Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Well, I made it through the holidays even though I wasn't with my family!  It was my lucky year to work, so I spent Christmas eve & Christmas day with my work family!  Despite the fact that we were all away from our families we had a good time and made it the best that we possibly could!  It was definitely complete with a potluck dinner Christmas eve that we all brought in!  There was so much yummy food! Christmas morning, I had tears in my eyes when I was driving home because wanted to be with my family so bad.  Coming home to an empty apartment is especially not the best thing when it's Christmas morning, but my little Mia was so excited to see me it put a little comfort in my heart.  She licked away my tears with her happy Christmas kisses and made my morning!!!  She is a spoiled little pup & believe me when I say that Santa didn't miss her in his trip around the world!!

Miss Mia with her new toys from Santa!!

Christmas morning with her Christmas sweater on!!!  It says: "Santa's #1 helper"!

I actually had New Year's off and my sister, her husband, and his brother came to Denver and spent the weekend with me!!  Of course, Gia came too, and her and Mia did nothing up play the entire weekend!  We had plans to go up to Loveland and go skiing on New Year's Eve day and we went up the mountain alright, just in time for a blizzard and 65-80 mph winds!!  People were walking around the basin like it was just another day in paradise.  Once we decided that we weren't going to go skiing because there were times when we were standing about 40 yards from the ski lift and we couldn't see it due to the wind and snow, we turned back around, but not before I got wind blasted and the snow immediately turned to ice on my face...needless to say I was happier than ever that we were headed back to Denver and fast!!!

New Year's Day we went to the Broncos/Chiefs game with all our red gear on...and let me tell you it is not fun being the minority!  However, I can say that we came out on top even if the Broncos fans are poor losers!!!  Some were not very nice, and I'll just leave it at that!  

I hope that everyone had a fabulous holiday season and that your 2012 is off to a great start!!! :)

Hunter James Glassman

I went home for a week before Christmas because I had to work Christmas this year!!  When I was home I got to see my good friend Kendra's new baby boy!!  Hunter James is a cutie and looks just like his dad!!!  He was born on Dec. 1st and his dad sat by his momma's side and gave everyone on facebook and play by play as to what was going on during the birthing process!!  I had tears in my eyes when this little miracle was born!!  Here are pictures of little Hunter when I first got to meet him...

I made this blanket for him!!!

Little Hunter and I!

Kendra, Travis, and Hunter came to see me on New Year's Day and he had changed so much since I had first saw him!!!  What a wonderful family they are!!! :)

Hitting the books...

It's offical...I am now a student again and will be hitting the books in January!  I have learned the hard way that it isn't a good idea to go to a small school that requires the bare minimal for the program you are in.  I have soooo many prereqs to take for PA school and I am to say the least not very happy about it.  I have had to put my big girl pants on and enroll in classes that I have already taken because nothing transfered.  So, needless to say I feel like I am a freshman enrolling in classes that I took almost 10 years ago.  The difference is I am going to be sitting in classes with students that are true freshman while I am 28 years old and have a bachelor's degree!!!  Oh the joy of attending class with 18-20 yr. olds, all while they stero-type me as the "non-traditional" student!!!  Help me hold back the excitement!!!  You won't find much excitement in my voice or heart of starting school again until I am accepted into PA school...then I will be jumping for joy!!!  I just gotta get through these prereqs!!!!  I CAN DO IT!!!! 

O Christmas Tree

Last Friday, one of my friends came over and helped me decorate my Christmas tree and put out my other Christmas decorations!!!  I bought a new tree this year because the one I have had previous years was small and not very full! I choose the color scheme of black and silver and it looks great!!  The tree is even complete with my stocking and Mia's stocking under the tree!  Mia doesn't seemed bothered by it, but when we are playing catch and a bone goes under the tree, you can bet that she doesn't even think about going under there to get it!!! 

Chiefs vs. Steelers

My dad and I headed out of Oakley on Saturday morning in route for the casino in Topeka!!!  Yes, we had to leave a whole day and a half before the Chiefs game (the real reason we were headed to eastern KS), so my dad could gamble!!!  I spent the afternoon with my aunt and uncle and it was great catching up with them!
On Sunday, Dad and I drove over to KC, leaving way early so he could stop at Harrah's and gamble some more!!!  Then we were finally off the Chiefs game!!  We met up with my cousins, Derek, Linsdey, Jenny, and Scottie and tailgated before going into the stadium!!!  Let me tell you it was a FREEZING game!!!  But we had fun!!! Despite the outcome of them game it was great to see my cousins and spend some quality time with my dad!!!

My nephew and brother-in-law Lee are a house divided!!!

Thanksgiving 2011

This year Mia and I headed back to Kansas for Thanksgiving with my family!!  It was a sooo good to be home for 5 days!!  The only people missing where my sister Jera, her husband Lee, and my nephew Nick...they were unable to travel the 8 hours home because Jera is close to her due date and her doctor wouldn't let her travel that far!!  They were with us in spirit!!!  But we missed them dearly!
Thanksgiving Day  Mom, Tori, and I got up bri
ght and early, turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and the baking began!!!  We made an apple pie and a pumpkin pie, while mom got other things ready for the rest of the guests to arrive!!!  Before we sknew it my mom's brother and sister showed up with their families and the chaos began!!!  We had a blast and Mia and Gia were the highlight of the day with all the kids!!  Mia even turned into an airplane at one point!  Those girls were tired pups by the end of the day!!!

With Mia and Gia shortly after they were reunited! 

Aren't they the cutest little pups you ever did see???

All tuckered out!!!

Mia and Gia got spayed the day after Thanksgiving...they looked pitiful when they got home!!  Neither one of them was the least bit happy that they had to wear those collars!

Friday night after Thanksgiving...we went to the Oakley light parade and it was actually pretty good!!  After the parade Tori and I went to the bowling alley with my friend Amande...now of course we told my dad that we were just going to have a couple beers and come home...well after several beers we finally arrived home at 2:00 am...as I walked into the house I went looking for Mia...and where did I find her....IN MY PARENT'S BED!!!  I was SHOCKED!!!!  My mom is slowly becoming a puppy lover...well a Mia and Gia lover!!!!

Amanda and I at the bowling alley in Oakley!

Amanda, Tori, and I

Debut of the new name!!

Well, after reading blog names after blog names, there is one that always comes back to me and was suggested by a friend that I met while traveling in Corpus Christi.  He suggested..."small tales of a not-so-little hearted Kansas girl".  I wanted to keep a little bit of nursing in the title, so instead of "code blog: tales of a travel nurse", I decided to go with "code blog: small tales of a NOT-SO-LITTLE hearted kansas girl"  So there you have it, my new blog name that describes me well!!!  I try not to bore anyone with long posts, so small tales works great, and I feel like I have a big heart so NOT-SO-LITTLE hearted" fits right in there, and of course I'm from Kansas while living in Colorado, so that suits me as well!!!  Hope you all will find that this new name suits my blog as well!!!