It's finished!

I am finally done with my Post-RN Program at WKU! I feel as if a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders! I graduate this Saturday, the 13th at 10 a.m. My nursing convocation is at 8 a.m. and that's where I will receive the Student Achievement award for the Post-RN program. The past 2 1/2 years have been trying times for me but I think it has made me so much of a better person and better student after taking these courses. I would recommend the program to any associate degree nurse. The teachers have been wonderful and I've learned so much that I can apply to my career. I have even thought about going back to get my master's. I may try to do the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Program or either the Management tract. I am taking a semester off to get married and enjoy being married while not having to worry with school. My plan is to go back in the fall of next year. We'll see...

On to a lighter note. We finally got our engagement pictures back. Alan Hudson did them and I think he did an awesome job. His style is different and that's what we like. I can't wait for him to take my wedding pictures..I'm sure he'll have great ideas in store. You can check out his work at http://www.alanhudsonphoto.com.


My new niece (well niece to be) was born this past Tuesday morning. She shares a birthday with her papaw Leo, which is Jason's dad. Ms. Ally Grace Bechard was born at 2:56 p.m. on Tuesday, December 2nd! She is such a cutie. She weighed 5lbs -15 oz and was 18 inches long. She had to be kept in the NICU for about 12 hours to transition because she was born at 35 5/7 wks. She did great though and got to go home on Thursday. Unfortunately, on Friday, she had to be put back in the hospital for a high bilirubin level, but after being under phototherapy lights for about 24 hours, this level came down to a more normal range and she got to go home yesterday! We are all very excited she is here. Our first wedding shower had to be postponed because of her birth since Holly (her mom) was going to host it this past Saturday (the 6th). We just laugh about it because me and Jason say we are the reason Holly went into labor in the first place because she was decorating and cleaning the house for the party last weekend. :) All is great though now and we can't wait to watch her grow up!

All things wedding...

My wedding dress is finally here after ordering it the last of August! I went to try it on today and I must say, I don't remember it looking that good on when I first tried it on. I felt like a princess! I am super excited about the gown and cannot wait to walk down the aisle in it. Mind you, it's not very elaborate and kinda plain with some beading, but I think it is beautiful. I'm not the fancy shmancy type either, so it is perfect. The funny thing is, I let Jason see a few pics of me in different dresses I had tried on and he guessed which one I got based on how well he knows me. He's pretty smart...lol. And yes, I know he's not suppose to know what dress I got, but it's ok. We are very comfortable with telling each other everything and I wanted him to know. No surprises here but he won't get the full effect of it until he actually sees it on me. Below is a little sneak peak of what's in store...


On a lighter note, we had our engagement pics done last Sunday by Alan Hudson. He goes to our church and was referred to us by several people. We took pics downtown and at his partners farm out in Rockfield, so the pics should turn out really great. He showed us a few that he had taken and they looked wonderful. We should have them back in the next week or so, and I will post a few. He is also doing our wedding pictures and has alot of neat ideas for capturing the pics. Jason nor I want the traditional photos, we are all about individualism and trendy, so I can't wait to see what he has in store for us!

School will be wrapping up in about 4 weeks. I have a busy next month ahead of me though, with 3 papers and 12 chapter summaries left to do plus a discussion board. I am currently working on 2 of the papers and have finished about 6 of the chapter summaries. All I keep thinking is "4 more weeks...just 4 more weeks and I'll be finished"... I guess it's what gets me through. I went to pick up my cap and gown on Thursday but couldn't do to my name not being on the graduation list. I called the registrar's office and spoke with a girl who said my degree plan still had my old date of May '09 on it so she was going to forward it to someone who would check over my degree plan and email if there was anything wrong with it....well of course there was. I had taken different classes than what was initially put on there so I had to have Dr. Jones (coordinator of the post-rn program) fix it and get the signatures on it so I can graduate in December. They are so picky about those things... you would think it would be a little easier than what it actually is.

Last month quickly flew by with us attending the annual Witches Brew and BBQ festival down in Lynchburg the last two weekends of the month and then Kelly's annual fall bash at the beginning of the month. It was so nice to see everyone down in Lynchburg and the folks from back home at Kelly's. I hate that I don't get to see everyone as often as I would like too. Hopefully once school gets out, things will calm down a bit and I can visit with everyone more often.

Below is a pic of me dressed up as a zombie nurse for Kelly's fall bash. Jason did the makeup and he did an awesome job! Wouldn't you hate to see me taking care of your baby looking like this! haha.. till next time....

There's not enough time in the day....

I'm totally feeling overwhelmed by school, work, and not to mention..planning my wedding. The more I look at my workload for school and trying to find time to go out and find stuff to do in the community..PLUS trying to work 3 nights a week...makes me wanna cry. I have so much stuff to do and so little time to do it ..it seems. My schedule is full this week and it seems like it is the rest of the month too. This week I work Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights and have to go to the Pediatric Clinic on Monday at 3 to learn the computer system and then again on Wednesday at 2 to give flu shots and then on to church that night at 7. Thursday I have a doctor's appointment at 1030, school from 1-5 and then a meeting at work at 6...then work that night. Friday is sleeping then hair appointment at 3 and Hancock's vet appointment at 4 (which Jason is taking him to) then onto Lynchburg, TN that night to visit Jason's family for the annual Witches Brew on Saturday night...then Sunday night I have to work....so it starts all over again.

This wedding planning isn't getting anywhere either. I do have a dress, photographer, and a church but that's about it. We have no idea what kind of food we want for the reception...we do know we want appetizers, but that's about it. We have no idea what to do for decorations even though we are have a ton of ideas for our asian-inspired reception ...we can't just seem to settle on anything. Right now, we are sitting here trying to figure out what we want on our invitations. We have been looking at pics of cherry blossoms and throwing some ideas together...but haven't come up with anything so far... well I take that back, he has...but I don't think I like it all that well. This is kinda frustrating. I have a little over 4 months to get stuff together.... and it seems like it's not coming together at all.

On a lighter note, I just spent the past 4 days with my mom and my aunts/cousin/ and family friends...in Pigeon Forge. We had a wonderful time hanging out and I really enjoy spending time with them. Jason came down on Friday to pick me up so we could visit his friend Fletch, his wife Charity and their daughter Xoanna. They are extremely nice and Xoanna is a trip. She is 2 and is the CUTEST little girl I've ever seen. She reminds me of Shirley Temple with her naturally curly hair and her expressions. If I knew I'd have a daughter just like her... I'd have a kid after we got married...but that's the only way I'd have one...if it would be just as cute and funny as her! Anyways...I thoroughly enjoyed my much needed mini-vacation.

My life will finally be normal!

So, after being on night shift for almost 6 years now, I have accepted a job on day shift that I have applied for. I figured it was about time to finally start feeling normal and it doesn't hurt that I will now be able to see Jason every night when we get married, instead of having to not see him for days on end. I probably won't go until near Christmas, but that is fine with me...at least it will get me through school. They will have to post my position, interview, hire and then train someone for about 10 weeks. It's a long and tedious process, but it will be well worth it in the end... PLUS.... I will enjoy my weekends off for at least a few more months.

This week has been very busy for me. With work, school, my RNC test, and having to do my community assessment paper...I have hardly had any time to do anything else. Today was my cousin Adam's wedding over at Pine Knob in Caneyville. We enjoyed fellowship with the family and had a good time! Congrats to them and I wish them the best of luck! And to think...5 months and I will be married. I've got tons to do but am having alot of fun planning. Jason has so many great ideas and I think it will be a hit. I just hope that the weather isn't bad...that's the only thing I worry about.

Here's a pic of me and Jason at the wedding!

Finally...an UPDATE!

So... it's been what...around 5 months since we have last updated. I think we just got bored on our Atlanta trip and wanted something to do to kill time while the tornado struck..lol. Anyways, alot has happened since the end of March. At the end of April...Jason found his long lost brother/soulmate down in Austin, Texas while we visited with Jeanie and Shane. I swear, I think Jason and Shane could have been seperated at birth..lol..with as much as they had in common. We had a great time visiting them and getting to see the sights while we were down there. Thanks to Christine and Jeff for putting up with us for 12 long hours on the way down and back!





June and July were kinda busy months, with me taking a summer class and Jason starting his new job at Ingram. July brought forth the new addition to the family... Hancock! Hancock is a white face boston terrier and is absolutely a spoiled monkey (as we call him). He will be 5 months old on the 26th of this month and is growing by leaps and bounds every day!




August started my last semester of college and also brought along my 28th birthday. August 24th was a big day for the both of us! Jason asked me to marry him and I glady accepted. We will be getting married on February 28, 2009 at Faith United Methodist Church, here in Bowling Green. I already have my dress and photographer... the rest will be put on hold at least until school settles down a bit. **Note: Taking 9 hours your last semester with two classes (clinical hours incorporated) with nothing but papers to write and trying to work full time and plan a wedding...is NOT very wise!!!





OOHHHH... before we get married...there will be a new addition to the family. Jason's brother Chad and his wife Holly will be having a little girl. Ally Grace Bechard is due to be born in late December/early January... so I will get to be an aunt! Jason and I are both very exicted and can't wait to meet the lil snapple (as she is being called at the moment).

That about sums up everything that has happened. We are looking forward to the upcoming fall months with WKU football....engagement pics...the bbq festival in lynchburg...plus a trip to the Smokies on the agenda. And I will update with randomness more often.... dont worry! You'll wish I had forgotten about it.... haha! Until next time....

Getting the BOOT!

Well, I will say that I didn't have cheese on my omlet at Huey's (cheese = bad for weight watchers), but I can't think for the life of me what I had on it now besides the peppers and mushrooms. Oh well.. Anyways.... After our dining experience at Huey's we decided to go to the Lenox Square Mall for some shopping. In front of the mall, we noticed they had valet parking which costed anywhere from 6-10 bucks. I had no cash on me and neither did Jason, so we opted to park in the lot across from the mall where there were some other stores, such as American Apparel. Jason wanted to go to this store, so I decided that we would park in the lot, walk over to the mall and then hit the store when we left. Well, thats just what we did. However, the guy driving around doing survaillance didn't like the idea and the fact that we parked in a lot that had signs everywhere posted " if you leave this lot, you will be towed." (which I happened to ignore because I thought..who's gonna know). When we left the American Apparel store after a few hours of being there I noticed this big yellow boot on my tires. I was soooo mad. Mad at the fact that I just should of paid attention to the signs. Jason got on the phone to call the guy to remove it and before he could even get the number put in my phone, he drove up behind our vehicle. After talking with him and him telling us the reason why I got the boot, which made me even more mad. I had to pay him 50 bucks to get it taken off. I was fuming by this time. (This guy's job is to stalk people while they shop to make sure they don't leave the lot... what a sucky job. I bet he is hated by many...b/c I know I was hatin him at the time!) As we drove away, I happened to notice the parking garage behind the mall. I guess I should have drove around to see what other parking there was. I'll know better next time. And poor Jason, offered to pay for it, but it was my fault and not his. Now ...I'm kinda wishing he had drove...at least I could of made him pay for the ticket then...haha. So much for me getting mad at his driving....

Huey's

One of the places I just had to visit was Huey's. I found this hole-in-the wall place last time I was in Atlanta. A small New Orleans Cafe, Huey's serves some of the best beignets i've ever had. We arrived there shortly after 11am. Saturday morning and were directed to a table on the covered patio. The interior was humble and the waiter wasn't the most personable but the food was divine. Jess chose the 'Name Your Own Omelet' with mushrooms, peppers, and cheese (i think...) I went with chicory coffee, 3 beignets, and a cup of gumbo :D ooh and btw...Chicory is made from the root of the chicory plant. When dried, roasted and ground, it makes an excellent substitute for coffee. It has a more "roasted" flavor and I don't think Jess liked it at all. (in fact her exact words were "thats so disgusting") The beignets were fresh hot and covered in powdered sugar! It was a great lill place to eat. I wished we had chosen a booth.. the open table made it a bit hard to carry on a conversation... but after my driving it was probably best ;)

A Colorful Sunday

Jason has told this story so many times today...so I thought I'd share....

Our Sunday started out kinda early with us having to get up to make it to worship service at a local congregation we had picked out from a list on Saturday night. We had no idea what churches there were in Atlanta so we "googled" Churches of Christ and chose one near our hotel. After stopping for a nonfat, nowhip white chocolate mocha (they are my FAV!) at Starbucks...and a green tea frapp for Jason, we headed to Moreland Ave. Church of Christ. When we pulled into the parking lot, we noticed several black ladies standing outside. They all said hello to us as we walked in the back door of the church. We followed two elderly black ladies inside and told them we were lost and asked if they could point us to the direction of the auditorium. Being so sweet as they were, they told us to follow them. When we got to the top of the steps, we were headed through the double doors at the front of the auditorium. As we walked in and took seats near the back, we couldn't help but notice that we were the only two white people in the whole congregation. Needless to say, we had gone to a predominately ...er... entirely black church. Grant it, this was my first time at one of these churches (Jason seems to frequent them often...so I learned....haha)...but I have to say it was the highlight of my trip. This congregation was the friendliest bunch of people I have ever seen....more so than any other church I've been too. I would bet that most of the congregation came and talked with us and asked us where we were from. We felt right at home....

There will be future trips to Atlanta and we have already decided that if church is involved, we will definitely go back! At least next time we won't have to stand up as first time visitors......!

Design Within Reach

Well as 'the geek' there are certain things that I am particularly geeky about. One of which is mid-century modern furniture. So when we passed by Design Within Reach I told Jess we just HAD to go. We passed it on the way to the Mall and decided to catch it later on the return trip to the Hotel. So despite her horrible ordeal with "the boot" (Jess that story is all yours!) she remembered to stop by to let me drool over very expensive fantastic furniture. I recognized several of the pieces as I walked in the door. Eames and Herman Miller chairs, a Noguchi coffee table... it was a absolute dream to see all these great pieces in person. I know.. I know.. its just furniture but I guess that's why I am 'the geek'. Ooh and one of the sales ladies over heard me spouting off some usless facts and totally drooling over the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman and wandered over. She asked if I had ever sat in one and told me if not then by all means I had to. Yes I'm a complete dork but hey its not everyday you get to sit in a $5,000 chair. I don't think Jess quite knew what to think but was a great sport about it and totally let me get it out of my system. I keep telling her "furniture has to have great lines" ... she usually replies mumbling something about comfort.... ;)

Georgia Aquarium

I wish I could say we had a perfect trip down; but due to the rain and me getting us lost looking for Big Apple Bagel in Murfreesboro it took a bit longer than expected. We found our way to the Georgia Aquarium. I have been there a couple of times so its kinda hard for me to give first impressions but it was a bit more crowded than usual. We walked through several of the exhibits before grabbing lunch, which consisted of salad and yogurt, at the cafeteria. A lot has changed since I was there last. Of note there are now four whale sharks, the tanks showed some age (and a bit of algae), and several of the fish had bad bacterial infections. More to come after dinner

First Post

Well I finally broke down and created the blog. Jess is working on the Flickr account... or more accurately is sitting here cursing the gmail login site. Personally I think it could be user error. ;) (i kid... i kid)

So for those of you who have stumbled on our humble little site welcome. Feel free to post comments, flames, advice, ect... Be sure to stay tuned for posts and pics on our trip to Atlanta.