Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, this post is not so much about Thanksgiving as it is about our last trip to camp. We went up there one last time last weekend to check out the progress, and it is looking good. The electrician is done (the lights turn on!) and the plumber was supposed to finish up a couple days ago, although I haven't heard how that went and if he actually came. A few pictures...(and these will be the last ones of the cabin for a while, and hopefully no more until we get the flooring in and maybe walls painted, which will be next spring and summer. So enjoy!

There are ranches around the camp area and some men were moving their cattle. This is on the unpaved road to camp.

East view of the cabin

South view with deck (you can see right now the railing is open, which we will need to fix when spring comes so little kids don't fall off)

North view

Another view of deck, looking in

Inside view with light fixtures

Loft

Bedroom

Looking at loft

Looking at kitchenChad hammering up our sign on the turnoff to the cabinAnd pointing to the sign

This week we had a nice break. Shawn, Emma & the fam came to spend Thanksgiving with us and Emma and I cooked the feast. It was yummy if I do say so myself. After the third time eating it though, we were ready for something different. We enjoyed the time we got to spend with them, and we also got to see some extended family on Chad's side, so it was good to catch up with them as well.

I hope everyone else had a good Thanksgiving. It's kind of overwhelming to think about how much I have to be thankful for.

Since Monday is the beginning of December, I am already counting down to Christmas break, which is only three weeks away. It's kind of nice to have my breaks so close together!

New update

Chad passed! He is now officially finished with the Excelsior College nursing program. Now, all he has to do is take the NCLEX and he will be a Registered Nurse.

Thanks for the calls and prayers supporting Chad throughout this hectic time. We are very excited.

Update

It is very late and I just got back from the UIL tournament in Mansfield. I am here to update you on Chad's progress. He passed all his skills stations on the first try. He had two patients today that he cared for, and passed with both of those patients. He has one more patient tomorrow to care for, and if he passes, he will come home and be DONE!!! If he doesn't pass that patient he will have one more try. So, he is doing a great job!

On another happy note, our team took first place sweepstakes at the Mansfield tournament (38 schools competed) and my journalism team took first place by one point...hey, we'll take it! I am so proud of them, considering only 2 of my 7 team members have competed in journalism UIL before.

Time for bed...I am still a little sick from earlier this week and the Nyquil is kicking in.

Eeeek!

The day(s) we have been waiting for are here...Chad goes to Amarillo today for his CPNE, or Clinical Performance in Nursing Examination. He has 5 skills stations tonight, and takes care of 3 patients over the course of tomorrow and Sunday. Please say a little prayer for him. We both have full confidence in his abilities, but are also aware of the importance of these few days. They are very picky about how everything is done, so all Chad has to do is remember everything he has studied over the past eight months.

I know that Chad will be glad when this is all over, so I can stop blogging about it.

New pictures

Here are the latest pictures of the place. What do you think?

Our builder is basically done. We are just waiting for the electrician to finish up whatever it is that he needs to finish (can't remember what that is) and for the plumber to show up and install the shut-offs and then our builder will install the faucets and p-traps since there was an issue with our counter tops and those can't be installed yet (countertop was damaged at pick-up, so another one had to be ordered).

So basically this is the finished product. We are over budget already by quite a bit, so everything else will have to be done little by little as time goes along. At least we know that we have a roof over our heads, running water and electricity when we visit our favorite place on earth.

Please keep Chad in your prayers. He is finishing up the last week of studying for clinicals, and he is working hard. He also found out on Monday after having an MRI that he has a hairline fracture in his leg. He has been having problems with his leg since the spring so we are hoping it will start healing up soon, and we're also glad to know what the problem is.

It's almost Friday! :)

Hi everyone! I know some of you are ready for it not to be "all cabin, all the time" on our blog, and I am happy to report that this time is coming. The cabinets are installed, countertops are about to be, the electrician is finished and the house now has electricity and light fixtures, our builder has finished the railings and staircases on the outside of the house and is finishing up the ones on the inside, and we are now waiting on the plumber for this thing to be finished. He hasn't shown up yet.

This past week was quite busy with coming back from San Antonio and working. Chad went for one more review in Dallas for his clinicals which are about a week and a half away. My job is to force him to go over his skills stations with me every day until his clinicals. He just bought some pretty awesome all-white scrubs and all-white shoes to wear, which remind me of the scene in Willy Wonka when the Oompa Loompas are in those outfits in that white room. Anyway, I am sure he will do great, but please pray for him as he finishes his preparations...I know he has got to be pretty nervous.

The weekend was good. We had some friends over for a non-Halloween Halloween party on Friday night (meaning no one dressed up, and we didn't do any theme games or anything), and then Saturday we watched the Tech-UT game along with the rest of the town, and then rushed home to avoid being hit by a drunk driver. It was a good game, but I was in turmoil the whole time about who to root for: I know Aggies are supposed to favor anyone who is playing UT, but I just couldn't bring myself to all-out cheer for the Raiders. Instead, I wore my A&M shirt and just enjoyed watching the game.

Well that's enough ramblings and putting off grading for today. Hope everyone has a good week!