... I wonder how I've had a Cricut for a year and not known about this software!

http://www.craftedge.com/index.html

This is called Sure Cuts Alot.  Basically you can download files to cut from online... NO MORE CARTRIDGES!  Buy and download the software, today!  You can use ANY FONT that is on your computer!  No more spending $50 for a font cartridge!

This was one of the first things I cut using this software! 

Download Inkscape for free and you can take any image and convert it to an svg file (the type of files used by the Sure Cuts Alot software).  www.inkscape.org

Here is the file for the Red Wolf.  There are two layers, so two files:
Red Wolf Red Layer.svg

Red Walf Black Layer.svg


There are lots of videos on Youtube that you must check out to fully understand the awesomeness of Sure Cuts Alot (SCAL)!

Looking back at 2010

So it has been a quite some time since my last post.  Life got a little crazy with Eddie's new job, finals, and of course the holidays. 

Finals turned out wonderful for me... well maybe "wonderful" isn't quite the word, but I was very pleased with my grades and a huge improvement from last year.  It is always good to have some encouragement and a reminder as to why I'm torturing myself for 8 long years of my life!  It would call this semester a complete success!

Eddie started a new job at Searcy Schools just after Thanksgiving.  He's working with the special needs kids.  He always has a story about the kids in his class.  Some stories are hilarious, particularly how he argues with the 8 year olds.  Some stories are sad and remind me to be very thankful for the blessing in our life.  Good days and bad days, he loves his new job and the people he's working with.  Hopefully it'll be one step closer to a social studies/coach position.  Also, he's starting his Master's in June at Harding, which is exciting and scary all at the same time. 

The holidays were simply fabulous!  We went to Cherokee for the week before Christmas.  I worked for Dad most of the week.  Good news... he didn't fire me before Christmas!  It is always eventful when I work with my dad, especially for a week.

We spent Christmas Eve with my mom, went to church, and dinner at Pizza Hut (of course!).  Christmas Day we went back to my mom's house for lunch and presents with the Malones, Granny, Shirley, and Mom.  The twins had a blast with all of the attention and new toys to play with.  I'm the best aunt ever!  I got them build-a-bear wolves with ASU shirts... however, Brock enjoyed the box that his came in more than the Red Wolf itself.  Should've just bought them the boxes, I guess.  Haha!  We did dinner at Dad's.  More toys and attention for the boys.  It was such a wonderful Christmas with them around and it will only continue to get more fun.  Next, year they'll be more excited and understanding about the whole event.

Oh!  Eddie got me and iPad for Christmas!  That was exciting!  I love it.  I haven't figured out the extent of coolness, but enjoying what I know so far.

I have a new book recommendation! 

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble, a Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy (Book 1 of the Jolie Wilkins Series) by H.P. Mallory


 If you like the Sookie Stackhouse Series, you'll love this.  The main character, Jolie, finds herself in the middle of an underworld war and in love with a charming warlock.  She's clumsy, awkward, and not quite sure of herself, something that most girls can relate to.  I finished this in a couple days and moved on to the second in the series.  I highly recommend it!  It is only $0.99 on the Nook at BarnesandNoble.com.  I'll let you know more about the second book when I finish it!

Anyway, I hope that 2011 will be just as wonderful as 2010!  We've had several changes and adjustments in our lives.  But, isn't that what makes life exciting?!  Without the unexpected it would just be so boring!  God won't give you anything that you can't handle. 
Things to look forward to in 2011:
4th & 5th semester of pharmacy school
Eddie's Master's program
Disney World (Christmas Goal)
A teaching/coaching position for Eddie
and all the unexpected blessings in life!

Happy New Year from the Ishmaels!

Birthday, Babies, Witches, and Wizards

This will take a while to update you all on the life of the Ishmaels lately.  But, let's start with Eddie's birthday!!  Eddie and I are notorious for not being able to keep a secret.  I was pretty impressed with myself for planning a surprise 25th birthday dinner for him in Jonesboro.  A secret for a whole month... very  impressive!

We all had fun with his friends and family.  I got to see a couple of my besties, too!  Mandi and Lauren came!  So excited to see both of them.  Too much time goes between our visits for sure! 

Last Friday was such a wonderful day!  Heidi came to Little Rock and we had lunch with our "long-lost-cousin" Jason and went shopping.  Fun day!

Then that night Eddie had bought me WICKED tickets for my birthday (keep in mind my birthday isn't 'til Dec. 3rd... told ya we can't keep secrets!).  The show was amazing! 

Sunday, we drove to Greers to meet the Malones for lunch and play with the boys.  They are so adorable!  They change so much between visits:s  This video are just a little bit of our play time with Brock and Byant.

Brock crawling on Uncle Eddie

Bryant

Touchdown Ishmael!

Reality has finally sunk in.  Football is a religion in the Ishmael household.  Sunday, we watch the Cowboys.  Monday, we watch whoever is playing Monday Night Football or highlights from the weekend.  Tuesday and Wednesday, I get to hear the highlights from Riverview practices.  Thursday, Junior High football at Riverview.  Friday, well of course Football Friday Night.  We have Riverview and Eddie's gone all night.  He sits in the press box and talks to the coaches.  I would go and be the supportive wife, but I wouldn't have anyone to sit with.  I know, silly huh?  Anyway, once he gets home, we have to find out if Valley View and Highland won and other various schools around the state.  Then Saturday finally comes around, we're either on the road to Jonesboro for the ASU game or we're watching games all day on TV.
FOOTBALL is EVERYWHERE!!!!  It is all he talks about! 

Life as a Wife and Student

I wanted to update my loyal readers on the happenings in our little family since Eddie no longer works at the gas company.  It has been wonderful with him being off much more these days.  I missed him when he was gone.  However, the draw back is that he is quite the distraction.  Sometimes, my lovely husband, is quite the child.  He gets bored easily and demands some entertainment.  Since I'm in pharmacy school, it is sort of difficult to take a break and go do something fun and exciting when your "To Do List" keeps getting longer and longer.  It's easy to get behind pretty quickly in this program.  This week I'm playing catch-up from last week, learning about the heart, lipids, and fats- oh my!

One thing that has started that I've really enjoyed is teaching the 9th grade Sunday school class.  Talk about a crowd that is hard to entertain!!  I've tried to make the class as exciting as possible and I think it has worked out well the last couple of weeks.  I bring candy and each one gets 2 pieces but they can't open it until the end of class because if they get called on to read and they don't know where we are, I make them give a piece back to me.  The first week I did this, I got 2 pieces back.  Last week, I didn't get any!  Also, the book we have for this class is mostly about abstinence and chastity.  I think that 9th grade is the perfect age for the topic, however, I've found that they get really bored with the same thing for an hour every week.  My students had also complained a little bit about them not knowing much about the Bible and scripture.  So my other idea was to have a separate lesson each week.  It only takes about 5-10 minutes from each class.  The unit that I have picked first is People of the Bible and right now were are learning about the 12 Apostles.  Each week I ask questions from previous lessons and the student that get the right answer get points.  I promised them a prize at the end of each unit and at the end of the year.  I haven't quite figured out what the prize will be... but I'll think of something good.  I think it'll encourage them to come and retain what I'm teaching them.  We will see.  I think I'll make another page on the blog to share what I'm doing in my Sunday school class in case anyone needs some ideas.

Funny Story- One of the classes this semester is Patient Assessment.  This is by far- my least favorite class.  Thank the Lord it is only one day a week.  Each week we've been learning about different parts of a physical exam.  At the end of the semester we have to perform one on a complete stranger for a grade.  My biggest hang up so far has been the ears.  I'm not sure why, but I have a phobia of ear wax.  It's true.  I am completely horrified of ear wax.  It wasn't an issue on my dear, very clean friend, Kaci, who was my partner for practicing that day, but I think it may be an issue on this stranger we'll have to examine at the end of the semester.  I don't really want to fail pharmacy school because of this patient assessment thing.  I think there are two possibilities:  1 I'll get an A and move on with my life or 2 I'll fail miserably because of the physical exam grade, I'll need to reconsider my career choices and file bankruptcy for the school loans I have.  :-/ I'll let you know what happens.  Pray for option 1.

The Gas-Field-Phase is FINALLY over!

Eddie no longer works for the gas company anymore and it is a wonderful thing!!
The company was bought out and was going through some major changes in the last month... so looking ahead, we decided to get ready to end this phase of our life.  I'm so glad that we did that because on Monday, the head-honcho from the new owners came for a meeting and brought 2 options with him: 1. transfer out of district (i.e. pick up and move to West Virginia or Oklahoma) or 2. Start working out of district 14 days on 7 days off...  Seeing that I'm in pharmacy school, option 1 was out of the question.  Option 2 doesn't sound like a great idea either, leaving me 2 weeks at a time, I think not.
Anyhow, he took option 3... "I'll be back in a little bit to turn in my uniforms."
It's a bitter-sweet change.  Bitter because of a pay-cut.  Sweet because life is simple again.  Eddie will be substitute teaching this year and wrapping up the loose ends for his teaching/coaching license.  He's helping out with the football team at Riverview and loves it... Go Raiders!
One more change in this short time since we graduated college.  Progress towards normal.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

Soap Box

Ok, so now that football season is here, I have a moment to get on my soap box for just a second about the whole issue that always comes around in my house this time of year. The Arkansas State University vs. University of Arkansas issue, that is.

First of all, lets point out that there is no ASU vs UofA in any sport. The only time we will ever play each other will be when Arkansas doesn't have a choice and we get matched up in a tournament.

I suppose that you could call this a "little brother," syndrome. But here's the deal. Once brothers grow up and they're in adulthood, really, at that point, whats the big difference besides the fact that one is older and maybe a little bigger?

The fact is, there are several colleges in Arkansas. Arkansas State offers as many opportunities and advantages for students as UofA.

Don't get me wrong either, I'm a home-grown Arkansan and I watched and heard about the Hogs growing up too. However, I did attend ASU by my choice and I am proud of the college that I attended. I am a fan of their athletic program (good and bad). Honestly, I just get sick and tired of hearing about how inferior my school is and the fact that it gets neglected by the majority of the state. Even other alumni of ASU will sport a Hogs plate, or drive 5 hours to a game across state before staying in Jonesboro to support ASU. That's pitiful! If you like the Hogs so much, why didn't you go there?! I feel that goes for anyone who attended a university and cheers for another. I mean seriously, why be like that- Because you definitely paid that athletic fee every semester!

You can certainly be a fan of both! Just, please, don't hate on ASU because you think you're better. Fans like that are the exact reason that I am even ranting about this. I'm glad you support the Hogs! I used to cheer for both. To quote a loyal Hog fan: "Man, I'm excited that ASU is playing Auburn, they're going to get killed!" this is the sentence that began a football conversation, no one had said a word and this was his first thought. So I have a response for those who would agree with this fan: "I'm an ASU fan and a fan of ANYONE that plays the Razorbacks!" Does that make you happy? That you would turn away a fan? I guess your school is so BIG and WONDERFUL that you don't need anymore fans, that's good, because you've lost one. 

Ok, that's enough of my football commentary (Eddie would be so proud). Most people already know that I feel this way and that most of family does too. If you're a die-hard Hog fan and I hurt your feelings, I'm ok with that because if you're that die-hard and you know me well enough to be reading this 1. You already knew I felt this way, 2. You've probably hurt mine along the way too. So let's all hug and be friends! :-)

Sooooo... HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS?!

The photographer that did our wedding just posted this on my facebook. Emily Anderson is her name, let me know and I'll get you her info. She was great! Also, take note of my cake and flowers too. I had wonderful people to work with when planning the wedding and would love to pass their names on!

House decor... oh what an adventure!!! Seriously!

To the left you can see my new place mats with my mix-n-match dishes that we got as wedding presents from the Grapevine in Ash Flat.  I love, love, love my dishes.  I have blue, red, orange, and brown pieces and she can order you just about anything.  I'm still collecting pieces.  My place mats were a recent purchase from Steinmart (my mom's fav) in North Little Rock.  I put the arrangement together.  We went to Pottery Barn ($$) for a little inspiration and then bought what we could at Hobby Lobby of course!

I have such a wonderful aunt (really I have many aunts, but for this purpose, only one in question, but they are all wonderful!).  So so so very wonderful!  I guess this is my shout out to my aunt Shirley.  She agreed to come down a couple weeks ago and believe it or not, we sewed my new curtains! True story!  She brought her sewing machine down and we went to town!  This is her ripping out a seem that I think she did about 3 different times. -Like I said, wonderful aunt.

We cheated a little because we started with plain chocolate brown panels from Target and then added the fabric that I found at Handcocks in Searcy to the bottom. 

Bruce was very helpful as you can see.  Both of them kept trying to make their nest on the fabric we were working with.  That is the bottom of one of the panels that we put in the kitchen.

This is the guest bedroom, basically finished.  New bed spread from Wal-Mart- you try shopping in Searcy and see where you end up!- we made the pillows with our fabric that was left over.  Now for a few accent pieces and wall decor.

Next on the home decorating list:

1.  Our builder, such a genius, put the light in our kitchen way too close to the window/wall.  So therefore, its a tight squeeze to sit on that side of the table when it is under the light.  I've given up and moved the table out from the window where it should be.  Now, if only I could figure out how to move the light out too so people won't hit their heads and it would look normal.  This issue is the air vent that should've been where the light is and the light where the vent is.  DUH!  I'm not sure this will be an issue I get resolved, I'll probably just pass it on to the next owners :S But I would love to have any suggestions!

2. End-tables... I wish that would get checked off already, it's been on my list for a long time!

3. The office.  Oh, Lord, does it need help!

Shout out to my dad...

I was just sitting here studying a little pharmacology, listening to my iPod to avoid distractions, and a favorite song came on that one rarely hears anymore, and its on my play list.  So, I thought I'd share this little string of thoughts with you all. 
The song was "Achy Breaky Heart," by Billy Ray Cyrus.  Now, we've all heard a little bit about dear old Billy Ray lately because of his famous daughter.  But let's recap shall we... "Achy Breaky Heart," came out in 1992.  I was 5.  Ms. Karen, my babysitter from birth til kindergarten, practically, listened to country music and my parents hated country.  But, because I was with her more of my waking hours than I was with my parents, she had some influence on my music preference at age 5.  At 5 years old, this was my absolute favorite song of all time.  I could sing the whole song and danced to the video on CMT.  Keep in mind, my parents hated country, still do.  Anyway, my dad used to work at the pharmacy at Wal-Mart.  From time-to-time he'd bring us special stuff that they used for display in the store.  One night, to my absolute surprise, my dad walked in with a life-size cardboard cut-out of BILLY RAY!  (side thought:  I wonder where Billy Ray sat in my dad's truck, you think he got the passenger seat? lol)  They used it by the display of his tapes.  Now, is that love or what?  A man who hated country, brought in a life-size image of mullet and all Billy Ray Cyrus.  That thing was in my room for quite some time.  A gift from my quirky, quiet dad.  The same dad that sent me to preschool with my stirrups (stirrup pants, you remember those) on the outside of my high-tops.  The same dad who sent me to kindergarten with my fluorescent pink Benadryl back pack (at least none of my classmates could read yet!).  Just when you think he's not paying attention, he goes and surprises ya.  So this is my blog shout out to my wonderful dad, who doesn't even know what a blog is, much less that I have one.  HAHA

Another Chapter...

On Monday, August 23rd I will attend my 19th first day of school! 
ARE YOU SERIOUS?! 19 years of my life in school... this is insane!
But really, I guess this is pretty exciting because there are only 2 more "first days of school" because 4th year is a lot of working for free, no classroom stuff.

Second year of pharmacy school... Oh my gosh, What was I thinking?  I'm a little terrified!  LOL But on the plus side, we aren't the babies in the building anymore, we have a fresh young P1 class to take that title from us.  I'll also be busy with APhA-ASP because I'm serving as secretary this year.  This task has been pretty fun so far and I'm looking forward to what this year will hold for my office.  Another plus is seeing all of my friends!  My wonderful friends will be back in Searcy very soon and that's always a happy thing.  Oh I'll also have some buff arms from the 50 pound pharmacotherapy book that I'll be lugging around.
Some not so good points:  loss of sleep :-( a lot of stress :-S the Harding dress code... dresses below the knee?  looks like I'll be wearing jeans all year... lol

Small town thoughts...

So, I was sitting in Pizza Hut the other day with my mom for lunch when some things came to my attention... everyone knew us.  Several people had stopped by our table for a chat with either my mom or with both of us.  Everyone was in a good mood and so friendly. 

After lunch, I went back to the pharmacy for a little work time... and the realization hit me again there but with a stronger force.  All of these patients were coming in and they were all so cheerful and friendly.  They would all greet my dad- by first name of course- and then proceed to ask about me and my sister.  Then, he'd point out that I'm back and all grown up.  He'd joke a little about the fact that I'm not getting out of school fast enough for him.  Then, he'd tell whoever it was about Heidi's twins.  If they stuck around long enough, he'd show pictures for sure! 

This is the environment that I spent the first 17 years of my life in.  There are a few things that are funny about my realizations.  The first funny thing being the fact that I've forgotten how it feels to live somewhere that everyone knows you.  Yes, sure, there are draw backs because of the whole "small town gossip" thing... but I've found that the easiest way to avoid this issue is to simply not do anything that people would have a reason to talk about... unless of course it is a good thing! ;-) 
The second funny thing is that really is no place like home.  For example, when we would go out to eat in Jonesboro, even after living there for 4 years myself, and Eddie his whole life,  there was still the likelyhood that we could go the whole meal with out seeing a single person that knew us.  It did happen on occasion though. 
Also, in Searcy, no one knows us!  Imagine being a tourist in a town you live in.  That's kind of how it feels here.  Searcy is small too.  I mean people notice new people here and they tend to stare if they can't figure out who you are. 
Let me just tell you a little difference in working at my dad's small town pharmacy verses the chain experience that I've had in Jonesboro.  Put simply, in the chain pharmacy, people hate us!  We're obviously the enemy in any problem that they have in their life or health care system.  Maybe not the enemy, but the most accessible outlet for their frustration.  I think this is because they think that if they show their behind, most likely I won't be the one to wait on them next time, or if I am that I'll forget.  But no, I will most likely wait on you next time because you come in at the same time and I just happen to always have that shift... oh and I WILL remember!
One of my favorite differences is knowing who you know in Sharp County.  I know that's probably not an advantage to everyone, but I think it's pretty darn cool to go get my oil changed and bill it to my dad or to have a restaurant make something special for me that's not on the menu (i.e. my grilled turkey and cheese and Cajun fries) because we've eaten there about 10 times a week for the last 10 years of my life. 
It's pretty cool to deal with traffic in Sharp County too.  I mean, if traffic is bad- by the smallest chance- people are nice and let you out and take their turns at stop signs.  I will say that people in Jonesboro generally do that too.  In Searcy, no one will let you out.  People will run you over when you are walking in and out of Wal-Mart.  Don't get me started on the Searcy Wal-Mart experience. 

In small town life, there just isn't that kind of hostility in everyday life.  And can I just say... it's simply wonderful.  I realize I'm partial to my hometown (that I so didn't appreciate enough when I lived there) and that people that are from Searcy would probably say the same things about their hometown... but I'm actually to the point of excitement about moving back.  This summer, going back and working at the pharmacy, has been a good experience and has given me a renewal on my determination to get this school thing done.  It'll be cool to go put my Highland Rebels t-shirt on and go cheer on Eddie and his team, hopefully that he gets a job at Highland anyway... but I guess we will see! :-)

These are strictly some thoughts that I have about my own experiences.  In no way do I want to offend anyone.  I'm simply saying that I miss home.  :-)

Here Lately...

To my loyal readers,
I'm so very sorry that you have had to go so long with out hearing from me.  Lucky for you ;-) Eddie is working and I found just enough time to share some things from our life with you.  HAHA Lucky for you! ;-)

So the first thing to talk about are Eddie's crazy busy work hours.  Just so ya know, the boy worked for almost 27 hours straight yesterday.  The most frustrating part is the fact that it doesn't have to go like that.  With a little better management there's probably no reason for them to work more than a 15 hour day max.  But, let me tell you, these Oil/Gas field billionaires didn't ask my opinion on it.  If they had, you know I'd have more than just that for my input.  LOL

Moving on...

I'm such a nerd.  Something about new school supplies makes me really excited.  It's been a secret that I've kept to myself for a little while.  However, the new colored-clear pocket- binders at Wal-Mart drew me in the other night.  I couldn't help myself.  I bought all that I would need for this semester and the dividers too!  Then... THEN!  I proceeded to come home and print out my title pages to go in the front pockets.  I mean really... who does that in JULY?!  I know I'm nuts.  Oh and to top it all off, yes, world, I, Greta, Harding P2, have already ordered my textbooks.  Terrible, I know.  This obsession with the beginning of school has always been inside me since I was 6 I think.  lol... rest assure though, about the 3rd week in September, I will begin my countdown for Christmas break. 
Maybe I should go back and read an earlier post I made about being happy in the moment.  Maybe this has just been one more way that I have been wishing my life away.  hmmm, too deep for this late in the night, I think I'll sleep on that.

Decorating...

So, after a year in the house, I've decided that the main parts are almost perfect... well perfect for us.  But, there are still a few areas that need some "designer" attention.  The guest bedroom has some old bedding that I used in college.  It doesn't really flow with the new things that I've gotten for the house.  So I'm thinking that room deserves a little attention.  Also, the office/guest/Eddie's "man room" (no, its not big enough to be all of these-lol) is a disaster.  I need to add some storage for Eddie's hunting things and my scrapbook stuff that I leave in there.  The rest of the house only needs a few minor touches here and there and I'll be posting pictures soon of the progress that I make.  To the left, you can see my most recent purchase.  I little piece of artwork.  I know, a little strange and quirky.  But I really kind of love it.  It might be my most favorite thing so far.  I know, I know... I'm a little weird.  lol

The plan...

Back to Eddie's working situation.  We now have a career plan for my dear husband.  It only took him 24 years to come back to the idea of coaching/teaching.  Which is wonderful!  He'll be so great at it.  Finally, he will have a real reason to be telling me about all this football stuff.  It feels so good to have a plan.  I don't know if you've noticed or not but I'm an organizer and a planner.  Luckily, he's not too far from applying for jobs.  He'll start applying in February probably- at any school within driving distance.  So this whole mess with the wonderful gas field company is simply TEMPORARY!  Which again, I'm looking forward to the future... but I don't think we could survive this if we didn't...lol. 

What's the old saying, "What doesn't kill you, will make you stronger?"  Pretty darn accurate for the last year.  Its just His way of showing us that He's in charge and he wouldn't give us any challenge that we couldn't handle.  Life truly is a wonderful gift. 

Summer... so far...

As I have said, most of my summer has been spent driving and working.  It has been mostly been the same for Eddie too.  However, we have had a moment or two to spare for some fun.  Being in Jonesboro 3 days a week has gotten me some time with the nephews--- which I love!  I miss them all the time, but I feel I haven't missed as much as I will once school starts back.  I enjoy the moments I get with them.  They grow so fast!

Also, since Eddie was supposed to work on the 4th, I figured I might as well too.  But, Eddie lucked out and was only on call.  I went to Jonesboro to work and when I got off, Eddie was able to meet me in Cherokee Village at my dad's for our 4th of July/ Dad's birthday dinner.  It was good and I'm glad we got to do that.  Heidi made ribs and we had strawberry shortcake for dessert.  Yum!  Got to watch the boat parade, they did a helicopter fly over which was pretty darn cool, and the fireworks of course!

We also had the opportunity to help with Vacation Bible School at St. James.  It was a new experience for me!  It was a fun experience, for sure!  I helped with the skits that the Youth Group kids put on for the little kids.  It was way fun and I had some good sports help me out.  One of my girls dressed up like a clown everyday that week and she had such a good attitude about it.  I was really thankful she was willing to do that. 

We finally found our pool!  It has been the best investment ever!  If I'm not at Walgreens or at Dad's store, then I'm laying in or beside the pool reading!  That's my idea of the best kind of day.  Eddie finds it boring so if he is off we have to find something to entertain him but... our back yard is now a paradise for me.... and Bruce Wayne!!  HAHA

We celebrated our anniversary too.  Eddie got a new bow from me as you have already read about.  He got me a pair of earrings!  YAYE!  He did good!  We celebrated the next day because he was working of course... but that's just how life goes these days. 

Last weekend we were all over the place.  Eddie was off Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Friday we made a trip to Branson for a little shopping time.  I had fun.  I'm not sure how much Eddie enjoyed it.  I'm sure we will be going back and going to the amusement parks next time instead of shopping.  Haha.  We also went to Russellville to go to our friends' engagement party.  Kaci is in school with me and her fiance has become friends with Eddie.  We had a good time meeting their family and friends.  I can't wait for their wedding!

That's about it for now.  I think the pool and my lounge chair is calling my name-- Eddie's asleep still soooooo... lol... I'll take advantage of this opportunity.  I hope everyone else is having a wonderful summer!