50 Questions to Free Your Mind, Question #8

If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently? I’m not sure I’d be in college right now. I don’t think I’d want to spend over half my life in school. Obviously, my life span could still be 40 years or less, and I’m actually going to end up spending about a third of my life in school, but still. I would probably rather spend most of my time with my family. That brings me to my next point, I would probably have at least one baby by now and be married. Other than that, probably not much would be different…

50 Questions to Free Your Mind, Question #7

05. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?

This is a tough one for me. If we talking about a career, then I’m doing a little of both. If I were a male, I would be getting ready to start medical school, but because I want a family before I’m almost too old to have one, I’m in nursing school. I'm not saying it's not possible to have a family and be a female doctor, but it's just not what I felt was right for me. My ultimate goal of being a nurse practitioner is similar to being a doctor, and I’m getting the best of both worlds. So either way, I’m helping people.

Religiously, I have a long way to go. What I believe and what I do are two different things. I really don’t have an excuse either.... .

50 Questions to Free Your Mind, Question #6

If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

If I could do anything for this "happiness" currency, I would read, eat (lol), sleep, and just be with my family and boyfriend. The things I like are pretty simple. I would also do "projects". I love doing crafts, experiments, and cooking with Bella or just by myself. I would have to use my happiness "money" to buy my supplies to do more projects.

If I had to actually pick an actual job, I'd probably still do something to serve others. I really think I'd like to be a nurse practitioner, or maybe some sort of counselor. I love psychology. Or maybe I'd be a professional student...

Want to read this!

962 Days Left- 21. Visit a Flea Market

21. Visit a flea market.-I went to the flea market on labor day. I have never seen so many people in my tiny town. I ended up buying Tide and lots of gum and a few other things.

51. Go geocaching- I did geocache number two. It was a stop and grab time thing.

88. Try 50 new recipes (2/50)

Link to Perfect Pancakes from The Pioneer Woman I'm sure The Pioneer Woman makes perfect pancakes, but they definitely weren't perfect when I made them. I changed the amount of servings and I'm not sure that the vanilla was changed (it is changed automatically) I noticed it was a lot of vanilla, but I put it in anyway, and it was sooo vanilla-y. I think I'll stick to Bisquick.

Book #8

Okay, it took me over a week to read a good book. That's a sign for you that I'm busy, lol.

08. Defending Jacob-William Landay
Synopsis: "Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student." Read more and buy the book

My Thoughts: I liked it. I was surprised by it. I have read so many books at this point that I can usually guess the twists, but I didn't guess this one. I think the ending is fantastic. I would recommend this to anyone who likes legal dramas and mysteries.

50 Questions that will Free Your Mind, Question #5

What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?

The one thing I think I’d like to change about the world is the amount of hatred spread daily. Yes, "world peace" is the quintessential cause of beauty queens everywhere, but I'm not just talking on a large scale. Oh course, I would love to see no wars, peace in Darfur, and for all the American troops to come home, but I also want to see less hatred at home.

For instance, I would like to see the Westboro Baptist Church help others rather than condemn them. This "church" protests military funerals, other churches, and even the Billy Graham library. Their website is named "God Hates Fags". They have other websites like "God Hates the World" and "Priests Rape Boys". Also, they don't care what you think. Direct quote: "0 - nanoseconds of sleep that WBC members lose over your opinions and feeeeellllliiiiiings." It makes me feel physically sick to look at their website.

I don't think we have to agree on everything. I just want to see a little more tolerance. What has hatred ever accomplished?

969 Days Left-Goals 14, 22, 73, and 99 Completed!

Goal 14. Take Donnie out to Eat when she gets a job. She got a new job as an LPN and starts next Monday. She wanted to go to Olive Garden, so that's where we headed to.

Goal 22. Visit the Hub City Farmer's Market. I couldn't find it at first. I had to drive around the block a couple of times before I discovered it, but I got some cinnamon bread. I'd like to go again some time.

Goal 35. Learn two new songs on the guitar. I have a chord book and from the book I learned, Night Moves and You're Still the One (cheesy, I know).

Goal 73. Donate blood. This was a bad experience. I was by myself at Walmart, the blood mobile was outside, and I just thought I'd do a good deed and cross this off my list. Bad idea. DO NOT give blood by yourself if it is your first time. I go in, they prick my finger, ask me questions about my sexual preferences, take my blood pressure, and hook me up. Through all of this I feel fine.

When I was finished, I got up, walked to the back, and got me a soda. I still felt fine. I sat down, and within ten seconds, I did not feel fine. I became extremely nauseous. I looked for someone to help, but they weren't looking at me. Then, I got light-headed and started seeing stars. I looked again, but they still weren't looking. Then, it was like all the blood rushed to my ears. Everything got really loud and sounded like a busted speaker. My thinking was a little fuzzy by this time, and it took me a few seconds to realize that yes, I have ear problems, but no, things are not supposed to sound that way.

Thank goodness, a woman giving blood asked me if I was okay and alerted the workers. I was either going to be sick or pass out. I had to lie down for a while, and then I felt crappy the rest of the day. All I got for it was a t-shirt and movie ticket, so my blood better help somebody!

Goal 51. Go geocaching x 5. I did my first geocache for the list. It was an easy one in a local park.

Goal 99. Give up facebook for a week

I completed my first full week back to school this week, and I think it got to me a little. This is what I wore to school (accidentally) one day:

Stylish right?

And just look at my adorable kitty cats.

Books #6 and #7

06. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening-L.J Smith
Synopsis A Love Triangle of Unspeakable Horror...
Elena
Searching for the ultimate thrill, she vowed to have Stefan.

Stefan
Haunted by his tragic past, he struggled to resist her passion.

Damon
Driven by revenge, he hunted the brother who betrayed him.

The terrifying story of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them. Buy it

My thoughts I love the show, so I wanted to read the books. The book, actually, isn't as good as the show. Elena and Katherine seem to have switched personalities from the book to the show, and Elena just isn't as likable in the book. However, I liked the book. It kept me engaged. I would recommend reading books 1-3 at one time though because the book didn't have much of an ending at all.

07. The Lightning Thief-Rick Riordan
Synopsis Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. When his mom tells him the truth about where he came from, she takes him to the one place he’ll be safe—Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island). There, Percy learns that the father he never knew is actually Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon Percy finds himself caught up in a mystery that could lead to disastrous consequences. Together with his friends—a satyr and other the demigod daughter of Athena—Percy sets out on a quest to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods. Buy it.

My Thoughts This is a great book for tweens and young teenagers! It talks as if greek mythology is real, but neither confirms or denies a greater God, so it could be appropriate if you are worried about religion. Read the book yourself if you are worried about inappropriate themes before passing it along to a younger teen.

50 Questions to Free Your Mind #4

4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done? Unfortunately, yes. I am a thinker and a planner. I’m not even sure if it’s possible to accomplish everything I want to do. I have big goals that I am likely to accomplish. I want to own a home, be married, have two kids, and earn my masters and doctorate in nursing. These are things I’m willing to go to great lengths to achieve.

There are, however, other goals I would love to accomplish, but they may never happen. I want to own my own doctor’s office where I would be the nurse practitioner, and have a clinic for patients without sufficient funds at least once a month. I want to own a boat, maybe adopt a child, and be fluent in Spanish. I would also love to write a book.

I could seriously write an entire other dayzeroproject list with my actual “bucket list” items.

975 Days-Update: Goals 1, 28, 45, and 71 complete

I completed a good many goals this week.

Goal 1: I learned the suffixes of common drugs. I probably couldn't spout everything about them out, but I have a general understanding.

Goal 28: Have a movie marathon. I had a girly movie marathon. I watched Sleepless in Seattle (available on instant netflix), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Step Up. They're all distantly connected too; Sleepless is pictured in 10 Days and Matthew Mcconaughey stars in Magic Mike with Channing Tatum who stars in Step Up.

Goal 45: Buy a lottery ticket. Complete! And I LOST $2, oh well.
Goal 71: Buy a shirt and pants from college. Complete! Actual I bought some fantastic workout clothes with my college logo on them from Nike. You can buy similar shorts here.

Goal 78: One craft with the girls. Bella and I made tornados in a cup.

This isn't my picture. I found this on Pinterest. I would love to link back, but don't know the URL. Anyway, to create this just put water in a cup. Put shaving cream on top for the "cloud". I would recommend just a small amount of shaving cream. Then, put blue food coloring in. When the cloud gets heavy, it "rains". If you put too much shaving cream in, it takes a bit longer to get through. It takes about five minutes, minimal clean up, it's educational, and B. loved it.

Goal 84: Work on Portraits. I will show you some of the better ones when I finish. So far, they aren't turning out that great, but I'm out of practice and they're mostly just sketches.

Goal 88: Try 50 new recipes. We made pizza rolls this week.

Ingredients:
The original recipe made 30 biscuits. I only made 12. You'll be able to eyeball how much cheese to put in, and if you make less you may not use all of the egg.
Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits
Cheese-Any kind you want, we used mozzarella
Optional filling: pepperoni, green peppers, etc.
Beaten egg
Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
Garlic Powder
Pizza Sauce

Instructions:
Mash pillsbury buttermilk biscuit.
Top with cheese, pepperoni, etc
Take the edges and fold on top of the filling.

Repeat with each biscuit and place fold down on a greased pan.
Brush with the beaten egg.
Sprinkle garlic powder, italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese on top
Bake at 425 for 18-20 minutes. (I did not need to adjust the time for less biscuits, but keep an eye on them)

The original recipe came from The Gunny Sack. It is a phenomenal blog with tons of recipes, and a link for Taco Rolls on the same page.

Goal 99: Give up Facebook for one week. I will be finished on Wednesday. It's actually been harder than I thought because I check it randomly and absent-mindedly.

Things will be slowing down a bit now that I'm back in school! In other news, I've been with Travis four years (8/17). A. turned three (8/20). We took her to Toys R Us. She found one thing for mama to buy, and then, wouldn't pick anything out for me to buy for her! She wanted that one thing, and she was done! Later on that day, I decorated H.D's house with balloons and fans. She had a Spongebob cake that was delicious. She also had a pinata that would just not break! B. started kindergarten the same day, and she seems to love it. Don got a new job, and I started my last semester of college. Whew, that's a ton in one week!

Book 5-Jane Eyre

05. Jane Eyre-Charlotte Bronte
Synopsis: "An orphan girl's progress from the custody of cruel relatives to an oppressive boarding school culminates in a troubled career as a governess. Jane's first assignment at Thornfield, where the proud and cynical master harbors a scandalous secret, draws readers ever deeper into a compelling exploration of the mysteries of the human heart."
Free for Kindle

My Thoughts: I read this back in the eighth grade. Well, actually I was supposed to read it, and I didn't make it through it. I decided to give it a second try. I did better this time. I made it through the whole book, but I can't say I'm all that impressed. I enjoyed the middle of the book, but I trudged through the beginning and the end. I know this is some people's favorite book, but it's not mine.

This is my classic book for the Mixing it Up challenge.

50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind: Question #3

If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

This is a two part question.

Part 1: Why do we do so many things we don’t like?

People hate a ton of necessary things like work, school, or paying bills, but it is important to do these things, so you can do the things you like. Some things are necessary for survival.

Other things, however, I think we do because of our society's standards. We are expected to act a certain way, and the majority of us choose to act in accordance with that. Some of these standards are good and others are pointless or even harmful.

I like the way Tyler Durden from Fight Club (I just broke the first rule) put it: “An entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables – slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy s**t we don't need.”

Part 2: Why don’t we do the things we like?

One of the biggest reasons, I can see is affordability. I would love to go ziplining in the Amazon or mark off some of the places to visit or things to do on my 101 list, but unfortunately I don’t have the money to do it all at one time. I think the 101 list is step in the right direction though.

Other reasons are fear-fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of what other people will think, and plain, ole laziness.

What do you think?

983 Days-Update Goal 92 Complete

In Progress:
Goal 25: I watched one movie from IMDB's top 250, Seven with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt.

Goal 92: Make banana "ice cream". I've seen this all over pinterest. You take bananas, squish them up, and stick them in the freezer. B and I decided to make it today. For our "ice cream," we added peanut butter chips.

I peeled the bananas, sliced them up, and put them in a bowl.

We then proceeded to squish them with a potato masher. I wouldn't, however, recommend this. I, honestly, was feeling too lazy to wash the mixer, so I just mashed them up, but I would definitely recommend using a mixer or a blender to get the right consistency.

The next step is to pour some reece's peanut butter chips into the mix. You could also try chocolate chips, peanut butter, or honey.

Then, freeze. During this time, we ate some of the peanut butter chips from the bag. They are delicious, by themselves. Very sweet, but delicious. B. put a paper plate on her head and told me to take a picture, so here it is:

Now, eat! We weren't too impressed by this ice cream. Freezing the bananas didn't really make it taste any better to me than a regular banana. I think we preferred the peanut butter chips. But some of you may enjoy it! Lots of dieters and healthy eaters enjoy frozen banana slices.

Books 3 and 4

I read two books this week:

03. Gone Girl-Gillian Flynn

Synopsis: "Marriage can be a real killer. One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work 'draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction...'" Read more here.

My thoughts: This book was definitely different. I had a bit of an idea what was going on, but not all together. Things just keep changing in the book. You like some characters at the beginning who you hate at the end. It’s bizarre.

04. Forensic Detective-Robert Mann

Synopsis: "Enter Robert Mann, forensic anthropologist, deputy scientific director of the U.S. government’s Central Identification Laboratory, and, some might say, the Sherlock Holmes of death detectives. When the dead reveal some of their most sensational, macabre, and poignant tales, more often than not it’s Mann who’s been listening. Now, in this remarkable casebook, he offers an in-depth behind-the-scenes portrait of his sometimes gruesome, frequently dangerous, and always compelling profession..." Read more here.

My thoughts: This book isn’t for everyone. You have to be at least a little interested in forensics, and you can’t be squeamish. That being said, you don’t have to have any knowledge of forensics to read the book. It sticks to layman’s terms and any technical terms used in the book are defined.

50 Questions to Free Your Mind, Question 2

Question #2: Which is worse, failing or never trying? Okay, this one is just obvious. Anyone will tell you that it is better to try and fail than to "fail to try". The first thing that comes to mind is:

Unfortunately, I can't find the original maker of this. I found it here.

And now for the sake of fun here is a list of things it is better to not try than to fail at...

• Bungie jumping
  
• Throwing a knife at an apple above someone's head
  
• Anything that begins with, "hold my beer and watch this"
  
• Flying lessons
  
• Breaking a board with your hand
  
• Russian roulette
  
• Stage diving
  
• Zipping a dress three sizes too small
  
• The Hunger Games.
  

Fail Blog

Email from Jodi Picoult...

So, I got an email from Jodi Picoult back! She answered in one day. She states on her website, by the way, that she answers all her own emails.

I asked her what her favorite movie was and if she had a bucket list, what would one thing on it be?

1. Shakespeare in Love
2. Dinner with Hugh Jackman!

Thanks for reading :)

Jodi Picoult

990 Days Left-Goals 72 and 48 Complete

Goals I've Been Working On:

Goal 01: I've been working on suffixes for common drugs. I'm currently making notecards. It's very boring, but something that needs to be done.

Goal 61: Participate in a 5k-I've found one I may run. It's the Komen Race for the Cure for breast cancer. It's at the end of September, so maybe if I train I won't pass out after mile two. I decided if I was going to do one, I might as well do one for a good cause.

Goal 70: I got one of the two matching bras and underwear sets. I actually bought several pairs of underwear that matched with the bra. I'm going to feel like I have it all together, lol. I bought them at Aerie. All bras are 40% off.

Goal 72: Own a skirt and actually wear it-I bought a skirt at Goodwill recently. It was originally from Express. The reason this is a goal is I have problems finding skirts that fit correctly. I am bigger on the bottom, so it has to be long enough that the back doesn't hike up dangerously close to my butt.

Goal 48: Write a letter to someone famous. I chose my favorite author Jodi Picoult to write a "letter" to, and by letter I mean I sent an email. She is the author of My Sister's Keeper among other phenomenal books.

Mrs. Picoult,

Hello, I'm Nikki a twenty-one-year-old nursing student. I first read My Sister's Keeper for a summer reading assignment in high school. I feel in love with the book. I cried like a baby, and then, when I saw the movie I actually had participatory crying-I cried during parts that weren't even sad because I remembered the book (the book was far better than the movie, by the way).

Since then, I've read the majority of your books. I really don't know that I have a favorite. They are all so good! I especially like that you do so much research for your books. Each book feels authentic. I haven't found any inconsistencies, and that's amazing. It's seems that you become an expert on each subject you write about!

I think it's hilarious that The Notebook is the worst book you've ever read. I wouldn't say it's the worst, but I'm certainly not a fan of Mr. Sparks.

I have two random questions for you:

1. What is your favorite movie of all time?

2. If you had a "Bucket List", what is one thing that would be on it?

Thank you so much for being such a fantastic writer,

Nikki

Reading Challenges

I've decided to join two reading challenges. I'm a little late to the party, but I think I may be able to read the twenty-tree books required for the challenges before the end of 2012.

I'm participating in the Mini YA Reading Challenge to read 12 young adult books. It's been a long time since I read any YA, so I thought it would be a fun challenge.

1. The Awakening< /a>
2. The Lightning Thief
You can join too. You don't need a blog to participate, all YA books count, and you don't have to pick the books in advance. The challenge is hosted by The Eclectic Bookshop.

"The premise is really very simple. It's all about mixing up your reading, pushing your boundaries and exploring new genres. Take a look at the categories below, and choose one book for each category. It's that easy! You can choose to try anything from a gentle 4 to the full 16 different genres, and the book you pick for each is entirely up to you!"

I'm choosing to read eleven of the sixteen difference genres (Mixing bowl level of participation). There are just some categories I don't think I will be able to get into.

The Categories:

• The Classics Jane Eyre
• Biography
• Cookery, Food, and Wine
• Modern Fiction
• Crime and Mystery Defending Jacob
• Horror
• Romance
• Sci-Fi and Fantasy
• Travel
• Science and Natural history-DONE! Forensic Detective
• Social Sciences and Philosophy

The challenge is hosted by Musings of a Bookshop Girl.

Book #2 A Grown Up Kind of Pretty

02. A Grown Up Kind of Pretty- Joshilyn Jackson
Synopsis: "A GROWN-UP KIND OF PRETTY is a powerful saga of three generations of women, plagued by hardships and torn by a devastating secret, yet inextricably joined by the bonds of family. Fifteen-year-old Mosey Slocumb-spirited, sassy, and on the cusp of womanhood-is shaken when a small grave is unearthed in the backyard, and determined to figure out why it's there. Liza, her stroke-ravaged mother, is haunted by choices she made as a teenager. But it is Jenny, Mosey's strong and big-hearted grandmother, whose maternal love braids together the strands of the women's shared past--and who will stop at nothing to defend their future." -Amazon

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, kept me entertained, and although the story felt familiar, I was still surprised by the twists and turns of the story. I thought Liza's stroke was portrayed accurately and added a depth to the story. The only real problem I had with the book was the dialogue of Mosey and her friends. Mosey's dialogue sounds like a forty-year-old mother trying to sound like a teenager (and I guess that's what the author is doing). It's a little forced, there's a little too much abbreviations in the texts, and it just read as false to me. Overall, I'd give this book 3/5 stars.

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind

Question 1: How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

One of my goals is to answer the 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind. First off, this question just confuses my mind. I've seen the response that you are your chronological age regardless of whether you know it or not, but that's boring and a bit condescending. So what age do I want to be?

I had a good childhood. I was spoiled, I was loved, and I had fun, but it was also a lonely time for me. I gained a lot of weight in elementary school, matured way too early, was made fun of, and was bored in my classes. I felt different than the other kids and for a elementary schooler or a middle schooler being different is a terrible thing.

By the time I reached high school, I had found a group of friends in the honors circle. I still felt different, but I was coming into my own skin. My friends were different too, and being bored in my classes translated into graduating as the Salutatorian of my class. However, high school came with its own challenges. I heard rumors about myself, took some teasing, and I'm ashamed to say, I did my fair share of it as well. I was always so defensive in high school, and I was unfair to people because of it. I also spent the first three years dating someone completely wrong for me. All in all, I enjoyed high school, but that doesn't keep me from having nightmares about going back.

So what about now, my college years? I can honestly say I am happier than I've ever been. Tree is the man of my very realistic dreams, lol. I have a guy who just let me cry it out when B. had her first seizure and who sat with me and ordered me a PB&J on a cruise when I was so very seasick instead of going to dinner. Out of everything, those two very simple things mean so much to me. I also have two beautiful nieces who bring the color into my world. I love college! It's the first really stimulating school experience I've ever had.

I can't say my college years have been perfect though. My grandma passed away, B. battled (and won) against epilepsy, and I had my own share of health issues, but I've made it through all of that for the most part...

And I'm so excited for the future! So, if I could be any age, I'd still be 21. I'd have all of the above experiences behind me, I'd be right smack in the middle of a great point in my life, and I'd have so much ahead of me. Right now sounds just about fantastic.

997 Days Left: Goals 97 and 44 COMPLETED!

Goal 97
After a day of writing goals, a day of designing the website, and two days of writing the “pages”, I can officially say I have started my blog. Join me and make your own list.

I decided for my first post, I should at least do an easy goal, so I chose to complete Goal 44. Enter a Contest or Sweepstakes...

Goal 44. Enter a Contest or Sweepstakes
Okay, so in typical Nikki fashion I went a little overboard. Instead of entering one contest, I entered several. You can too! I would love to win any of these even the small products. I think I would enjoy body wash so much more if I won it!

Win a Corvette
Prize Packages from Cooking.com
Petsmart -One trip to LA to meet Bret Michaels (okay, I don’t really care to meet Bret Michaels, but sure. Why not?), a guitar, or a $50 gift card.
Win an IPad from Woman’s Day
Bic -(Pick your 5 favorite lighter designs). Win a $3000 Ticketmaster Gift Card.

$20 Gift Car For Barnes and Noble. ENDS SOON
Verizon- Some very cool adventure prizes like rafting and ziplining, supercar experience, or race on a sailboat
Apartment Guide- Pick your favorite design and win $10,000 to redo your place.
$150 Paypal Cash Giveaway
Prize valued at $200
Win “Beauty of the Game” Cologne
Win a Softsoap body wash

I also finished reading one book, A Storm of Swords.

.
99 books to go!