Rachel...Don't Stress

I handed in a paper for my history class about 2 weeks ago now. I was stressing about it so much that I asked the grader to treat it as a rough draft and let me hand it in again. he told me that he couldn't do it so I just sat in wait for my bad grade (C). I thought that I would get it back last Wednesday. Nope he didn't have the grades entered yet so I had to wait yet another weekend to find out my score today. He walked up to me with the stack of papers in his hand and asked me if I was the one that was stressing about how bad my paper was going to be. I admitted that it was me. He handed me my paper and said that it was one of the best papers that was turned in!!! I couldn't believe that I got an A. Not that I am not excited about it but I really thought that it was going to be disorganized and poorly written because of my lack of timing forcing me to not proofread it after fully writing it even once before handing it in. There were a couple of errors but for the most part it was coherent. All I have to say is that when I have successfully completed University I will be writing a thank you not to Tina Stewart, my wonderful and patient friend who taught me how to write papers while I was still in high school. I have yet to get a grade lower than an A- on a paper in University! Thank you Tina!

Back from the dentist

I have the coolest dentist. He is a really nice person and I can go to his office before my classes and still make it to my class on time. He even apologized for getting me back there 5 minutes late. If I only had to wait that long at the doctors office. I had one tiny cavity and a chip. It took less than an hour for the whole visit. It was my first (and hopefully last) cavity. I am proud of myself by being 22 before I ever felt the drill. My face is finally coming back to life.
ETA: The only bad thing is the horrible pain that I had last night!! In order to try to go to sleep I tried regular pain killers and I tell you they did nothing!! Luckily I had some left over vicodin. I only had to take one pill and I was out! I feel much better today.

10 things...

1. I am glad that I am getting my degree. It is really hard to do, but in the end it will be completely worth it.

2. I love planning. I mean planning everything down to the T and that is my greatest strength and my greatest weakness. It isn’t to say that I can’t get in my car and drive to a random place every once in a while, but mostly everything really important is planned.

3. I am attempting to take Physics this summer and not only is it the first semester of it, it is both semesters crammed into one summer! Tell me that I am crazy!! I will only be taking one class at a time so I should be able to do everything and get a really good grade. I am hoping for a 4.0 this summer semester.

4. I love learning. School has always been fun for me because learning has always been fun for me. Now I am in my specific classes it is hard, but when my mind is on it, I love to just learn and expand my knowledge base.

5. I am finally loosing more weight. I am a little less than half way in my weightloss. It is definately harder than I thought it would be but before I have any kids I want to be as healthy as I can be.

6. I love Endrit. Like I really need to say that Endrit is an amazing person. He is my scholastic inspiration! Graduating with a Bachelor’s at 23 Master’s at 25 and hopefully a PhD at 28. I always think that 7 years of school isn’t worth the degree when I fully expect to be a stay-at-home mom until my kids are in school, but knowing that Endrit was able to go to school for 10 years straight it gives me hope to not give up.

7. I am superstitious. Not to the point of living my life by superstitions, but some things I tend to believe more than others. It is hard to explain.

8. Endrit and I are almost debt free. That is such a good thing. We do have some student loans, but our car is paid off so the intrest is subsedized instead of accruing on the car loan! It is awesome. By the time that Endrit and I graduate we should be able to be completely out of debt. That will be a great start for us to buy a house.

9. I love the thought of adoption. I have tried to convince Endrit that we should adopt all of our kids. He doesn’t agree of course because he doesn’t know if he could love an adopted child as much as a biological one...I know that in his heart he knows that he can. I secretly want to adopt a multiple birth from Albania. Who knows...only time will tell.

10. I learn by example. This is a really good thing because I can just look at other people and see the outcomes to their choices and make my decisions vbased upon that. There is a downside because I am to the point in my life that everyone that I know has not gone though the situations that I am facing so i am having to rely upon myself, yes myself and prayer, to choose what I need to be doing. It is really hard on me but I have not done anything drastically wrong yet so now I am gaining self confidence in my decisions.

A trip to Vernal.

Endrit and I talked aobut what we would like to do for our anniversary this year. We were thinking that we could go on a road trip or something fun like that over a weekend but in a financial crunch we are postponing that until anniversary 2010. In escence of trying to go to all Utah temples before we graduate and move we are taking a day trip to Vernal. I am so excited! It is nice that for an anniversary we can go to the temple and remind ourselves of what we got ourselves into. That would mean that we only have 3 left. Manti is one that we are going to with my parents and Alex and Brydie. They love that temple but have yet to go there so it takes a bit more planning to get all schedules to mesh. Monticello we will call and try to get an appointment to go there as we go through the town on our way to the family reunion next August. Then there is St. George that we still don't have a reason to go that way but I know that we will get to it. I am just so glad that I am able to get closer to my goal. I am also excited that Endrit is finding moving to Albuquerque is sounding better and they have a beautiful temple there. I just wanted to share.

My New Obsession

My New Obsession

I know that I shouldn't actually obsess over anything. With that I think that some things can be a good thing to obsess over a little bit. I am really trying to get my BMI at LEAST under 25. Honestly it is sad that I am considered overweight. I have a free gym that I walk past every morning and I have been slacking far too much...Lets see how this will go. It definitely isn't the worst thing that I could obsess over. I really hope that I can at least get to 25 by summer...That would mean that I would have to lose 10 pounds. Averaging about 1 pound per week I think that it can be done.
Endrit and I actually went grocery shopping today and we did really good on our food choices. Our fridge is full of fresh fruits and veggies, yogurt, frozen veggies for stir fry and all of the other things that are good. We have cut out sodas, good health thing and money thing. I love being able to go and have an orange when I want. We have bought cases of oranges over the winter so that we would always have fruit to snack on. Apples, bananas, tomatoes, oranges, a few grapes. I am having tomato salad tomorrow with cucumbers and onions and tomatoes. yummy!! I have missed this dish! Tomatoes have just been too expensive to justify buying. I am also going to make shepard's pie this weekend. Tomato soup was on sale.
I am just excited to tackle this lifestyle change so that I can live long and healthy.

Residency?

I officially HATE paperwork. Yes I used the strong word. Endrit had to turn in his paperwork for release of the conditions on his green card and I had to file papers for residency with Utah schools. Good luck to me. I should know in a week or two if I am able to get residency. Who knows when Endrit will be able to find out the status on his application. I have to say going through paperwork will surely be good in the end but when you a re hip deep in it, it isn't so good. Luckily mine didn't cost any money and Endrit's was paid off with our taxes that we have already gotten back! We like to be on top of things...can't you tell :). I didn't have to have mine handed in until July 1 but seeing as midterms are next week and Endrit will be starting new classes this was the day that we needed to get everything off of our plate.
We are surviving school. We both would like spring break to come faster than it is going to come but the semester is almost half over! I can't believe it! Endrit will be helping with the new recruits this March for the next year's grad students. It doesn't seem that we have been here that long.
I was told by my department that December graduation is a no. That means that I will be graduating later than I would have liked to but I am still graduating none-the-less. I am excited to be able to frame that piece of paper. Now I just have to stick it out in school and get good grades. I will be the only one in my year in the entire university graduating with my degree. Now that is an accomplishment!! I was really excited to hear that. There is someone graduating the year before me and the year after me but not in my year! I feel special.
Endrit only has 7 more labs left and he is done with teaching. Talk about exciting! That means that he will be able to help me with my physics homework! All in all it is good around here. A little stressful but good.

Endrit is 25

Endrit is now 25 and luckily he still feels 21. I have no Idea how I will feel at 25. Pictures above is the perfect geek gift for chemists. Salt and pepper shakers. We love them. Actually they are our first shakers ever. Yeah I know that is wierd. It was a good day. He got to take a test in the morning and then we went and ate at Johnny Carino's. Great Italian restraunt we only go to 2 times a year. Also we went with some of the family to Maddox for a few birthdays (Mom, Brydie, and Endrit). It was fun.

We are still going strong in school. We are waiting for our Dec 2010/May 2011 graduations. It seems like we will be in school forever. I have finally sat down and made a semester by semester schedule and it seems like it shouldn't be too bad. I just have to hope that the Education department has things revamped by my graduation time or I will have to wait an extra semester to graduate because of student teaching. I really wouldn't like that. Oh well. It really isn't up to me. All I can do is hope for the best.

Endrit has 1 class left to take and then he will be the researcher that he really wants to be. He is doing some interesting stuff, but don't ask me to explain it yet. I don't understand. All I know is that he is happy that he gets to research.

We are doing well.