A Break (finally...)

Since Wednesday, Jordan and I have had Thanksgiving break. Ahhh...peace. All we have been doing is simply relaxing and taking a break from everything related to school. Jordan has been playing video games and computer games and I have been watching House :D and lounging. It is such great fun. I love not having to worry about school.

Updates on school: I have only one assignment left which is still about a third of my grade and two tests left. Yay. Jordan says that, "School is ok. Hard, but not bad." He is so smart. He interviewed at the University of Utah about a week and a half ago and needs to do one re-interview because the first one was so weird. Ask me about it if you want details. The interview at Virginia Commonwealth is in the beginning of January and we are just waiting to hear from other schools. Please pray for us :)

Updates on our life: we went shopping today, Black Friday, and got almost all the rest of our wedding things that we registered for that we didn't receive, which was so nice because we have in-store credit so the stuff was basically free! We have just been up to the same - school at Westminster, working at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital, building my business, and trying to magnify our callings as visiting and home teachers, ward building cleaning coordinator, and Relief Society pianist.

That's all for now...not very exciting, I know. I will let you know when our life is better...after graduation in almost 6 months!!!

Health Insurance

I know I have been putting up a lot of posts lately on the medical profession and health in general, but I believe it is important. In the constitution for our great country, it states that every individual has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I would like to focus on the first right of LIFE. In order to live, people need to be healthy, and in order to be healthy, people need to have access to affordable healthcare. As a nurse, I see patients at my hospital all the time who cannot afford their medications, let alone their surgeries and treatments! It is extremely difficult to see people who want that LIFE that they are rightly entitled to, but they are bogged down by the problems of either not having insurance or not having enough insurance. I have decided that it all comes down to money - if you have money, you will most likely get better because you can afford your treatments and you can afford your surgery and you can afford your medications and you can afford to have a nurse come visit you in your home. The wealthy patients I see generally do better than the poor ones. It is a fact. So, my question is, what do we do to fix this problem of inequality in our country? I heard recently that Orrin Hatch stated that healthcare is not a right for every American. Excuse me? As I stated earlier, every American has the right to health, which is brought about by healthcare. I am obviously not an expert on healthcare reform, but I believe that as a healthcare provider, I know what I am talking about. Every individual deserves to be healthy. I will complain about some individuals that I know though. Some people believe that if they are overweight, smoke, eat fast food, candy bars, and drink pop every day, watch television non-stop, and teach their kids to do the same, that they should be entitled to receive cheap healthcare when they get arthritis because they are too overweight. I am sorry, but you do not take care of yourself. Educate yourself people! Be knowledgeable about HOW to take care of your body - eat a balanced meal (mypyramid.gov), exercise most days of the week, drink LOTS of water, get some sunshine, take your vitamins, go get a book on staying healthy and actually read it, go get a massage every once in a while, use relaxation techniques to decrease your anxiety, get regular checkups for your body according to your age, VACCINATE YOUR CHILDREN...I could go on and on. If you do these things, the chances of you getting sick due to something preventable is unlikely. Thank goodness Jordan and I are healthy. We have private insurance, yet I am scared to death of getting sick because we have a high deductible. I am probably ranting now, but as you may be able to tell, this is a hot button for me. I am very, very serious about people staying healthy. Please take care of yourself. The link for this title is for a series on people who didn't have health insurance and their journeys through the healthcare system.

Check out Healthiest Nation in One Generation

Let’s face it – as a nation we’re not nearly as healthy as we should be. Compared to other developed nations, we’re lagging far behind.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. With your help, we can make America the healthiest nation in just one generation.

Want to know more? Watch the Healthiest Nation in One Generation viral video today. Share the video with your friends and family and encourage them to get involved.

America can make this the healthiest nation in one generation. We all have to do our part. What will you do?

Medical School Interviews

Jordan just barely received the University of Utah interview request! It will be in the beginning of November. Congratulations sweetheart!! I'm so proud of you!!! We will keep everyone posted on other interview requests we receive in the future, so stick around!

Baking

I have gone on a baking spree...and I discovered that I really love baking more than cooking! It is so fun! I have been making all kinds of cookies, cakes, brownies, and breads. It really helps to relieve some stress, plus it is always nice to eat the treats :) Now all I need to go along with it is a workout plan... If any of you have some yummy recipes, let me know so I can try them out! The link on the title of this blog leads to a delicious German Plum Cake that I found on the internet. It is DELICIOUS!!! Thanks!

Nursing School

Nursing school is seriously killing me. If anyone wants to know why I have been such a hermit lately, it is all because of what torture my professors have been putting me through. Let me explain:

14 hours of clinical every week

6 hours of class every week

15+ hours studying every week

Extra out of class projects, including: group community poster project and 4 page paper, interactive process recording equaling 28 pages, attendance at 2 12-step programs, and 2 papers due every thursday. I probably forgot something.

In addition to all the nursing crap (which learning material I actually enjoy - psych nursing), I am taking a photography class for my last general. This class is required for me to graduate. Why did I choose photography? I thought it would be great, but I did not take into account the fact that I would spend about 2 hours each week developing film and making prints.

The reason I am talking about this is not to make you feel sorry for me - I just wanted to explain why all I do is study, go to school, spend time with Jordan, and work. It is all I have time for! I have my final tomorrow morning, so wish me luck!

For the next 7 weeks of the semester, I will be in Community Nursing. My clinical site will be with a local agency Symbii Home Health. I enjoy spending time with elderly clients, so this will be an interesting experience. However, I have heard that Community is probably worse than Psych when it comes to work-load. I am so excited to graduate in...21 weeks!!!

Relaxation

It is official. I am going to get a massage once Psych/Mental Nursing is over. I am so excited for fall break starting October 15!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only 2 more weeks!!!

E-X-H-A-U-S-T-E-D

SCHOOL!!!!! Holy cow, I don't think either Jordan nor myself have ever been so busy with so many things.

Jordan: applying to medical school, taking 16 credit hours at school plus, extra lab time, research twice a week, volunteering at the Road Home, volunteering for Hearts for Hospice, running XC with a meet every other week...ahh!

Melyn: taking 16 credit hours at school, 14 hours of clinical every week, studying 3 hours a day, working my business as much as possible, trying to sleep 8 hours a night, working at least once a week, trying to tie up loose ends with the wedding (grr)...

I know, I know. Jordan is SO much busier than I am, but I feel like I'm going crazy! If it literally were not for the fact that I don't do anything on Sundays besides take naps, go to church, and visit family, my mind would freak out and die.

Ranting is good. Ok, I'm done. For a while :)

Abuse

Recently, my Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing class had a discussion on abuse and its implications for human beings everywhere. I wanted to put some facts out there for people as well as some resources to help those suffering from abuse of all types: physical, emotional, neglect, and sexual.

1. Abuse crosses all barriers - gender, race, religion, socio-economic status, education. Men get abused too.

2. There is a cycle of violence. It begins with tension building, moves to the actual abuse, and then the "honeymoon" phase, where the victimizer apologizes and is extremely tender and loving toward the victim. These cycles always repeat themselves, and they always get shorter. LOVING THE VICTIMIZER IS NOT ENOUGH TO STOP THE VIOLENCE.

3. Emotional abuse is the attempt to isolate, threaten, or intimidate a person.

4. Neglect is a breach in duty of care which causes harm to others.

5. Sexual abuse is ANY unwanted sexual contact. This is regardless of whether two people are strangers, acquaintances, dating couples, OR married couples. Rape is a crime related to domination, not passion.

6. Every 15 seconds, someone is battered. Every 6.4 minutes, a sexual assault takes place. Every year, 60,000 Utah women are assaulted by their intimate partner. 28% end of these assaults end in homicide. 1 in 3 people will be abused at some point in their life. 6 million American women are beaten each year. Violence occurs on a regular basis in 10% of marriages.

7. It is estimated that over half of all violence is not reported.

8. Abuse is not the victims fault - ever. No one deserves to be treated in such a manner.

If you or someone you know is suffering from any type of abuse, please know that there is help. Your life does not have to be like this. Things can improve. Please, please, please give yourself a chance. Call a national abuse hotline at either 1.800.897.LINK or 1.800.656.HOPE

Migraines. Grr.

Today was the first time I have had a migraine since May of last year. I thought they were behind me, and what a glorious thing that would have been. Too bad my brain or blood vessels or hormones hate me. It is not really known what causes migraines, or what an effective way is to treat them. So home treatment is usually what people do, unless they want to go to the hospital to get the lovely Imitrix shot, which I thankfully have never had to recieve.

Usually about 15 minutes before I get a migraine, I get an aura. Only 15-20% of people get these auras, and they are different for every person. My auras are white spots that completely block my vision. For example, one time when I was talking to a gentleman, my aura cut off the top half of this mans body. I could not see his face or where I was looking - SLIGHTLY freaky! Auras are useful, though, because they are a warning sign to you to get home to a dark, quiet room and take some medicine. Today however, I did not get an aura.

I was helping my landlady around 0830, getting her blood sugar, blood pressure, and weight, when it came like a ton of bricks. Everything was very loud to me and I thought it was just another horrible headache, because there wasn't the aura. Oh no. I did the dishes and went to my bedroom to lay down, hoping it would go away. I lay there for about an hour. Another unpleasant side effect of migraines is extreme nausea and vomiting. That is all I will say there for people who are queasy.

I finally called the only person close enough to help me, my lovely mother-in-law Wendy. She came immediately over with some Extra Strength Excedrin (the only thing that works for me), some coke (caffeine always helps), and ice for my head. It was lovely. I slept for about two hours and when I woke up, the majority of the migraine was gone. It still hurt when I stood up and walked around. I swear I was experiencing some orthostatic hypotension (when your blood pressure plummets as you stand - not a good thing) in addition to the migraine.

These things are so debilitating. You literally cannot do anything - can't have ANY noise, ANY light, can't move, can't cry, can hardly talk - because all this will provoke it. I think mine are stress induced, and the extreme stress of school began it. Thankfully, I don't get migraines that often KNOCK ON WOOD.

Addicted to Running

I think Jordan is addicted to running. Which is by no means a bad thing! I am SO glad he has an outlet of some type to get rid of his stress from school, applying to med school, and life in general. Running is so healthy for you - in fact, I am not terribly worried about Jordan's health in the future, because he runs so often. He will wake up at 0547 (exactly, not an even number, which bothers me. oh well :) to get ready for Westminster XC. See the link at the top of this post; Jordan is on the header of the mens XC website! His coach is someone new this year, who we believe has great promise in taking both the mens and womens teams to a new level. In addition, the men have EIGHT people running! Twice as many as last year!

As exciting as this all is, I am basically rambling about Westminster's team and not Jordan's love of running. Let me get back on track.

There must be something very instinctual about running. From the time we are young, we begin running - not only to run away from someone, but to play and enjoy ourselves. There is something exhilarating about running. I once asked Jordan what makes him love running so much, and he replyed, "It is the feeling of going fast." Speeding by pedestrians is indeed very fun. Maybe we should call it "funning."

I however, do not particularly enjoy running at this point in my life. It is not "fun" to me right now. Despite this aversion I currently have, I very much used to enjoy running as a member of the Westminster Womens XC team. I am by no means good at it, I simply enjoyed that exhilarating feeling of flying past still objects. :) Reaching a goal you thought you wouldn't be able to do is very powerful. One of my favorite quotes that applies is:

My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny. - Elaine Maxwell

Maybe someday I will get back into running. I am very glad that Jordan is going to continue "as long as [his] joints hold out." I don't really know why I posted this, or if it even makes any sense. So take it as you will.

Stick Shift!

Today Jordan and I had an adventure. He has been wanting to learn how to drive my stick shift for a very long time, and today we had nothing else to do besides learning! So we cleaned our house, ate lunch, and then drove to the church I learned at.

Let me just say that Jordan seriously impresses me. He is such a fast learner! He sat down in the drivers seat and we went over how to start the car, how and when to shift, reversing, and simply driving and connecting it all together. We were in the parking lot for about 15 minutes...and then we went around a little neighborhood...and then we drove down 3300 south to the freeway!!

Basically Jordan did a great job. He learned how to drive this new way in a half hour! It took me seriously all day to learn plus several weeks of practicing.

He still has a way to go in terms of starting to drive but practice practice practice :) I'm pleased!

Airport Fun

Oh my goodness. I am so sick of this airport in Charlotte!!! Let me tell you the fantastical story of my time here since yesterday at 12 PM.

So basically there was no one staying at the hotel until Tuesday, so I would have to fork out $80 for a lame hotel room for a few hours to wait until my flight left today at 10 AM. Who wants to pay more for nothing? I don't! So I decided (ahem) to sleep at the airport and wait for my flight to leave. So I checked out from the hotel at 11 AM yesterday and waited for the shuttle to take me to the airport at noon.

Then I decided that I was not checking my bags because they can fit into the overhead bins. BUT I forgot that I had shampoo, hairspray, this huge thing of peanut butter in my suitcase. Those all classify as liquids and gels according to the airport security...so I had to throw away all my things. But it was ok, I wasn't worried at that point.

Then I go to my gate and just start sitting. Playing on the computer. Facebook. Watching movies. Emailing. Texting people. Reading. It got very boring very fast. So I decided to walk around and went to the bookstore and (surprise!) sat and read some more! It was about 7 PM when I decided to eat my food. There was hardly anyone in the airport and it was getting awkward between me and the airport people. I mean, they have seen me sitting in the same seat all day long, not doing anything. "What is she doing?" they must wonder. So I just do some more of the same things and around 11:15 PM I decided to put my pajama pants on and lay down on the seats in the airport.

It was freezing and all the lights were on, so of course I could hardly sleep. Besides that though, the airport people were cleaning and vacuuming the entire time. I probably slept for a half hour and would wake up, sleep for a half hour, wake up, and so on. Around 12:45 AM a huge group of people that just got off their flight walked past and were talking very loudly, so I woke up and sat up. I noticed a man dusting and when he got near me, he said, "You are going to have to go downstairs. The security is closing and they are going to come through soon, so if you go downstairs you will see other people that are sleeping waiting for security to open in the morning." I explained how confused I was because I didn't see anyone else sleeping near the gates, but no one stopped me from sleeping either. So I went downstairs.

Then I sat by these teenagers and these young kids who were crying basically the whole night. It was a lot warmer downstairs but I was more worried to fall asleep there because the doors to go outside were right there, so anyone could come in and take your stuff if you were sleeping. I tried to get comfortable and put my suitcase between my legs and my arms and head over my backpack to protect them. Around 3 AM another cleaning man came and woke me up so that he could move the seats back to their original position. I took my things and went to a protected corner in the hall and laid down. About a half hour later the same man told me to move so he could vacuum. It was ridiculous!! I went back to the chairs and just waited, dozing sometimes, until 5:10 AM so I could go back upstairs to go through security.

I got through and I've been awake ever since. I can't wait to get on the plane and sleep. With a blanket!!

Secondaries!

Jordan got a letter to send secondary applications to Colombia University, Ohio State, and George Washington University!! Yeah! Congrats sweetheart. :)

INTERNATIONAL!!!

AHH I'm so excited to go to Charlotte, NC for another International Convention! I seriously love these. I don't think anyone understands how I feel, except for those who have already gone. You get the most incredible business training and leadership training. You meet and network with other representatives. You get out of town :) You get to spend time solely building your business and assisting those in your downline to get better, as well as yourself. Probably my favorite day of the international is Sunday, because there is generally a renowned speaker that comes to talk to us about the good our business can do and how much influence we can have. So, as you can see, I love these conventions. Hallelujah for ACN! It has changed me as a person.

Check out www.melynacuthbert.acnrep.com for more information.

Married Life

Wow what can I say! Married life is freaking fantastic. I am so lucky to be with Jordan. He is such a wonderful man and makes me feel so happy and loved. I am thrilled that we are married together for time and for all eternity.

Our honeymoon was in Cancun and we basically just relaxed. It was so nice to get away from our families (even though we love you guys) and just be together. Plus Cancun is just gorgeous! The beaches were beautiful and the water a fantastic aqua blue. We spend about four days and four nights at the Riu Cancun resort.

Now that we are back to reality, it a little hard adjusting from the honeymoon. We actually have to do work and cook our own food! :) I really like cleaning and organizing our little home though. The only process that we really have to go through is throwing out all my old things and bringing in our nice new presents. We are truly blessed to have such a fantastic family and friend group. The only room that is left to organize is the living room. We need to get a couch and a plant in order to complete our decoration! Honestly though, I'm glad that we are not going to live here forever. Jordan was scheming and saying that once Lavon passes away, we are going to buy her house and live here with our kids. I absolutely refuse. It is a nice place, but there are seriously two bedrooms...not enough for kids!

Jordan recently applied to medical schools all over the country. He got a request for a secondary application and possibly an interview for Dartmouth!! Wow! This is a very prestigious school up in New Hampshire. I am very excited to see what other schools want secondary applications from him.

Jordan is also working this summer in a research program up at Westminster College, where we are finishing our Bachelors. He is studying the connection between emotions and attentions in human DNA...he is so smart. Crazy, huh?

Bridals

So yesterday I got my bridal pictures taken. It was a great day :) I didn't do anything besides relax and prepare for the pictures, because I didn't want stress to ruin me. I took a long shower and got all my essentials gathered together, like ring cleaner, makeup, shoes, jewelry, etc. It was fun! Then I dropped some paperwork off at the school for clinicals and LDSSA. I drove home to Mapleton and watched TV with my mom while I fixed my nails to make them look nice. She was sewing the beads onto my veil and it is so pretty! I have the most horrible looking nails of anyone I know, so it was nice to spend some time on them. I then put my makeup on...I was looking HOT!! After that, I went to Dixie Peacock who does our family's hair, and she gave me this great updo. It was all curly but still loose, and it was gathered to the nape of my neck and kind of piled up on my head. Then we went home for a little bit and drove up to SLC.

We met Derek and Des in downtown SLC on the street in front of some artsy buildings. We started to take pictures, but the wind was blowing really hard, and my contacts were freaking out from all the dirt blowing around. So we decided to go to the Main Library in downtown (my favorite!) and then Trolley Square. It was SO much fun! Everyone was staring at us, which was funny, but we seriously had a blast!

Bridal Shower

So yesterday was my first bridal shower. Honestly, I did not know what to think! I was a little nervous and felt a little awkward because I have been to bridal showers for other people ever since I was little, but I had never been to one for me. You know? It was really fun though!

It was thrown by the Henderson side of the family, and Grace, Jordan's aunt, held it at her house. All the cousins and aunts were there, as well as BABIES! Like 6 babies were there under the age of one. It was crazy :)

We had dinner: chicken divan, vegetables, fruit, cookies, and this great slushy drink. I loved it. There was just a ton of mingling and everyone thought my mom was my sister! She didn't mind that lol. After that this little girl named Chloe "helped" me with the presents. She insisted on keeping all the ribbon so she could scrapbook with it (she is 5). I got: bowls, towels, wooden spoons, blankets, gift cards to IKEA, Target, and Bed Bath & Beyond, baskets, laundry room accessories, hangers, a hamper, recipe books, advice books, a journal, pyrex bowls, and kitchen accessories. Basically it was great :) Everyone was so nice and I really enjoyed myself. It lasted for about two hours and then we left. This will be the first of MANY bridal showers...I don't know how many to be honest!

Troubles with LDSSA

So I wanted to have a budget of $1500 for next year's LDSSA, which I will not be in charge of. There will be a new president, new school year, etc. Obviously I would want to leave the new person with some money to work with, right?

Sigh.

The school Senate is the one who decides how much money each club is allocated. Because I haven't used all my funds this year (I have about $500 left), they got super concerned I guess and gave me a preliminary budget of.....$466. For the entire year. That is as much money as we spent on some of our activities this year! How does that happen?

I went to almost all the club meetings, we did all our service projects, and turned in paperwork on time. I honestly do not understand how the second largest club on campus can be cut down to a third of its previous budget. Oh well. I will teach the next president to be frugal.

The beginning...

Well here I am, trying to do a million things at once...once more!

1. School

2. Wedding

3. The Celebrity Apprentice (probably the only thing I'm REALLY thinking about)

4. ACN

5. Cleaning

6. LDSSA

7. Studying (which prolly falls under school but I'm trying to create a long list :)