Are you registered to vote? I know in my state, we have 30 days before the election which means if you're not registered, you should really be thinking about it.
My sister turned 18 last year and she's all set and ready to go on November 4. I'm so proud of her!
Our great grandfathers died so that we could be free to live in a country like this. I know, it's not perfect. Far from it lately, actually, BUT, look around at the other countries. We are blessed.
Fast forward a while to less than a century ago in 1920 when - after our grandmothers put up over 70 years of a fight - the 19th amendment was finally ratified in our country.
Today?
We have women running to be Presidential candidates and a woman running for Vice President. Our glass ceiling hasn't been completely shattered yet, but the more we stand up for our rights, the better chance our daughters have of seeing true gender equality.
I feel strongly about voting, and I don't want to hear you complain about the country if you decide to sit out this election.
Are you watching the Presidential debate tonight? I'm DVR-ing it since I won't be home. It's not exactly choice entertainment for me, but I feel it my duty to watch. As strongly as I feel about voting, I believe it's worse for someone to carelessly and ignorantly submit their vote than to not vote at all.
When you fulfill your right, privilege and obligation, don't take your decision lightly.
The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time I am here still waiting though I still have my doubts I am damaged at best, like you've already figured out
I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing With a broken heart that's still beating In the pain is there is healing In your name I find meaning So I'm holding on, I'm holding on, I'm holding on I'm barely holding on to you
I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing with a broken heart that's still beating
I'm hanging on another day Just to see what you will throw my way And I'm hanging on to the words you say You said that I will, I'll be ok
The broken lights on the freeway left me here alone I may have lost my way now, haven't forgotten my way home...
I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing With a broken heart that's still beating...
Yep, it's Saturday... Time for Post Secrets! I couldn't pick just one. I tried. But this week was extra good. :)
This is sad. But cute. Who doesn't want Jim and Pam to end up together?? Aww...
I'm proud of this person. I really hope they find their true joy. :)
Odd... That sounds like something that would happen to me. Nope, I was just deathly afraid of Ursula. Seriously. Still kinda am. (Oops, is that my secret?)
Yeah, I can relate... Last night I had to rock my little Haylie in the middle of the night. Not kidding. She was whiny. (Spoiled much?) And today Riley decided she'd get it on with her toy monkey. Umm... And that was before she decided to chase a bug that was flying around outside. Jumping, running in circles, chasing it... Sorry to say, Doodle Head never got her bug.
Rachel, love him back. Are you sure you're not just scared? I bet he really does adore her. They're probably soulmates and she just won't see it. Wait for her, Stranger. She'll come around. I did.
So I like books. Too much. I long ago passed the amount of books that any sane person would stack on their bookshelves. It wasn't really a problem until most of the shelves started holding two layers of books, yes, as in hiding the back row.
I decided it would be smart to get an Ikea bookcase. I had a few reasons for this... One, who doesn't love Ikea? Two, the price/quality... umm hellloooo! And three, Jonathan already has a nice Ikea bookcase, so, why buy some random bookcase that wouldn't match mine or his? (Ikea bookcases are way better than my current bookcase because they're from Ikea, duh.) Sooo, the thought was - when we get married, we'll at least have some kind of something planned and thought out to put in our place. :) You know, matchy matchy bookcases... we both like books. Perfect!
Ikea's far away. Ohio is boring. We have a new Ikea in Cincinnati, which is really far, and then there is our Ikea in Pittsburgh. Two hours away... for a bookcase?
Hmm....
But then I got an email. "Ikea is having a one-weekend-only sale, and there are 4 or 5 special deals...." blah blah blah And? Yep, you guessed it... my bookcase, our bookcases, included.
So...
Just me and my fiancé... With a perfectly good excuse for a much needed just-the-two-of-us road trip, we spent the whole day together just doing what we do best... falling even deeper in love. With Ikea goodness. And of course each other. :)
this totally made me MELT! (butttt not his style...)
And hey, you'll never believe what I got for just under $250!Funny how the bookcase was only $60. But then there was a second bookcase. And new bedding. And drawer organizers. And two stools (how did that happen??) Annnd fabric. For a quilt I have in mind. And let's see.... A bunch of storage boxes and things for the desk and the bookcases, a very nifty plastic bag holder (pink!), two pillows, a very very seriously fun stuffed animal (yes, for me! I'm just cool like that...), bookends (for the bookcases), a lamp for my freshie college sister who has a very poor lit room, and well I'm sure there was more.
I so wanted the tiny kid bed - look how perfectly I fit! Oh, and I love how my tiny little legs look bigger than the rest of me... Nice angle. Gotta work on the skills, iPhone boy. ;)
And this interesting contraption for my 2 printers. Yes I have 2 printers. Don't ask. It drives me craaaa-zay!
And you should have seen the car.
We took Jonathan's mom's ginormous SUV and let's just say I was the poor soul who got to ride home practically sitting on the dashboard. Oh, but for a good cause...
Then home to start organizing. (Yay!!) And SNL on the couch. (Cuz it's Saturday. That's just what we do - we're cool like that)
So yes, shopping fun, but moral of the story??
Days like these, or any, really, with the one I love most, make life really, truly amazing.
and if you're totally into ikea pics - check out this guy's flickr. i borrowed a few faves from him ;-)
If you're just jumping in, this is part 3 of 3 in a little (okay, BIG) college/productivity internet tools series I have painstakingly (haha, just kidding) put together. Last Friday, I was the featured guest blogger on my friend's site, Hey Stephanie! To make a long story short, I had more resources than I thought I did, so I decided to make it a mini series and continue with two additional posts back here. :) Part 2 went up Monday, and today is Part 3!
So here they are... the random other tools that are helpful in so many ways! Along with Parts 1 and 2, these links should "fill in the blanks" to give you a personal toolbox you can use for projects, school, and most importantly, everyday life. You now have all you need to be the organized, smart-studying, non-time-wasting student/fab person/whatever you are ;-)
MATH
Mathway (this site is amazing!!) .............And now for the calculators...
Bartleby - several reference books, all a click away.
STUDY HELP
Study Guides A freshman? A senior who never really worked on those study habits? Realizing it's time to grow up and you still can't manage that whole "time management" thing? It's okay - check out this site, a great resource for organization, prioritizing, and study skills. Group projects, presentations... this stuff comes up long past college, so I think a lot of people could benefit from this one. I will warn you, the site is a little boring and you might want to click back, but the info is totally legit - they share tips I've been using for the past 3 years and will continue to use through grad school. They also have great math and various English brush-up pages that have helped my friends, and if you do enjoy the articles (or need to know more), they suggest additional sites for further reading.
Cliffnotes & Sparknotes Do I really need to explain this one?? Notes, tips, easy-peasy, the stuff that makes you wonder why your professor couldn't have said it that way the first time. I love how so much on here is free. They're trying to sell their books, but hey, maybe they're just nice people! I do want to mention that they have math, science, etc. - I know I was surprised to know that these companies reach far past things like Shakespeare. (Which I don't recommend taking in college, but hey... that's another story!)
Visit the site advertised all over your textbook! I think I forgot to mention this before, but most textbooks these days have a URL directing you to some sort of "Online Learning Center." They're always helpful, and depending on the subject, I've seen some completely packed with practice quizzes, outlines, games, virtual flashcards, and so much more.
PDF Hammer - add/delete/rearrange pages of a PDF, no software necessary!
You Convert It That crazy professor of yours like to send documents in weird formats? This site to the rescue! On YouConvertIt, you can easily convert just about any type of picture, video, document, audio file, or archive into any other format. Bonus: save any YouTube (or Google Video) to your computer, send a big file to a friend without jamming their inbox, or take "Convert" to the most literal level and click over to find the most sophisticated conversion tool I've ever seen. How many ounces are in a gallon? Simple. In nursing school like me? There's a "Flow rate" category. Science nerd? Electricity, light years, and all kinds of words I've honestly never seen in my life.
MindMeister - Need to do some brainstorming or mind-mapping? This is the place! Check out the interactive demo on the homepage.
Free Graph Paper (and more! Graph, notebook, accounting, musical, dots, engineering... you name it!)
Pocket-Mod (my favorite! Indispensable for nursing students doing clinical rotations! Great for many other uses and seriously fun to make! Watch the video to make it easier.)
MORE RESOURCES
Librarian Chick The side of her page clearly says she supports "Free Educational Resources," and she's not kidding. Among other features, her site boasts nearly 30 topics, each with a clearly organized list of legitimate, free places around the internet to help with all kinds of learning, researching, organizing, and project creation. Some of the topics are actual subjects as well, so no matter your major, you're sure to find valuable learning resources too! Thi s isn't a quick-visit site. If you really want to utilize the best that the internet has to offer, you can definitely spend awhile checking out all the links here.
Crazy Miracle (because I have tons more I'm excited to share!)
_._._._
Whew! There you have it. That's my college toolbox in a nutshell. How about you? I hope you find some of these resources really useful. All it takes is one person to show you something that can make your life a lot easier, and my wish is that I have been able to show you a thing or two to do just that! :)
Apology: Also in Part 1, I miscited a fabulous Ning social group for nurses. NursesConnect is now CampusRN2RN. The site can be accessed at http://www.campusrn2rn.com/ .
These days, it seems that the nights get longer and longer. Tossing and turning, unable to ease my troubled heart.
Throughout the day, I fight a myriad of longings. My heart releases so many emotions, and my mind struggles to process them all. Finally, late at night, when I'm all too aware of the sleeping world outside, I force myself to find rest. I lay down and try to succumb to my sheer exhaustion. However, rest is too simple a relief, a peace far too obtainable.
The small secret place deep inside is keenly aware of my efforts. Breaking the silence, it propels an eruption of emotions uniquely related to the deepest aches of the soul. The whispers grow louder until violent sobs drown them out.
How I wish I could cry myself to sleep, such an easy feat not long ago... Now? Just another gift I cannot obtain.
Instead, anguish harshly penetrates the darkness as I miss what I've never even known. What I won't love. What I don't know. What I can't experience. What I can only know in the deepest dreams of my being.
What I may just have to learn to live without.
God, grant me strength... I want to scream "I can't do this," over and over and over again, but what would that accomplish? I know that Your promises offer so much more than that, than this. It's 4am, once again... and once again, I'm hurting and alone. Bring your angels and your sweet, sweet peace.
I am 22 & currently spend my days nannying my itty bitties + going to college (working on my nursing degree, goal: pediatric oncology) & am honored to be a published writer in a nursing anthology & a contributor to many scrapbooking publications. i love hanging with my amazing friends, sister & family. i love my baby puppy haylie brooke and our silly doggie ri-ri. in my rare spare time, i read & get crafty. i thrive on organization, my mac repertoire, learning & absolute fabulosity. my favorite place in the world is paris. my favorite color is pink. i love being a nurse & i believe each one of my patients is precious. i'm a night owl & wish my lifestyle promoted such habits. i like lazy jammie days. i believe in god and am thankful for his hand on my life. i believe that life is too short to be anything but happy, & i’m thankful that a chronic liver disease + the effects of a car accident have taught me important values that most people learn far too late. i hope that the world will find hope, and my idea of a good day is one in which i made someone smile :)
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