yes that is me. i am a horrible blogger. pitiful. just plain sad.
so what am i going to do about it? well, i do have an answer for that. i am moving again. i am taking the plunge and i am going to pay for a blog. maybe if i am losing $9 bucks a month it will make me log on and post!
so if there are still any readers out there my new blog address is www.shantay.typepad.com
hope to see you there!
here are soome pics from a recent shoot...let me know what you think! i will post some more later...we took quite a few!
and this is just hilarious....this guy is my new hero!! he is awesome!!
can you believe that my mother put me in this? what style is that...modern pilgrim? and my dad...what is up with that fro? despite the bad clothing and over pirmed hair...aren't we cute! my brother has always been a goofball in pictures. nowadays you have to beg him just to be in one. but maybe he has the right outlook; ten years from now he won't remember what a dork he once was. nah, i will be sure to remind him!
i can't get over that fro and those sideburns though. that is awesome! and my mom's over ratted hair!! haha!! i love it!
this picture was taken at my paternal grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. 50 years. i wonder if when my grandparents were married if they ever thought of what their unity would bring to the world. i doubt that they did, but even if they did i don't think that they could have ever imagined what actually came about.
8 kids.
14 grandkids.
18 greatgrandkids. (and that is with 5 of the grandkids not having any children.)
all from two people falling in love.
i don't remember a lot about my grandma but i know she was an awesome woman. she had to be to deal with 8 kids in a three bedroom house. 5 girls and 3 guys. i can't even imagine.
and my grandpa...he is such a great role model. he is the epitome of gentleman. the one thing that i remember about my grandma is that she loved my grandpa, and he loved her too. he is one of those guys that is a rare find. he took care of my grandma for many years, never left her side, never thought of straying, always had her and his family at the forefront of his mind. he is the kind of guy that all women want to be lucky enough to find. but they don't make them that way anymore. you know the saying..."they broke the mold".
well...they really did break the mold after God made my grandpa. 
love my papaw...wish there were more guys like him out there...
here is an invitation that i made recently....
*etsy shop is in the works. it should be cute...working on the contents right now!
*softball practice in 045 minutes! i am gonna be sore tomorrow!
*confirmative on the bronken toe! i talked the xray tech at work into trading some lab work for an xray...i broke it in two places! i hate getting woken up in the middle of the night by the ER nurses! well...mostly i hate the stupid cabinet in my call room!
*we are still waiting to find out about dad. the hitch in the game plan is that the tumor is on the backside of his lung under his scapula. so it can't be biopsied easily. in fact the radiologist in little rock says that a chest tube must be placed in order to biopsy it. the risk of his lung collapsing during the procedure is pretty high. so we are waiting it out for 30 days, then he will have another chest xray done to see if there is any growth. if it has....i am not sure what the next step is...i am just hoping and praying that it doesn't grow.
*mom had a blood transfusion this past week. evidently tumors are pretty popular with my parents right now. she seems to be doing better after the two units...hopfully she will stay that way. i am getting a little tired of spending so much time in hospitals and doctors offices'!
*checking out lots of sites about Chicago....looking for some cool stuff to go see.
*oh and that term paper...it wasn't a figment of my imagination...it was real. it is coming along i guess...writing about child abuse isn't fun. at all.
first of all school is so interesting this semester. where the heck has that been my entire life? who knew that you could be interested in what you are learning? even my class full of freshmen is fun. they make fun of me everyday, but i am tough...i can take it. it is funny how some of them ask me REALLY weird questions after class. like i am their mother of something. what is even funnier is the nickname that i have grown to love...they call me grandma shanaynay. i am not that much older than them, so i don't know exactly where that came from. we started a chapter on memory today and of course i was the butt of many jokes. it was okay though; one of the exersizes was for the professor to read off a bunch of words and we were to see how many we could memorize in 30 seconds. guess who memorized the most......that's right grandma shanaynay!! i might be old, but i can memorize like nobody's business!
i hate decisions. hate making them. i don't even like deciding what to eat. but you know, life is full of decisions. it seems like i have been making lots of decisions lately. LOTS. anyway, one decision was made yesterday and it was a biggie! but i will let you know the outcome later....when i find out! it wan't a fun decision to make either!
now for the armadillo lecture. thats right i attended an armadillo lecture today. no, i am not a dork....it was for extra credit! and surprisingly it was kinda interesting! for example, did you know that armadillos can jump! pretty high...i had no idea! if you knew that...i bet you don't know this...there is an armadillo that is 150 pounds and 5 feet long!!! holy cow! i would pee my pants if i came across that thing!
i went for a little retail therapy the other day and i bought a shirt for avery. i never thought that he would wear it, but i knew i could get it on him long enough for a picture. well come to find out the little terd like that shirt!!! he is such a spoiled brat! here is a pic of him in his rugby polo!!
i also bought a new desk and chair to "study" with. okay so it might be used for scrapbooking...but mostly studying. lots of studying!! I will share some pics of it once i get it organized!! it is huge...and i love it!! off to organize!
xoxo
ns
here are some more pictures that i have taken recently. this kid makes me feel old...i remember when he was in elementary school!
hope you like them!
xoxo
ns
i have been up to the usual....working, going to school, and studying. but, i have had another photo shoot!! here are a few of the shots...enjoy!
i have had some other interesting things going on...but i will save that for another post!! i promise to update more often! now for the pics!
xoxo
ns
"According to the rules... Each player of this game starts with the "6 Weird Things about Me".(about yourself)...People who get tagged need to write a entry of their own 6 weird things on their own blog, as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says 'you are tagged' in their comments and tell them to read your blog!"
so i have been tagged by my buddy Shaunte. i must share six weird things about me...what if there aren't six!! yeah, i know...there are way more than six!
here we go!! my list of weird things!!
*i do not eat animals other than pigs, cows, chickens, and some fish and seafood. nothing else. nothing! that may not be weird in other parts of the country, but i am pretty sure that it is abnormal for arkansas!
*i am terrified....terrified of the vertically challenged...midgets. i can not handle seeing them or being around them.
can.
not.
handle.
it.
don't know why, but they give me the hebbie jibbies!!
*i seat dance in my car! sometimes people catch me doing it!! the other day some guy started dancing with me...in his car of course! i sing like a rock star too, but only when i am by myself!!
*i am not a girly girl...but i am not a total tomboy. i like girly things like getting my hair and nails done; but i hate pink and i can do without frilly or froofy stuff. i love football and cars; but i don't like shooting guns or getting dirty. guess i may be a bit confused!!
*i have four hands! well two of them are technically called feet, but they are more like hands! i can write with them. i can pick up things. i can pinch with them. i can even pop the joints just like i pop my knuckles.
*i love to organize. anything really. love to organize and then reorganize and then reorganize that!! i am a little O.C.D. about it! if i could stop organizing maybe i could actually get some pages done...or betrer yet some studying!!
i was having a hard time coming up with a sixth weird thing...so i asked melissa today and she came up with a list of her own! so i will use it as my sixth!
*i talk differently according to what type of music i am listening to. if i am listening to country i talk really country..if it is rap i talk a little ghetto...and so on.
*i answer to "tater"! it is a nickname...my dad still calls me tater. i also answer to shanaynay! and tater tot...
*on the radio in my car i have a country station, a rap station, a pop station, and an oldies station!!
*i always have at least 6 different kinds of gum on me at all times!
*i am a freak for pens and pencils! i even asked the toothfairy for unsharpened pencils instead of money once! what was i thinking??
*i have always wondered if i could outrun a cop. i wouldn't try it...but i still think that i could do it! i drive like no bodies business! i love to drive fast...and i have a HUGE case of roadrage! i think i would be a great nascar driver!
now i am going to tag...jana, judi, delaney, ande, leanne and kimber!
xoxo
ns
classes started yesterday at tech. man it is hard to go back as an old lady! i can feel all of the little kids making fun of me! i am even in a freshman class...yes, a class full of freshmen. why couldn't i just clep the course??!! and to make it worse....the professor asked the ONLY two seniors, me and another guy, why we were in there! HA! that didn't help my feelings of awkwardness...thanks man!
anyway, most of my classes are going to be cake...but i am a little worried about microbiology. we have a list of organisms that we have to be able to SPELL! CORRECTLY! just incase you don't know...i CAN NOT spell. never have been able to. uggh. i can feel some flashcards being made! the good news is that i already do micro at work...so the labs and practicles should be easy. but that dang spelling....why do they do that??
and can i just say....these kids need to leave their dang cell phone in their dorm rooms or something! i am sick of hearing all of the clicking around me. STOP SENDING TEXT MESSAGES IN CLASS! don't they know that the sound bothers us old folks!!
oh, and i have officially diagnosed myself with ADD. that is correct...i have absolutely no attention span. none. and every single one of my classes is a hour and a half long this semester. that shouldn't even be legal! who can pay attention for 80 minutes? no one....no one can do that. so why do they make us try? ok, vent over.
we were a little slow this weekend at work so i took some pics! okay, okay they were for scrapbook pages....but i thought i would share them here too.
the first....me!.jpg)
the second is a pic of the tubes that i put the blood in to run the tests.
and the third is the bags of blood for transfusions...can you believe that i crossmatch blood for transfusions??!!
xoxo ns
there are so many people in my life that i admire. the vast majority of them are much older than me. but there is one person that is my age that i have always admired. her name is sarah.
sarah and i were teammates, classmates, and friends. she was such a well rounded person. she was incredibly intelligent. she was an amazing athlete. she was the most caring and generous friend. but most importantly she was an awesome christian. she was never afraid to show or share her faith...something that is rare these days.
sarah and i had many classes together. in fact we were partners in our very first cat disection. we had so much fun cutting up that cat! i will never forget those three weeks of our senior year. the entire year we would make bets as to who would out score the other on our anatomy tests. it is amazing how much of a motivator a bet can be. ironically at the end of the year we had tied. that was fine with both of us, because it had pushed us to be better students. although i don't think that the rest of the class liked our competition very much...it blew their curve!
sarah and i were teammates for years. she was so athletic. she gave everything that she had every night and in every practice. 110% doesn't even come close to the effort that sarah gave. she was always the first to practice and always the last to leave. and she always encouraged everyone...she would push us harder than the coaches sometimes!
sarah was such a happy and outgoing person. she never had a bad day. if you were having a bad day she would do everything in her power to change it. she cared so much for everyone around her. everyone. her compassion for others was genuine and real. it didn't matter who you were, or what clique you belonged to....sarah was everyone's friend.
friday afternoon i was told that sarah had died.
all i could think was that there is no way that it could be true. surely it was a rumor that was totally false. but, it wasn't. she was gone. there were no words.
it is such a different feeling to lose a relative. when someone that is your age, someone that you knew, someone that you had spent thousands of hours with, passes away it makes you realize your own mortality. it doesn't seem right. it shouldn't happen to young adults. it shouldn't happen to somone who has so much to offer the world. it just shouldn't happen.
i will miss sarah so much. but i am so glad to have had her in my life for the time that i did. she inspires me to be a better person. i will always remember sarah as one of my hero's.
may God rest her soul.
xoxo ns
i snagged this year end questionaire from one of my internet buds, Shaunte. that's right we are name buddies!! thanks Shaunte!
1. What did you do in 2006 that you had never done before? 2006 brought quite a few experiences to my life. i had never shocked a patient during a code. i had never ridden a motorcycle. i had never taken the legal oath, or taken the stand in a court room. i am sure there are more, but i can not remember them!!
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions and will you make more for 2007? yes, i kept two of my resolutions from last year. i haven't made my usual list this year, but there are a few things that i am going to do to better myself. but those will be for another post.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? quite a few people that i know gave birth. amy gave birth to ava, and many co-workers also had kiddos.
4. Did anyone close to you die? yes. my maternal grandmother. and just thursday a very close friend from high school, Sarah.
5. What countries did you visit? none this year!
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? self confidence.
7. What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? December 12th....it is the date that my divorce was final.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? i have lost 28 pounds. pretty big achievement; i think.
9. What was your biggest struggle? the end of my marriage.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? nothing major.
11. What was the best thing you bought? my camera and new laptop.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? my friends and family. they are the best that i could ever ask for....and they were there for me when i needed them this year. although we didn't actually celebrate....
13. Whose behavior appalled you? some family...some friends....some non friends.
14. Where did most of your money go? to mazda! love my car though!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about this year? the new addition to my cousin amy's family. ava is such a sweetheart!
16. What song will always remind you of 2006? "Believe" by Brooks and Dunn and "When I get where I'm Going" by Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: much happier, nicer or richer? none of the above. but i am much older!
18. What do you wish you had done more of? exercise. contact old friends. make new friends. spent time with family. call the hogs! enjoy life.
19. What do you wish you had done less of? worring. wondering. hurting.
20. Did you fall in love in 2006? the very moment that i met baby ava!
21. What was your favorite TV program? i can not pick just one...Friday Night Lights, CSI, and Extreme Makeover Home Edition
22. What was the best book you read this year? read?? books? umm...i don't do that much!
23. What was your greatest musical discovery? the alan jackson precious memories cd...it is most of my favorite old hymns. great cd!
24. What did you want and get? my camera! i LOVE that thing!
25. What was your favorite film of the year? didn't watch many movies! that is what happens when you only work on weekends.
26. What did you do on your birthday and how old did you turn? i went shopping with my mom and an aunt! spent too much money!! i turned 25...getting old!
27. What one thing would have made your year more satisfying? truthfulness
28. How would you describe your personal fashion statement this year? i do not have a passion for fashion! (per Belle- my BFF's little girl who loves the Bratz!)
29. What kept you sane? the love and advice of my family and friends.
30. What celebrity did you fancy the most? matthew mcconaughey....with out a doubt. it is much more than a "fancy" though!
31. What political issue stirred you the most? i am not political at all. i have never even registered to vote.
32. Who did you miss? my aunt cathy.
33. Who were the best new people you met this year? i meet so many people at work, but there were quite a few that really touched me this year. some have passed away, and some i get to see often. but i guess the two best are my new friend tanna, and our buddy clay! we are the three musketeers of the weekend ER!!
33. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned this year.
wow...i have learned so much this year. i guess the most valuable is "that which does not kill you; only makes you stronger." being asked for a divorce was such a devistating point in my life. it is so hard to see the future when you feel like your world is crumbling. but the old cliche is true. if you hold on as tight as you can; when the storm is gone, you are a much stonger person.
that life lesson also brought about another lesson. you will learn who your true friends are when you go through rough times. so if there is anything to be thankful for in the ending of my marriage; it would be the ability to know who my true friends are.
i also learned that striving to please people is an impossible goal. "you can't please everyone and you won't, but if you go to bed at night, and know in your own gut you are a good person, that is what matters the most." (from Shaunte's blog) there is much peace in knowing that you, yourself are a good person.
2006 was a year filled with many ups and downs, but I survived it. it has made me a much stronger person. it has grown many friendships. and it forever changed the person that i am.
i am ready to see what 2007 has in store for my life!
xoxo ns
it is christmas eve and i am sitting here in the e.r. we have had one heck of a weekend! i was finally able to meet some of the flight crew for the air ambulance service that i would love to work for. angel one is the air ambulance for the children's hospital here in arkansas. we called them for an overdose that came into our e.r. we also had a very, very sad case this weekend. so very sad. other than that, nothing exciting happened this weekend. we were super busy, and this weekend it was actually sick people. which is a refreshing change of pace.
so christmas is tomorrow. it does not feel like it....at all. i am excited about having ham and dressing for the second weekend in a row! it is my favorite meal!! this is the time of year that people are asking what you want for christmas. there weren't many material things that i wanted this year, but there are quite a few non-material things that i would love to have.
christmas is my favorite time of year. it seems to put everyone is a giving and happy mood. but one reminder that i was given this weekend is that the happiest time of year can also be the saddest time of year for some. so while many of us have more than we could ever possibly need; we should remember those who struggle for even the necessities of life.
merry christmas and happy new year!
xoxo
ns
man! i am a horrible blogger! what have i been up to....well let me share.
i have been helping my bff, Melissa with her new business venture. she bought our local scrapbook store! i so wish that i was at a point in my life where we could have been business partners, but i am so far from that! we have had a blast cleaning and reorganizing and brainstorming. it has been a blessing for me to be able to help her. it has taken my mind off of everything going on in my life. the store has been super busy...which is a great thing! this time of year is a lot of fun too, because all of the husbands come in and freak out a little. they look so overwhelmed...it is so funny. i think i have heard "who knew there were so many papers and stickers out there!" if they only knew! i am a pretty good salesperson...if i do say so myself. maybe it is because it is Christmas, but guys are an easy sell! all i know is that there are going to be many happy scrappers this Christmas!
i had a photo shoot last week for one of my favorite nurses! she is giving these pics of her kiddos as gifts this year. we had a lot of fun doing these! however i do know that i will not...i repeat...will not have five children! wow, they drain you! i think that i may have had a migraine at the end of this!
here are some of my favorite shots...you can click on them to see bigger images.
i have also been busy getting registered for classes. it is official i am going to be a RN. i'm a little nervous, but i think it will be fun. i received my bill for classes this semester...it is ridiculous how much it costs to go to school. ugggh! i talked to the nurse anethesist at work this weekend, and he thinks that i might be able to get into school without working for two years. if that could happen i would LOVE it! it would mean moving to either jonesboro, memphis, or oklahoma, but it would be worth it.
we had a WILD weekend at work this past weekend. all i am going to say is that a machete, a drunk man, and two innocent bystanders were involved. i work in a town of crazy people....crazy!
i also rode a motorcycle for the first time this weekend. it was a hayabusa. it was probably too cold to ride, but we did it anyway! it is a lot of fun, but i don't know that I will ever be comfortable on a motorcycle!
other than that i haven't been up to much. a little shopping, a little scrapping, playing with photoshop a bit....but that is about it!
are you aware that Christmas is three days away!!! i can't believe it! guess i need to do some shopping tomorrow before i head to work tomorrow!
merry christmas and happy new year!
xoxo
ns
i have discovered a new scrapbooking obsession...digital scrapbooking. this is my first attempt at digital scrapbooking. it was a lot more fun than i thought. i can totally see hoe this could become just as addicting as paper scrapbooking! and the best part is....i can take my computer to work at scrapbook!!! how cool is that!
thanksgiving was great! i scored some great photos of baby ava. and got to spend some time with family that i do not get to see often enough. i miss the ones that weren't able to come, but i hope to see them soon!
adios
xoxo ns }
yes, thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. in thanksgivings past we have had a huge crew. we all go to the eastern part of the state...where my mom and dad grew up. we spend thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family. it is a big family. dad has 7 brothers and sisters. not everyone always makes it, but we still have a crowd. i can remember thanksgivings when we had three or more rotations of people eating. it is one of the traditions for the men and children of the family to eat first. i don't think that it is a shovanist thing, but more of a room predicament. we have been known to have 35+ people at thanksgiving. so the men and children eat....then we wash dishes and the women eat. i guess it is what you do when you have a huge family.
my favorite thanksgiving dish is dressing. i love it. with gravy. don't tell me what is in the gravy....just put a little on there! however, i do not like cranberry sauce. ewwww. favorite dessert...peanut butter ice cream pie. it is so good! funny thing...i don't like peanut butter. my aunt audrey make the best homemade rolls...the best. but she isn't able to make them any longer...so the receipe has been passed down. i can't wait to overeat tomorrow! then it is back home and back to the diet! one day of overeatting won't hurt too much!
i miss the days when all of my cousins and their families were at thanksgiving. i miss seeing all of my little cousins. as we all get stretched to oppposite ends and sides of the state it is hard to get together like we used to. nonetheless, i miss it! we used to pick up pecans in the yard...or play football...play capture the flag. those were the days. back when they used to pick on me and make fun of me. yes, i miss it!
i am taking my camera...they hate the camera! but it will be there!!
hope you all have a great thanksgiving! overeat and be happy!
xoxo ns}
