Obstacles Are What You See When You Take Your Eyes Off Your Goal

I did it! I have officially obtained my nursing degree! It feels like I have been working toward this moment for so long that it is still rather surreal that I am finally done. When Hyland and I first started dating we both talked a lot about how we weren't really happy with what we were currently doing professionally. We both had very clear thoughts about what kinds of careers we would really love to pursue if only... For so long I think we had both moved along separately knowing what we would really like to do, but somehow thinking there were just too many obstacles in our way. Going back to school seemed like a non-option to the single mom me who was barely scraping by with two jobs. I think in some ways Hyland felt like he had little chance of actually getting accepted into pharmacy school so he just didn't put forward the effort required to take the entrance exam and apply. I still don't remember who convinced who but somewhere along the way we started making plans...crazy plans! We would both go back to school! In fact why not go back to school together as soon as possible! We can do this thing together and then we will be stronger and happier for it. This was our mentality and looking back I am still not sure how we convinced ourselves to look past all the tremendous obstacles that stood in our way and take the leap, but we did. And so it started. We got engaged, 3 months later I received my acceptance letter, 2 months later we were married, 1 month after that Hyland received his acceptance letter, and 2 months later we were both full time students living on loans and love. I won't say it was easy, but we have always had a home, food, and plenty of joy in our lives.

Looking back I am still not sure how we got through that first year. There was the ever present stress associated with finances, but that was nothing in comparison with the all consuming guilt I would experience when I would have to put Liv in front of the TV for a 3 hour time span after already spending the whole day at school because mommy needs to study just a little bit longer. I don't have the words to express to you the feeling that came over me when I lied down with my sweet little girl on graduation night and she wrapped her little arms around my neck and told me she was proud of me. All I could say was that I was proud of her too. For being such a wonderful child and rolling with what was at times a very chaotic and stressful year and a half. I also realized that Hyland and I were right at the very start of this thing when we said we would be a stronger and happier family for doing this.

And I really can't officially end this post with out thanking both mine and Hyland's families. I have no idea how we would have made it through without you guys. Your love and support mean the world to us. Thank you so very much!

Tree Farm

I am positive that my favorite Christmas tradition my little family has is to head out to Motley's Christmas Tree Farm and cut down our own live tree. It's so much fun to walk trough all those trees in search of the "perfect" one. Then when you find that tree you cut it down with a saw they provide, and walk back to catch the hay ride. The hay ride takes you all over the farm and you pick up your tree along the way. Then they shake out out the needles for you, wrap it up, and even tie it to the top of your car. Once all that is taken care of you can go partake of the complimentary hot chocolate and fresh roasted peanuts. It's so much fun and so much less expensive than those trees you get out of those lots off the side of the road. We always have a great time, and I can feel good about laying down some of those happy childhood memories for Liv.

Thankful

I am thankful for my beautiful, loving, healthy, happy little family. I am thankful for a marriage that just seems to get better every day. I am thankful for a daughter who makes me laugh and tear up with pride. I am thankful for my 3 sets of parents who all support and love me in every way. I am thankful for my brothers and step-brother who have grown into remarkably good men that I can be proud to call my brothers. I am thankful for all three of my sister-in-laws who are all beautiful and sweet. I am thankful for my girlfriends who have stood beside me through thick and thin. I am thankful to have finally found a profession that fulfills me. I am thankful for all the experiences I have had that have led me to where I am today, because I couldn't possibly ask for a better life. Amen.

Halloween pics...yes I know they are very late!

Okay, so I have not been keeping up like I should. I am sorry. So here's halloween... We went to the Big Booseum Bash downtown and it was a lot of fun, like usual. Liv had a blast and got to meet Glenda the good witch in real life!

Fun at the Fair

As a general rule I avoid the fair at all costs. Lots of scary people (not just the carnies, either), lots of monies spent, and a pretty much guaranteed tummy ache. However, Liv has just now reached the 36'' neccesary to ride the rides, and I really felt like I shouldn't deprive her of something she would love so much. Soooo, I sucked it up and went. Surprisingly it was a great day! We brought Liv's step brother Sam, and he was the perfect big brother. The two of them together are so cute! He held her hand and helped her to navigate the rush to get in the rides. He even rode the "scary" rollercoaster for her. Liv loved every minute of it too. I swear the girl has no fear. Anyway, it was a lovely day (=

Pumpkin Patch

Last week Liv had her first ever field trip. It was to the pumpkin patch, and I was able to help chaperon. All the kids had a great time and it was awesome to see Liv interact with her classmates. Liv goes to Children's House Montessori, and I highly recommend this school. She is in a class with 3 to 5 year olds. This is a great situation for Liv. She is "just so shy" as one of her little friends put it. Having the older kids in the class to hold her hand and involve her is just wonderful.

While at the patch we got a couple of our own pumpkins and brought them home to carve. I was really proud of mine until I realized that noone can tell what it is I carved. Very disappointing. Let me know if you see it...

Anyway, here are some pics!

Curry Chicken

One of my very favorite things about the fall is how good soups, stews, and slow cooker recipes start sounding. I love to cook. I am not gourmet or anything (my philosophy is the less the ingredients, less the time, less the calories, the better the recipe), but I do like trying new recipes and tweaking them until they are just right for my family. Anyway, one of my favorite slow cooker recipes is Curry Chicken. It's easy, tastes great, is generally nutritious, and makes your house smell wonderful all day long.

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

*2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I have used regular chicken thighs and removed the skins myself before, it worked out fine. The meat just fell off the bones.)
*16 oz jar of thick and chunky salsa
*1 medium onion, chopped
*2 tbsp curry powder
*1 cup fat free sour cream

-Put chicken, salsa, and onion in crock pot. Stir.
-Put the curry in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds (heat releases the oils in the curry). Then stir curry in with chicken, salsa, and onion.
-Cook on low for 8-10 hours (or on high for 5 hours).
-Remove chicken to serving dish; cover to keep warm. Add sour cream to crock pot, stir until well blended. Serve over chicken.

**I like to serve this dish over rice. I put a little rice in a bowl, add the chicken, then cover with the sour cream sauce.

ps...this dish is surprisingly family friendly. Liv loves it! I just put a little more rice and less sauce in her bowl.

My Little Miss Doolittle

Hyland and I purchased a zoo membership this year and it was probably the best spent $50 all year. Liv and I frequent the zoo quite often. It's a great place for a picnic lunch, weekend outing, or just a quick one hour treat for Liv right after school. I myself love watching the gorillas. There is a new baby and it is really cool to see how human like their interaction is with their child. They discipline, tease, and even put their little one down for naps! I just love it! Liv really likes the snake house (odd, I know) and the lions. So to celebrate the good week Liv had at school we headed on over to our favorite hangout.

Ever since Liv has been able to talk she has been talking for both herself and all animals she comes in contact with. She was always telling us what the animals were saying...and most of time I do believe she is right on. Some examples that immediately come to mind... Once at the zoo we were watching two snakes in their cage and one was slithering all up on the other. Liv busts out with, "that snake is telling the other to sssssssscootch over." The baby goat at the petting zoo who was making all kinds of primal screaming noises was saying, "I want my mama!" The antelopes and kudus are always staring and asking, "what are you looking at?"

Today's best interpretation came when we were feeding the coy fish. I really dislike these nasty fish. They flop all over eachother for a little pellet of food. Not sure if you have ever seen them swarm, but they make some really gross sounds when they're fighting each other for that food. Anyway, Liv goes, "that fish says 'I need some space!'" All the grown ups within ear shot laughed, and I was extra amused because that is a statement I tend to make on a regular basis. When we got home Liv interpretted for our dogs Annie and Albert, "You guys never take us to the zoo with you!" That was pretty darn funny too (=

fifty cent taco night

I can't tell you the last time I got to have a true happy hour date with my friends. Well, actually it was last night, but before that it was a really long time ago. We usually save our outings for the weekends that Liv hangs out with her dad. However, last night Liv went to her dad's for an unexpected week night and we got to go have a little bit of grown-up weeknight fun. I forgot how much fun those weekday meetings can be. It's really a whole different vibe than hanging out on the weekend. It's so much more laid back and CHEAP! Happy hour specials rock!! Especially fifty cent thursday taco night at Grumpy's. We ate, drank, and were merry for a hell of a bargain price (=

Liv on Codeine

I doubt it is proper etiquette to write about your child's first experience with opiates on a blog, but I am going to do it anyway. So Liv has been averaging about 1.5 upper respiratory infections a month. It's very frustrating because the poor thing just keeps coughing and no medicine seems to bring her relief. She tosses and turns all night, whining, coughing, and keeping her momma awake right beside her rubbing her back and praying for some relief for her. So when we made our monthly visit to her pediatrician this time I was not leaving without something more effective. This is when the doctor comes clean with the fact that countless studies have proven that cough medicines don't work. The only cough medicines found to be effective are those that contain either hydrocodone or codeine. So I am of course nervous about giving my daughter such a heavy duty medication and ask both the doctor, pharmacist, and my ever helpful friend the internet if I should really be giving her this. The consensus: it won't harm her any more than the complete lack of sleep she is suffering with now...just make sure she wears sunscreen if we spend an extended amount of time in the sun and to keep in mind this will make her very drowsy. So with these assurances I start to look forward to a restful night in the Herring home.

About thirty minutes before Liv's regular bedtime I decide to give her the 1/2 teaspoon dose of phenegrin with codeine. About twenty minutes later my little party animal emerged. She insisted on a slumber party with Mom. This meant that I would have to put Momma make-up on her, paint her nails red (not pink because pink is for babies and she is almost a grown-up), and tell spooky stories. I have no idea where she got such a concise idea of what a slumber party is, but it was actually really fun. She was super goofy and super hyped up (nowhere near the super drowsy I had envisioned). After her nails dried and our impromptu photo shoot were over we got into bed and told out stories. I swear the girl would not go to sleep. She told me a very non-scary story about a purple unicorn named Garp, and severel silly stories about a little girl who kept monkeys in her bedroom. I think I might have fallen asleep somewhere in the middle of a story about a brown horse named Chuck.

Fast-forward to about 1 am. I wake up a little disoriented and find that Liv is no longer in my bed...mild panic. I get up to check out her bed...moderate panic. I head to the playroom, living room, dining room, bathrooms, still no Livi...serious panic! I run back to my bed and wake up Hyland, "Where's Liv! Did you put her somewhere?!" (looking back I wonder where I thought he might have put her). That's when I see this little hand poking out from under the bed. Liv is sound asleep on the floor under our bed. How and when she got there I have no clue, but I was just so glad to be able to pick her up and hold her in my arms. So I carried her to bed, and once again all was right in my little world. Did I mention this cough syrup actually works on the cough?

No, Mr Tweedy, You ROCK!

Not to brag or anything, but Hyland and I were sitting 2nd row center at the Wilco concert last night. This gave Jeff Tweedy the perfect opportunity to sing strait to me. Seriously...he even pointed at me! It was an awesome concert! There wasn't one single point where I felt okay with walking away to go to the bathroom (a very unfortunate situation when you basically funnel 2 beers right before heading in...my very first freeze brain from beer). My only regret was that I did not bring my camera. I have had a long standing rule to never bring my camera when drinking is involved which came about after a close call at Grumpy's...I had to send some chic in Mountain Home $40 to get my camera back, very random. However, now that I am blogging I think I might have to start bending that rule a little. Oh, one other negative of the night was my complete and utter disappointment with Wasabi. I was really looking forward to eating there, but the service was horrendous, the sushi was average, and these crazy people threw a milk shake at us from the street.

Everything You Ought To Know About Me

I am the proud parent of the most beautiful, funny, sweet, and intelligent little girl in the world. I also have a wonderful, loving, brilliant, and from time to time obnoxious husband named Hyland. I am only three months shy of graduating with my degree in Nursing (woohoo!!). I have the best group of girlfriends a girl could have. They are the main reason and inspiration for this blog (since you girls just can't stay close to home anymore!). I am in the process of perfecting the ultimate chocolate chip cookies recipe. I try to be forgiving because that's what Gandhi would do. I love being around people, but crowds make me nervous. My fantasy football team is sucking it up this year which is really hard for me to stomach. I took this little test online that says I am a yellow crayon. I really hope people will like my blog (=