Comin' home!

I think I can truly say that yesterday was the happiest day my family has ever had. Ian came home from his mission!

My stress and fatigue levels are running at an all-time high these days so my emotions were all over the place. I cried when my mom told us his plane had landed in LA so my mom bought me my very own box of Kleenex. We got to the airport in time to see another family waiting at the bottom of the stairs for their missionary and seeing him hug his family set me off too. I was seriously a basket case.

On the escalator. PS look how far back they made us stand. Are you kidding me right now?

Danielle was filming him come down the escalator and hug everyone and she told us that she wished she had turned the camera around because she looked back and everyone that was standing there was bright red and sopping wet. I thought it was hilarious.

Mom got to stand in front of the barrier so she could hug him first.
Again, I can't get a very good picture when I'm standing 100,000 feet away now can I?

I love this kid. I'm glad the picture is from this angle because I was gettin' my ugly cry on hardcore.

Blurry but super cute. Jilly said she wasn't going to be that excited on her wedding day.

Ian's luggage didn't quite make the flight with him, so while we were waiting to get everything sorted out, I went through the bag he had carried for the past year in Japan. I know it sounds corny, but I wanted to see what he had with him on a day-to-day basis. I found this customs form in his wallet and I don't know why but it hit me what a truly foreign country he's been in. I imagined him as a greeny looking at things like that and thought how insanely terrifying that would be at first, and what a BIG step to take for a 19-year-old kid. But, in true Ian fashion he just dug his heels in and went to work. I'm as proud as a big sister can be. Also, I love that he can write all those characters after studying the language for two years. It's so cool!

A Whirlwind Month

I have more to get done tonight than I have time for, but I feel like time to just write is long overdue, so here we go.

It's reinforced each day to me what a good fit nursing is for me. It's not easy, but it comes easily. I genuinely enjoy the class discussions I take part in and learning new skills in lab. Clinicals in Long Term Care have been a little... well, boring... but I'll be at the hospital in a few more weeks, so I'll enjoy it more. My professors all have decades of experience under their belts and it's been fun to listen to them tell stories. One of them is even a peds girl like I am so I enjoy hers the very most. The other day she told us about a rough delivery that resulted in a newborn that they weren't expecting to live very long. The mother was understandably rather distraught about the whole situation and insisted that my professor baptize her baby. After numerous objections, my teacher went to the nursery and "said 'In the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost and sprinkled water on his head.'" She had the whole class laughing as she told that story, and it just goes to show that you never quite know what you'll see when you go to work in a hospital.

My clinical instructor told us on the first day how important it is for us to forget about our social lives and buckle down for the next year and a half. "You'll thank me later," she says. Well, no offense, but I know me, and I know I will burn out and flunk out of nursing school if I don't take time for myself and my family. So this weekend, I blew off studying (well, ok.. I did most of it before we left) and went with the Harwells to Las Vegas. We were the most touristy tourists you've ever seen and I loved every minute of it. We got an all day pass for the rollar coaster at NY, NY because you know a trip to Vegas isn't the same without it. On Saturday, we walked from New York, New York to Treasure Island and back. I'm pretty sure it was at least 4 miles. We got back to the hotel at 10:30 that night and Ian and I crashed. What a weekend!

We have a picture just like this one from our honeymoon.

See? Touristy tourists in front of the Luxor

Selfie at the Cosmopolitan

Doris, Alan and Ian in front of Liberace's car at the Cosmopolitan.
PS look at those awesome chandeliers in the background. I want one!

I like my new phone with the forward facing camera.
Another selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Who needs to go to Europe when you live 1.5 hours away from Vegas?

Waterfalls in front of The Mirage. I had never been there before.

I had no idea there were dolphins at The Mirage, but here they were!

The lion showing us what he really thinks of us.

Majestic tigers.

My favorite place to go in Vegas is the gardens at the Bellagio.
It was decorated for Chinese New Year. 

My favorite selfie of the trip.
After spending about an hour a day with this guy lately,
a chance to spend an entire day was just what we needed.