Nursing Orientation

I had my Nursing Orientation today which was awesome! I had to dress up like a SuperHero so I went as a Super Student Nurse. I wish I would have taken a picture of it this morning because my costume turned out really cute! On the back of my lab coat it said:

STUDENT NURSE

I gave up my life to learn how to save yours.

The orientation was really inspiring but at the same time intimidating as well. The senior class started off with 60 people and now have a graduation of 12! Yes, I said 12! Some of those people couldn't make the grades and others couldn't make the full commitment of time, but I know I won't make those mistakes. I knew going to nursing school would be a huge commitment and I am prepared for that but I will miss my husband, family, friends, and having a social life :)

Shopping Adventure

Justin and I had to run up to Greenwood this evening for a little shopping. We ran to Bed Bath & Beyond to pick up a wedding gift, Menswarehouse to get a tux, and to Best Buy so I could purchase a laptop for school. I love shopping for anything and everything except for computers. It's awful with all of the choices and brands! I was thinking about a Mac but a lot of the healthcare software is not compatible so I ended up with the Dell Inspiron. It's pink soo it made the decision a little easier as well :)

After leaving Best Buy, we were starving so we ran over to Olive Garden to grab a bite to eat. I love date nights with my husband but I especially love impromptu dates :) We originally wanted to get in order something little and get home, but we ended up just taking our time. We laughed soo much during that dinner and had such a wonderful time! I'm very lucky that I have such a funny husband!

On our way home we got the call that Grandma Howard was in the hospital with chest pain. We went to visit her (this was about 11:30pm) and the ER Dr. did not think it was her heart but maybe a touch of pneumonia. She was admitted that night but was already feeling better when we left. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers!

Visit To Riley

Justin and I went to Riley's Children Hospital in Indy to visit Aubrey and the Beever/Deno families. Aubrey has a type of leukemia which is called "ALL" the family was hoping for this type because AML is a lot harder to treat. Aubrey was all smiles! You would have no idea that this little beautiful baby was sick; she was walking all around the play area and smiling away. She gets her first chemo treatment tonight so please pray that her white blood cells drop. Hopefully, she'll be able to go home and continue her treatments next week!

Pray for Baby Aubrey

I just found out that my close friend Lacey, her youngest daughter Aubrey, was diagnosed with Leukemia this afternoon. I do not know any more details about the diagnosis or prognosis, but please pray for this beautiful little 1 year old girl tonight before you close your eyes and tomorrow before your feet hit the floor; she is such a beautiful and happy baby. Please keep Aubrey and the Beever/Deno families in your prayers.

Weekend Recap

Friday night we went over and had dinner and drinks at Ross & Lauren's house. Lauren & Ross just recently found out that they are expecting Newhouse #2 at the beginning of April. So we celebrated the great news!

Saturday was a fun night as well! I had to work all day Saturday but as soon as I got home Justin, Plummer, and I headed to Greensburg to grab some dinner at Wings & Rings and catch a movie ("The Other Guys") which was hilarious. We had a great time!

Sunday was a great day! Tom, my FIL, delivered the sermon at church. He did an AMAZING job! He talked about believing and trusting in God and his plan for your life. I think the part of the service that got me the most was when he summed up what worrying is. He expressed how worrying does nothing for you but shows that you do not have faith in God and his genious plans. I would not call myself a worry wart but I do worry here and there but since this sermon today, I am going to make a conscious effort to just turn it all over to God!

I hope you all have a great week :)

Fripp Island Family Vacation

The Selby clan headed down to Fripp Island, SC this past week and had an AMAZING time with everyone. We ran into a couple of problems with the house we rented (like the upstairs A/C going out and taking 2 days to fix) but other than that we had a great time and made A LOT of GREAT memories! Pictures to come...



While on vacation we also got the news that we are going to be an Aunt & Uncle again. Justin's sister, Janel, is due at the beginning of March! Congratulations!

Weekend Recap - Shopping, Putt Putt & More Shopping

This weekend was fun and relaxing! Friday morning our car had to be taken in for a recall so I got a rental and headed over to Greensburg to do a little shopping. After shopping, I met Justin for lunch which was soo nice because I am hardly ever in the area to have lunch with him. We ate some Chinese and then headed over to see Aunt Dala's new house. After a short visit Justin headed back to work and I headed back home to do some much needed laundry and pick up our car from the dealership.

Justin got home around 5:00 and since it was still soo hot we decided to head over to his parents house and get in the pool. It wasn't too long after that Justin was hungry and wanted to go grab some Mexican. We invited Linda, Justin's mom, to go with us! We had a great time catching up and eating WAY TOO MUCH!

Saturday, I pretty much worked from 10-5pm. When I got home I was really tired so Justin and I decided to pop in a movie. We watched Valkerie (sp?) with Tom Cruise; it was pretty good! After the movie, we got our second wind and decided to go play Putt Putt.

(I know I look really weird but this is the only picture I have from the night taken with my BB)

Justin supposedly beat me by three strokes but I think next time I'll keep score and see who wins :) Afterwards, we grabbed an ice cream cone and headed home; I love out little dates.

Sunday = Shopping

Since Justin and I are leaving on vacation soon we decided to spend Sunday shopping. We headed up to Greenwood and definitely did some damage! After about 3 hours of shopping we started to get hungry and headed over to Olive Garden for a late lunch. We decided to leave Greenwood and head to Shelbyville to stop by another store and shoe place. Finally, I had enough shopping done and we headed home so we could make it in time for dinner at Justin's parents house. It was soo nice having everyone together for dinner!

It was a wonderful weekend! I hope everyone has a great week!

Weekend Recap - A Holloway Becomes an Ellis

This weekend was full of activities. I love weddings and I was very honored to help my friend Taylor with hers this past weekend. Friday I helped with decorating and rehearsing for Tay's wedding. After a couple practices everyone headed to Rico's for the rehearsal dinner; it was a really nice dinner. Our friends Haily and Mac were flying in for the special occasion so after the rehearsal dinner Justin and I met them at my Grandma's house. Kent & Melissa put on an awesome display of Fireworks for about an hour that we all enjoyed and then headed back to my mom's house because we were all soo tired.

Saturday morning we got up early and headed to my Aunt Lisa's house to swim for about an hour. It was really nice seeing everyone and I even got to meet my new 2nd cousin Brody. Lindsey is an amazing mom and Brody is adorable.

Saturday afternoon we headed to Kentland for the main event. Taylor was a glowing beautiful bride despite the 95 degree weather. The wedding was outside under a beautiful tent! It was soo great to see a lot of my friends that I haven't seen in forever. Justin and I danced pretty much all night and had a blast! Congrats again Mr. & Mrs. Ellis :)

Weekend Recap

Saturday night Justin and I had an AMAZING time with my dad, sis (Melissa), and her boyfriend Kent at the Tom Petty concert.

(All I had was a picture from the cell phone)

Thank you soo much for the tickets dad! We had such a great time! Love you!

Sunday, we were pretty lazy much of the day! We slept in and unfortunately missed church, but we had a nice little Sunday morning making pancakes. In the afternoon we headed out to the pool to get some sun and spend time with Linda & Ella. It was nice to just relax and get a little sun. We then headed over to Greensburg to see the movie "Grownups" which we thought was really funny. It was a nice relaxing weekend which is just what we needed! I hope all of have a great week!

Soo Hard

Justin and I have been upset all day about losing Savannah. I had to go into work an hour late this morning because I could not pull myself together. Then the waves of emotions started. I was sad, angry, and shocked most of the day with tears flowing with every emotion. Before Savannah I was never really a big dog lover and I never really understood what it was like to lose a dog. I never realized how fast a puppy can jump into your heart. Obviously, Justin and I don't have kids yet but it feels as though we have lost a child.

Everything reminds us of Savannah; all we see when we go home are things we did with Savannah. To try and get our loss off of our minds for a little bit Justin took me to the movies to see Eclipse and we grabbed an appetizer afterwards. The waves of tears came and went throughout the night but the monsoon really took place when we arrived back home. I came across one of her little bows and leash and I just lost it. The pain of losing her is just awful.

Sad Sad Day

We got the call about 8:18am this morning that our little Savannah had taken a turn for the worse and we were going to need to put her down. Our vet said she could go any minute so neither Justin or I had time to get there to be with her. Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and prayers. Even though she wasn't our baby long, she will be greatly missed!



Justin and I are having a very hard time with losing her soo fast, but we know she is in a better place. We hope she knew how much we loved her :)

Visiting My Baby

I had the day off today so I went to visit Savannah this morning. She is still really sick but I am hoping she starts getting better by this afternoon. She was soo lethargic this morning; she slept pretty much the whole time I was there.

Update: So I went to see Savannah again this afternoon (Yes, I am a crazy mom, but I miss her soo much) and she is still really sick. The vet tech says that with Parvo sometimes smaller dogs, especially puppies, take longer to recoup from the virus. Please pray that our baby starts feeling better. We are hoping by Monday she can come home :)

Happy Birthday Nikki

Happy Birthday to my BEAUTIFUL sister Nikki!

(This pic is from last year's bday since we haven't celebrated yet this year)

We love you and can't wait to see you soon!

One Quick Pic

Justin stopped by to see Savannah today and took this pic on his cell phone! Hopefully she starts feeling better with that IV pumping away!

Fourth of July, One Sick Puppy, & Bowling

Once the sun went down we brought Savannah over to meet all of her new family. About 8:00pm she had gotten sick and we thought it was just because of the heat and all the new people who were holding her. We watched the fireworks and headed home because we were all so tired. Savannah kept dry heaving and would not eat or drink. Justin and I chalked the illness up to eating grass, traveling a lot that day, etc. But when she kept dry heaving at midnight and seemed very lethargic I began to worry. Yes being the paranoid mother I am I called the vet emergency line. Of course on the 4th all the vets beepers were off due to the holiday, but we had a scheduled appointment for today (Monday) so we decided to keep her comfortable for the night and we would just call and see if we could move our appointment up in the morning.

Originally our schedule appointment was supposed to be for her first round of vaccinations, but obviously they had to run a couple of tests to see what was wrong with her first. Once the vet came in he explained she had the Parvo virus which is something that is contracted 10-14 days out before any symptoms come into play aka she received the virus at the breeders home. Parvo virus basically cuts the villi in the intestines off so Savannah could not absorb any of the nutrients which equals a dehydrated dog + throwing up + diarrhea = on sick puppy. I don't know if it was because I was soo pissed off at the breeder, worried for Savannah, and the lack of sleep but I started bawling when the vet was explaining the treatment plan for her. Yes, I was that girl. Parvo virus has to run its course but Savannah has to be hooked up to an IV in order to hydrate her, give antibiotics to prevent a secondary infection, and stay at the vet between 48-72 hours all awhile the vet explains this type of treatment runs between $500-$600. The vet also mentioned we could talk to the breeder and get a different puppy if we didn't want to aquire the costs. NO THANKS! We wanted Savannah and why would I risk getting another dog from that breeder when it could have picked up the same virus.

When we left the vet's office, I called and gave the breeder an earful! At first she was really defensive and didn't believe me until she talked to our vet. Luckily, she called me back apologized and offered to pay for half the bill which at this point I am fine with. The thing that sucks is she cannot afford to pay us her half until she sells another puppy which she can't do for another 2 weeks due to our puppy contracting the virus at her home; the remaining puppies have to be quarantined for 2 weeks to see if any of them develop any symptoms of the Parvo virus.

In order to stop being pissed off at the breeder and sad for Savannah, we decided to take Kathryn bowling. I suck at bowling but love doing it! I haven't bowled in probably 5 years so I was exceptionally awful today, but the three of us had a great time.

July 3rd

Last night was a great little Saturday filled with friends and family! We headed over to Justin's Aunt Lisa & Uncle Bob's house for a cookout, swimming, cornhole, etc. We had a blast and it was soo great spending time with everyone. We were going to go get on the boat at Lake Santee for their fireworks but we were both exhausted and we had to come home and take care of our baby. We figured Savannah was going to be wide awake when we got home (since she slept all day) so we would take her for a little walk and get some of the energy out of her even though it was 10pm and all I wanted to do was go to bed. Since it was late we decided to try out her collar and leash. We took three steps out the door Savannah got soo sassy and just laid on the ground and would not take another step; she would not budge at all. As soon as we took the leash off she was on our heels the whole time we walked.

Saturday night the crying continued but was not as bad as the first night. We still had to get up at 12am, 3:00am, and 6:00am to take her outside but this house training schedule is working because she did not have an accident all night. Justin and I can't see straight because we are soo exhausted but we don't have to clean up any accidents so I guess it is all worth it!

Today we are going to a cookout at Rick's house at noon and then we are coming back to enjoy some swimming and a fireworks this evening at Tom & Linda's with Ms. Savannah in tote :)

Happy Birthday America! I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable 4th!

So this is what it is like to have a newborn

Last night we were soo happy to have Savannah home with us, but my oh my were we not prepared for the situation. Savannah was wonderful when we came home, but when it was time to go to bed she just cried and cried all night. We were up at 12am, 3am, and 6am taking her out to go to the bathroom (we are house training) but still did not sleep much since she cried all night long. I have been told this only lasts about a week at most. She did not stop crying until we got up for good and picked her up. If we put her down she just started crying again, so needless to say we took turns running errands and holding Savannah this morning. I feel like we have a newborn on our hands! Finally around lunchtime she started to let us put her down so she could explore her new home and follow us everywhere we went. She has been sleeping most of the day today.....she must be tired from all of that adorable crying she did last night :)

Our New Addition

Everyone please meet the newest member of the Howard family.....

Savannah

Okay I know most of my family and friends that are reading this are in complete disbelief and shock that I would own a dog; I am an animal lover but as everyone knows I do not like animals in my house. After doing some research for a couple of weeks on what type of dog we would like I was convinced this dog was for me. She is little, has hair versus fur ( which means little shedding and the hair is easier to vaccuum/sweep up), and she is soo cute, sweet, and sassy.

We picked her up tonight from a breeder in Terre Haute! She is an "imperial" shitzu which means she will stay pretty small (between 6-8lbs). She'll be 9 weeks this Sunday and we are over the moon excited she has made us a family of 3 :) After a list of about 20 different names, Justin and I decided on Savannah since that was our favorite city to travel to when we lived down south.

~I know I have a picture of the three of us somewhere and once I find it I'll be sure to post it!~

Hello July

Today is Friday and I am soo excited it is 4th of July weekend. I love going to the lake, swimming, going to cookouts, watching fireworks, etc. I LOVE IT ALL and can't wait to have some R&R this weekend! I hope you all have a great 4th!

~Thank you to the men and women who have served and those who our currently serving our country~

~Sweet Summer Time~

So its been awhile (3 months) since I've posted on our blog and I'm soo disappointed in myself. I have decided that I am going to use this blog as our "scrapbook" if you will. I'm horrible at actually scrapbooking our photos so instead I have decided that I will just post everything on our blog!

He had a great week last week! Kathryn, McKenzie (her best friend), and my mom all came down this week to visit. We had a great time visiting and spending time with my baby sister. On Wednesday we went to King's Island. Unfortunately, Justin had to work but my bestie Brooke decided to meet us later that day. It was really hot and the waterpark was amazing. We only stayed at the waterpark until 4:00ish and then took the train over to the park for the "big" rides and to meet Brooke. Let's back track for a minute. When I was younger I used to sprint from deathride to deathride without hesitation and would not think twice about standing in line for 90 minutes to ride a roller coaster. My how times have changed. Luckily, we did not have any lines to stand in, but I felt nauseous after every single ride; these are the same rides I loved and would ride over and over again. Brooke and I literally had to sit down for a good 20 minutes at one point because we felt soo sick. I don't know if the symptoms were due to being older, the heat, or maybe a combination of both. Overall, we had a great time!

Thursday, the girls and I just laid by the pool for a couple of hours. Later that evening Justin, the girls, and I walked up to the big Rush County Fair. The girls had a good time and it was fun to see a lot of people we don't get to see very often.

Friday night we went to the Foreigner, Styx, and Kansas concert at Verizon. Justin and Janel decided to get the tickets for Tom for Father's Day. We had a really good time! There is nothing better than that "old time rock n'roll" :)

This Really Makes You Think

I saw this video on Kelly's Korner and it really hit me hard. Please watch it as it has such a good message.




After I watch this video, I just cried. This man is amazing and a huge inspiration to me! This teacher has such a huge heart and has touched soo many lives. You never know what a quick note, letter, or phone call can do to those in your life. I do believe that God uses all of us to give messages to those in our life.

It's Almost March....YIKES

Warning this post is full of randomness

I feel as though this year is already going much faster than last year! It's ALMOST MARCH people! Justin and I have had a very busy past two months! Between school, work, and trying to plan a family vacation these past weeks have just flown by! I am very excited to say that the whole Selby clan will be vacationing at Fripp Island (http://www.frippislandresort.com/) for a whole week together in August! YAY! Just the thought of this vacation helps get through this snowy weather........BRING ON SPRING/SUMMER.....I'm over all of this snow!

Speaking of snow, my classes got cancelled for almost two weeks in a row! I couldn't believe it! When I was at IU - Bloomington there could have been a blizzard outside and classes never got cancelled. IU East - Richmond has delays and cancellations!


Why is it everywhere I go lately there are a ton of pregnant women? Maybe I'm just more observant than before? Not only do I feel like most of my friends are pregnant and or already have kids, but I feel like this is the season of boys! Every person that I know is expecting is having a boy, including my cousin Lindsey and her husband Luke (Congratulations!).

February is a busy month for birthdays in the Howard family. Linda's birthday was on the 1st, Tom's on the 14th, and Ella's is this weekend (the 28th). I can't believe that my little niece is going to be 4!

~Weight Loss Update~: I'm down 15.1 lbs! I'm soo excited but I wish it would come off FASTER! I do not exercise everyday but I try and at least get in 3 workouts each week. I'm trying to increase the frequency but between work, school, studying, laundry, etc. somedays I'm just tired!

Weight Loss Update

This past week has flown by but I already feel soo much better. I forgot to mention in my blog last week along with my new exercise regimen, I also joined Weight Watchers. I had my weigh in last night and I lost 3lbs! At first, I was a little disappointed because I was hoping for a little more since Jillian Michael's tries to kill me EVERYDAY, but I'll take it! Hopefully, next week's weight loss will be the same or even more!

Does anyone have any wonderful low fat/calorie recipes to share?

On another note, my photography website is updated and up and running. Feel free to visit the updated site at www.sitphotography.net!

The Selby Christmas 2009

The pictures are uploaded! Please follow the link below to check out the Christmas photos:

http://sitphotography.smugmug.com/Portraits/The-Selby-Christmas-2009

~If you don't remember the password, email me~

To All My Best Friends

Today I was thinking...I really miss all of my friends. When I moved back to Indiana from South Carolina I was soo excited to get to spend some quality time again with all my favorite people. Some of my best friends live in Indianapolis (1hour away), Lafayette (2 hours away), & Kansas (9 hours?). Yet I hardly see anyone either due to school, work, family functions, etc. One of my other resolutions this year is to see all of you more regularly. You all mean so much to me!


~I just want all of you to know that I think about you often and just because I don't see you or talk to you everday, please know that I am here for you no matter what. I miss you and love you all and hopefully we'll see each other soon~

The New Year

I know I've been a major slacker blogging lately, but I promise I will make more of an effort to let all of you know what we are up to! We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with our families (I'll post some pictures later). This year we ended up switching up the rotation and we were actually at my side for Thanksgiving and Christmas; this way we can be on the same every other year rotation with the rest of my family members. It was soo great to see all of family especially my cousins on Christmas Day. We aren't those little kids anymore that had sleepovers all the time at Grandma's (one of my favorite memories) but we each have grown up and and our making our own lives. Some have kids, expecting a baby, and or making their way into the real world. It amazes me everyday how close our families are to each other; I'm so grateful for our incredible families and our amazing friends, so life is good.

The New Year…. I love that feeling of a new start. One of my resolutions is to get into shape and feel healthy again. I hate that I despise shopping for clothes and just feel unhealthy in general. While I am not bold enough to announce my weight or post a picture of my increased waistline...I am here to say that I would love to lose 60 pounds.

Therefore, with the New Year underway and my life on the path it should be I feel like I am finally at a place where I can really invest some time in me.

So, at 6 a.m. (yes, you read that right - AM) I woke up and began my thinning journey. I busted out the 30 Day Shred with Jillian Michaels and I got to it. As a previous high school athlete & a regular exerciser in college, I thought I would always have SOME type of physical ability...no matter how long I went between workouts.

WRONG.

Apparently, if you let yourself go for 5+ years, you actually lose everything - including muscle tone, endurance, stability - all of it - gone.

So, watching me and Jillian this morning wrapping things up at 6:30 a.m. was rather humiliating. She kicked my butt and I could do nothing but weeze and pray to God that I didn't pass out or die...And, at 10 a.m. I am already feeling stiff and sore...which only leads me to believe that day #2 of the 30 Day Nightmare will be just as hard as day #1.

No matter how hard it gets I am determined to MAKE IT HAPPEN.