Sunny Sky, Floating Clouds, Rippling Ocean

Heyo,

I don't often post pictures on this blog, but somedays just need to be sunny and should include the ocean. It is peaceful. It is happy. I am not technically there. I am not at the ocean, but I have a picture.

So no moral or joke today. Just ocean.

<3 Lissa

Streamline

Heyo One All,

We pause the normally ransoms blog post for Melissa to write a few paragraphs as a sermon to herself. BECAUSE AS MUCH AS SHE TRIES TO REMEMEBR THIS, SHE DOESN'T. 

Doing things right and just doing them. There is a difference. And a lot of times I miss the line that separates them. I don't always complete my task well, because my mind is so focused on the finishing, I don't care if the race I ran was complete. 

Too theoretical? Practically it looks like this. Folding laundry sloppily, just so I can get it in drawers and move on to the next activity, not caring that I may have to iron before work the next day.

Moral of the story, it I do things well. I may not have to do so many things. Being busy isn't the goal and being done isn't the goal, being diligent and content are. Let's do things once not twice, and let's learns this lesson.

<3 Lissa

Love In Action

Heyo,

Today our pastor taught on James One, the "be doers" passage. It was pretty convicting especially as I have been in church my whole life, and I know how to hear a sermon. As a Christian, I need to do more than listen; I need to do. Action is core, and love guides works. So as a bit of a test in how I am doing I took a Scripture passage and replace "Love" with "Melissa" and "it" with "she". I have to say creating it was super convicting; I still have a long way to go.

Melissa is patient, 

Melissa is kind. 

She does not envy, 

She does not boast, 

She is not proud. 

She does not dishonor others, 

She is not self-seeking, 

She is not easily angered, 

She keeps no record of wrongs. 

Melissa does not delight in evil 

but rejoices with the truth. 

She always protects, 

always trusts, 

always hopes, 

always perseveres.

Melissa never fails.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a

 

Try it out and see how much your love is in action.

<3 Lissa

 

                   

Coat Closet

Heyo,

So tonight I did some volunteering for a fundraising banquet. My sister and I ran a coat closet. This involves after attendee's arrival, taking their coats from them and hanging them up. In order to avoid a mix-up, we tag their coat with a number and give them a chip with the same  number.

So Meg and I get there early and start setting up. Then we realized there was a tag situation. We had one through fifty. And that was it.

Brief aside to remind readers, how cold it is currently. Still REALLY cold. No thanks spring.

We decided to role with it. As you can image more than fifty people came and we ran out of tags. Even after running the normal precautions, of one tag per family and encouraging people to keep their coats with them, 'it may be cold during dinner' and other fine lines. No big deal it would just be chaos later, we continued accepting coats and hanging them up with no identifiers.

Then the unimaginable happened. We ran out of hangers. I was in the back, watching them dwindle until there were no more.

Still the coats kept coming. We began to pile them on desks and chairs. Pretty much anywhere, but the floor. The crowd was slowing, the event starting, we were almost in the clear. When one more party walked in. Some other volunteer greeting one of them with, "Senator."

We took their coats of course, but we were fresh out of tags, hangers, or any non-floor space. There was no more room, not without it getting put with other coats and forgotten. What to do?

We finally dragged in another chair just to keep the Senator's coat. I never thought a coat closet's job could be stressful, but it is a responsibility. Especially with government officials are involved.

All of that and we were only half way done for the night.

<3 Lissa

 

IT IS FRIDAY

Heyo,

Today. Today was that last day of school before spring break...YAY.

I KEEP FORGETTING THAT I DONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SCHOOL NEXT WEEK. I FEEL OBLIVIOUS TO IT.

Sorry for the all caps, but time is ticking, and all I want to do is sleep.

I mean I want to do ALOT of other things, but I only feel like sleeping. Basically the list starts today. Yikes. I have only nine days with which to do FUN things.

And today I got myself a job. Literally I did. So there is that.

G'night and happy Friday, to one and all!

<3 Lissa

The Day Time Stopped

Heyo,

Today I sat through five hours of lecture and then time just stopped.  Our teacher keeping lecturing is on the different disorders of the kidney, and the second hand continued to move, but the minute would not  change.

I thought we were being very productive.

I thought I was tired, zombie, loopie, whatever.

The truth of what was happening didn't even occur to me.

After what felt like forever our teacher paused and told we could have a five minute break. Then she looked behind her at our clock and saw the time got super confused.

Asked the class what happened, apparently most of them were on the same page I was. Cell phones emerged and we solved the case of he conflicting clocks.

Apparently the clock at the front of the room had stopped working.

So no, I didn't find a pathway to Neverland, we just had a defective clock.

That started back up just before we left.

Not sure what to make of it all.

<3 Lissa

So We Know

Heyo,

No secret I love writing and nursing, and people. But sometimes I need to refuel and just hang out. Like read instead of writing. Aka Twitter. Ahem I mean other literay novels of highest quality, sometimes. Or talk with people normally instead of using "therapeutic communication" with them. There are all things to balance.

Like one day I came home from clinicals mentally and physically exhausted, but I needed a release so I made muffins.

Other times, today, I just need a nap.

And I sometimes feel guilty for needing these things.

But why? They aren't bad. I am simply taking care of mysel. So next time you see me running or singing at the tops of lungs or staying up late writing, and wonder why I am NOT doing school work. Well, now you know. And I know too.

<3 Lissa

Getting Ready For School...As A Nurse

Heyo,

Everyone has to get ready for the day ahead, but nursing students, me, get ready differently than most.

1. Start the night before
2. Like give yourself a healthy thirty minutes...maybe more
3. Get your gym bag out of the car
4. Empty all the dirty laundry out
5. Grab your workout clothes 
6. Put them in the bathroom
7. Grab your scrubs
8. Put them in your gym bag
9. Find a banana 
10. Put it also in the gym bag
11. Wonder if you will want a healthy lunch
12. Or a yummy one
13. Try to find a balance
14. End up with whatever is in the fridge
15. Forget fluids
16. Stick it all in the fridge 
17. Pray you don't forget it
18. Collect all the paperwork required
19. Panic, because, it is just what Student nurses do
20. Double check
21. Triple check
22. Check with other students
23. Panic with other students 
24. Pack two textbooks
25. Tell yourself you won't need them
26. Take them out
27. Put one back in
28. Put the other one in
29. Stick the backpack and the gym bag in the car
30. Ensure that garage door is NOT stuck
31. Get your pjs on
32. Get into bed
33. Set at least three alarms for about 0430 
34. Panic you won't wake up
35. Tell other family to walk you up, if you don't wake up
36. You are super tired
37. You are super worried if you fall asleep, you will be late
38. Fall asleep
39. Wake up every hour to make sure you don't have to leave
40. Jump out of bed at your alarm
41. You are finally ready to go.

<3 Lissa

Spring Break LIST

Heyo,

Monday. Wow the start of another week. Is here. Again.

I have my eyes on the prize...of spring break next week. Just five more days until I am done for a week. I thought in honor of free time unless you count all the homework I have I should make a list of all the things I plan to do during my free time.

School

• Simulation lab prep
• Prep for OB on campus lab
• Study Newborn
• Study GI/GU
• HIPPA test
• Comb Blackboard for things I may be missing
• Organize
• In print

Things

• Get outside the house, several times
• Babysit
• Clean room/clothes
• Write some letters

Creativity

• Read three at least books
• Write one chapter a day
• Revise two chapters a day

Social Media

• Figure out snapchat
• Tweet more
• Blog once a day
• Organize Pinterest boards better

Any other ideas? I swear I rarely make lists, it is just so much fun to blog about them.

On another vein of thought, I need to decide my summer plans and oh my pickles, that is hard. Because get this, there are so many AWESOME options. I just can't pick. Guess I am going to have to soon...

<3 Lissa

Whiteboards

Heyo,

I love whiteboards. They are inspiration and organization at the same time. It is almost an oxymoron. They are lovely for any kind of big idea.

They are  clean and dirty

Chaos and delineation 

Work and play

And that is about all there is to say.

At least about whiteboards. I have been using them recently to study for the tests, and now to plot things out for novel planning. It is really intriguing how one tool is so versatile. Okay I am really done now waxing poetic about my whiteboards. 

I have found it is pretty much always the little things in life that make me happy or mad. Like we could probably trace it back to the big stuff like, "she is probably happy about writing, but she is talking about whiteboards."

This is true, but really it is the whiteboards of life that bring te simple uncluttered joy. And that is what I am happy about tonight.

<3 Lissa

Setting and Songs

Heyo,

Today was wonderful. The snow melted and was out of the house for thirteen hours. Like not simply out of the house. I went places. Oh, the places I went were awesome.

At one point I found myself Ina lovely old townhouse living room with a grand piano. Now I have taken lessons, but I can't play. Been out of practice too long. Wich is why I was super happy I wasn't alone.

The scene went something like this:

Me and little sister sitting on a couch. Me writing, she writing too.

We interrupt this scene, to an incident that happened earlier that informs what is happening now...then...another time.

"Melissa, how would you feel about me asking you to write a song for my novel?"

"Honored."  My thoughts "SHE THINK I AM GOOD ENOUGH TO WRITE A SONG. I STILL HAVE A CHANCE IN THE MUSIC BIZ. SOMEBODY GET BROADWAY ON THE PHONE.   Oh yeah."

And we rushed away.

Back to previously scheduled story time.

Her. Me. Piano.

Song time.

Well, first it was me scratching out lyrics. Something about battle, hurt, discernment, and time. Mmh, it was that cool. And maybe generic. 

Then we hit the keys. And so what, it wasn't tuned? So what I sang off pitch? It was fun and we created something epic. Or at least something. 

We spent two hour composing and it was wonderful.

It is a collaboration song, for a novel that isn't finished...so it is innovated. Who writes a song for a book that isn't done yet? I do. We do.

 <3 Lissa 

Boring Me...zzzzz

Heyo,

What to do on a day off of school (or what I did):

Wake up at six

Stay in bed until seven-thirty

Find out it snowed 

Stay in bed a bit longer

Eat a full peaceful breakfast

Grab your four notebooks for two novels

Read an entire book

Forget lunch, because you never remember at school

Chores

Run

Free Rita's (no shame from the Italian ice, because you ran before coming...right?

CheckForGradesCheckForGradesCheckForGradesCheckForGradesCheckForGradesCheckForGrades

Go see a movie (or so you think)

End up watching your whole family sob through

Go to a buffet pizza place

Come home and CHECK FOR GRADES

Actually get some writing done

Feel guilty at not getting school done

Fall asleep anyway.

<3 Lissa

The Thursday

Heyo!

Much happier today. I took a test today, the last one before spring break. That equals so much happiness. Sunshine. Freedom. Sleep. Movies. People time. Free Ritas's tomorrow. Library books. Writing.  ALL HAPPY  THINGS.

Sorry my life has been pretty boring lately. So almost anything besides tests and hospitals makes me ecstatic. Or I was. Then I hear that there is snow predicted tomorrow and it kind cuts into my mood.

Oh, well. "THE COLD NEVER BOTHERED ME ANYWAY." Except that isn't true. It does. I just don't want it too. So, I am pretending it isn't coming.

Okay I was just reminded of a really good thing about snow: cancellations.

That is happy. I can be happy about the snow. Mostly.

One day until the weekend!

<3 Lissa

The Time To Do

Heyo,

I mentioned to a friend today that there just isn't enough time.

I want to be prepared for my test on Thursday.

I want to be there for the people I love

I want to make up brilliant blogs.

But at this moment I feel like I have no time.

So I need to prioritize and that takes purpose and planning I don't feel is in me right now.

So sorry.

<3 Lissa

People Aren't Sick?

Heyo,

So no excuses. Blog has been quiet, because of real life things. Good things, and alright things, and maybe, not-so-great things.

One of those things was a test, did well (thank you Lord!), and the good news is I have another big test this week :/ Oh, well.

After test last week, I drove down to the library to pick up a movie (Maze Runner...so excited to watch!). It was nice to go somewhere, other than my four favorites the gym, school, the hospital, or home. As I walked into the library I started seeing people walking all around me. It wasn't that crowded, there were maybe twenty, but it hit me. Just how many people were walking along the street, needing no help. How healthy everyone was.

And then I realized I spend way too much time in a hospital. :P I am an extrovert, so I find people everywhere; that didn't surprise me. It was how no one was sick. I think somewhere subconsciously I started to think that everyone is sick and dying well everyone is dying...you know what I mean. Like "People aren't sick? Why are they walking without IV's? Not so much as a cough from those kids?" *Sigh* I spend too much time around sick people. It is good, because I want to be a knowledgeable nurse, and bad, because well, I might be a tad warped.

Diffidently need to get out more. The library was a good start and then Friday evening I went to little sister's play, which was AMAZING. Regressed on Saturday when I stayed home all day and studied.

Hope the library story makes you feel better. That I haven't just been neglecting you.

Tomorrow more hospital time, and gym time hopefully, and maybe if I am really lucky I will get to study more...yay.

On an upside the weather has been getting warmer. It has been amazing outside.

<3 Lissa

The Daring Art of Dealing

Heyo,

There is the this phrase "How to deal". I think of this phrase as away of saying "how do you do it? Like I am coping, not awesome. Something happened and I don't know." Basically we all have to deal, but how do we do it?

So here are tips to deal:

1. Deep Breath
2. Take a nap
3. Go for a  walk
4. Eat chocolate, and Chex
5. Enjoy some sunshine
6. Talk to a pal
7. Try another walk, longer
8. If you still can't deal, run away
9. Pack a bag
10. Bring a banana for luck
11. And head somewhere with better weather
12. Because if you are going to be a quitter you might as well do it in California
13. Besides the basically pay you for living, right?

*note: I have never done this step, but I dream of doing it someday when it wouldn't be a disaster. The point of course is to avoid chaos not create it.

<3 Lissa

Just Ideas

Heyo,

Just ideas. Words. They can be trite lies. Simply stories.

Other times ideas are our reality. And it is hard to see them as such after all the degrading they get a majority of the time. Bottom line ideas are worthless unless you mix them with actions. We can tell they are true, real, our reality by how well they are backed up with actions.

And if they are real it is our job to treat them as such.

Anyway there is your deep thought for the day. Now for your inspiring one:

Somebody told me today that I was strong, not physically, but emotionally and spiritually. And it meant the world to me, because telling me I am strong, validates that I am doing hard things. Not perfectly, but I am doing it. Not alone either, God is a great leader and my family is a great support team. And I am learning.

It meant so much to me I want to pass that along to you.

 You are a strong person.

<3 Lissa

LIST, things I am tired of

Heyo,

So little sister thinks I have been doing too many lists. Or at least that I do a lot of them. I don't mind. They are fun and easy to do. So here is another lists

NOTE: I am not ungrateful, for things, I just get a bit tired...of things.

• Snow The stuff has over-stayed its limited visit

• Studying Love learning, just so much to know. And limited time

• Not enough sleep And too much awakeness required

• Busyness, without productivity, is frustrating. Like I am only checking pointless boxes

• Laziness In myself. I give up before I try

• Screens I love technology, I just wish I didn't have to spend my life sitting in front of computers.

• Cold It makes everything a little bit more miserable

• Distractions For me it is tantalizing book ideas when I should be preparing for next week's test

• Mistakes Both my own and others

<3 Lissa

Snow Day Studying

Heyo,

I am not from snowy weather, I grew-up where it rained during the winter and where the sun shined in the summer. Those were the days.

Here it snows. Snow equals snow days. I used to consider these days as free holiday days. They aren't. It tricky see, because they keep you at home, but your work still needs to get done. The world doesn't stop turning for snow and since the internet, classes don't stop either.

So pretty much snow days are normal days, with shoveling to do.

Yaaay.

I really don't give snow enough credit though, because if you do try and venture out, snow will get its revenge.

Sometimes it is by making you cold and miserable. Sometimes it is because it cancels your flight. Other times it blinds you with beauty and then reduces visibility to zero, causing a car wreck.

Pick your poison. Slow death of boredom and work or terrify you with unknown element of ice.

Either way, winter gets the last laugh.

<3 Lissa

Dual Lives

Heyo,

So as you all know, I am a nursing student, and am also a very creative person. 

I know, you all know that people are more than one label (popular and shy, athletic and brilliant). As a kid I knew that too, but I didn't always act like it. I thought if I wasn't smart right now, I never would be. And that's not true. Time passed, parents pushed, I kept reading, grew-up and realized my mistake.

And now I have gone to the other extreme. I think that to be smart, I can't be creative. Or I don't have time for it. I have started seeing a world of limited resources. This is not good.

The problem is how they compete. I can't do everything, but I hate acting like my time is somehow less limited or valuable than say, everyone else on this earth. It is driving me crazy to always be like, "Can't. I have school." Or "No, there is a test next week."

So last night, being all hyper from clinicals, nap, then making fun CP, I tweeted a question to one of my favorite authors:

You could say I knew the answer, but I still wanted to be told. And being told my someone older and more credible; and that was smart and creative? Well that was just awesome.

No. I am not a fan girl. I simply respect the skills it takes to get on the New York Times Best Seller List.

Back to the point I will make time for writing. I am allowed to have fun and work hard. I need to. It's all good.

<3 Lissa 

The Blight Is Back

Heyo,

NOTE: THIS POST IS ONLY DECIPHERABLE TO THOSE ASSOICAITED WITH COLLEGE PLUS.

Today is Tuesday and I know, I know that College Plus means nothing to most people, but to some, some unlucky few, it is everything. Not only was this the day I was posing my CP series on, but today they announced something.

THERE WAS A LIVESTREAM

In other words there is a new National Student Cabinet. Good news? Thank goodness, my sister is not a member.

Bad news? She is now a College Plus Student Life Employee. So while she didn't show her face on camera, she was there. In Texas. So she had us watch the live stream. Basically the choice was watch or study. So yeah, best of two evils.

Fun Quotes 

• They were described in comments as "slap happy". A direct result of too much caffeine. Who knew coffee loosens the tongue.
• "It is just a way to get a degree." Hannah 
• "It was the first time I knew a real community existed." Jonathan Now the question is do you real know the true depth of this 'community' quicksand. 
• "Treated me like a person." Dude on the far right. This of course was the wrong protocol; he should have been treated as a fish.
• "Better than building a snowman in the summer." The Olaf
• "Don't know it exists." Hannah
• "You are part of a firework." Amy
• Don't get me started on CPE3 apex. 
• " Bridget has been spunky." Aubry This of course a result of the Megan-Jordan-Aubry indoctrination program
• "Hardest tests?" - Aubry big surprise they all said actual tests. These are the same people choosing to TEST out of college.
• "POODLES?"
• "Don't prefer them..." Jonathan Then Jordan tosses a toss a dog and after that Aubrey is like "Jonathan really doesn't like poodles." Animal cruelty.
• "HI ENOCH" Everyone Hi too.
• Aubry: "What is your life purpose?"  Hannah: "What!?" Nice to know that CP Navigate is working well.
• "I want people to walk away like they are going somewhere." I couldn't agree more, Jordan. I advocate walking, away.
• "It's coming." Like an oncoming storm.
• "Will it be similar to next year?" Please, please, please...
• "Oh yeah." Nooooooo. Not the right thing to say.
• "Just sit there and stew." Currently stewing...Thanks.
• Olaf: "Finding the idea of what my skills are" Again, the success of navigate is overwhelming :P
• "I wish we could explain our excitement." Hannah  Well, you tried.

Megan (through text) That's our cabinet

Me The aftermath begins. They are just guppies...They need mama bear Meg and cool Aunt Aubry...such a nerdy family.

Okay, bye now.

<3 Lissa

P.S. I want to thank the new National Student Cabinet, for reminding me what it felt like to be human. Making fun of you, makes me too happy.

The Break-Down of Growing-Up

Heyo

Another week of clinicals. Still cold, still snow. The truth about growing up:

• It happens gradually
• It is busy, so busy
• And boring
• So much responsibility
• So much fun
• It is wisdom
• And stupidity
• Totally confusing
• It is nothing like you expected
• Over times it just happens
• And it is hard.

<3 Lissa

The Ceiling

Heyo,

The ceiling. We stare at it every night before going to sleep. It is either that or fix our eyes on the four walls that surround us. I always preferred looking up. In fact when I was little I used to say 'Aim for the sky, hit the ceiling.' And it was true then, that is exactly what I did. "Moving again? I can make more friends AND keep the old." "I can take ten credits at sixteen." "Nursing, so totally happening." 

Those are big things, but I push myself too, in little ways everyday. "I can watch this movie AND study. And work-out. And socialize." No worries. Until I never sleep and am stressed out. Lately I have been trying to take more purposeful breaks, so as to not wear thin, but, see, I am terrified of hitting the ceiling. Of finding the place where I can go no higher, burn-out. whatever you call it. When I start to give up on something, the thought of failing, plateauing, keeps me going. Keeps me pushing through.

I not the best at anything, compared to others and I know that. Nor am I always the wisest with my time *cough* Netflix *cough. Basically, not saying that I am perfect, or better, or worse than others; I am strictly talking about me here. I don't want to stop improving. I can't stand this being the best I can be. This can't be as good as it gets. Not yet.

<3 Lissa