crossrhodes

Cramming v. To prepare hastily for an impending examination.

Key words:
Hastily adv. Done or made too quickly to be accurate or wise.
Impending adj. To threaten to happen; menace.

That’s what I did last night, hastily preparing for a menace. *LOL* I only got 2 hours of sleep cramming for exams.

Mannn, the digestive system is the loooongest chapter so far! Starting with the mouth >>> ending with the anus >>> and 30+ feet of gross and microscopic anatomy in between… that’s a lot of memorization!!!

I’ve had discussions with a couple of people lately about my career choice. (Let me first clarify that my definition of a “career” is running my home and family. Anything outside of that for money is just a “job”. But that’s just my personal conviction.) I’ve had countless debates with myself on creativity versus practicality since I was in high school. Last year, I finally buckled down and declared my major in Radiology. I might have blogged about this before, but the only motivating factor in this decision was time and money. (Yes, they go together.) In a nutshell, it will allow me to only work part time outside the home while greatly supplementing my husband’s income. And should we lose my husband’s income for whatever reason, I’ll be better prepared to be the main breadwinner.

I did some research last year on job outlooks and earnings for allied health professions before I decided on Radiology, ultrasound to be specific because it has the least exposure to radiation. Just thought I’d share some of my findings.

Median earnings for Radiology/Diagnostic Imaging jobs in my metro area compared to the national average (from Salary.com):


Even at part time earnings of roughly $2,500 per week, based on the national average, buys me A LOT OF SCRAPBOOK SUPPLIES!!!!!! Or a new digital SLR camera each week!!! Or a new double convection oven or 6-range Viking stove w/ built-in grill every month!!! But I won’t need them coz that’s dinner at a 5-star restaurant each night!!! And did I also mention, THAT’S A LOT OF SCRAPBOOK SUPPLIES!!!!!! I may end up hating my job, but boy, THAT’S A LOT OF SCRAPBOOK SUPPLIES!!!!!!

Well, you get the picture :) So you see, creativity still wins over practicality!

One of the big differences between my DH and I is our vacation preference. He loves RV camping and being outdoors. I prefer air conditioned rooms and marble floors. Of course, James and I both said on separate occassions that we’d like to cruise again for this year’s family vacation. Seriously, we’re not conspiring against Don. He just happens to be outnumbered on this one. A cruise (or all-inclusive resort) has something to offer for every taste and age group all in one vacation.

But my DH is really excited about shopping for a new RV! (Our current pop-up camper is a really, really old hand-me-down with duct tape where the seams used to be.) I asked for at least a private toilet and shower coz I’m not crazy about towing all my bath & body paraphernalia to a bath house every day or hiking to a restroom when you really have to go in the middle of the night :) But because it has to be within the towing capacity of our minivan, we’re limited in size.

The models he’s found so far do have a toilet/shower inside the camper, but I have a real problem with their close proximity to the sleeping and eating nooks. I mean, I don’t mind doing #1 next to the stove. However, I think I would mind sleeping next to what is essentially a port-o-potty. Wouldn’t you??? Am I just OCD or is someone out there with me on this one???

I think out loud sometimes and I don’t realize I’m doing it until I get a reaction from my audience. I was sitting in the living room with a bunch of young parents and kids at my niece’s birthday party last night. I wondered who these kids would grow up to be; who’s going straight to college, who’s going to be a drop out, etc. Well, the latter kinda stirred up the room :) It does sound pessimistic, but you really never know.

Take my generation, for example. We used to be cute little kids, too, entertaining our parents and grandparents in our cute little ways. Our parents had the highest hopes and best intentions for us. When we grew up, some of us knew exactly what we wanted to do in college, some took longer to find ourselves. Some of us saved ourselves for the right one, others married too young or divorced. Some remained steadfast in our faith, some rebelled against it. The important thing is, our parents never ceased to love and accept us. But if only we could all remain this cute and innocent forever :)

I’m a little late in posting this, but better late than never! I made this scrapbook as a gift to Don last Christmas. It’s a dozen or so pages of the first 5 years of our marriage. It chronicles brief bits of how we’ve changed in that time and what we still need to work on.

It was a good exercise in self-assessment and discovery. It’s easy to get caught up in daily routines without pausing to look at the big picture. One of the things I learned a long (looong!) time ago is to document everything, from the mundane to extraordinary. Just as the experts suggest that writing down your goals helps keep your focus ahead, looking back thru my scrapbooks and journals helps me put things in perspective… whether there are things I need to change for the better or to see how far I’ve come. Making this scrapbook did that for me.

Anyway, if you aren’t scrapbooking yet, you really should try it! It’s very therapeutic and it’s one way to leave your legacy onto the next generation.