Gina "Betty Crocker" Cummings

Hello One and all...

It's been some time since my last "blog" but I have some news for you!

I am waitlisted at USF for their Master's Program as to get my MSN (Master in Science and Nursing) along with my CNL (Certified Nurse Leader) and my RN (Registered Nurse)!

This wasn't the BEST of news, as the BEST of news would have been that I was accepted, but I should know within the coming weeks if I will be starting January 25th or in May!

Additionally, the second announcement is that I have been baking up a storm! Over the past two weeks I have baked pretty much every week night something new. Brett's coworkers think he is married to Ms. Betty Crocker (that would be weird) but nope... it's just plain ol' me ;) For Thanksgiving I made a strawberry cheesecake and also I baked pecan bars. Both at the same time, it was as if had four arms to go along with my four eyes (take that boys who teased me in fourth grade for having four eyes - now I can bake!)

I must go attend to my own rendition of Banana Walnut Chocolated Chip muffins with coconut (I created the recipe myself) !

Take time to stop and smell the "roses..."

Today I woke up like I do any other day and got in the shower. I was beginning to plan my day in my head and I wanted to make sure I took full advantage of not having school today. Suddenly, as I was standing there, I just said to myself, "Omg! You are married to Brett Cummings....!" I really cannot believe it still, to this day, that I married my first and only true love. I mean, REALLY?!?! We all spend so much time in our lives, making sure we are seizing the day, or making the most of a hard days work, or just enjoying a cooked meal, a sunset, a brisk run as the sun sets... and here I am in a sort of automatic position of happiness.I mean, as if going back to school to be able to seize what I know is my passion as a career isn't enough... I am married to the man of my dreams! How did I get here?!!! A man, who lays down his soul for me every single day of his life (after all he's the one bringing home the "bread" these days). A guy who when you ask him about himself, or how is is doing, or what he is doing... ALWAYS plays down how well he is doing at work and in his personal life with his Triathlons... Did he tell you HE'S SIGNED UP FOR A FULL IRONMAN!" I mean really, who is this guy? The best is when I ask him why he did something, or how something makes him feel, he just looks at me and says. "...because Gina I just want you to be happy." Like I said, the man would lay down his soul for me... I am truely the most blessed and luckiest girl to be alive... and in LOVE!

I guess the morale of this story is... if you don't take time to stop and smell the "roses" it doesn't matter how hard you try to seize the day, you'll miss the scent of life itself.

Lion's and Tiger's and Elephants... oh my!

Brett and I are headed to China and Thailand for Christmas/New Years! We debated for months whether or not to go on vacation during this time of year but... we decide to go for it. We just booked all our flights within Thailand and a jungle safari trek on elephants in a national forest which I am uber excited about! We booked most of the major stuff... the great wall excursion and tianaman square, then a short flight within China to Xian to see the Teracotta warriors, then to Bangkok. We'll have two weeks once we are in Thailand to see that vast country and we'll be spending most, if not all of our time in southern Thailand. It will be refreshing to be done with all my prereq's and I should know whether I was accepted to the Master's program at USF and Samuel Merritt by then, so hopefully we'll have a call for celebration. Otherwise, we'll just have to celebrate that we are away from the jungle animals that live above us in our apartment. . . maybe it'll be a babymoon. HA! ;) (It's sweeps week, I have to increase my viewership with slightly truthful comments that add confusion and leave you hanging in bewilderment).

"And that's what crack looks like at it's finest hour..."

A patient rolls in on a gurney, reaking of you know what... seizing and moaning and groaning... they put her in her own room, and for good reason. I asked a nurse if she was having a seizure and she says nochalantly ..."nope that's crack at it's finest hour!" Cracked me up... haha! She had sucessfully OD'ed on crack cocaine. Her thoughtful crackhead boyfriend was thoughtful enough to call the police to bring her in, but was no where to be found in the hospital - weird.

On a brighter note (well sorta), I got to watch a plastic surgeon suture back together a girls forehead. She is a denistry student and had a heavy flow and apparently passed out and hit her head on the window sil. She cracked her face all the way to the bone... I got to see her forehead bone and helped assist passing medical utensils to the plastic surgeon. Go figure that a beautiful blond surgeon is stiching back together a injured girls face... I told the girl that I have a scar on my face and you can barely see it, and that it adds character, but in a much "nicer" way. It was insane, she was sticking her with a needle to numb her face like it was nothing. Made me want to be a plastic surgeon but the day I decide to go to school for 17 more years I'll let you know.

Do one thing a day that scares you....

I guess in honor of Halloween (although I seem to be three days late, which probably comes as no surprise to most of you) today will be the day that I will do the thing that scares me the most. Cue drum roll...

I am going to... wait wait, let me see if you are scared of the same thing I am scared of. Are you ever afraid to just DO what you are thinking about doing. Well, I know I am, and today, since my calandar is WIDE open except for volunteering for a few short hours, I am going to do whatever it is that my mind tells me to do. If I feel like sending a letter, Ill send a letter. If I feel like updating my calandar that hangs on the wall empty, Ill update my calandar. If I feel like printing some notes out for school, Ill do that. This list really goes on. Sometimes I ignore this list and end up getting lost in my mind or watching TV and what a waste of time, especially on such a beautiful day like this.

So what I am going to do today involves the sort of yes man mentality. Right now I have my classical Jazz on my computer, and I feel like I am in a swanky bar/classy coffee house (are there unclassy ones?) Whatever I think of to do, I am going to do it in that very moment and see what happens... and note how it makes me feel. Hopefully the doctors diagnosis is wrong (she thinks I might have a mild case of ADD) otherwise I will be like one of those "WHO" characters in Dr. Suess book The Cat In The Hat running all over the place breaking things and creating a muk of a mess... I'll let you know how it does.