This just in:

Hi. I'm still here. Yep... thinking of "The Kid" as I typed that.

Anyway... I found out the other day how you tell the difference between The Bird Flu and The Swine Flu.

Bird Flu- Requires Tweetment; Swine Flu - Requires application of Oinkment. ;)

If anyone says something that is completely outrageous, you can no longer use the statement "When pigs fly!" Why? you may ask, Well... because Swine Flu. lol

Had to start back with a couple jokes. :)

Times change. So do people. God remains the same.

Praise the Lord for His renewed mercies every morning. Where would we be without Him?

Brandon Heath - Give me your Eyes
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me you heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWIpQuGwSyQ
Please listen if you haven't, if you have, listen anyway! It's a good song. :)

I'll try to get some pictures up on here... but my track record is sadly lacking. So we'll see. ;)
God bless you all until we meet again!

Triple D

Dumb Diesel Dog.... but as it turns out. He's not quite as dumb as Dad initially thought he was going to be. Here's a progression of his life since he joined the Bahr household in July.

Here he is when we first got him in July

In September

Today. :)

Steph these pics are for you. To get ready for when you come home. I wish I had of taken pics of his HUGE mounds in the yard. Dad told me today. "Chelsie, come here and look at what you have brought to this farm." I walked over to where he was standing and saw THE LARGEST MOUND of dog poo that I believe I have ever seen. Then I proceeded to look around the yard and noticed that, if they were bombs, we would be walking in a literal minefield. RE-Diculous. But highly amusing. Sorry to become graphic. ;)

Today was a pretty low-key day, as I was at home due to icy road conditions. But I feel like I got a lot done. Cleaned my room, washed my clothes, hauled/split wood, played with the dog, BLOGGED, AND, watched the Bachelor. again, ridiculous, I know.

I would just like the 2 people who read this to know.... Steph is coming home in 3 days!!!! I keep telling Dad and he's probably about ready to shoot me. good. I like to rile him up. :)

Smokey

.... is back. With the start of the fall/winter seasons, Smokey is back in full force. As long as Smokey lives under this roof, and the cold winds of fall and winter beat brutally against the windows, the fight against cold will not be simply laid aside. Smokey will persevere. Smokey just wanted you all to understand how important the FireMaster's job is at the Bahr house.

:)

Dream (content in green)

Tif, this is for you. (I feel like) you will appreciate it.

This evening after supper, which was scrumptious biscuits and gravy, I fell asleep on the couch while mom read. The following account is the dream that HAS to be shared.

Mom, Tif, and I were riding horses in London over a huge cobble stoned bridge. Tif's horse was ready to race the other riders (since there were about a hundred or so riders). Mom's horse was not behaving well though, so I decided to ride beside her to help calm it down. As we neared the end of a stretch of the road, it turned into a hospital wing. Justin Helmley was standing at the end ready to take my horse from me and direct me to the bathroom, and when I got back out, he told me, "Just go on in, but don't get in anyone's way, and you can watch the surgery." I was amazed that he knew I needed to observe one, and asked, "Is it anyone I know." He sort of grimaced and then nodded. I entered the room to find Tif on the operation table, her stomach bloated to the size of a horse and the color of green and yellow. (disgusting by the way) and immediately began to bawl. The doctor told me that she had been riding her mare, when another mare barged out of the ditch and smashed her horse, breaking her legs. Turns out the surgery was on her legs, so I don't really know why her body was so bloated. haha

When mom and dad arrived, the surgery was done and she had casts on both of her lower legs (knee down) and she swung them off to the side and sat up. We all tried to make her lay down cause she was just getting done with surgery, but she said, "Guys, my legs are cramping." As if this made it all ok.

I think I might have woke a little cause I don't remember anything after that of the hospital scene, however the dream is not over! Tif was up in the combine talking on the phone, and I was hanging by my knees below the front window, cause the header was not on it. As I looked up at Tif through the glass, somehow it distorted her image, so she was actually below me. I was spitting as I was hanging there, and one of the times, she accidentally opened her mouth at the wrong time and one of my spitballs went right in her mouth. She yelled at me and told me to stop being disgusting, and then decided she wanted to go to where steph was (at the beach). So she climbed down the ladder and went around on a deck of the combine. I asked her why she took the long way and with a mighty leap, beat her to steph.

Then dad came home and I woke up. Sorry if the details were a little much, but I found this hysterical and had to share.

cheers

A hint?

I got a letter in the mail today and apparently this reminded dad that I had an e-mail in his inbox. So he told me it was there and we went on with our conversation. After being at home for a while, I remembered he told me I had one, so I checked their mail account and the e-mail title (unopened) read:

From: Dr. Suzanne

Chelsie, THIS is why you're fat; please don't be disgusted though, it's NOT your fault.


Needless to say, I burst out laughing and immediately called dad to let him know how much I appreciated his subtle hint.
sheesh

pictures

Tif straightens AP out

In front of the theater after "Wicked"

Tif and I didn't really like the play,
as is obvious from our faces. ;)

Dad is not impressed with "the vibe"

The Ladies

Walking back from feeding the fish,
which is somewhat like feeling warm eggs.

AP and a beautiful sunset

Watching the feeding fish

The unsuccessful attempt to catch a fish

Mis hermanas

Tif at the overlook to the Kanza Prairie

Sun setting over the Kanza Prairie

madre in her KSU purple

Contemplation...

Right before they left Manhattan, Brady and
Monica stopped by to say adios and snap a pic

Katie, me, and Laurel

(Laurel is the lady a lived with in Lafayetted, IN for 6 weeks)

Friends from Ohio

Phone Convo

Steph: Look at where we're at, I mean, you're getting ready to join the work force! What happened to the days of sitting on the bed being...
Me: (interrupting her) I know!
Steph: I mean, I usually don't act that stupid, but when I am with you guys, I get weird.
Me: Yeah, I usually don't act stupid either.
Steph: yeah... right. But even YOU reach new heights of stupidity when you are with us!

Unreal. Who do you think you are Steph! I mean honestly. :D

And just an FYI because I know you faithful readers are missing my countdown:

29 days til the "day"

And now for something completely different:

February Exultation

I walked to school this morning
O what a joyous lark
I walked to school in the sunshine
Instead of in the dark

The month has been quite gloomy
Most of its twenty-eight days
Heralding dawn's arrival
With mist or fog, or haze

But---

I walked to school this morning
O what a joyous lark
I walked to school in the sunshine
Instead of in the dark
--------Emma Miller

I came home for lunch today, and Aunt Em said, "Wow, it has really been a day!" Then she quoted this poem. I thought it was awesome, so I wanted to share.

Today was so beautiful!... in the morning. Mid-afternoon, the sun went away and the cold came back. I was so excited at lunch, because when I went outside, my car was so warm on the inside that I had to roll the windows down. So when I got back to work, I thought, Well I don't want trapped heat in here, so I left the window down about a 1/4 of an inch on both sides. So I got to my car and I didn't even have heat trapped. It was one of those days! :) BUT, as my devotional said this morning :
"God awakens me morning by morning and he wakens me for a purpose so that I can hear; I am a disciple who is taught" (Isaiah 50:4) Before you even get out of bed, listen to hear what God has to say to you. It WILL be a good day if you start it with a ready ear, taking time to listen to Him. God is eager to reveal today's plan to you! "

And I just smile when I think about God waking me up just to hear me talk to Him. When I don't talk to Him in the morning, it's like ignoring a call from your parents. Although not as drastic. Here's why I think this, Dad calls me at 7:30 a.m., and I think "I'm kinda busy getting ready and I don't want to talk right now, but what if it's important?" Same with God, I might get up late and be busy with getting ready. But what God has to tell me is important. Every day. So I need to take time to listen and talk to Him.

Two posts in a row... you faithful readers are lucky! :) God bless!

El Dorado

Week 1: The Initiation
On Saturday, the 16th, I moved into Aunt Em's. On Monday morning, bright and early, I started my first day of clinicals at Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital. My Clinical Instructor had told me to be there at 7:45 that first day so we could get to the computer/ hospital orientation for new employees and students. So I showed up at 7:45, and checked in with the ladies at the volunteer services department. I waited for about 10 minutes and decided that I had probably been forgotten. Indeed, my childhood nickname of "chelsie forgot", once again came to the fore. I was retrieved from the waiting area by Tina, a fellow PTA. When my CI showed up, she looked at me, blinked a couple times, then said, "O DANG IT! and I had such high hopes of showing up early on your first day."
To say the least, I was put at ease from the first moment. :) Since then, I have felt very at home in the hospital. I'm still working on being the one to initiate treatment and to get out of the background.
Anyway, the reason this is entitled "the initiation" is as follows:

I accompanied Becky, my CI, and Tina, the PTA into Mr. Smith's (aka, HIPPAA stipulations) room. I stood on the opposite side of the bed that they were trying to get him up on and by chance decided I would put gloves on, JUST in case. Sometimes, I pride myself on being able to detect a Code brown upon entrance into a room, but as a newby, I didn't want to be out of line, but to just see how they handled it. Well, let's just say those gloves I put on were well used. Mr. Smith stood up and low and behold, the drawsheet went with him. Hope that's not too graphic for anyone. :)

After we EVENTUALLY exited the room, Becky looked at me, and said, "Wow, I think you might be comfortable in a hospital setting, cause I'm pretty sure some of my other students would have run away!" It was one of those moments when I felt really cool, (which doesn't happen often), until I remembered my sister tifani's statement... "I don't know why you would want a job where you have to wipe people's butts!" And my "coolness" came crashing down.

O well, at least I have been initiated.

Change

I really don't like change. At all. As my departure from Topeka to El Dorado gets closer and closer, and as everyone's lives around me are changing, I can't help but get emotional.
- In 4 weeks, I will no longer be a resident of Topeka. The place I have called home for the last 3 years. And although I don't like the town of Topeka, I love the central location it offers, but most importantly, the memories/friendships that have been made.
- Anna is moving to Florida. It's hard to believe our 7 month lease is already up. I mean, that is not supposed to happen for a long time... right?
- Tif graduates in May and who knows where God is going to take her.
- I have nieces and nephews in MX that I have only met once and one that I never got the chance to meet. (Thanks for being the loving mother those kids need steph!)
- My co-workers at Stormont have become very dear people to me. We give each other a wonderfully hard time, and I am going to miss them.
- In 10 weeks, I am going to do a clinical rotation in IN.
- in 16 weeks, I graduate from college....

I am just amazed at all the changes that are coming, and I feel like this few weeks in January are my calm before the storm. God has been so good, and he is so faithful in everything. I ache when I think about the changes coming, but I'm comforted by the fact that He is in control of my life. Whatever He shows me, I pray He grants me the grace to follow. I think this whole emotional blog post was stimulated by the fact that mom and dad were here in Topeka this weekend, and we were discussing what we would do with my couch when I move. I think a couch is a very wonderful reason to cry, don't you? ;)

So now, I wipe the tears, say a prayer, and remember that....
- In 68 days, I turn 21. :D
God bless you all in this New Year!