What's up?

Per my mom's advice, this is a "what's up?" post.  Enjoy.

First of all, I am now a Registered Nurse!  I took the NCLEX on Thursday, July 1st and found out on Saturday morning that I passed.  I should receive my official license within the next few weeks.  I am so relieved that I passed!  Despite my lack of adequate studying, I felt very well prepared - in fact, I did not think it was as hard as everyone always made it sound!  Not only am I relieved, but I am so thankful for all of the support and encouragement from my family and friends which gave me the confidence I needed to do my best!

Not too much has been going on around here since I last posted.  A little over a week ago we had some bad weather which resulted in a tornado warning being issued for all of Milwaukee County.  Gabe was working, and it was late at night.  I had to wake Jacob up to take him downstairs and only a few minutes after we got down there, we lost power.  On top of that, water started pouring in through the windows because it had collected in the window wells.  It goes without saying (but I'm still going to say it) that THAT was quite an adventure.  Needless to say (though it is necessary), Jacob and I packed up after the warning was no longer in effect and headed over to my parents to sleep in their basement.  Gabe had to stay late due to storm damages, but came over around 1:00 AM.  We left in the morning...but slept great that night! 

This past weekend was the Koch Family Reunion.  It was a lot of fun to see family members whom I have not seen in years.  There were so many kids running around everywhere, it was hard to keep track of everyone.  It was fun to show off my baby to people who have never seen him in person.  We ate lots of food, did a lot of swimming, played beach volleyball, visited with family, and got lots of sun!!  I am looking forward to hopefully seeing everyone again next year for another reunion!

My mom and sisters are currently in Nashville, TN for a Higher Things Youth Gathering.  This is weird for me to be so far away from my family, especially my mom.  I am used to being able to make the 7 minute drive over to their home when ever I please, and my mom and I talk at least several times a week.  Now that they are several states away, it feels very weird!

Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment to take care of a couple of cavities that developed during my 1 1/2 year absence from the dentist.  I had my routine exam and cleaning prior to getting married, but Gabe's insurance does not include a "couple" dental plan, so it just was not beneficial for us to add me to his dental insurance.  Therefore, I neglected going to see the dentist until just recently.  I've never had to have cavities taken care of before because I never really had any.  Our dentist was so good at catching things early.  He would take care of "micro" cavities, or early cavity formation before they could progress to anything more serious.  Therefore, I also have never had to have any dental local anesthesia...and I am kind of worried about that!  We'll see how it goes tomorrow...

Per my mother's request, I also must post about my most recent Pick N' Save shopping where I saved 60% on groceries using The Grocery Game.  I had some great deals that I will share - including original price, sales, coupons, etc.  However, that will wait until another day.  It is now time to sleep!