updates abound

so, i haven't written since April. Not that I think anyone read this thing, but I'm kind of stressed right now and so I thought I'd get some stuff out. Maybe it will help me get my mind on the task at hand (anyone who knows me knows that my parents should have named me The Procrastinator instead of Kelly. It would save everyone (classmates, coworkers, the power company bill collector...) a lot of time trying to figure me out. I wait until the last minute on everything. I always have and I probably always will. I'm almost 30 and it's never blown up in my face (I'm knocking on wood, don't worry). I think if it had, say, back in high school one good time, I probably wouldn't have ended up in my current position. Oh Well. I can work on changing next semester. Speaking of, let me give you the update:

1. I got into grad school! Yay! I am now a (virtual) Tarheel. UNC has an online MPH program, which given the fact that I work an hour away from the closest program was really the only way to go. Plus, UNC has a REALLY good Public Health School. I, with my mediocre grades and sub-par GRE scores never, in a million years, would have gotten into the on campus program. Since there will be no difference, on paper, between me and the smarties that go on campus (you know, when I'm seeking future employment as Kelly B Bragg, MPH, CHES, CPH (fingers crossed!)), I couldn't really pass it up when I inexplicably got an acceptance letter in the mail. I say inexplicably because I am by far the least qualified person in the program. For example, a sample of my classmates would be my group in my one of my first classes as an MPH candidate: Introduction to Public Health Practice. There are five people in my group - a woman with a Ph.D in genetics, a regulator with the FDA, a nurse in high risk obstetrics at a large hospital in Nashville, and a doctor. Thats right, I'm sharing posts and answering questions with an MD. I keep trying to tell myself that I'm the only one with true local public health experience. So far, I think I'm holding my own. I have a paper due tomorrow that I haven't even started yet - brings back memories of the Dub. :) I'm also taking intro to biostatistics. I LOATH that class and everything related to it. I am barely hanging on in there.

2. I had a pretty good summer, all things considered. In June, while on my lunch break at work, I decided to relive my glory days as star of the middle school basketball team. I went out back to shoot hoops (by myself) and fell. When I fell, I snapped the end of my fifth metatarsal off. Apparently, it's pretty common among us ballers. Anyway, I was in a boot for like 6 weeks. The weekend after I did it, a friend from Indy came down to visit. We really couldnt' do much because of the crutches, so I felt a little bad. I mean, lets be honest. Noone I know wants to spend all that money and fly in to see scenic Gastonia. I had fun, I just hope she did. It was about 4,034 degrees the entire time she was here and since I drive a manual car, I had to borrow my father's automatic 2001 Mitsubishi with 145,000 miles on it and no AC. Good times. Anyway, I did the crutches, the boot, the ugly crocs I was instructed to buy, etc. I tried to power through, but was still in a signifigant amount of pain so I went back to the doc in October and it WAS STILL BROKEN. Apparently, drinking a gallon of diet coke a day since hte age of 10 really isn't a good way to build up bone strength. Awesome. So, I'm dealing with that. You know what happens when you can't do anything but ride a bimke for exercise for 6 months? Your ass gets bigger. A lot bigger. It's been a real drain on the self esteem, but I'm hoping that the $400 orthotics that I paid for out of pocket will help me get back on the horse, er, treadmill. Any day now.

3. Terrance and I got a cat. No, we aren't cat people. He showed up in our yard, crying, and I couldn't let him die. The dogs tolerate him. His name is Charlie. I'm fairly certain he's a terrorist (not to make light of everything going on right now, but he's kind of ruining a bunch of my stuff. And I look like I try and hug a weedwacker on a daily basis).

4. I'm gearing up for another fun filled Festivus party. This will be the 3rd year Terrance and I have had a Holiday bash. I'll admit, I go a little nuts over it. I LOVE entertaining. People think I don't, because most of the time I spend the party running around making sure everything is going just right. I don't want anyone to bring anything... I just want to be the consumate hostess. I think I do OK at it. We should have about 20-25 people there this year, most of whom are return visitors, so it can't be so bad. :)

5. I went Black Friday shopping this year. I will never go again. It was too stressful for words. I saw people get punched, arrested, gun confiscated. People waited in line for 4, 5, 6 hours. And then another 2 to check out.

6. I love our little house. It does not love me back. Since we moved in 2 years ago, we have had to fix or replace the following things: refrigerator (fix - $400), septic system (fix - $600), washing machine (replace - $550). The roof now needs to be replaced as does the heating and air unit. Both of which are going to run us about $4,000-5,000. I'm tryng not to be an angry person. At least I have a house, right? A house that stays around 60 because 4 space heaters can only do so much and you can't run them all at once anyway because you short the house out. There are days that I want to send Charlie in to make the guy that sold us this place pay. And then I think about how cute it is and all the work I've done (we refinished the hardwoods in the dining room, painted a bunch, and I did tile backsplashes in the kitchen). And then I like it again. I have to admit, I like it because it's home. It will always be the first place we bought and when I'm making those big MPH, CHES, CPH bucks and Terrance is making those big history channel book tour bucks (he's in school right now as well to become a historian), we'll look back at this little place and say 'remember when' and laugh fondly as we sip wine overlooking our vineyard while we reflect on our fabulous lives... (more likely, we'll look back and say we miss paying this mortgage when we inevitably have to upgrade based on need not an increase in income... sigh...) Home, for us, is definitely wear the heart is - otherwise I'd cry. :)

OK- best to get started on the paper. Anyone taking bets on whether or not I can still successfully pull off the all nighter?