Have You Seen Them?

Have you seen these kids? 

Alex is the coolest 3 year old around, and will talk your ear off about anything and everything. If you're lucky he will sing you Happy Birthday over and over. This usually involves him bringing you a candle from the nearest table/shelf so that you can blow it out. You will love it.

Kylie's wonderful. Beautiful and spoiled already. Big eyes, captivating smile, sweet little personality. Just shy of 1 and already has everyone wrapped around her little finger. 

Have you seen my little cousins? I haven't either. Not since November. That's 2 months too long. So, no, they're not missing. I'm just missing them.

Good ol' Galveston

Most of you know all about my love/hate relationship with my current home of Galveston. I hate that I don't have access to many of the stores/restaurants I'm used to. I hate that there's only a couple of us still living here now. I hate that I have to drive to Houston for clinicals. Most of all, I hate my school, which is the reason I'm in Galveston in the first place. Yah yah, yada yada yada...

The real truth is, most of the time I find myself loving a lot of things about Galveston. I love the beach. I love that I drive next to the water every day. I love that last week I saw dolphins driving home from school. I love that it's diverse. I love the ridiculousness. I love the local restaurants, shops, and people. I love being able to fish or walk on the beach anytime I want. I love that it's a community. I love that I've seen the true meaning of neighbors being neighbors. I love that people love it here.

I really love Galveston's traditions. Galveston is proud of its history, and many people are proud to call this island their home. With school consuming the majority of my time these days, I'm glad that I've had the opportunity to experience some of these traditions...and I'm especially excited for the next one on the list. Here's a little glimpse of us, being true "Galvestonians", living the local life...

DICKENS ON THE STRAND
(This has been going on for years...and is such a big deal in Galveston. Everyone comes dressed in Victorian-style clothing, or whatever other ridiculous costume they can find.Vendors from all over, one even selling fried alligator on a stick. Weird. Or you can buy a corset for hundreds of dollars. No thanks. But if all goes as planned, next year will involve us in full costume. Amazing costumes at that. Get ready, and be jealous.)

LONESTAR BIKE RALLY
(Picture 2 girls trying to look as much like bikers as possible, thousands of motorcycles all competing for which one is the loudest, and even more leather-wearing bikers with ridiculous face shields, vests, helmets and the other biker "necessities", and you have Galveston's Lonestar Bike Rally. But your experience at the rally can't possibly be as great as ours, unless you too are fortunate enough to get witnessed to by a self-proclaimed bi-polar Christian. He also serenaded us with his Kiowa love flute. Galveston's finest. Love.)

MOODY GARDENS FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
(A rainy night tour through Moody Gardens and their random assortment of Christmas lights. Everything from a nativity scene, to marine life, ballerinas and toy soldiers, to a menorah. We topped the night off with "corn in a cup." Spent a whole $2 on it. Don't knock it 'til you try it. It's good.)

So what's next? Perhaps you've heard of a little thing called Mardi Gras? Well, Galveston goes all out, and I'm excited. Parades gallore, and fun to be had. Mardi Gras 2009, Galveston-style. Get ready, and come play with us!

God Loves a Terrier

Maybe it's the dog show on our TV, or talk of the movie "Marley and Me" recently, or maybe it's just because I'll find anything to think about rather than studying...I don't know, but I've got a case of the Baylie blues. That sounds lame I'm sure. But you would miss her too if you had a dog this cool. Don't worry, I get updates from the "grandparents" on a regular basis, haha. And I'll have her back sooner than later. Until then, she's loving Waco and having a yard to run in, loving antagonizing old Friskie, and getting spoiled by my parents.

Here, meet Baylie...

Yes, she's cute. Ridiculously cute.She's a handful. And a challenge.

Her back legs are much longer than her front. In fact, I've heard some people refer to her as a "giraffe." ha

She thinks shoe strings are an ideal afternoon snack. 

She stands on just her hind legs on a regular basis, and walks. Like a person. Weird.

She'll try and steal your flip-flops right out from under your feet, and slobber on them for you.

She gets so excited to see new people, and has never met a stranger.

She barks like crazy at anything that rolls...strollers, bikes, shopping carts, scooters. You name it, and she's going crazy.

She LOVES her toys. She gathers them all, and sleeps surrounded by stuffed animals. Now she gets excited when she sees me come home with a Target or Wal-Mart bag. (spoiled? ha)

She's scared of the dark. She's stubborn.

Protective about her food and toys, and will let you know when you're in her territory. 

She has to be right by you at all times...& will find a way to squeeze herself into any situation. Or she will lay on the back of the couch behind you, with her paw on your shoulder instead.

She loves to be chased. Anytime, anywhere. No matter how late I'm running behind.

She sleeps under the covers, with her head on a pillow. She snuggles.

She prefers you to sit on the floor next to her, and talk to/brush her while she's eating.  This is a new phenomenon, and I'm pretty sure I have my dad to thank for that one ;)

If you rub her tummy, you will be her best friend forever.

She's ridiculous. She's perfect. She's not perfect. She's precious. She has a definite personality. I wouldn't change a thing. She's Baylie. I love her. I miss her.

Weird how one crazy little animal can be so important.

And after all, even GOD LOVES A TERRIER. :)

Definitions and Synonyms

Growing up, I was not allowed to use the word "HATE." Because saying that you hate something is a very strong statement. So in following my parents' teaching, I will refrain. Instead, I turned to good ol' Wikipedia for help in expressing my current sentiments. Regardless of the word used, the fact remains the same. So while I will not say that I HATE my school, I can say that I abhor it. I despise it. I detest it. And I loathe it. For more reasons than I can list, I look down on it contemptuously, and am repulsed by it. I have an awareness that it is bad and have an urge to withdraw from it. This is a deep, enduring, intense emotion. Yes, I have intense feelings of dislike towards my school. "It is a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action." The problem is that no matter what action is taken on our part, no change occurs. Ever.

Red Light, Green Light

A little refresher course for you:

GREEN means GO. 

STOP on RED. 

YELLOW means slow to a stop. 

(Well, or speed up. But I won't go there.)

Simple, right? I mean small children understand this concept. (Remember the childhood favorite "Red Light, Green Light"!?!). Perhaps even trained monkeys could grasp this concept. 

Now here's where it might get a little bit confusing for you, so listen closely:

*STOP and look both ways at a BLINKING RED light. 

*YIELD at a BLINKING YELLOW light, and ensure that the aforementioned rule is properly followed by your fellow drivers. If you want to get technical about this, when a blinking yellow traffic light is encountered "the motorist may go ahead with care if the road is clear."

Wondering why I felt it necessary to remind you of these rules that you have undoubtedly known for years? It has come to my attention that many people in the Galveston area have forgotten some of the most elementary rules of motor vehicle operation. And on occasion, I have found myself unintentionally taking a red light as a suggestion rather than the LAW, and pushing right on through that intersection without hesitation. Galveston Island has become one giant crash course on defensive driving.

Why? Not long ago we had zero operational traffic lights. Slowly, they've been making a comeback. But now it's like a guessing game. "Does this traffic light really work? Or have I been sitting here for the past five minutes like a fool, waiting for the light to change?" Every other intersection is a different story, with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Lights replaced by stop signs. Stop signs replaced by lights. Blinking lights. No lights. Lights that work only certain hours of the day. Lights that have now become arrows for turn only, when passage through the intersection was allowed not long ago. You name it, we've got it.

And we find ourselves in the grown-up version of "Red Light, Green Light!" 

Out with the OLD, in with the NEW

This post has the potential of being just as cliche as its title. But it's New Years. The day that requires reflection on the past year and preparation for the year to come, right? So here it is.

This past year has been life-changing in so many ways. Yes, that is something that is easy to say. Of course a year of your life is life-changing, hello! One year older, one year behind you, one more year of memories and experiences that will inevitably change you in some way. But this year has been exceptionally different. 

I came into 2008 excited and ready for anything. I had just decided I was going to move to Galveston and attend UTMB. I was ready for a change, and ready for a challenge. However, the challenge that ensued turned out to be nothing like I expected. 

I moved (along with Baylie) to Galveston at the end of April, not knowing anybody in the area, anything about Galveston, or anything about the school/program I would soon be starting. The newness of it all was appealing, and scary. We had an all day orientation the Friday before the real school fun began. That weekend, my friend Rachel came and stayed with me. I can clearly remember a conversation with her from that weekend (and several repeat convos in the weeks that followed) saying how I wasn't really expecting (or even planning on trying) to make many good friends while I was there, but that was okay by me. After all, I had a million wonderful friends already, and this would be one year of hard-core focusing on school. I was there with a purpose, and a one-tracked mind. And so my plan for the year was to do what I had to do to get to the next chapter of my life...Study hard, work hard, and have friends and family visit as much as possible, if possible. After all, I had a 2 bedroom apartment for that very reason, visitors.  

The months between that weekend, that conversation, that mindset and today have been a roller coaster. All things unexpected have become reality, and all of my expectations were shot. This year has been wonderful. And awful. Happy. And sad. All in all, life-changing. 

The people I have met, and have come to call my friends, have taught me more than I could have imagined. Through these relationships, I have learned to love uniqueness, and embrace diversity. I am definitely not in the Baylor bubble anymore, and could not be more grateful for the experiences this has provided. It is so easy, and tempting, to only be friends with people who are just like you. But when you are thrown into a sink-or-swim situation along with 39 other people with vastly different backgrounds, that's not always possible. You are forced to cling to each other. 

Now add a natural disaster that disrupts every aspect of the life you just settled into to the mix, and you'll find yourself clinging to each other harder than ever before. There is something about understanding a shared experience that inevitably brings people together. Whether in a big or small way, we were all affected by Ike. While in the big scheme of things, this one bump in the road is probably not that big of a deal for us, but in the moment it was huge. Huge. The emotional ups and downs, and the complete uncertainty of everything, are unexplainable. But with these people, nothing has to be explained. Laugh so you don't cry became a trend. And we survived, with a couple of slip-ups where tears were involved. But life moved on. And I found myself loving these people unconditionally and appreciating them in a major way. I have therefore learned to never judge a book by its cover, people will pleasantly surprise you (and let the cliches continue, I know.)

And then there are those friends that quickly become your family. The people that you feel like you've known forever, and know will be a part of your life from here on out. Because I realize that friends like these are few and far between, and I have been blessed with so many special people in my life so far, I never thought that one year of nursing school would result in life-long, irreplaceable friendships. But once again, my expectations were trumped, and several of these people are just that. Friends as close as family. Friends I will have forever. Friends who love and challenge me in big ways. Family.

While there were so many things in this year that are worthy of being included in this post, it's the relationships that stand out the most. My family. My friends. Old. New. They are why I am who I am, and the reason I've made it to this point. That idea alone should be enough summation of my year and what I've learned from it. But why would I stop there? It would be very un-Jessica like to not ramble on and on. So a couple more things from '08...

Because I've seen random acts of kindness, humility, and generosity fleshed out, my own faith in humanity and in the good of people was refreshed. Because I have people in my life who truly care about me and desire for me to grow as a person, my thoughts and views on life have been challenged, resulting in a better understanding of why I believe the things I believe. Because I have been faced with situations where people have nothing, I realize that you don't really NEED half of the things we think we do. Because I've had people help me out when I've needed it most, I realize how far a simple gesture can go. 

And perhaps the most important thing I've learned is NEVER FREAKING TAUNT A HURRICANE! It will shift paths and come straight for you! ("Here Ikie Ikie Ikie!" was not so smart in retrospect. cool.)

So from my reflections on this past year, I should probably make the "resolutions" for this new year. (cliche number 100?) Yesterday someone asked me what my resolutions were and I was quick to rattle of things such as "lose weight" and "get more organized", as well as a few others. And she was even quicker to show me a list of the top ten resolutions people make each year, with mine right there at the top. Neat. No, that will not do. I don't want to do the same ol' same ol'. But what are worthy resolutions? I have no idea, let's be honest. I will think about it, and hopefully implement them, and let you know. I actually have some ideas floating around, but not sure how to word them just yet. Tomorrow, or the next day, I will hopefully post them. It will be a nice treat, like New Years Day numero dos. ;)

What I DO know is that I'm doing something called Project 365. Where I will take a picture every day for the next year, and put them all together. The result will be a pictorial history of MY 2009. I'm excited. I just pray I will keep up with it.

Happy New Year! Welcome 2009!