V-E-G-A-S!!!!!

::insert "A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action" theme song here::

So today is the big day we have been waiting for since this summer. Time to meet up with our Bozeman friends in Las Vegas! woohooo!!!!! Guess who needs a vacation??? This girl right here. If only I could figure out how to do away with this guilt that's plaguing me over taking a few days off from reading textbooks and writing papers. Pat keeps assuring me that once I we approach the runway conveniently located right behind the strip, glass of wine in hand, all my worries will disappear. I guess Vegas has a way of doing that to you.

Pictures to come...

I got nothin'

For all those who are worried (or maybe 'annoyed' would be a better word), yes I am still here. I've had a few people comment about how I haven't updated in awhile.

Let's see...
Two weekends ago, Lori came to visit. We had a blast, doing some shopping, eating a few meals out, and going to Apple Hill (a local series of small wineries, apple orchards, and pumpkin patches). Unfortunately, the whole time she was here, we did not take one picture with our camera. Big fat FAIL on our part.

We celebrated Pat's 27th birthday while Lori was here. Pat doesn't like to make a huge fuss about his birthday, so we kept it pretty low-key.

Other than that, just plugging along. We will be meeting some of our Bozeman friends in Vegas next weekend, and it's going to be a blast!!!! But weekend vacations during the schoolyear=lots of preparation work ahead of time for me, so I best get back to my schoolwork. I'll try my best to actually take some pics during this trip (Am I even related to my mother????)

Oh, and for those of you who are curious, I did NOT contract H1N1...yet. It has spread very quickly here, though, so I'm sure it's just a matter of time. Speaking of which, have you heard about this? I love NPR, by the way, it's really the only news source I read anymore.

Til next time...

Awesome.

Guess how I spent this morning? In a tiny room in close quarters with a kid who is sick with the flu. I didn't think much of it, until we got to work and I realized he was still wearing the wristband from being admitted to the hospital after testing positive for H1N1 (he was released on Sunday night).

Now I generally think that the media has instilled a lot more hysteria in this Swine Flu business because someone behind the scenes has ulterior motives (which is not to say that I wouldn't immunize our children if we had children). But I personally know about five people who have contracted H1N1, took a few days off, and bounced back within a week or so. I just really, really, REALLY cannot afford to get sick right now.

Immune system, don't fail me now!!!!!

Please send your healthy vibes my way. That is all.

::healthy thoughts, healthy thoughts, healthy thoughts::

I'm supposed to be writing a paper...

...but I need a little break.

I ran across a verse the other day that really resonates with me. In fact, I printed a copy of it that is hung at my desk at work. It's a verse from the Bible, and it represents a way of interacting with others that provides an alternative to the way our culture (and government specifically) has historically treated certain groups of people.

"If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend your lives on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."
~Isaiah 58:9-10

This represents something really powerful to me. In fact, it almost brings me to tears to think about how things could change for the better if we all chose to live by these words.

Grad school has required me to do a lot of self-reflection, looking inward to examine myself and how my beliefs and actions could influence my professional practice. I'm not going to lie, it has been a difficult process. It is tough when you come to terms with the fact that you've acted in ways that have oppressed the very people that you could one day be serving. There's an intrinsic sense of guilt that is pushed to the forefront, and it's hard to get past thoughts and behaviors of the past to move to a place of acceptance and self-forgiveness. In fact, I don't know that I will ever reach this place.

It makes me sad to think that not everyone is forced to engage in this same level of self-examination. Being forced to challenge the beliefs you've internalized over the course of a lifetime is HARD work! But it's also empowering and motivating. Some of my opinions have changed drastically. And some have been reinforced. And many others will continue to evolve over the course of my lifetime.

My schooling has challenged me in ways I never thought possible, and it's still only the first semester! But I can't wait for what lies ahead. Life is nothing if not exciting and unpredictable.

I love this man

Right after I posted about my, ahem, flabbiness, I had Pat read what I had posted. And as I was bopping about the house, doing dishes and finishing laundry, he proceeded to tell me how crazy I am for writing what I wrote. This is why I married this man, people! I ♥ my husband. That is all.

The Next Time You See Me...

This post is to serve as a warning to all family and friends that the next time you see me, I may not be the same Randi you all know and love. Well, I will be in spirit, but probably not in body. Allow me to further explain.

This is what my typical schedule looks like:
Monday-work all day, homework in the evening
Tuesday-work in the morning, then classes 3-9:20
Wednesday-work all day, class 6:30-9:00
Thursday-internship all day, homework in the evening
Friday-internship all day, homework in the evening
Saturday-varies, usually consists of at least a few hours of homework and some quality time with my hubbs, and I have class all day one Saturday per month
Sunday-housework day! chores, cooking for the week, laundry, and, yep, you guessed it, more homework

What I am trying to say is that any activity or hobby I may have had pre-GS (grad school) no longer exists. In the interest of time management, I've been forced to trim the fat (pardon the pun), and cut out anything in my life that takes time and is not absolutely necessary. That includes working out. Thus the change in my physical appearance that you may notice the next time you see me in person. I know I was never the most toned person to begin with (and these Rockafellow bat wings seem to only add insult to injury), but please do not be alarmed when you see the old Randi + a few extra pounds. I want to keep up with my workout routine, I really do. But at the end of a long day, if I have time for myself (which is rare these days), I just want to cuddle with my husband and relax, DANG IT! I think I deserve that, no??

So to all the friends we will be meeting in Vegas in about a month (::SQUEEEEEEE!!!!), to my dear mother-in-law Lori who is coming to visit in 2 weeks, and to my family, who we will be seeing over Thanksgiving: please go easy on me (I know you all will).

Until next time,

This will make you smile.

I regret to inform my loyal readers that I don't really have anything new and exciting to report this week. Here's what my schedule looks like:
Work/Internship, Class, Workout (if I feel up to it), Read/Homework, Sleep, Repeat
Pretty boring, huh?

I do, however, feel compelled to share my new tv obsession with y'all. I came home last night to find my husband watching a show on Fox called "Glee". After giving him a hard time for a few minutes about watching a musical-comedy tv show, I found myself getting drawn in. And by the time the episode ended, I was howling with laughter (much like my mother is known to do).

Please, I'm begging you, watch this clip!!! You will not regret it. There are few things funnier in this world than the sight of a high school football team performing a choreographed dance routine to Beyonce's "Single Ladies". You'll have to FF to about 2:30 to get to the dance routine. If you watch the beginning without having watched the whole episode, it probably won't make much sense.



That's all for now.