Thank you Pioneers!

I was in much need of another long weekend!! :) But seriously....I really am so grateful for the Pioneers and what they went through for their posterity. All I need to say is the movie 17 Miracles. One movie. 17 miraculous stories (and probably more, I didn't really count). And one sobbing girl in the theater. Nothing will put life into more perspective than sitting down and watching that one. I definitely couldn't have done it but I will always be in debt to those who did.

As for the weekend. WOW!! Loved it. We went to the lake and enjoyed great weather and even greater company. It's so fun to spend some quality time with family and I'm lucky enough to be able to spend it with some extended family as well. Since Friday was just work and travel our weekend didn't really start until Saturday. Jonny got up early with dad and John and had an early morning boat ride (boys only!!). They had a good time and just like the good wives we are, we had breakfast ready for them when they pulled up. Then the real fun started. Water, boats, sun...mmm....yes please! We literally played all day and only took small breaks for potty and drinks to make sure we didn't get dehydrated. :)

Check it out....This...

Coupled with this...

Could life get any better?! I submit that it could not!!

Then Sunday came. We had to get up super early in order to make it to the early session of church. It was good and then we mostly relaxed. Bear Lake on a Sunday is the most relaxing place ever. It's still beautiful to look at and just so peaceful. We were in charge of making dinner and I, unfortunately, burned my arm on the oven trying to fit all of the ginormous Costco potatoes in with a pot of ribs. Bummer!! It wasn't too bad though. Not really any pain and it didn't even break the skin.

Sunday came and went and we were on to Monday. My dad had to go back to work so we were missing him terribly. However,mom, Jon, and I were able to tag-a-long with Kev, Karen, Kara, and Kolette and we sure had a blast. We went skiing, wakeboarding (I even short-started off the dock), and then we attempted to quadruple wakeboard and kneeboard but a terrible wind came up and it only lasted like 20 seconds with all of us up at the same time. They tried to get some pics but my mom and aunt are terrible with the camera. Ha! ;) Can I just say...man does my body hurt!!!! Since it's been a couple of days, I'm beginning to recover but every time I moved I was reminded of how good the weekend was. The only bad thing about Monday is the fact that because I was in the water all day, the burn on my arm became soggy and my skin peeled off. So now it's an open sore. And it's right in a place where no matter how I place my arm, I can't seem to not hit, scrape, or touch it. I have a feeling that it will take awhile to heal. I just hope it doesn't scar.

Groaning because we didn't want to leave, we were finally on our way home. Since my dad left early Monday morning we had the treat of my mom coming with us! We had a good couple of hours just chatting and made it home in enough time to see a great show of these....

Thanks Johnny P for being a pyro and getting us front row tickets to your shows!! It was great fun!

Although the weekend was fantastic....all good things usually come to an end. Tuesday I was thrown into orientation for work. For all of you out there who hate orientation, I'm right there with you. First, why does it take literally eight hours to say stuff that could be said in less than four? Plus, since I have been an employee of the U for five years now, I pretty much know all they talked about. Who's idea was it to have me go for formality purposes?!....you stink!! Worst day ever but at least a good raise came out of it, right? ;)I'm really excited to start the next chapter of my working career. I love my job and can't wait to add some more opportunities to learn and grow.

Jon is still in school and enjoying his religion classes. He is just cranking away and no longer wants to study at night since I don't have to. Although I try to be good and try to keep myself busy or not bug him, it usually doesn't happen. It makes for a crazy morning before classes for him but he says it's worth it. :) Needless to say, we are both excited for him to be done.

That's pretty much it for now, I think. Oh, I got a new purse and am absolutely loving it!! Call me crazy but I love purses. Your whole life is jammed into one cute little (sometimes not so little) bag. This one is a little bigger than my previous one so hopefully it won't start falling apart because it's being stretched so badly. Ha! Oh the simple pleasures of life.

We have a couple of exciting adventures coming up over the next couple of weeks so I will try to be good and take my camera to capture the image of our lives. But for now that's all I have. :)

Story of the night!

So this great little story occurred on Wednesday night. Jon and I had walked down the street to one of our neighbors houses to give them some ice cream for their birthday. We stayed and chatted for a little while and then decided, despite the wind, that we would go for a little walk. Jon still had some homework to do and I wanted to get back to my book (I have finally found a good one to read) so it was just going to be a quick one so we could get to bed on time. When we made it back around to our house, we realized we didn't have the key to get in. We were literally locked out of our house!! It was completely my fault because earlier that morning I had taken the house key off of the car keys because I had forgotten something in the house after I started the car and, of course, I didn't put it back on the key ring. Unfortunately, Jon grabbed those keys before leaving the house. The other thing that made this a complete bummer was the fact that the car that was outside the garage (we only have a one car garage) was not the car we had the keys to. So we basically couldn't get in our car to drive to get another key!

I called my mom and she came to our rescue. She drove out to our house to pick us up to take us to our cousins house who had the key. Normally, it's my mom that has the spare key but she had given it to our cousins when they were doing some remodeling. Luckily, he lives in Riverton so it wasn't too far away. We drove out and got the key, came home, and guess what?!.....It WASN'T our key!!!! We were at a loss! It was almost 11 at night and we were hoping we weren't going to have to sleep at someone else's house that night. Luckily, we called our other cousin (who works with the first one we visited) and he said he might have it. He lives in Saratoga Springs so we met him halfway and after seeing the keys I was quite skeptical if any of them were ours. We had wishful thinking though and took the one we thought might be ours. We drove home and luckily, it was it! We finally got into our house and went to bed! So much for studying....OOPS!

Moral of the story....when you take the house key off your key ring, put it back on. (Or have a keypad on your garage, or call the locksmith instead of drive all over the valley to find one measley little key.) Pretty much....do anything you can to avoid the situation we were in on Wednesday. Although we were laughing about it (and still are) it really wasn't a fun thing to be put through. :)

Victory at last!!

Those words have been a long time coming. I have actually passed the NCLEX-RN!! I can't believe I am actually saying this. It truly is such an amazing feeling and I'm so glad to be completely done with my undergraduate degree. Thanks to all the friends and family who has been so supportive through these past five years....I honestly wouldn't have made it without you. I appreciate all of your thoughts, prayers, and words of encouragement.

Baby info has come...

Baby Olivia Zoe Petersen (Zoe pronounced Z-O not Z-O-E). She was born June 8, 2010 at 4:30 a.m. at 6 lbs. 8.5 oz. and 21 inches long. Isn't she a beauty!! We love you and welcome to the fam. :)

Updates...

So I have been a HORRIBLE blogger lately. You think being out of school would make my life a little more exciting...but NOPE!! I have continued to go to work everyday and still absolutely love it. I have been so blessed to have fallen into such a great position. I am looking forward to being hired as a nurse and being able to do more with the doc (plus the nice raise that will come with it as well). I, unfortunately, have to wait until I take the dreaded NCLEX...However, that is coming up in 2 weeks from TODAY! I can't believe it and I'm starting to freak out. This test is what my entire college education has been about. I hope I pass....Please pray for me.

Other than work (and the continued studying for this test), I haven't been up to much else. We were able to go up to the lake this past weekend and I enjoyed getting some rays from the sun. Man, am I in need of a tan or what?! It was so nice to start the summer season out right and I can't wait to go up there again. We had another great night of bunco. I feel that the overall feeling of the night was a little sad and that's most likely because Lindsay is leaving us all to go to PA school. I am so proud of her and think that it's great she is going. I'm going to miss her like crazy but I know she is doing what she needs to do. We had a great goodbye BBQ on Saturday which was bittersweet. I came straight from the lake so I don't have any pictures. I was hoping someone would have added some to facebook by now that I could snatch but that hasn't happened. This is a little shout out to Smartie.....Good luck girl! I hope you made it safely and I wish you the best! Can't wait to talk to you about it. :)

Jonny takes the GMAT on Saturday. I attribute our not exciting life to him and this upcoming test (plus the fact that he is also in school). He is so devoted to studying and doing the best he can. I'm amazed at how much that man can study! Our nights have mostly consisted of me playing solitaire on the ipad on the couch while watching t.v. and Jon upstairs in the study trying to increase his score on practice exams. As he gets closer though, we have begun to branch out a little. We actually went and sat on the porch and ate ice cream and chocolate chips this past Sunday. ;) It was great fun! Aren't we terribly exciting?! I'm hoping we start doing more fun things once this test is off his shoulders. However, then it will be even closer for me with the NCLEX so we might have to wait until that is off my plate as well.

On an exciting note, another new baby has arrived in our lives. Jon's sister Natalie had her second child last night/this morning. I don't have a name or any pictures of the baby yet but we can't wait!! I was emailed this picture last night with the description that baby number two was on the way.

That is sweet little Lauren in the background excited to meet her new sister. I received another email this morning around 6 a.m. that the baby had been born at 6 lbs. 8 oz. They live in California so it's not like I can rush to the hospital to see the little babe so that's all I know so far but I will update further when I get more info.

I think that's all for now. I wish I had more pictures to post about our lives so I will try to be better in the future. I will also try to post more often. I can't stand when other people don't update more than they do so I will at least try to do a post once a week and more when exciting things start happening. :) Thanks for listening...

Miracles

After 38 weeks of waiting.....baby Pohlman has arrived and has successfully made me a proud aunt...AGAIN!! Here is the beautiful baby boy.

Tyler John Pohlman

May 22, 2011 10:26 p.m.

5 lbs. 15 oz.

20.5 inches

Sweet Emily was timid at first but quickly warmed up to her new baby brother. Aren't they a cute pair?!

Tyler, welcome to the family sweet boy!! We love you so so much!

Last Lecture...

Yesterday, I officially sat through my last college lecture....EVER!! Isn't that great?! Now only an eight page paper, three exams, and shopping for a new dress sits between me and graduation. HOORAY!!

post grad dreaming....

After this....

I'm dreaming about this....

running a marathon (but more realistically a half)

taking ballroom classes with my honey

starting and finishing P90X

reading for fun

learning how to sew and actually doing it

being more invested in my blog

having time to go to lunch with friends/family

perfecting my cooking skills (or at least being a good follower of recipes)

finding a job

helping my sister with her TWO babies

becoming a parent (no rush on that though)

being a better wife, daughter, sister, member, and friend

working on who I'm going to be rather than what I'm going to be

learning Swedish

doing whatever I want when I get home from work at night

ETC.

I'm sure more will come but that's all my fried brain can think of at the

moment.

ONLY 16 DAYS LEFT TIL GRADUATION!

Steel Magnolias

So today, while at work, I decided to turn on a little netflix and began browsing through the movies. After a short few seconds of looking, my eyes fell upon this classic show. One I used to watch multiple times while growing up (while April and I hung out with Grandma Lucille) and never really knew what it was all about. I thought I would give it a try.....WOW!

Such a classic....it begins with the wedding day of Shelby (wonderfully played by Julia Roberts). And it starts to tell the story of a regular family. A mother and daughter who don't get along, a husband who goes into deep measures to carry out what his wife says (even shooting blanks to get the birds out of the trees). Two brothers who don't want to do anything anybody tells them, and a love story that you know will fight anything. As they prepare for the wedding, Shelby and her mother, M'lynn go to Truvy's to get their hair done. There, we are introduced to four new characters who later, we find, play a big part (in my opinion) in this story. They are the classic group of friends coupled with M'lynn, the one who holds everything together - always carrying on....there is the one who finds herself and is happy with who she is, the sweet one who likes to know everything about everyone, the happy-go-lucky one who tells it like it is, and the grumpy one who secretly has a sense of humor.

For those of who don't know or remember what happens, here it is in a nutshell...Shelby has diabetes. The doctors have told her that she SHOULDN'T have children. However, through not being able to adopt due to her medical history, she and her husband decide to go through with it. She gets pregnant. And she lives. Life goes on; she lives in a different town with her family but she comes back every once in awhile (which is where the story catches on). They meet back at Truvy's do get some new do and it is told that having her son meant her kidneys were shot. She needs a kidney transplant and she's going to get it from her mother (don't they always come to our rescue?!) They go through with it the next day and things turn out well....for a little while. Shelby knows that there is something up but continues to live life. One day, things don't turn out so well. Her husband comes home to dinner cooking on the stove, chairs toppled over, and a crying baby. He looks for Shelby and finds her unconscious after falling down a few steps with the phone by her side (she attempted to call him). The next few scenes are of her in the hospital on life support. Her mother never leaving her side. She never wakes back up. Her husband decides to withdraw support and she dies fairly instantly. Then it's the funeral. It's a beautiful funeral with many attendees but it's after the funeral that gets to me. These five friends meet up once again in the gardens. The four characters come to M'lynn's rescue. As she sobs and sobs and finally lets out her true feelings, each friend uses their unique personality to help her through it.

As I sobbed and sobbed through this part and for a little while after (good thing I was alone) I realized how much I truly do love this show! It has a great meaning. You know what?! Life is hard, really hard and sometimes in downright sucks! There are hard times, rough times, and times that you are surprised that things actually got worse when you didn't think it possible. That's what friends are for....whether they be husbands, wives, parents, siblings, extended family, a loving Heavenly Father and brother Jesus Christ, people you grew up with, those you went to school with, those you just met...friends are friends and they help you through these rough times. So this is to all of you out there who are my friends; those I've known forever, those I've known a long time, those I've known for a short time, those I've just met, and those I will continue meet throughout my life - to those who have helped me through rough times....I LOVE YOU!! I'm so grateful we know each other and hope that I can help you in a way that you have helped me. I'm happy we keep in contact and hope to reconnect with those I have lost contact with. Life is too precious to not be grateful for what you have. Things can change in an instant. This is my time to be happy and show gratitude. THANK YOU!

Thankful Thursday (2)

Happy Thursday everybody!

Here is my little list of thanks for the last little bit (since my last post at least).

finishing capstone

starting and almost completing psych clinical

people who are willing to share their whole lives with you just to have a few minutes to talk to someone

completing the kitchen remodel (besides painting)

the Relief Society social and how smoothly it went

my husband....for who he is and what he does

a good friend's wedding shower

potlucks at work

ward temple night

SPRING BREAK!

a friend's most welcome invitation to their cabin for a weekend getaway

general conference and for all the messages shared there

bunco

redo in the hair department to keep me lookin so good ;)

registering for the NCLEX and actually applying for licensure

field trips to the 4th street clinic, alliance house, CTP, and the jail to help realize how grateful i am for my life

PASSING THE COMPREHENSIVE PREDICTOR....TWICE

scratching all things off of my list of things to do each week

and last but not least, I must give a shout out to my daddy since it's his birthday today....the big 50! Love you tons and I'm thankful for you in my life each and every day.

I encourage you all to try this....it makes even the gloomiest, snowiest, cold days like today bright. Be thankful for what's in your life. Who knows?! You might find something new that you've never thought of before.

Thankful Thursdays

So I got this great new idea from my friend Jarah's blog and I thought I would carry it on. I have wanted to start this for quite some time but have never had the time on a Thursday. I know it's only Monday night but I thought it would be better than never. I feel so grateful that I need to write some of the things down. So, here goes...

my husband

capstone being over (after tomorrow)

Elizabeth Rhondeau's mission experience that she so eloquently described

the paper chain on my floor that is a nightly reminder that I'm about to graduate

how good my niece makes me feel when i get to her house and she is waiting for me on the bottom step

the Gospel

my job

sleepovers at the in laws so i can sleep in an extra hour

the kids at PCMC

my mom saying 'this is your mother' when she leaves me voice messages

phone calls from my dad

how amidst all this chaos my house is actually coming together

the bachelor to keep me company while Jonny is out workin late

bunco night

good chats with old friends

how after a late night of work Jon wakes me up at 3 in the morning to kiss and hug me goodnight just because i asked him to

rice bags

my blanket

cute headbands to jazz up my hairstyle when i haven't showered

Jarah's blog

Hobby Lobby

how the laundry magically is done by the time i get home

Books, Books, and more Books (which I will again be aquainted with in a very short amount of time)

amazing support from a loving family

And those are just a few. I could go on and on but I should probably get some rest before my last and final shift of capstone. Feel free to follow along and continue on this tradition of what they call project: cultivate thankfulness. It really does make you feel better even during the worst of days.

And you thought 13 was unlucky

Yes ladies and gentleman....13 is the number of weeks I have left of school and that is the luckiest number I could get (until, of course, it becomes 12 and so on). Can you even believe it?! I most certainly cannot wait until these 13 weeks are over and I will be home free. Never to return to school again. HOORAY!!!!

I guess I should give an update on my life since I can't stand looking at blogs that haven't been updated. Christmas was fantastic! Jon and I enjoyed every minute we had together most of which was spent with the fam (both sides). It was great to see everyone and feel of the holiday spirit. Next was New Years which we spent with some good friends. It was fun to just kick back and have a good time. I enjoyed a full three and a half weeks of working full time and then school started again for me. BUMMER! Now I have to fit in 225 hours of Capstone, 6 weeks of psych, 8 hours/wk lecture classes, and an online class, not to mention my full time job in the next couple of months! Hopefully I survive. Jon has begun an internship with Ernst & Young. It took him away from me for about a week and a half for training but he is back now and enjoying the clients he has. He works overtime so we don't get to see each other a bunch but at least it's nice when the bills come around. ;) Among all the craziness that we call life we have decided to remodel a little bit of or house. It's time consuming and kind of hard to live among dust, holes in the wall, and a huge sheet hanging in our room but we're really excited for it to be over and see the finished touches.

Another thing that I have been a part of is a bunco night!! We meet once a month so we've only gotten together once but it was so so fun. Thanks to Sarah for setting it up!! It was so good to see everyone after such a long period of time and I can't wait to see them again. Sorry there are no pictures...I came straight from work so I forgot my camera earlier that morning and I haven't received any pics from those who had their cameras that night....cough, cough!

One more thing that I want to talk about is my Capstone (as mentioned above). For those of you who don't know what that is, I can explain. It's a lot like a residency. As nursing students, we picked our top three choices of where we would like to be and were placed on a unit with a specific preceptor. We have to work the shifts of this preceptor and basically learn from them one-to-one. I have the opportunity to be placed in the float pool at Primary Children's Medical Center. I am excited for this placement because after spending my pediatric rotation there, I couldn't even begin to decide on just one unit I would like to go. I think I got the best placement though because we really do go everywhere. My preceptor is the best thing ever! She is such a good teacher and person. We really get along and I have already learned so much from her. We've spent a lot of time together since I'm trying to get it done as soon as I can. 36 hours/wk of capstone + 30 hours/wk of work don't leave too much time for anything else but I am managing to get through it. Three weeks down already, right?! It also helps that I have the best husband in the world who is always there for me and knows how to make me feel better. He truly is the greatest and I don't know what I'd do without him.

I guess that's all for now. I better get back to studying so I don't fall too behind. ;) I will try to be better at posting more frequently. I have some ideas of what to post about from some friends. Even if it's a short post, it's still a post. Thanks for listening.