23.

I am officially the WORST gift receiver I know. A few days before we left for California I was bored at work and was wondering what Lance got me for my birthday (since he had implied that my presents were off my wish list.. which I thought was fill with things that were all too expensive).  During my boredom session I decided to pull up Lance's bank account and see just where my gift was from and I stumbled upon a purchase at bath and body works (which wasn't on my list, but I had mentioned I wanted some body scrub).  I just went on to assume all he got me was that and I was content with its simplicity (since he had purchased a purse for me back in August claiming it would be for my birthday).  The night before we left for California Lance asked if I wanted to bring my presents to California, open them now, or open them when we got home.  Since I secretly knew what the present was I said we could open when we got home.  Lance decided to give me one gift that night which was a lotion from Bath and Body Works.  

We ventured to California and spent the weekend indulging in the 40 mangoes my mom bought for us (yes... 40. Literally).  Every few hours Lance would grab a mango or two and devour its deliciousness. Our black Friday consisted of going to Wal-mart and Target and buying a few DVD's that were on sale..

 We went out one night to shop with my mom, but didn't find much- new makeup, shampoo and hair products, and new socks!! (I LOVE NEW SOCKS).  We ventured up to Santa Monica for an afternoon with my step sister, her boyfriend, and my brother.  It was nice having my brother around for the weekend even though we didn't do much, just ate and talked.  We also spent a good portion of our mornings helping my mom make lollipops for her company. 

my mom... working away.

On the morning of my birthday I decided to treat myself to a mani/pedi.  I am officially in LOVE with shellac and will be purchasing a UV light sometime in the near future.  I'm sure it isn't the healthiest thing for your nails, but it is so amazing to have your manicure look great for longer than 3 days. 

 When we arrived back home on Monday night Lance asked if I wanted to open the rest of my presents.  He presented me with a bath and body works git bag filled with more lotions and after smelling them all and thanking him for his thoughtful gift picking he tossed me another bag...

 I have been coveting this watch for the last couple of months and Lance went above and beyond and got it for me!  I am in LOVE with it. 

Happy First Winston.

I know I'm super late, but my beloved Winston celebrated his first birthday on 11/11/12.  He has been a joy and a pain over the past year.  His hyper nature tends to be a bit overwhelming and I'm pretty positive he doesn't realize how bulky he is because he tends to attach your face rather quickly with his teeth chomping in your direction. He's slowly getting used to being around people his own size (example below with little Minnie Collard).

 As you can see Ellie has already mastered the art befriending little people.   Winston has continued to pursue his cat-like side by always wanting to sit in a dining room chair... and hover over your shoulder on the couch. 

He has definitely brought a lot of excitement to our home, we love this furry chunk.

Almost not busy

Just to let those know who were wondering. Lance didn't get the Corner Canyon Head Coach position, but congrats to the guy who did get it!  He's a great guy and thank you to him for fighting for our country.

In other news, I just learned today two big things in regards to school.

 #1  Graduation will be on April 30th which is Less than 6 months (5 months 3 weeks and 3 days away!)

#2 My capstone on Labor and Delivery is scheduled for January and I just got my preceptors schedule!!!  One bummer to the schedule is the fact that she will be working on Wednesday and that is also the day that I have class, but hopefully missing 1 or 2 classes won't hinder things too much. 

I'm super excited to finally say that I will be graduated in less than 6 months.  It feels like I have been in school for eternity, but now things are winding down and I am so grateful for the skills and knowledge I have gained over the past 5 years of my higher education. 

Thanks to BYU for teaching me that being perfect isn't everything and faith is everything.  Thanks for giving me wonderful professors who enjoyed teaching and brought out the passion from within me.  Thanks for the dreadful testing center and having the agency to choose when I was ready to take a test instead of marking it with a set time and place.  Thanks for the big stairs and spacious campus... my legs looked wonderful and toned thanks to you.  Thanks for accepting me as a student and giving me numerous scholarships to provide me with essentially a free college experience.  Thanks for my bachelors degree, and although I'll never use it for what it is, I'm grateful to have it.

Thanks to Eagle Gate College for accepting me into the nursing program literally a week before classes began.  Thanks for the flexibility of working with students and their busy work and personal lives.  Thanks for being close-ish to my house.  Thanks for providing me with adequate knowledge to make it in the nursing profession. 

Less than 6 more months and my signature will officially be Christine Gummersall RN.

:)