Continuing the Journey

An Office, A Pageant, A Winner...and YUCK!

Saturday, Meggie went down to the College of Nursing to help me officially move into my office. I had been there all week working, but truly needed her designer's eye to help organize my stuff and make it feel more "homey."

Of course we took pictures! (Are you NEW?!)

This is the view of my (shared) office from the doorway. My desk is the one on the left.
That picture truly does not do justice to just how small this office is! All the other faculty are two-to-an-office...my poor office mates have to deal with three thanks to me. Sorry, ladies! Hey, at least we have a window!

Here is a shot of my area...
...and some of the "homey" details...
I love my mouse pad and the cup that holds my pens and highlighters, although I must admit it's sometimes hard to concentrate when I'm staring at pictures of my gorgeous children! (By the way, in case you noticed that I whited out the pictures in the picture frames on my bookcase, it's because those pictures are Christmas gifts for the grandparents...and I know my mother-in-law reads the blog. We want her to be surprised when she sees how cute the pictures are. I will post them after Christmas, I promise!)

Because (in Meggie's opinion) my bulletin board was too empty, she made a contribution......and I happen to LOVE it! I don't know if I'll live up to that "Grade A teacher" part, but it makes me smile to see that when I look up from my desk.

This is the Teenager's opinion of just what I do while I'm at my desk...
...but she should know better. I am MUCH too ladylike to sit like that at a desk. Besides, if I sat like that, my (old) legs would fall asleep!

Speaking of the Teenager, I should note that she single-handedly put together my bookcase and the lamp in the corner! The bookcase box advertised "No Tools Required" and we (like a couple of girls) believed it. Well, you'd be surprised how many tools you need for a no-tools-required bookcase! Meggie improvised using a stapler, a shoe, and a large pencil eraser. I'm telling ya, folks, she's like MacGyver!!

Since I'm new at the College and I'm fairly certain the Dean (my boss) would have a heart attack if I told her I was going to be taking a maternity leave in the near future, I have decided to keep Molly a secret for now. I feel like I'm living a double life...my co-workers at the hospital (where I've kept a standby position) ask about Molly constantly, but at the College I have no pictures of her anywhere and have to keep her existence under wraps for now. Just what I need...more complications in my life!

Sunday, Carson's preschool had a Christmas pageant. As we talked about the pageant all week, Carson told us on various occasions that he was playing Santa, Joseph, and Baby Jesus in the pageant. We were so confused and had no idea what to expect when he came out on stage. Little goofball, he was just in the chorus! (That is SO his personality, though, to make that silly stuff up to throw us off!) Here's a picture...
...oh, you can't find him in that crowd? Here's a closeup...
...doesn't he look adorable in his sweater vest? Carson spent most of the performance peering through the crowd, trying to find us, and did very little actual singing. I actually walked up along the wall to take that picture of him and, when they were finished with the last song, he noticed me. The Director of his school, Miss Linda, was getting ready to talk to the crowd...but not until Carson announced (loudly), "Hi, Mommy!" I responded, "Hi, Carson" and the crowd cracked up. That boy just feels a bit too "at home" at his preschool!

After the kids were finished performing, the teachers surprised them all with gifts...they all got matching stuffed animals. Here, Carson is posing with "Puppy"...
...hope that won't confuse the stuffed dogs he already has on his bed, "Puppy" and "Puppy." (Yeah, he's really original when naming his toys!)

Last week, my cyber-friend Denise had a Six Days of Christmas giveaway on her blog. Denise is always having giveaways and I have become notorious for entering all and winning none. That is...until NOW!! Of the six gifts she gave away last week, I was REALLY wanting to win Day Five's gift. I entered all week, secretly hoping not to win until Thursday if I was going to win at all.

Guess what happened on Thursday? I WON!!!!!!

Denise mailed me my prize and it arrived Monday. Meggie chronicled the opening of the box...
...and told me I looked ridiculous in that last picture. I don't care! I was SO STINKIN' EXCITED to win a digital picture frame!!

By the way, don't you just love that cute sweater I wore to work on Monday? Meggie made me buy it when we went shopping Sunday evening...it's a bit cheeta-licious and out of my box, but I have to admit I do like it.

Since I have the formal family pictures already framed on the bookcase in my office, I have decided that I'm going to fill the digital picture frame with...hmmmm, how do I put this?....silly and unconventional pics.

The first one I'm going to load?
Yes, Denise, I'm putting your "Kiss for Good Luck" picture on my frame!

Denise videotaped the winner selection and posted it on her blog. You have to go to her December 18th post and watch when her son picks my name. Since I'm notorious for never winning her giveaways, she was as excited as I was when she realized I had won!!
Apparently, Carson is also excited.

And now for the "YUCK" portion of this post. I started feeling kind of sick to my stomach before lunch at the hospital today, but thought it was just low blood sugar. I was incredibly wrong. After lunch, as I was working up a patient, I got the unmistakeable urge...to "pook" (as Carson calls it). Lemme tell ya, folks, there is NOTHING more disgusting than throwing up in a public bathroom. Nothing. So, just in time for Christmas, I have some sort of stomach bug. Wonderful! So now I'm quarantined in my bedroom so the kids won't catch whatever it is I have...thank goodness for the laptop!

Good thing all the gifts are wrapped and under the tree already!