Are you READY???!

I am!  I shall attempt to blog THREE, that's right, THREE times each week!  The blogs will compose of Thankful Tuesdays, in which we post the things we're grateful for; Catch-up Wednesdays, where I'll catch you all up to what we've been doing the past week; and Flashback Fridays, where Jordan and I will share one of our favorite memories, because our blog is our journal.

That was the longest run on sentence ever.

So today is Catch-up Wednesday!  This will be a long post my dears, because I haven't really blogged anything since December (with the exception of my Christmas vacation post).  It's not going to be in order either, because I can't remember when everything happened.

1. We decorated our house for Christmas.  I love getting a real tree every year.  It makes the whole house smell amazing!

2. Jordan and I went to Maymont (my favorite place in Richmond) for a Christmas celebration!  We rode in a horse-drawn carriage, got a tour of the civil war era mansion all decorated for Christmas, interacted with "characters" dressed in their period attire, ate treats, and roasted marshmallows over a bonfire while listening to carolers.  It was awesome.  In addition to seeing the mansion, we also saw some of the sets used for the filming of the "Lincoln" movie!  So cool!

3. Our ward Christmas party was so fun. I helped decorate a table for the dinner and was blown away by the creativity of some people's tables! There was a beautiful program and we felt the Spirit strongly testifying of the divinity of Christ.

4. Jordan and I celebrated Christmas on Hanukkah...because we would be in Utah for Christmas.  Haha!  I thought it was hilarious.  Jordan got me new pots and pans, Wii Zumba, and a shredder.  I got him a hand blender, a Nintendo 3DS, and some 3DS games.  It was very fun :)

5. I quit my job!  I'm quite glad.  I'll just leave it at that, haha.  My new job will start Feb. 6.  I'm so so excited.  The hospital is only a mile away, pays more than the other one, has amazing benefits, and (drum-roll, please) I'll be working DAYS!!!  Heck freaking yes!  No more sleeping during the day for me.  I'm still going to be working in Psych.  I love working with psychiatric patients.  The only downside I can see is that I will miss this view every morning from my other job...

6. Jordan likes to hold on to certain pieces of clothing.  Like a shirt he had from high school.  Needless to say, it had a ton of holes in it.  His mom had tried to throw it away and he "saved it" from the trash.  I tried to persuade him many times to throw it away and had no success, until he got the exact same shirt on our shopping trip in Park City.  He then agreed to put the shirt down, and I took pictures to document.

7. As part of the Richmond Mormon Chorale, we performed again at the Beth Ahaba Concert a little over a week ago.  It was wonderful!  We sang Peace in the Valley.  Sorry the video is fuzzy!

8. I have read 6 books so far this year, including The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Magic Study, Poison Study, and Fire Study!  The "Girl" series is SO good.  Seriously.  Graphic, yes, but so good.

9. And lastly, a bit of humor.  Jordan cut his hair a few weeks ago, and decided to surprise me with a "transition" phase.

Thankfully, it didn't last long!  Bahahaha!

Welcome 2011!

It's been a great year already! I've made my new year's resolutions and I'm excited. I love setting goals and seeing what it's possible to achieve. My inspiration for setting goals and making them are here and here and here!!

We've been going to Gold's Gym a lot - and I did the yoga class today and it was so good. I LOVE yoga! Jordan's been doing a lot of running, something he hasn't really been able to do since we moved because of the humidity and then the cold. I love going to the cardio cinema and watching a bit of some great movies.

I've set up a plan to learn new pieces in the piano AND to learn the organ. I plan on learning a new piece in each instrument every two months. I'm also going strong again in the Richmond Mormon Chorale, and we have a performance in three weeks!

That's just a couple of my goals. Jordan says he didn't make any new goals, but I know that he wants to get honors in his classes. He's begun embryology, physiology, and histology!

I'm going to start browsing for new jobs and applying only to jobs I REALLY want. Like psych or oncology jobs. So far, none are really available. There was this sweet promotion put on by Bon Secours that if you applied between January and March and got hired, you would get sent on a vacation of your dreams or given $3,000. I was so excited...and then found out that you have to have two years experience! Boo!

Oh, and I just finished reading "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. It is SO good! I loved it - it's the same kind of genre as "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen, one of my other favorites. So if you're looking for a good book, read it :) I'm now reading "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, an American classic.

That's all for now folks!

The. End.

I am finally done with Nursing Leadership and Capstone!!!!!!! HALLELUJAH!!! Now I just have to wait for my final grade to come back. I already know that I have almost 100% with the assignments, I just need to know what the grade for the final was. I really want to have as high a grade as possible. I'm barely hanging on to my 3.501 GPA and want to keep it above water! We got information about graduating and the pinning ceremonies we are going to have in May today. I can't believe how fast time is flying...I can remember my anatomy and introduction to chemistry classes in freshman year, and how HARD I thought they were!

For anyone who is ever considering going into nursing - just be sure that it is what you really want. It is extremely tough work. I'm not one to minimize pain, and trust me, nursing school is painful. Especially in the senior year. Things never get easier in school, hence the reason the classes go from level 100 to 200 to 300 to 400. You have to really love nursing to go through this. It is all for our patients we care for and the work that we do. As a nurse, you have people's lives in your hands. It is intense and scary at times, but is always rewarding.

This spring break I'm going to have some major major major reorganization. I love organizing :) it is one of my favorite things. I recently read a book called Getting Things Done and it was inspirational! Read it - it will give great tips on how to organize your entire life and how to keep it that way. I love it when things are not in disarray.

I'm also going to be hanging out with friends during this week-long break. I have not hung out with ALL my friend for fun since sophomore year, so I think it's high time. Girls nights are awesome! My hubby is probably going to be going on a road trip with his best friend so I will be able to sleep over at my friends house for girls night :) we are going to watch movies and talk and go get breakfast at IHOP. Mmm.

I'm also going to be making some major headway in my business. We just announced that we are going to be able to save people money on their gas and electricity bills at the end of this year! As well as offer digital phone service to small businesses! I'm so excited about these improvements. Imagine getting paid when people flip on the lights...or take a shower...or text their friends. I LOVE my company!! Visit www.melynacuthbert.acnrep.com for details.

I also can't believe that it is the end of February. This year is 1/6 of the way over!! Crazy. Kind of sad too. But I have been able to continue to work on my goals that I set up at the beginning of the year, and that is not something everyone can say. So this year has been fulfilling thus far. Let's all make 2010 the best year ever for us! Anything is possible!! Here are some great scriptures that I read this morning that relate :)

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God." - Ether 12:4

"Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." - Ether 12:6

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." - Ether 12:27

"Wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive inheritance in the place which though has prepared." - Ether 12:32