Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Aaaaaahhhh!!!! Finally! Christmas is here!!! And how did we get the holidays started off?? Well none other than a pie making, tree decorating party! Mom, Lindsey and I (Jason was already back in Houston for work : ( ) decided tonight was the best night to get the tree out, up, and fully decorated! We listened to Christmas Music (Delila from 103.7 of course), and we even caught the end of the Santa Clause is Coming to Town cartoon! It was marvelous! And to top it off, Lindsey made mom bake her the famous CHOCOLATE PIE! Since poor little Lindsey was on her honeymoon during Thanksgiving, she was unable to get a taste of mom's pie, so mom gave in and baked what we all think as her BEST chocolate pie YET!! Mom always tries to top off last year's pie...and I think this one will be hard to beat!! We even took pics!

It was goooooooooooood!!! And here are some pics of the tree decorating fun!!!

Don't you just love the Christmas Spirit?? I DO!!!! Happy Holidays everyone!! Love you all!

Back to Reality

The wedding is over, the happy couple is back from the honeymoon, and yet another Thanksgiving has passed. Now, it is back to reality for everyone, and I'm thinking we are all having to make a big adjustment after all wedding festivities! And I know that some of us are having the expected "wedding withdrawals"...haha! But I must say, despite the crazy planning, arguing (between all the women in our family ; ) ), and stress of planning this wedding....it was ALL worth it!! The day could not have been more perfect!!! I am so happy that everything turned out the way it did for my sister and her new husband, Jason! It is everything they wanted it to be and more!! Her vision was truly carried out complete with an awesome wedding party, her family and friends surrounding her, a perfect ceremony, an incredible reception with wonderful food, drinks, cake, and most importantly, a "Dancing Queen" song with none other than the beautiful bride herself surrounded by a singing entourage! It was definitely a night to remember! In fact, I vividly remember taking a moment during the reception to take a look at my sis and her new hubby and saw the true happiness in their eyes! I soaked in the fun moments as well as the tearful ones! It couldn't have been a more perfect night...or a more perfect weekend for that matter! The only thing that I was disappointed about, however, was not catching the bouquet! But, that was my fault b/c I got excited and jumped too early....dang it for being impatient! and for JUMPING for that matter!...if only I would have stood in my spot like a lady, the bouquet would have drifted its way right into my hands....that's okay, maybe the next wedding!

Which brings me to my next point! While I was cleaning out my closet the other day, I decided to move all my bridesmaids dresses into my sister's closet. As I HAULED the load across the hallway and struggled to hang all of the dresses up in their new closet, I immediately thought of Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses....I mean seriously! I LITERALLY had to SHOVE the dresses into the closet, there were so many, and then had to slam the doors shut to keep the dresses in! I know there are others out there who have had to do this before....let me know your experiences! I need to know I am not alone in this situation! Cheers!

Crazy OCD

Its my favorite time of the year!! No, not Christmas, not New Years, not the holidays, not the food, not the presents, not the football, the cool weather, or even Santa Claus....its NEW DAY PLANNER TIME!!! To me this is my Birthday, Christmas, Thanksgiving, you name it all wrapped in one, where I get to sit down with my brand new Calendar for the upcoming year and write down ALL important dates, birthdays, events, weddings, etc. coming up for the next year!! Its my way of "getting ahead". In my good ol' college years, I would get my brand new day planner on the first day of school and by day two, I would have ALL assignments, tests, study days, projects, project planning, etc. written down for that entire semester!! It was great! I was SOOO organized. So organized, in fact, that my Sophomore year, Kendall had asked me to get her a new planner when I got mine. She said she would pay me back...so I figured I'd be a good roomie and save her the trip. Needless to say, both planners were in my backpack the rest of that day and during one of my classes, I got a little carried away in writing down my assignments for the semester and had not realized I had accidentally switched our planners (one of which I had already started writing in and one of which was supposed to be Kendi's brand new one) and had written down a pretty hefty amount of my own assignments in Kendall's planner! EEEK! I'll admit this was complete and udder "Crazy OCD", but Kendi was a good sport about it. I brought it back to our apartment and confessed my crazy and her response was something along the lines of: "Annie you gotta learn to control yourself!" oops! Guess that was just my way of hinting to her that I wanted her to do all my assignments... mwwwwahahahah! j/k...either way...I will fully confess that I am overly OCD for my calendar. Who's with me?? Anyone else get a warm, fuzzy feeling when you get a new calendar?? Or am I just crazy?? Who's crazy now? YOU! YOU! YOUUU!!!!!

My new RIDE!

So, last week was a BIG week for me! Not only did I say goodbye to the ol' Stang...tear ;* ( but I BOUGHT my VERY FIRST CAR!! She's a beauty! I'll post some pics when she and I have a little photo shoot. I have been too busy driving her around to really concentrate on some quality pics! I am currently taking suggestions on a new name for her! She is a white 2009 Nissan Altima...fully loaded with all the bells and whistles (navi, spoiler, sunroof, heated seats, XM radio (Yes, I am becoming addicted....Steckel, you were right), MP3 player connection, and she might even do your dishes and laundry if you are nice to her!) She deserves a good name...Free Ride to your next destination for the person who comes up with a name I like ; )!! Don't miss this opportunity! I'll go ahead and throw in a free lunch/dinner/or YOGURTLAND (yuummmyy!) with the free ride....that should up the ante a bit. So get your creative juices flowing and post some fun names for my new baby!

"Crowd" Etiquitte

As an addendum to the previous blog, I would just like to point out that there will be yet another chapter in our book. This one will be titled "Crowd Etiquitte":

When in a crowd situation such that of the Texas State Fair, any football game or sporting event, in a crowded airport, graduation, etc., keep the following in mind:

1) KEEP WALKING! Do NOT, under ANY circumstances STOP in the middle of traffic flow. Simply exit off to the side (don't forget to yeild to other pedestrians) and go about your business on the outside of traffic flow! Stopping will cause one or more of the following: someone bumping into you, someone tripping over their own feet trying to stop so they don't walk over you, some one cursing at you, or possibly even the worst, someone clocking you right in the face (lets face it, you may have deserved it).

2) Keep your Kids ATTACHED to you! Whether it be you holding them, holding their hand, pushing them in their stroller, or even putting them on a friggin' leash...just don't let go! You may think this is a "common sense" type of rule...trust me, its not! Your kids do not need to go flailing about the crowd as if everyone is their "best friend"....you WILL lose them! Kids also STOP in the flow of traffic...lets face it, they are somewhat innocent and have not been taught "crowd etiquitte" just yet, so we need to keep them moving, people! Don't let them go...period.

3) Decide your POA (Plan of Action) PRIOR to entering the crowd. Know your destination. Wandering about as if a lost puppy won't help you. It won't get you anywhere. Have your eye on the prize and do what you have to do to get there! Again...DON'T stop! = )

4) Don't push! You have about a 99.9% chance of getting decked in the face...or elsewhere. Fair warning....you started it!

5) Stay WITH your group! It is your own fault if you wander off or lag behind and get yourself lost. You are an adult....take some responsibility and know your surroundings...you are not a child.

6) (And most importantly!) KNOW YOUR SURROUNDINGS! Now is not the time to play "oblivious". Be cognizant of who you are with, where you are going, what you are doing, how you are walking, etc. Overall, just get your head in gear!

Following these simple (for some people these may be hard for you) rules will allow you to actually enjoy whatever "crowd" event situation you encounter. Because, lets face it, bad crowds make for a bad experience. It starts with YOU to make this experience a better one! Happy crowd surfing!

frrrried foood!!

I love the Texas State Fair...not for its famous "Texas Star" Ferris wheel or for Big Tex, or for the games, or even for the car shows....but mainly for its FOOD! Its FRIED FOOD! This past weekend, my mom, two aunts and I paid a visit to the fair and literally ATE our way through it! Thats it...no rides, no car shows, no games....JUST FOOD! It was fabulous! I won't go into too much detail on what all we ate, but if you are interested, read my aunt's blog and let your mouth water!! YUMM-O!

My Happy Place

okay, I'm back...yes...already...it is a slow night at work. And yes, I am allowed to say "slow" at this part in the night because I am only an hour away from giving report, and jinxing myself now is pretty much impossible. = ) Anyhoo, so this weekend, my Aunt Jeanna is coming into town for Lindsey's shower and my mom's birthday, so mom asked me to clean up the house a bit for our guest! You can only imagine the thoughts in my head.....clean??!!!.......YESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!

After an incredible workout (to my new ipod tunes...which have, by the way, made my workouts THAT much more fun!) I came home to get to work....I was already on a semi-high after my exhilerating cardio fix, so I was that much more excited about my clean! I started just by doing the dishes, taking out the trash, etc., and before I knew it, Annie was down on her hands and knees dusting floorboards, walls, lamp shades...you name it. I was in a zone in which I like to call "My Happy Place"! For those that know me....you know this zone fairly well. You know that once I enter into this zone, there is no coming out of it until EVERYTHING...and I mean EVERYTHING is done!! I even finished three loads of laundry. Now, for those of you thinking....she is friggin' CRAZY...you are right....I AM crazy! I absolutely LOVE to clean! It gives me my high, it makes me smile...lets face it....it-completes-me.

So, needless to say, I felt refreshed after my day-o-fun. It makes me think back to the days where I used to vacuum underneath all of my roomies' feet while they were lounging on the couch attempting to watch t.v. over the roar of the Hoover, and following them around the house picking up after their "trails", and even cleaning some of their rooms! aaaahh...those were the good 'ol days, right girls?????

At this point...you may be thinking I am slightly neurotic....that could be true. Some may even call this a "problem"...and some may think of it as being "OCD"....I, however, find it to be simply bliss....now is that so bad???

slacking....

Sorry, guys for the slack in postings...I got a little busy in Jersey with the kiddos! Speaking of New Jersey, I will tell you that it was a great trip! It was actually pretty relaxing. We were forced to stay at home most of the week (except when we were able to venture to the mall and doctors appointments), and I must say that it felt great to have nothing to do but play with Kennedy all day long and cuddle up with the newest part of the Scanlon family, "Quinnster", as I call him! Talk about a BEAUTIFUL baby! I couldn't stop staring at him and giving him probably an annoying amount of kisses! I'm sure betweeen myself, Paige, Steve, and lets not forget the big sister, "KK" as we call her, Quinn is most likely sick and tired of having lips smacked on his face and head...too bad Quinnster....that is going to last for a loooong time! What makes it even better, was that Kennedy seemed to always have "goo", "gunk", and "gobs" of food, etc. in, on, and around her mouth/face when she gave Quinn kisses, so, mind you, he had to be bathed almost as much as she did! That girl goes a million miles a minute, but is such a joy to be around! I'm pretty sure I still have the three main Barney songs stuck in my head....seriously, I have caught myself singing "Butterfly, Butterfly, Fly, Fly away! Butterfly, Butterfly, Happy all day!".....yes, I know...sad, but it makes me miss them so much! All members of the Scanlon clan are doing great!

Now, its back home, back to reality, back to work....and back to wedding planning with sister! Our new mission: get the invitations put together...sound easy?? ITs NOT!!! Right, Linz?? Stupid, stubborn ribbons....whoever invented "cute" stuff never thought about functionality. That is all I am oging to say about that. But, overall, everything else is seeming to fall into place!

Thats about it for now....I'll keep ya updated on a few things later....but for now, I have to go work! SEE YA!

things are looking up!

After a very challenging week, I must say things are picking back up! Had a very fun and eventful weekend. Lindsey and Jason's couples shower went off without a hitch....we had MANY good laughs! I made the happy couple wear sombreros most of the evening...they didn't seem to mind. They were good sports!

After the shower, I went on to Audrey's Birthday celebration at The Slip Inn....and I must admit, although it is a complete hole in the wall, we really had a good time!! I don't know what it is, but us SWFs (single white female's, as Audrey has deemed us) get pretty silly when we get together! From playing "paparazzi", to dancing and singing like complete and utter fools, we always seem to have A LOT of fun!! You should check out our "group blog" at www.craziesss.blogspot.com. Brace yourself, it might scare you....just jokin!

Sunday was GORGEOUS! I am so excited about this beautiful weather! I am praying it stays this way. I'm so sick of the sweldering heat...anyone with me on this?? I always seem to get gleamingly happy when the seasons change....I guess it is just the excitement of holidays, etc. coming up! Hopefully I will have some good weather when I go to New Jersey on Thursday to visit Paige and her new baby boy, Quinn! He was born on Friday and I am so excited to see her and her sweet little addition! I'll blog from there and let you all know how it is going!! Thats all for now! Hope everyone's week got off to a great start!! Adios!

Life is too Short....

Wow....this week at work has been indescribeable.....exhausting, scary, emotionally draining...you name it! The hardest part of this week was facing what I knew was inevitable....Last night (Wednesday night), I lost one of my closest patients. No words can even begin to describe the relationship I had with this patient and his family. I felt as though I had become a part of their family, as did a handful of other nurses on our floor. This patient was so special to me....I'm not even sure why, but he just had that kind of an impact on others. I am speechless when it comes to how many positive things I have to say about this family and about this patient. You just loved them. It was as simple as that. How much of an honor it was to go through this experience with them. What is weird is how this began as strictly a patient/nurse relationship that quickly grew into a patient/friend relationship and then into a patient/family relationship. I knew this kind of situation would arise at some point in my career, but not to this extent. My heart is overflowing with love, sadness, and sympathy. He fought so hard and so strong for his children, for his wife, for his family....and his fight peacefully ended with a grin on his face and with his family surrounding him. I'm convinced he was smiling for The Lord and the hundreds of angels calling him home.

I was obligated to fulfill my nurse role by listening to his absent heartbeat and his absent breath, and having the to utter the painful words, "he is gone". However, I quickly felt less like a nurse and more of a family member when we all wrapped our arms around each other and wept tears of sadness and relief. Such a bittersweet and indescribeable moment. It was so rewarding to hear words of gratitude from his family towards myself and the other nursing staff. That is the kind of people they are...in the midst of sadness and frustration, they still found the heart to express gratitude in such a loving way. I won't ever forget the wonderful feeling I had when each one of them hugged me tightly and said "Thank you for all you have done." As I told them all goodbye, it took all I had to hold myself together as I watched them walk out of the hospital for the first time in months.....

I got home the next morning and just broke down. I was so thankful for having my mom there to cry with me and to listen....needless to say I hardly got a wink of sleep before I came back to work tonight...his face was egraved in my mind....but I wouldn't change these feelings for anything. I am so humbled, so blessed, and so thankful that I was able to go through this experience and that this patient was placed into my life. I truly believe God was in complete control of this entire encounter. I believe he called me into the nursing profession. I believe he put this patient in my life. And I believe he wanted me there for this particular moment.

I will always remember my patient. I will always remember his family. I will remember their abundant kindness towards myself, and their love and respect they had for eachother.

Now, I ask that you keep this family in your thoughts and prayers. Although this was a very expected loss, no one is ever prepared enough to lose a loved one...so always, ALWAYS tell the people close to you that you love them no matter what! Take time out of your life for the ones you love. Life is just too short to waste quality time.....I love you all!

"Drive-Thru" Ettiquite

So, today on my way to work, I was driving through Chick-fil-A (an at least once a week MUST HAVE) and this STUPID PT Cruiser was in front of me. Mind you, I am ON MY WAY to work, (Not coming home from work like the rest of the world....which is a whole different issue!), so I don't have all the time in the world as this PT Cruiser apparently had! Not only did the stupid lady take FOR-E-VER at the drive through speaker ordering her 2 milk shakes and something that fit in just one bag (I was glaring while her order was being handed to her through the window...so I took notice to what on earth took soooo friggin long for her to order...which was not much!), but she ALSO kept handing what looked like coupons or 'freebie cards' to the cashier at the window! She would hand one, then turn to the side (apparently looking into her purse for more), then hand them another one, then turn to her purse again, handed them ANOTHER one, then turned and I guess finally got some money and handed that to them as well! AAAAHHH!!!!!! Jesus was DEFINITELY testing my patience with this lady, because I was about one 'coupon turn' away from ramming my car into hers! Needless to say, here is what my friends and I will write about in our ettiquite book:

This chapter will be called DRIVE-THRU ETTIQUITE:

When approaching a drive-thru, have what you might think you want in mind. Have your wallet, money, coupons, what-have-you ready to go IN YOUR HAND! Move up in line (don't SIT THERE in your car searching for your cash while other cars move ahead). This way, the people behind you can order and be on their way. When you get your food, take a VERY QUICK glance! Do not SEARCH through the ENTIRE bag to see if you got everything. If that is absolutely necessary, move ahead and pull into a parking space. If something is missing, then get off your lazy bum and go in to fix the order...either way, just KEEP MOVING! People have places to be...if they didn't, then they wouldn't be going through the drive thru! So, if you have all the time in the world, go in and enjoy your 900 calorie fast food! = )

An "Anna Moment"

So, my mom and I were running around yesterday hitting up some of those lovely Labor Day sales (I bought a new mattress! YESSS!). We were driving home, and on the corner of an intersection near our house is a new strip center with a Panda Express as well as a new T-Mobile store. On the kiosk for the strip center, the Panda Express sign is above the T-Mobile sign. But at the bottom of the Panda Express sign, the words "Drive Thru" appear. Mom and I have been loyal T-Mobile customers since it used to be "VoiceStream". That is a pretty long time. So, needless to say, mom likes to tell me where the t-mobile stores are, just in case I need to pop in for an upgrade or something. Here is how the conversation went as we were passing this new strip center:

Mom: "Did you see there is a new t-mobile store there?!"
Me: (Being the "brunette" that I am) "Yeah, I saw that! Aaaand it is a drive through!"
Mom: "What?? No....Anna.....that is for the Panda Express!! Mercy! (Kathi's Favorite exclamation) You can try to cover up that blonde all you want....its NOT going to work! We all know better!"
Me and Mom: Laughing out loud the entire way back to the house!

oooops! Simple mistake. But couldn't you just picture what it would be like if there were actually a "drive-thru" T-mobile store?!

"Uh, yes, I would like a blackberry with a side of car chargers....no...wait...make that a side of headsets....oh and could you please super size that value package?? No....no toy....just some extra minutes please!"

We will go ahead and dub this an "Anna Moment".....more to come, i'm sure!

New to the Blogging Community!

Hello all you Anna fans!! Welcome to my new blog spot! Sooo....the other day I was here at work and was killing some "down time" by surfing the internet, checking up on the latest news, looking at the trashy celeb websites, and looking for a new car, and I stumbled upon a little link in the WFAA website that said "Bachelor Open Auditions"....I did not hesitate to click on that link and find what was the Application to apply to be on the Bachelor! As I was disappointed that I could not make the auditions because I had to work that night, I still read through the application, and when I read the words: "What are your hobbies?", I was stumped! How could I NOT know what my hobbies were?? I know, I know...I have some hobbies like working out, hanging out with the girls, and CLEANING (sad, but true), but I wanted something "fun!", so I figured Blogging would be the way to go! This way, I can keep you all in the know about whats going on in my world of working night shifts as a nurse, catching up on sleep (which I have been doing A LOT of lately!), playing with friends and family, and basically just trying to "find myself" as the grown up Anna. ha ha!


So here is the scoop:

Lately, I have been super busy with work and sleep (yes, it is definitely possible to be busy with sleep). I would have never believed this until I started working the night shift here at Baylor Plano's Oncology unit. Sleep is now more than a necessity, it is precious GOLD! Although, the night shift has its drags (such as "out-of-wack" sleep cycles and lots of turning down evening activities with friends), it definitely has its perks (such as more moola and just a better/slower shift than working days)!

My job is AWESOME! I love it! The other day, I was sitting at the breakfast table (after my shift, of course) with mom (who was on her way into work), and I was "venting" about my work week. Well, not really venting...more just reflecting. I had never actually sat down and thought about how draining my job can actually be. It had been a rough week at work. It was physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually draining on me. Being as though I work on an oncology unit, you can expect that I see some very sad cases, as well as some very up-lifting ones! It had been a week full of a roller-coaster of emotions and I just had to let it out!! I couldn't fight the tears as I told Mom how grateful I was that God lead me in the direction of becoming a nurse. I told her how "big" I thought my job was, and that although it is SO very hard at times, I would not trade it for anything in the world. I cannot begin to describe to you the feeling of being able to help people in such a huge way, because, as a nurse I am not only taking care of patients physically, but also emotionally, and mentally. I am also responsible for taking care of the families as well. I can't count how many times I have had to play teacher, counselor, and even just a friend to loved ones and patients who are in need. I feel that it is God's way of giving me the Will and the Way to shine his light onto others. All-in-all, I love what I do. I love the people I work with and the patients I take care of! No matter what kind of day I have, there is always something positive to reflect on when I get home. There have been countless pride swallowing moments as well as humbling ones that allow me to keep looking on the bright side of things. Because, in reality, any one of us could be on the other side laying in that bed, hoping for a cure and hoping for a miracle. = )

As far as outside of work, life has been great! I enjoyed this summer thoroughly! I was able to spend some quality time with family and friends! Most of which was spent lounging by the pool!

As far as vacations, this summer I was able to go spend a long weekend in New Jersey with one of my best friends, Paige and her fun little family! It was her birthday weekend, so we celebrated all weekend long. I had fun visiting with her, her husband, Steve, and her daughter Kennedy. We did nothing but cook all weekend long, and her brother, Nick and I even made her a special birthday cake!! I will be going back to Jersey in September after she has her baby boy to help her and the family get settled and used to having baby number two around!

Lindsey and I were able to take a "quick" trip down to Corpus Christi to visit my Keepaw and Aunt Jeanna, Uncle Alan, and cousins! It was fun, but went by way too fast. What made the trip interesting, however, was when Lindsey and I got "stranded" in Austin on the way back do Dallas because Lindsey's transmission went caput! Luckily we have great friends, and Kate and Ben Turner rescued us, then we were able to have a night out on the town with Tandy (Lindsey's best friend). I flew home the next morning so I could make my night shift that night. Needless to say, I was tired, but it was well worth it! = )

That's about it for now....I will keep you updated soon! Signing off:

ANNIE!!!!!