26 December 2007

awake...a little too long?

sean worked christmas eve night in the E.D., which apparently was crazy [worked 13 hours straight, no breaks, not enough beds for patients, etc.], and then came home christmas morning, stuffed my stocking, showered & headed out with me for a day of family christmas festivities. [no time for sleeping]
we had cinnimon sticky buns & coffee at his parent's house, then drove up with them and amanda & ross to the Stanley Hotel [home of the shining] for an amazing brunch, or what we might refer to after this as "christmas gluttony".
we finished up the evening by watching part of home alone & relaxing on the couch. however..maybe sean should have just gone to sleep? we were both exhausted, but had a wonderful christmas day.


23 December 2007

merry christmas

few changes this year from years past. a small christmas gift to sean was to allow all childhood ornaments to adorn our tree this year. in truth i don't really have anything against said ornaments, but in the past we've had a larger tree and there simply weren't enough of them to really "decorate" a tree. so it ended up looking like a bad arts & crafts phase had erupted and sneezed an awkwardly small amount of home-made ornaments onto our tree. also there is the balance that must be kept in our house between sean's complete lack of organization and my crazed love of organization. clearly, we're both a bit extreme (in a fit of excitement one night i organized our bathroom cupboards with bins and labeled everything...it was awesome). with the purchase of a smaller tree this year, all parties involved were happy with the outcome. or happier...

really all of this pales in comparison to the letter i received from the university of colorado on friday evening. as of december 10th of this year i had officially completed all of my prerequisites for the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene program at CU. my application had been sent in this past june & i was simply waiting to hear about my status and whether or not i had been accepted to the next phase of the application process, the interview. interviews were scheduled to begin in january and go through march. however, there's been a little kink in the process...

on friday evening sean picked up our mail, walked over to me, and handed me a envelope from the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, School of Dentistry. we were both a little nerves assuming that this was the letter informing me as to whether or not i had made it to the interviewing phase of the application. i open the envelope and began reading. sean was trying to read my facial expression, knowing that i should know my fate after the first sentence or two. however, i continued to read looking more and more confused, then just started to say, "what?! what?!?". sean asked what was going on and i said, "they've decided to shut down the program, and will not be accepting any students for the summer 2008 term..."

so if you find you're a bit bamboozled as to what it is i'm saying here's the bushi - i've been neither accepted NOR rejected ... there is simply NO LONGER A SCHOOL for me to be accepted or rejected BY!

deadlines for other dental hygiene programs are january 1, dental hygiene programs which are associate programs, not bachelor programs. i simply cannot get a complete application together in time, also added that i am leaving the state on the 26th and won't be home again until january 11. it is doubtful how helpful CU is going to be considering that i never have been, now most likely never will be a student of theirs, and i need them to forward on applications and transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc. all this on top of the fact that the prerequisites are different for the schools i now need to apply to, and am learning that there are more classes i need to complete at a ridiculously fast pace. anyone up for Human Anatomy & Physiology II this summer? and never mind the fact that i now cannot get my licensing and bachelors degree at the same time. i now have to finishing this schooling (another 2 to 3 years, then go back and finish my bachelors, another 2 years at least...if going full time, which is doubtful...so lets say another 4.) so basically i am looking at it taking me 10 years to complete my bachelors degree & to be licensed as a dental hygienist, instead of 5 years. it's bushi.

now begins the scramble.

14 December 2007

Lia Charlotte Oldroyd

so i was eaten alive by finals week. i've finished now, and have sufficiently put up enough posts to update you on life for the past month and 1/2. so keep on scrolling, there are quite a few new ones. however, i REALLY couldn't leave this little bit unmentioned...

LIA CHARLOTTE OLDROYD
born: 28 November 2007
weight: 9lbs. 5oz.
length: 22in.

also, i should probably mention that she's not ours...she is our new niece. miss lia and i will be spending a lot of time together this next semester. i am going to be lia's nanny three days a week. yeah, basically that doesn't suck. at all.

dinner with friends

tomorrow i am making dinner for eight. just thought that i would let y'all know what you're missing.

[Appetizer]
Fresh Fig, Basil & Parma Ham Sarnie

Smoked Salmon, Lemon & Creme Fraiche Sarnie
Raw Beet, Horseradish & Feta Salad


[Soup]
Roasted Mushroom & Truffle Soup



[Main]
Slow Cooked Shoulder of Lamb with Roasted Vegetables

Maple Caramelized Carrots with Orange & Herb


[Dessert]
Orange & Cardamom English Cream

Molten Chocolate Cake

12 December 2007

for caitlin

- i wish the ring had never come to me. i wish none of this had happened.
- ... so do all who live see such times. but that is not for them to decide. all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. there are other forces at work in this world Frodo besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the ring, in which case you also were meant to have it. And that, is an encouraging thought.

i'm not a crazed lord of the rings fan, but this bit seemed so fitting. sometimes i'm so overwhelmed by the evil around and so underwhelmed by the good. consumed by the moment, the here and now, what i can see before me, the present. i find myself also wanting to say "i wish none of this had happened". but somewhere there is an encouraging thought. today cait, you are my encouraging thought.