skagit valley tulip festival

Once again, long time, no bloggy! We've been busy, and i keep getting further and further behind. Lots has been going on here....

I decided to finally do something about finishing up my eduction. I am 31, after all. So, I applied, got accepted, and have started a bridge nursing program. It'll take me awhile, but by the time I am done I will have a doctorate of nursing and be a CNM (certified nurse midwife). I struggled before in trying to decide which direction to go in nursing, but I like helping moms and babies. I think I can do good there. The program I am in is a distance learning university in Kentucky. I will have to go to Kentucky 4 or 5 times over the course of the next 4-5 years, but the rest is done online and with local preceptors and clinicals. Unfortunately I can't do any clincals at prov since I work there, which is a bummer, since they have one of the biggest hospital-based midwifery practices up here. So, I am going to look into group health, a few birth centers, and evergreen. Next week I go to Kentucky for an orientation. Should be interesting.

Jeff broke his ankle/fibula/lower leg (however you want to categorize that). This SUCKS. He can't do much at all since he is no weight bearing and in a boot, not a walking cast. He goes in for a follow up with the orthopedic surgeon this week. He's had 2 sets of  x-rays thus far and it showed a 1mm displacement so far which apparently is ok, but if it displaces any more, he will need surgery (plate and screws kind of deal). So, he will be getting x-rays on Wednesday and hopefully then we will know if he needs surgery. Really *awesome* timing with my trip ((sarcasm)). He is currently off work (can't exactly fight fires or do patient care when you're non weight bearing and on crutches) and at home trying to rest and elevate as much as he can. As you could imagine, the girls are totally taking advantage and he is having a hard time. He can't even pick up and carry the baby while motoring around on the crutches. His leg is pretty horrifically swollen and bruised :-/  Life has been a little harder for me too now as a result- I have to do everything physical, like all the cleaning and pick up, lawn mowing, chicken cage mucking-out, etc. Along with my job and everything else. Fun times. And of course, he is going stir crazy, since he is normally so active and we're starting on summertime when he works on all his projects. Bummer, bummer, bummer.

I got to go to Palm Springs for a little girlie getaway last month which was totally awesome. I'll do a separate post on that with all the pictures. I went to an OB conference in Vegas but decided I wanted to take a few extra days to be a lounge lizard by the pool and take some pictures there. It was pretty fun, and Vegas was fun too. More on that in coming posts.

I still haven't posted this year's pictures of the tulip festival, so here we go. My mama was here for that and I have always wanted to take her. Every year we go and get out photo on. This year the kiddos weren't quite as cooperative, and Aili wasn't there (I don't remember why, maybe school?) but it was still fun...

 

 Andie was her usual, free-spirited self...

 

She loves her boots :-)

We be sooo happy ;-) Nice shadow too huh?? But I thought it was funny. Can't always get winners.

Diamond in the rough

Afterward, there was snow goose...most awesome ice cream ever....

 

It really isn't so bad, leaving in the Skagit Valley (or close to it anyway).  :-)