So I have one more final, and two more essays to do before I am officially on break! My eyes feel like they are melting out of their sockets because I didn't get a chance to sleep last night...but I suppose it's to be expected during finals week. Terrible coffee, tons of studying, and melting eyeballs. Just peachy. Anyway...short story for you all.

I was craving Lunchables Pizza for the last 2 days, so I finally decided to get one yesterday. I was so excited that I got my lunchables, but then...no. No way!!! They ripped me off! I got one less pepperoni than I was supposed to! (The pepperoni is the best part by the way) But for every pizza you're supposed to get 3 pepperonis. But no. 3, 3, 2. What?! It made me so grouchy, and I was telling my friend about it...so he, being the nice guy he is, went and bought another one, just so I could have another pepperoni for my pizza. Anyway...he opens up his pack, and what?! He gets an EXTRA pepperoni?! And guess what...another one of my friends got an extra one too. IT'S A CONSPIRACY I TELL YOU! People are just trying to push my buttons during finals week...But I guess it worked out in the end. :P

Oh you evil lunchables people...

SNOW DAY!!! and yes! for real this time!!!

Alright, so another update for you all!

Creighton is actually giving us a real snow day tomorrow. OH MY GOODNESS! This rarely happens, because apparently Creighton doesn't like to play nice with the weather, and thinks that they can out beat whatever Mother Nature decides to hand to us. Well...think again Creighton! Because Mother Nature has brought out the big guns, and has decided to pour another 7 inches of snow upon Omaha tonight!!! Not to mention 20-35 mph gusts, and blizzard like conditions all through tomorrow. Lovely. Just lovely. In fact, I can hear the angry winds pounding against the window. Scared? Yes. Very.

But, the fact of the matter is...that there is no school tomorrow! Yet, it is the week before finals...so that means the extra time will probably be used to study and do some major essay writing. Uggghhhh...On the bright side though, around 12:30 pm there is going to be a some major snowball fighting and snowman making :). I gotta take advantage of the snow day right?

Well, hope you all are keeping warm where ever you are! (I wish I was...) And congrats to Greg Long for winning the 2009 Eddie Aikau big wave contest!!! :D Watching online streaming of the event just wasn't the same. Hahaha!

Trapped by mounds of snow,
Rachel

SNOW DAY!!! oh..wait..nope. that's everyone else but us.

Sigh...no snow day today...how disappointing. It seriously snowed all night, and still going. Yet, our school refuses to cancel. Here are the reasons why I think we shouldn't have school today:
1. 200 schools are canceled besides Creighton. Hrm..I wonder why..which leads me to..
2. It is FREEZING outside!!! The lows are in the negatives today. I am going to freeze. And die.
3. The roads are dangerous! How does Creighton expect people to get to school alive?! With the continuous snow, removal can't be that efficient.
4. My road is not plowed. Hellooo shovel.
5. I want to stay indoors and drink hot chocolate all day, and catch up on writing my essays for finals week.
6. It is just not fair.

:(...Thanks a lot Creighton. Way to show the snow who's boss...
-Rachel

December = Christmas! and finals...

Today's the first day of December! Do you know what that means?
I finished my Pharmacy Applications!!! Whew, that was a load off my back. But the school year isn't quite over yet. Still have a couple papers to write, and not to mention FINALS WEEK...lovely.

Anyhow...Thanksgiving break was just peachy! Chad flew over from Arizona to spend some time with me and my friends. We cooked a big Thanksgiving feast, turkey and all the fixings of course. :) I was actually very pleased with the way the turkey turned out. It was both flavorful and moist. Overall, very good Thanksgiving.

I also took Chad to the Strategic Air and Space Museum! It's out in Ashland, NE about half an hour from my house. He was so excited!!! Hahaha, that place is actually pretty cool. I'll be sure to post some pictures up later.

But now it's time to get back down to the nitty-gritty...3 more weeks until I get me some Hawaiian Sun (and I don't mean the canned drink :P)!

<3,
Rachel

Today's warm weather feels like a hug

Halloween was interesting this year. Good and bad. I threw a small party at my house; we had dinner, played some games, and watched half of a scary movie (because the internet doesn't cooperate, and only let us watch 72 minutes...). But I ordered some costco pizzas last night, we made hotdogs, and people brought curry, a pumpkin cheesecake, and cookies. I also had chips and salsa, and lots of sugary sodas. Overall, the party was pretty fun, I had fun hanging out with my friends, and the costumes people wore were fun too. :)



But...now for a different tone of the blog.
I'm gonna take just a little bit of time right now to say that...I am really going to miss her. It's hard being up here not able to say goodbye...but I understand. 20 years old, and I still knew my Great-Grandmother. Not a lot of people have the opportunity to say that. I feel blessed.

I am going to miss you,
Rach

Welcome to our home!

Yesterday was our first barbecue/party co-hosted by yours truly! Tam and I decided to have a housewarming party so all of our friends could see our house and hang out before school got extremely busy. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures...but Tam made baked teriyaki chicken, I made chicken katsu, we provided rice, and other people brought desserts galore, portuguese sausage, spam, eggs, and a couple other goodies. We were originally supposed to grill the chicken, but figured out later that we didn't have enough charcoal...>.< bad planning on our part i suppose, but the baking of the chicken worked out just fine. We also bought some burgers that we didn't end up grilling, so we'll probably have another small get together to fire those up. Overall, it really seemed like everyone had a great time! After eating good food, we ended up watching a movie, playing some cards, laughing our heads off while playing "Catch Phrase" (a game like charades/taboo/hot potato), and ended our night with some video games. You can't beat good friends having fun. :)
I'm excited to host the next party.

It still amazes me that I can wake up in the morning and not feel a twinge of pain. :)

Summer Fun

Hanscom park, teriyaki chicken/mushroom/bell pepper/onion skewers, and the pedestrian bridge from Nebraska to Iowa!

Just a short update...

I am out of the hospital! :) I got out yesterday afternoon, and still am being watched like a hawk...but at least I get to smell the fresh air and sleep in my own bed. I'm staying up in Omaha for the rest of the summer, but at least I know my physicians here are top notch and will keep me healthy.

I'm ready to embark on a great adventure without any strings attached.

Love,
Rachel

:)

Hi all! Here's an update...

So lots of good news. :) I am getting better each and everyday. I feel much stronger now that they're giving me nutrients and lipids, and as of yesterday they are even letting sip some water and sprite, and I might even get to eat some jello or clear chicken broth. Tomorrow I get another endoscopy, and they'll be able to see exactly how well the medications they've been giving me are working. Hopefully I'll get more good news!!

But we'll see how it goes. :) I'll let you guys know!

<3,
Rachel

Dear Reader,

For all of you that read my blog, I'm going to give you the time of day and fill you in on what's happening at the moment.

I am in the hospital.

No, I'm not dying. But yes, I am very sick. My doctor decided that I needed to be checked in immediately after my appointment, and I'm going to be in here for a couple days. Today they're going to get me rehydrated because I haven't been able to keep any fluids or food down since Friday, and tomorrow they will start the testing. There's a lot to be done in the next couple of days, and sadly I can't finish my summer school course that I came here to do. But being healthy is more important right? I trust my doctors, and I trust my parents. I am so grateful that they are here in Omaha right now, because I don't think I could ever endure this without them. It's a world far too frightening, and unknown. I haven't said much to them or anyone, but I'm really upset about this whole situation. I want to be out of this hospital bed and back into my own, studying for tomorrow's morning organic chemistry class. But that doesn't seem to be in my near future. It's alright though...because I have hope that this will all come to a close soon...

So please, whoever you are, wish me the best of luck. I'll try to update again soon.

Much love,
Rachel

10...9...8...

One and a half weeks left.

This break seemed so short, yet I think I'm ready to head back. Ready to hit the organic chemistry books, and ace my summer school course. The time spent at home was very restful, and I enjoyed going to the beach 2-3 times a week and getting plenty of the Hawaiian sun that I missed out on. I even learned to body board this summer. :) that was definitely an experience that I would never replace. In fact, I think I'm going to head out to catch some waves a couple more times before i leave.

But Nebraska misses me too, along with the people there. And oddly enough...I miss Nebraska. The roads and people have become so familiar to me now; my second family away from home. My friends are definitely different, but they are sorely missed while I'm here. Strangely, I can't wait to go back. And that's a good feeling.

One and a half more weeks.
Let the countdown begin.

"Why do you want to be a pharmacist?"

Yesterday was the day! The day of my pharmacy interview that is. I got an email from the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions on Wednesday, offering me an invitation for an interview...on Friday!!! I was so ecstatic, yet PANICKING to no end. Only a little less than 3 days to prepare?! Blasphemy! Hahaha...but let me tell you how it went...

So I got to my interview, suit and all, and sat down in front of the room. My interviewers were two associate professors here at Creighton. They were both very nice, and very friendly, so my nervousness quickly subsided. The first question they asked me was, "Why do you want to be a pharmacist?" That I answered without a problem. Next was, "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" That wasn't a problem either. "What pharmacy experience have you had?" Answered without a doubt. "What do you like to do for fun." Arrange music, and play the oboe of course. I thought at this point everything was going pretty smoothly...then the big guns started shooting.

"If your boss asked you to complete a task ASAP, and you didn't know how to do it, what would you do?"
I would ask him if he had time to teach me, or if any other staff member could teach me, and I would learn quickly.
"There are no staff members available to teach you."
I would ask my supervisor if he could teach me. I wouldn't want to make a mistake in this type of situation as it could be detrimental to a patient.
"That's the thing...your supervisor doesn't know how to do it either."
(Thinking to myself...WOW...what kind of twist is this?!) I would probably look it up, and learn how to do this.

Haha...Quite a twist...But I think I did alright. A couple of the last questions were, "Are familiar with the honor code?" Yes, I don't think cheating should be tolerated. "Since you said your integrity was very important to you, say you caught one of your good friends cheating, what would you do?" This question...I might have answered a little bit too strongly. >.< Hopefully I didn't give off too harsh of an impression.

But that was my interview! Hopefully they'll get back to me soon, I really do hate waiting for these types of things. Wish me luck!!!

A Night on the Town

I finally made my way to Gorat's Steakhouse last night! I had the choice sirloin cut, with spaghetti, french fries, and a salad. Oh so good! After that, I went to this pedestrian bridge in Iowa, crossing the Missouri river, and the view was so nice. Not to mention the fireworks show to top it off :)

Henry Doorly, you rock my socks

Pictures: Kelsey and Throck the rock, Me and a rhino :P, gorilla man chillin, and BORIS the fat meerkat! :D







And so Easter Break came and went in a blink of an eye...

I had a good break though :). Did lots of things, went to Hiro's Sushi twice, ate dim sum with the friends, bought PLANET EARTH (!!!!), ate costco hot dogs :D, and I went to the zoo for the first time! :) Oh my goodness...Henry Doorly Zoo is AMAZING! If you ever have the chance to spend an entire day at the Omaha Zoo, it is completely worth it. It is the second or third largest zoo in the country I think...(don't quote me on that though). This break was very much needed after getting sick last week :(. But I'm recovering quickly, so don't any of you fret!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY! :D!!!

April Fool!

It's finally April. That means...summer is so much closer! I absolutely can't wait until I come home. I am counting down the days, counting moons, counting suns, or I don't know what else you would do...but I'm doing anything to pass the time.

1-2 bedroom apartment, 1-2 bathroom

3 bedroom, 1 bathroom town house

these are photos of the 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom town house. :)

"Ooo...I like this one!"

So I've decided that it's probably not the best idea if I became homeless.

That is why I went to look for some off campus housing today! There was this brochure that was sent to our room maybe a month or two ago, and it was advertising 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments/town homes. "Hmm...not bad," I thought as I did some quick calculations of rent pricing in my head. So I called them yesterday, and made an appointment for today. After getting COMPLETELY lost amongst the frustrating one way roads, and finding out that our guide was at another location (we only waited for 5 minutes so it wasn't a problem :D), we got to tour the 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom town home first. All I can say....B-E-AUTIFUL. They are brand new, very nice trimming, washer/dryer included, fabulous hardwood flooring, carpeted bedrooms, and has a basement. Not to mention, they keep up on the landscaping in the outdoor courtyard, and have security cameras surrounding the area. This is my first choice, and I can definitely see myself living here.

We also looked at some other 2 bedroom, and 1 bedroom apartments on the Creighton Shuttle route. These were very nice and also brand new, but didn't strike me like the town homes did. The 1 bedroom apartments, however, were extremely quaint. The trimming was as nice as the town homes, the living room area was very spacious, the bedroom was large enough, not to mention an outdoor patio large enough to grill and have a small garden (:D!)! If anything, I would choose this as my second option, however...parking would be an issue. There isn't any designated parking for this apartment complex, so that would pose as a significant problem...

But moving on...there were some other 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartments that we weren't able to see today. The building is still under construction, and won't be done until the month of June. We shall see...It is in a sketchy neighborhood though..So I'm not too sure how I feel about that. I suppose we'll have some time to think about it. But until then, I guess we'll continue to look for more available housing!

Yay! You got to the very end of my post! I congratulate you profusely, because I realize this was quite a long one. But I hope you all are enjoying your weeks, and I'll continue to count down the days until I fly those 10 hours back home! (This section was me just being a little random :D, hehe)

Adieu.

Spring Break!

Spring break is finally here! However, nothing special is really happening this break...no Spring Break Service Trips, or no road trips. Just hanging out here at the school. It's alright though, it gives me some time to catch up on my sleep, study a bit, and just relax! :D So far, I've been sleeping until 2 pm everyday, waking up to eat, then hanging out in my room, watching tv, and sitting around. Fun fun fun. hahaha, i can see this becoming very boring very soon though. Time to think of something to do...

Any suggestions?

Punch me in the Rectus abdominis, and kiss my Gluteus maximus

I'll take a break from the late night studying to post a new blog for you all :)...

So, it's midterms week. Ugh! I absolutely hate tests, and everything similar to them. Especially this Pharmacy Human Anatomy exam I'm studying for at the moment. There are about a million things to memorize, and a billion concepts to understand by Wednesday afternoon. I have no idea how I'm going to cram all this information into my tiny little cranium, but I will sure try. It'll be...fun. :P

Anyhow...after midterms week, is SPRING BREAK! I can't wait for this break to come. It will be the first break where I will be doing absolutely NOTHING. I'm just going to hang out here in Omaha, and relax for one whole week. I'm pretty excited, because I'll have tons of free time to catch up with my studying, and do some extra light reading. There are a couple of books that have been staring me in the eye since the beginning of the semester. But I just haven't had the chance to open them up. I really want to finish up "The Secret Life of Bees," and "In Defense of Food." Not to mention "The Omnivore's Dilemma," and get started on "Forever." Hahah...yah, lots to do during this break. But besides being studious...I have some other plans too! Like, going to the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo (it's the 3rd largest in the country I think...and I've never been there yet!! GASP!), watch a BILLION movies (the entire Star Wars series, Indiana Jones, the Bourne trilogy, Ocean's movies, and a few old western movies to boot), and maybe see a concert on Saturday (The Academy Is is coming to town, and my friend might be able to pull a couple strings so I can meet them!!!!). Needless to say, I'm SUPER excited for midterms week to be over. :D

But until then...Human Anatomy will continue to kick my Gluteus maximus.

Celebration!

I dedicate today's post to say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE SHIGERU!

:-)

And now I can wear the jacket without long sleeves

Nebraska has been blessed with good weather the past couple of days!!! :-) It's been in the 50's and 40's (which, for all of you Hawaii dwellers is COLD), but trust me...this is really nice weather. It rained a little yesterday, but today the skies are clear and blue, and on a day with no class...everything is perfect.

So nothing too exciting has been happening lately...which explains for the lack of interesting recent posts. Today, no classes, so I went on over to the bookstore. I bought some environmentally friendly index cards to study, a random book called "Forever" (it's about a man who arrives in New York in 1740, and is granted immortality as long as he stays in Manhattan) for only $4, some printer paper, and a pair of Creighton sweatpants. See...like I said...not too exciting.

But this week, nothing too stressful. I have an organic chemistry exam on Friday, which I will start studying for today. Then this weekend is Valentine's, and the week after will be a lot more relaxed I would presume. Well, sorry for the boring post today...I'll try to find something more entertaining to excite you all with! :-)

Have a great week!

Thank Goodness It's Friday!

Ugh...I don't think I've ever welcomed the weekend as much as I do today. Thank goodness it's Friday..


that's all I have to say.

Everything is just Hunky Dory

Alright...so i thought everyone should know that computers are evil.

Viruses, spyware, pop-ups...everything..are the devil's tools.

Ok, so my computer crashed again. It's getting fixed. I got a loaner laptop. That computer is full of viruses. It does not do anything I need it to. So i sit here in the library, on a computer that insisted on taking a billion years to start up, and i'm frustrated. Completely and utterly frustrated. I hate technology. Although, it's some sort of love-hate thing. I don't know. Can't live with it, can't live without it.

Oh, did i mention that the technology help center is closed on Saturdays? I'm not even sure if they're closed on Sundays. Lovely. Just lovely.

At least it's a warm day today. 51 degrees and sunny.

Give me a break and cut me some slack for Christ's sake.

Freezing my little tush off...

alright, so i haven't updated in a very long while. :-P i'm so delinquent..

anyhow...i am back in Omaha! and it's freezing cold! it snowed today, so i was slipping and sliding around while walking to class. however, it's not as bad as last week...where it dropped down to -30 with windchill. THAT was horrible.

classes this semester are a lot better. the load isn't quite as heavy as last semester, and i don't need to worry about pharmacy school applications anymore. however, i hear from them in one week from tomorrow. well...it should be if they decide to give me an interview, they should contact me. if not...well, i told some of you what will happen. :-P hahaha. we'll see. i'm still contemplating.

anyway...i'm waiting for my laundry. it should be done in about 2 minutes. so i'm gonna end my blog with not such a big bang as some of the others. sorry guys! i'm getting lazy with this thing. hehe.

have a good one!