april showers make me smile.

Joe's Crab Shack for my birthday

April was an amazing month but boy was it wet! Though great for the environment, it made for some very unpredictable days. One day, I'd be enjoying the sun outside and the very next day - pouring rain! The weather, thankfully, has made a turn for the better - four days straight of warmth and it's supposed to continue.

First semester of nursing school is officially over. Those last two weeks were both the longest and shortest weeks of my life. After multiple exams and a ten page paper that I completed in 6 hours, I successfully completed the semester earning all A's. I'm mighty proud of that accomplishment but also know it's only the beginning. This was the EASY semester. Yikes!

The week before finals was pretty relaxing - a great thing since it was my birthday week and Dave arrived in Davis! I had such a great birthday. Many of my favorite people gathered at Joe's Crab Shack in Old Town to celebrate with me. You wouldn't believe how excited I was to open my presents from my friends. I received two boxes of tupperware sets! I was thrilled!!

The rest of the week was amazing. Two of my classes had completed the week before so I had no class on Wednesday and only a quick final on Thursday... I did have an actual class on Friday, but it didn't deter from my happiness. I also took off of work that week, allowing me to spend a large amount of uninterrupted time with Dave. It was so great to be able to spend time with him without having to worry about school. Luckily, the whole week was sunny even though the weather reports predicted otherwise.

That Saturday was sunny, lovely Picnic Day. The morning started off with beers at The Grad with friends, followed by a hunt for liquor, pouring wine into Starbucks cups, walking to downtown where we enjoyed more beers and watched the parade, a jaunt through downtown and it's many festivities, a visit to the Battle, eating food everywhere, a quick break back at the house, and a fun little party in a barn. Oh Picnic Day, how I love thee.

The next day, Dave and I went to visit my family in the bay. We celebrated my birthday and played in the backyard with the little ones. It's always nice to be around family and I was definitely happy that day. Mom cooked amazing dishes and my cousin's purchased a delicious cake.

Monday called for a trip down to Lancaster to visit Dave's brother, Greg. Since he wouldn't get off of work until late, we took our time leaving Davis. When we finally got to Lancaster, Greg was still at work, so we went bowling for a bit and then headed to a bar where we played darts and met up with Greg and his girlfriend, Julie. After a game of pool, we headed to Greg's new house that he lives at with some coworkers and an adorable puppy.

The next day, we drove to San Diego in a terrible storm. Luckily, the weather (mostly) cleared up that evening since we went to the Giants vs. Padres game. It was terrible! There I was, a Giants fan, surround by Dave, Garrison, and Killeen - all Padres fans! It was actually a lot of fun. Dennis and Kate, friends from Davis, currently live in SD and met up with us at the game. Getting to see old friends is always a good thing.

Wednesday morning was a bit lazy. We went for a run around Dave's neighborhood, enjoying the sun/rain. For lunch, we went to his grandparent's house where we ate a delicious meal of spaghetti and meatballs. Mmmmm. The best part was when Mama brought out the icebox cake. I'd never had one before but had heard about them. AMAZING! It's always a treat when something so simple can be so satisfying. Afterwards, we made a quick stop at the Apple store where I met Dave's cousin Cary and then it was off to the airport. After some time at the food court, it was time for me to head to the gate. Saying bye to Dave absolutely sucked. But it was comforting to think that I'll see him again in less than four months. I can do that! It wasn't long before I was back in the bay and then in Davis.

Thursday morning, I was greeted with two exams followed by feeling terribly ill. I ended up studying about 3 hours for my last final. The good news, everything I studied was on the exam. The bad news, I felt even worse Friday.

I spent the weekend in bed enjoying my spring break but despising the fact that I felt so crummy. By Sunday night, I was feeling normal and not a moment too soon. Monday, I went with two of my classmates to Santa Cruz. I couldn't imagine going if I were still feeling ill.

We spent a few hours on the beach enjoying the sun and then went to the Boiling Crab. I had never been there before, but it was yummy! One pound of shrimp in a delicious sauce. I plan on taking my parents there very soon!

Tuesday. RAIN. I couldn't believe it. How could it have been so sunny and warm the day before and then this downpour. The worst part, I had to work that day. Yes, I work inside of an office, but I do deliver packages to some of the units meaning I go outside. Wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday in every way.

Thursday was sunny! Again, with this weather. It was also Dad's birthday. I went home Wednesday evening and enjoyed a yummy sausage and hash brown breakfast with my parents. I enjoyed spending the day with my parents just sitting around, talking, and watching episodes of "Minute to Win It" on demand. For dinner, we went to Chuck E Cheese. Both sides of the family gathered which was really nice. It doesn't happen too often.

Friday and yesterday went by pretty quickly. Both nice warm days. Friday night I went to Country Night with the girls. Yesterday I headed back to the bay.

Today was Antonio's First Communion. The mass was held early this morning in San Francisco near my cousin's house - hence my being in the bay yesterday. Lots of family again. I honestly can't get enough of them. For me, it's crazy to watch my cousins' kids growing up. I remember when they were born and now they're taller than me!

Tomorrow is the start of summer semester. It's going to be a tough one and I'll need to focus more. Pray for me! I know I'll be able to do it, but all the prayers definitely help.

back to life.

Well, today's the first day back to school from spring break. Not too sure I'm used to it. Class 8-5, Mondays and Wednesdays. I had gotten so used to waking up at 10 a.m. that I was surprised this morning when I woke up at 6:55 and didn't feel tired at all. Class this morning was great because we got out at 10 instead of noon, leaving me 3 hours before my next class. I now have plenty of time to eat, work out, shower, and review before heading back to campus. Instead of longing for summer vacation, I'll reminisce about spring break.

My spring break started on Wednesday, March 18th with a long drive down to Lancaster, where Dave's brother Greg lives. The three of us were going to Vegas on Thursday and Dave and I had to drive down to be there in time. Well, we left pretty late, meaning we were both extremely tired, so we spent the night at the TA truck stop near Bakersfield. Surprisingly, it wasn't too bad. We woke up in the morning and hit the road, getting to Greg's about an hour and a half later. Thus began our trip!

Dave and I with the Strip behind us

We went to Vegas for March Madness... a whole weekend of college basketball. I enjoyed myself completely, which some people did not expect. We stayed at the Excalibur but watched the games at Planet Hollywood and Paris. Paris was my favorite venue because it was a movie theater venue with four screens projected onto the main screen so that all 4 games could be seen at once.

Dave and Greg waiting for the Bellagio water show that never came

3 of the 4 screens at Paris

We also did a lot of walking around at night, seeing the different sights. We tried to catch the Bellagio water show, but missed it every time. You may be thinking, wait another 15 minutes to see the next one. We did! Turns out the water show doesn't go 24 hours... we missed it. Every time. Oh well. It's not like I've never seen it before. It was nice to just be able to walk around the strip. We stayed in Vegas Thursday through Sunday. Dave and I drove back up to Davis on Monday.

The rest of spring break blew by pretty quickly. Dave and I mostly cleaned up his room and got him ready to move back home to San Diego. He ended up leaving yesterday morning. I wasn't sure how I'd react to his actual leaving, but so far so good. I guess the fact that I'll be seeing him this Thursday when I fly down to San Diego helps a lot. Pretty sure it'll become a lot harder as the days get closer to his actual leaving on April 20th.