It hurts...

to type. And write. AND MOOOOOVE. Luckily a small build-up of lactic acid in my muscles won't kill me. Saturday morning I played beach volleyball with a group of girls from last year's volleyball team. It was the first time I had actually exercised since I "fractured" my ankle this summer. It was terribly tiring, very hard, but so much fun!! Feeling "the burn" afterwards only makes it THAT much better. Is that weird?
In news actually related to my life... life is going super duper right now. Do y'all remember reading in English class about the gods who controlled the fates of people? And how they believed that good fortune happened at the top of the wheel but soon enough the gods would spin the wheel and you would end up on the bottom? Obviously, I don't believe all that nonsense but to put it metaphorically it seems as though I am near the top of the wheel just waiting to plummet. Of course not everything is good but a lot of stuff is.
This year is so different and so much less stressful than last year! I am actually enjoying school AND hanging out with friends and making lots of new ones. And having really silly roommate escapades that involve staying up late, Mulan II (OH HECK YES), a freezer, and pictures. It wouldn't be very funny if I explained it, trust me.
I would like to ask for your prayers right now also. We just had a student ministries chapel and there is a medical mission team and it struck a chord with me. Working in the health clinic has really opened my eyes and made me step out of my comfort zone and I can't help but wonder if God was trying to say something to me. I almost skipped chapel this morning and slept in but I woke up early and decided to just go anyways even though I don't have class until after chapel. And then in Life of Holiness we talked about how Jesus showed us a bent-down love (if anyone wants to know what I mean by that PLEASE ask me. It's a super good book) and humbly serves even though He IS the son of God and we should be serving him.
I would continue but I have class in a few minutes. See ya on the flip side!

a SPEEDY update

I don't know what to post yet and I really should be getting to bed because I have clinical tomorrow morning... so I'll go with the obvious.

I'm 21! YEAH BABY!!!!!

My parents and older sister (Nicole) drove down to SD for my bday and we went out to dinner in the Gaslamp district at a mexican food place. It was pretty darn good.






Let me conclude with this: life is good and GOD IS GOOD! :)

GAME Night!!!!

I was just thinking about yawning... random, I know. But I found a page full of random yawning facts and/or theories about yawning. Scientists have yet to figure out the real reason for us yawning. The article didn't mention this but did you know that many Olympics athletes yawn right before their event? Pretty sure it's not because they are tired.

Read it HERE

What's my favorite quote from this article? Good question. It is this:

"Wackiest theory award: it’s been suggested that yawning may cool off the brain. Prescription: if you yawn a lot, try thinking less. You is overheating the motherboard."

METEOR SHOWER TONIGHT!!!

Takamine

Yessssssir... I have finally bought myself a guitar!! It sounds great, looks great, and I got a super duper awesome deal on it. And it'll be here on Monday!!!! Woooohoooooooooo!!!!!
I believe some pictures are in order:
As you can see, the front looks like any normal guitar. Pretty natural wood top, strings, and all that good stuff.


And then you get hit with the back!


This Saturday, I (along with my three amazing roommates) will be signing our lease for our apartment in San Diego! I met with Allyse yesterday to talk about room stuff and on the drive home the sky looked absolutely amazing so I had to take a picture of it.

Irrefutable, Indisputable

Watch this. Those glasses are FREAKING BOMB! I want them. To make me look even cooler (even though that's not really possible, I'm cool enough already).



Wow. I really don't know what to say right now. And the funny thing is... I've actually been doing stuff! But I guess I don't quite know what to say.

Fun story though. I went with a friend to go test driving Mini Coopers. Why, you may ask? Because they are freaking awesome cars!!!! Have you not SEEN The Italian Job? But anyways, we first went to the one right by my house, but the guy there (David) was really really annoying. So we drove to the one by Newport Beach. And let me tell you, that was the best decision we made. The guy we started talking to there was AMAZING! You could tell that he really really loved the cars (he owned one himself) and we went on the most amazing test drive EVER. Seriously. This guy was the craziest/best driver ever. He took turns that were supposed to be taken at 25mph at at least 50mph. Then my friend drove. That was fun... but it was more fun when I GOT TO DRIVE!!!!! Then we really got to see what it can do. And they say women can't drive...

I've been listening to some country lately. If you have any interest, here's a couple songs.

Kiss a Girl by Keith Urban Cool music video too.

Wild At Heart by Gloriana The blonde one is a little annoying.

It Happens by SugarLand Very country voice, very funny lyrics.
My Front Porch Lookin' In by Lonestar Sooooo cute.

The Best Days of Your Life by Kellie Pickler FUNNY, but a little scary/sad.

Once I regain my words, I'll post again. Enjoy the songs. <3

Grandmas, beer, bluegrass, and a jolly good time.

Tonight, I went with my Grams and her friends to a pizza place where they play live bluegrass music on Saturday nights. It was awkward to get in there comfortably with my crutches, it looked very western-y weird, and I was the youngest adult there... the kids were running around playing video games. And you know what I texted my mom about 5 minutes after I got there? "Oh my gosh. This would be so much more enjoyable if I could drink."

At the time, I meant it. But as the night went on I found myself enjoying it more and more. I like listening to my Grams and her friends. They have some of the greatest stories. And it's so cool to hear about a time when things were so completely different I can't even begin to imagine it. In the car on the way home my Grams and her friend (Dorothy, cool name right?!) talked about how they met their husbands. Both husbands died years ago. And then my Grams and I had a good heart to heart.

Did you know that when our grandparents were growing up there were pretty much three careers for women? Nurse, teacher, or secretary. I don't think either of the women I were with tonight went to college. But I listened to them talking about the opportunities now... and how at the same time, they said they wouldn't change anything they had done. I want to look back on my life and know that I didn't "play it safe." Well, some things need to be played safe but others SHOULDN'T. So that's going to be my food for thought. Because right now, I think I'm playing it safe.

More to come!

Oh and btw, I'm now certified to teach paintball. I can take apart, reassemble, and refill the air tank thing on the paintball gun. The one thing I'm not so good at? Aiming.

Aroostasha

Today I had some more training for my new job! I start on June 22 and I'm really hoping to work with 2nd and 3rd graders. So training usually consists of listening to a lot of different scenarios and stories and trying to remember all of the rules that the Y has. Did you know that I'm not allowed to remove a splinter for a kid? There are just some very random rules that I would never think about. But there's also a lot more than that. I've always known that I've been sheltered and I pretty much live in a bubble of sorts. I really want to break that bubble this summer. Tear down the walls and all that good stuff. But I'm so scared (maybe that's too strong a word) that I won't be a good leader/counselor/etc to the kids that come. Not to go by stereotypes and what not but we have been told many times that some of the kids we are watching are already involved with gangs, have seen gang violence happen, have seen other violence happen, can be extremely disrespectful, etc. I don't want to be the counselor that just comes in and tells these kids that everything is just fine... when it obviously isn't. But I have no experience in this. I can't draw on past experiences here. I'm just praying that God will use me in some way this summer, that He will give me guidance when I need it (all the time), and wisdom and words (may they be few) for my kids. So your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

But not all of my thoughts about this summer are worries. We are trying to make summer day camp have more of a "real camp" feel this year. You know, where you sing lots of songs and have a team cabin name and cheer and what not. I love doing songs with the group. Well actually, sometimes I'm a little intimidated doing songs in my training group for two reasons. 1.) Let's face it. I'm not really black (sorry if I fooled you the past 4-6 yrs) so while I do have rhythm it just doesn't compare to the many (real) black people in the group when we put our own (appropriate) moves into the songs. 2. I really do love singing/dancing to camp songs and most of the other people don't seem to enjoy it as much. Jillian = big dork. No surprises there.

Here's one example of a camp song.
Wishy Washy Washer Woman

Super cool right? But seriously, we should sing some camp songs together. It's soooo much fun! Much more fun when you get into it. We should all do one similar to THIS together. Please?

This is a long post, or at least it feels like a longer one. Sorry I hadn't posted in a while. I have two more pieces of small news.
Uno: www.facebook.com/jilliandoorknobs That's right! I managed to snag that beauty!
Dos: my family got a freaking SWEEEEET trampoline! You are all welcome to come and jump on it. I've even put a blanket and pillow on it and read a book. It was very nice.

I locked myself in...

I thought this looked cute. Plus, it beats the heck outta packing up my life.

How to Do It:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search
(http://www.flickr.com/).
b. Using ONLY the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Mosaic Maker.
Change rows to 3 and columns to 3 (
http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php ).
d. Save the image and post it on this note!

The Questions:
1. What is your name? Jillian
2. What is your favorite food? Thanksgiving dinner
3. What is your favorite color? Yellow
4. Favorite drink? Dr. Pepper
5. Dream vacation? Anywhere in Europe really (or Hawaii) but I chose Greece
6. Favorite hobby? I like to express myself through the art of daaaance
7. What you want to be when you grow up? Nurse Practitioner
8. Who is someone you love in life? Family and friends
9. One word to describe you? AWESOME!



:) See ya soon peeps!

Sleepless

I went to Sleepless in San Diego expecting to be touched by what I heard. I got there at seven and found Jen (an older student in the same year in the nursing program with me) and we started talking. Her kids were at the event too but at the moment they were playing with my professor's two kids. That's PLNU for you. One big family. They were all around the same age, ranging from 13-16 years old. And then I met Patrick, Jen's son. I had heard about him before and even seen this video of him on the Today show. Just talking to him was awesome. And you know what? His words weren't dripping with wisdom. He wasn't talking about deeply philosophical things. But his personality spoke volumes. Letting the other kids make him into a giraffe with cardboard. Laying on the ground with a fort being built around him. Just little things. Anyways, he's an amazing kid (guy) and I just wanted to tell you all a little bit about him in my way that doesn't usually make sense.

Links:
Life Rolls On
Story

Up in the Air

And I'm saved from the brink of death just in the nick of time!

Alright now... take a minute to mull on this thought. We are almost halfway done with college. Summer might be a little farther away for you than me (I have 2.5 weeks left btw) but the main theme remains. We are almost HALFWAY done with college.

Toss it around in your brain for a bit. Ponder it. I'm in the process of doing that myself.

What have you thought about?

This summer is going to be amazing! I'll be working and taking a couple classes at LBCC and of course hanging out with all the peeps that are coming home for the summer! Woot! I really do have something I want to post about but I have class now so it will have to wait another couple of days for the magic to be posted!

I Don't Live in a Dream

EDIT:
UCSD FAILS
Sucks for them!

------

Oh geez. Have you ever felt like so much stuff has happened and, at the same time, almost nothing has happened? That is exactly how I feel right now.

To make this easier for my frazzled mind... I'll make the greatest list known to mankind:
- We (me, Allyse, Sarah, and Renae) were approved for off-campus housing! I'm about 75% sure we will be living in an apartment next year... which means it will be party time all the time! Unless I have to study. So maybe not.
- I got a 92% on my pharmacology test. YES!!! For those of you who don't understand nursing test scores... that's like me scoring a 107% on a regular exam. On my last nursing test I scored and 84% and when I found out I started dancing in the hospital during clinical so you can only imagine what I was doing with a 92%.
- Went out to dinner with a bunch of friends (to Cheesecake Factory) and decided that cheesecake isn't as gross as I once thought. I'd still take a brownie any day though.
- Went the The Rescue screening for Invisible Children! It was tizzzight yo. However I just realized that my gospel choir concert is that weekend in LBC...
-Speaking of gospel choir, we performed at a national conference. And it was freaking amazing.
- I did the "booty slap" in kickboxing class. That's right.
- Finally organized all of my flashcards! I now have two very pretty grey boxes full of flash cards. That is how I keep my sanity.
- I finally saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Role Models. Role Models = a boatload of cursing. Pretty funny though. Forgetting Sarah Marshall = funny but also dirty. Definitely some uncomfortable scenes. There's also male nudity (yes frontal) but nothing I haven't seen in the hospital...
- Talked to an amazingly cool Russian lady (Anna - pronounced Awn-yah) about her culture. I'll post about that later.

I'm feeling so great right now! Seriously. I feel like I'm finally on the road to... something good. I don't quite know what it is yet but I'm liking the journey.

Maybe more has changed than I originally thought.

Disjointed post, I realize but I'll post another (non-disjointed) one soon.

Epiphanies occur at random times!

In nursing school we are taught how to take care of our patients in the hospital. We are taught about diseases and their manifestations, their complications, and how to effectively manage or treat them. We’re taught how to position and reposition patients in their beds, how to give a proper bed bath, how to correctly administer drugs. We practice in the clinical lab. There are five beds and five dummies. Five curtains, five bedside tables, five O2 machines.

But here’s the thing… that’s not how life really is! Diseases manifest differently in each patient, complications arise with no warning, and it’s much harder to reposition that 250 lb COPD patient than it was to reposition your 140lb healthy classmate. Bed baths will always be uncomfortable for you and the recipient, and your patient will never act like a dummy unless he or she is unconscious and then you’ve got a problem on your hands.

LIFE IS MESSY!
I don’t know how many times I’ve said/thought that but just five minutes ago I had this epiphany. Life is messy. And it’s not going to get any un-messier. This doesn’t just go for the hospital setting. Friendships, relationships, school, work, family, what have you… it’s all not going to be black and white. Personally, I like black and white. I like knowing what is right and what is wrong. I’m also always right. So this whole “life is messy” thing can seriously mess with my mind. And it has, it currently is, and it will in the future.

And even though I wish everything was black and white with no shades of grey, if I force myself to try and see objectively, I think that would take a lot of the fun out of life. Take relationships as an example. Without those shades of grey… where would the fun be? I think the fights, the cuddling, the good times, the bad times, the boring times, the sad times, and all the times in between are what make a relationship so special. That goes for our relationship with God. What fun would it be if we had a set of very specific guidelines to follow to make our way to Jesus? No fun! And we don’t. God made it that way for a reason!

So, life is messy. But here’s the thing, I’m not going to stop my life and try to make it black and white. I’m not going to drive myself crazy trying to figure out the “right” way to do something. That’s a waste of time. And it prevents my ability to change and adapt to life. I don’t want my life to get stuck in a routine. Don’t get me wrong here, routine can be a good thing but routine can also stop you from experiencing all of the joy that life has to offer. Routine can stop you from truly appreciating this AMAZING world that God created for us. It can stop us from being amazed by God ALL THE TIME even though we should be. And it can stop us from meeting new people, from trying new opportunities that come along, and from opening ourselves up to others and experiencing the joy and pain that comes with it.

I’ll end with some quotes. Yes, there is one from Grey’s Anatomy. Just because I know how much you all love it.

“Just because I’m losing
Doesn’t mean I’m lost
Doesn’t mean I’ll stop
Doesn’t mean I will cross.”
-Lost! By Coldplay

“Knowing is better than wondering, waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beats the hell out of never trying.”

“Boundaries don't keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. So, you can waste your life drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.”
-Grey’s Anatomy

And I was just reading this verse the other night and I just wanted to share it, especially during this time of Lent.
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”
Mark 8:34-37

I have 13 minutes....

Before class starts so of course I was just checking FAILblog and I stumbled upon this great video.


Enjoy. :)

Oh the people you'll meet...

... in the jacuzzi at the Travelodge hotel in San Diego. Good times for sure. Did you know that Canadians can buy their milk in a bag?! Mind blowing.

So I went to an Invisible Children event that was on-campus Monday night. I had always heard about Invisible Children but I never really understood what it was so I decided to attend the meeting/movie about it before gospel choir. And what I saw astounded me. Does anyone else know about the Rescue? Because if you don't (or if you do) I'd love to talk to ya about it. Maybe get some more history because I can't understand how one man can have so much power!

Here's a little something that I've been working on when I'm bored/have nothing to do. I did this during my free time last week... so that should tell you exactly how little free time I had. It was a crazy week fo shizzle dawg!


1. Bologna lunchables are AWESOME!
2. I hate, sorry, I greatly dislike hearing Allyse talk on the phone with Evan. My reasoning is simple... I don't like hearing verbal abuse, manipulation, or dumb girl whining. Call me crazy but it's not my favorite sound in the world. (I was a little angry when I wrote this)
3. Snacks are my weakness.
4. People who need to be constantly entertained are annoying.
5. I want to travel Europe before I'm "tied down" by life after college. But I'm really afraid that it won't happen.
6. Kickboxing class is fun! I like to pretend I'm actually hitting someone.
7. I thought I made a mistake a little over a year ago but now I don't think I did. Ya want to know the answer? It's the title of a very popular book/movie right now.
8. Face grab. That's what it's all about.
9. Nursing. Yay and nay.
10. Being intelligent automatically makes guys more good looking.
11. My notes for class are always in blue pen.
12. So... I have a boyfriend. His name is Ryan. Sorry I didn't tell you guys earlier but I didn't want to till it was "official".
13. Sometimes I think I'm getting carpal tunnel.
14. I've had a patient say something borderline inappropriate to me.
15. I've always wanted to dye my hair really blonde or red. Neither will probably happen.
16. My relatives have told me that I can live with them over a summer if I want to.
17. I get chills when I hear someone sing really well. During chapel, during gospel choir, during good musicals...
18. Gospel choir. PRAISING GOD. He is so good and mighty and worthy of our praise. I love it.
19. Yellow is my favorite color.
20. I decided to not play volleyball next year. And I'm finally regaining my life.
21. Quotes decorate my wall and my planner. They inspire me.
22. Understanding the medical terminology in Grey's Anatomy and House makes me happy.
23. After I turn 21 (and you are all 21) we are all going to a karaoke bar for singing and drinks. You will come.
24. Getting B's in nursing classes is truly a great thing.
25. Peppermint is gross. It's all about wintergreen.

Girl I will cut you...

Edit:
This may make me sound stupid but here it goes. I had no idea we were still legitimately searching for bin Laden. But apparently, we are. Wow. I don't know how accurate their predictions actually are but their way of thinking is neat. I never would have thought of half this stuff. Analyzing patterns of nighttime electricity usage... that's pretty cool.

____________

This is still one of the greatest videos on youtube. Nintendo 64 remix is pretty awesome too.



Any other good ones out there?

Hey Stephen

AN EDIT ON MY EDIT:
AHHH!!!! I didn't fail my exam after all!!!!!!!
I went to go and look at my failing grade again and saw an announcement that was made for my class. So I looked at it and it said "Exam grades are now posted. Sorry to those who saw their grade when it wasn't corrected." So of course I'm getting a little excited now. Maybe I didn't do so bad. But I didn't want to get my hopes up too much just in case nothing had changed.
BUT IT HAD!!! MY GRADE WENT FROM A 40% TO AN 80%
I still want to get higher than an 80%... but it sure beats the heck out of a 40%.
------
EDIT:
I just got my lowest exam grade ever. Frick.
------
It's about 12:30a right now and I'm currently on a study break. I have my first pharmacology test tomorrow morning at 07:30a. Peeeerrrfect. I'm so not ready. I've never EVER felt this way about a test. Like there is so much freaking information and I have no idea how to even begin to organize it and put it down into flashcards or notes or ANYTHING. I even tried to start studying earlier this week... but it made me so nervous that I stopped and instead put it off until the last possible time, which is right now!
Why does this have to happen now?
But there are still some positives:
1. I'm looking forward to this movie coming out.


2. I'm coming home tomorrow! If traffic allows I should be home before 5pm. If I skip my nutrition class I could be home by one. Hmmmm...

PELICAN!

Ah... well my first week of school is over and let me just say it was a good week. AND an even better weekend! Seriously, if this next semester is anywhere near as fun as this past weekend then it's going to be an AWESOME semester. And it will be that awesome.
One of the reasons why this weekend was so great was because of this video:


It is GREATNESS!!
But in all seriousness... a couple of girls who used to go to Loma came and visited for the weekend. You would think that it would be weird since we haven't seen these girls since May. But it wasn't weird at all! It was like they never left... how does that happen? When we all come home for the summer/winter break and hang out it ALSO feels like nothing has changed. We're all different, we've all matured (most of us), and yet we can still hang out and have a blast. Why is that?

Don't Be Vague

Bringing in the new year always make me think about what I'd like to do differently. You know, the whole "New Year's Resolutions" thing is very catchy. Doesn't it feel good sometimes to say everything you want to do differently and think you'll do it differently. Now having said that... I don't believe in setting resolutions. Not anymore. But I don't really have a problem with those who make them. I used to make them up every year. My best friend from 5th grade and I used to bury them every year in my front yard and then dig them up on New Year's Eve. Of course we hadn't made any of them come true.
So my question is... can we ever really change? Did you know that every year the top four new year's resolutions are the same? They have been for years. This information is coming from my pastor by the way. I can't remember exactly how many years but for at least three years the top goals have been to 1. Slim down 2. Stop smoking 3. Reduce debt. The order may vary from year to year but they are always up there. Why? You could take one route (called the Negative Route) and say it's because people simply cannot change without divine intervention or some sort of life-altering wake up call. Year after year after year these resolutions are set only to have them reappear each year!
But here's the thing. (This thing = positive route!) Even though I know that millions of resolutions will be broken this year I still believe that people CAN change! And I'm not even talking about exercising, eating healthier, stop smoking, etc. Yes those things matter because those things help you to live a longer, healthier life and BONUS you are taking care of your body (your temple) the way you should. People CAN change. The human mind is an amazing thing, and with encouragement from friends (and some of your own willpower and lots of sticky notes) you can do what you set your mind to do. Whatever it may be. Read your Bible more often (we can all do that one), walk the dog more (poor Rover is just begging for more time to sniff the world), or maybe to spend a couple minutes a day sitting in the sunshine (if there is any).
People's character... that may not be so easy. All of the duel bags in the world (see The Doghouse if you don't understand that, but only if you want to) will probably stay duel bags. But that's another question I guess.