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so obviously this blog has become inactive- if you want to follow my most recent journeys in life please see www.caringbridge.com/visit/TawniBurton

My The Things That Can Happen In A Year's Time...

so... I didn't take the time to update on us last I visited my semi-abandoned blog... I guess it's about time I did...
In June 2008: We survived waist high waters in our street that ultimately claimed our home due to cracking the foundation massive storm damage to the roof, a loss of anything and everything utility related, obliteration of our 3 year old septic system due to shifting ground, and consumption by mold due to humidity (i'm not kidding.. we actually have full blown mushrooms growing out from behind the shower walls there now lol)

Other news in June: I was accepted into the BSN program at IU School of Nursing!! :)

Early July of 2008: Dave and I conquered a huge hurdle together. I learned a lot about me as a person and our boundaries as a couple. I made an awful mistake I can never take back but have definately learned from and will never forget.

Late July of 2008: I was hospitalized with a large ruptured ovarian cyst (5" in diameter) lost my right ovary and fallopian tube and was diagnosed with severe endometriosis- during the surgery to remove the ovary my surgeon also performed a laproscopy--mind you- through all of this I was uninsured...


Aug 2008: I began my first semester at IUSON

Nov 2008: my surgeon had advised me the best treatment of my endometriosis would be to send my body into a false state of menopause until i was ready to have another child- However, without insurance this treatment was not within my means. Therefore, we have concieved baby#2 a bit ahead of schedule--we are currently expecting a little boy due between July 30th and Aug 7th of 2009. we concieved in Nov :)

Dec 2008: around this time my family also made a move back to eating meat--the stress of everything we had going on coupled with meat dreams (I'm assuming from poor diet due to overtaxing myself +the pregnancy) was just more than I really had the ability to handle.. I may ultimately return to vegetarianism.. but Dave probably will not- and we are leaving it up to Owen for himself ultimately now..

April 2009: We purchased a new home and relocated to Camby IN- due in part to the fact that FEMA rental assistance can only be granted for 13 months post disaster- so we were on a timeline to find new living arangements...
We also finalized our application to FEMA in cooperation with Johnson County Planning and Zoning to participate in the property aquisition project along with several others from Old Smith Valley and Honey Creek Lane.-we also learned that due to the cost of this project being over 1 million dollars that the approval from FEMA could take upwards of a year to complete- this meant that instead of the county buying our property between June and December of 2009 that the actual buy out may extend all the way out until June of 2010. (This means 2 mortgage payments for up to another year)

We are currently adapting to and loving our new home and environment and preparing as best we can for the upcoming school semester. Our newest addition will be less than one month old at the start of the fall semester- so this could prove to be a trying fall and winter with clinicals twice a week and a full time load- one income and unimaginable expenses (I never thought we would be in this state- but due to having to replace many of our appliances and many of the expenses we incurred attempting to salvage our home.. we now have new credit cards that are maxed out-we had hoped to be able to pay them down before the promotions ended- but the delay with FEMA has prevented this and we are therefore stuck just waiting and surviving until the whole thing is resolved.)

I will continue to update as best I can over the coming months and thank you for your time and interest :)

Women for Sarah Palin

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

LMAO :D

A Moment For China

I've been contemplating what the best thing to say would be- but am at an absolute loss- My heart goes out to all those in China right now- I just can't understand why these people are experiencing so much hardship right now- As I am looking through the latest slew of video and pictures and news coverage- I have learned of an outbreak of HFMD in beijing- What's next? I can't even imagine what is to come of the aftermath of the quake itself- but how many other areas of China will be impacted by epidemics as well? I shudder at the thought of those people having to endure anymore- I saw some heartless coments on youtube stating that it was fate's retribution for their treatment of Tibet and soforth--but honestly- the people of china are not to blame here- it is the government no? and even they are not responsible for such a disaster- I don't know what it's like to live as a citizen of china- so i cannot judge the lone man- and that's who's facing this tradgedy- the individual people- poor souls who couldnt make it out or who are trapped cut off from aid-or those who have lost their entire families- I can't think of words that would do these men women and children justice- but I can say- my heart goes out to them- and I can't help but cry for them- may god- or whatever higher power is out there- be with them all right now.

EEEWW!!

Before I move on to more serious topics- I'd just like to post a quick little rant in relation to cleaning and household junk- so if you'd prefer a more intelligent posting or something with a little more uhm- how shall we put this- no- just blunt- something that might actually be a little interesting :)- then move on to the next post in line :)--ANYWHO- When you have a 3 person household- or god forbid there be more at this current moment in our lives- and only one person cleaning- things can get pretty damn nasty... no joke- i just did dishes and cleaned up around the kitchen- and i really wanted to puke- things had gotten a little backed up while i was sick- because well... let's just face it- Dave doesn't clean :) now i have to give him some credit :) he's been just as sick as I have- but he's done less than a tenth of the work that I've done- i think in total he maybe did 3 loads of laundry since the start of the year- and he's finally close to having fixed my lawn mower- so i might actually be able to cut the ENTIRE yard soon- for the first time this year- astonishing no? (long story- belt issues, now some missing spring and a blown gasket- man i hate hand-me-down crap lol) this has probably been our worst year thus far in terms of keeping up with necessity household tasks-and this- compounded by the fact that we have a horrible mouse infestation that our cat cannot seem to keep up with (give the poor guy a break :) he's fat and lazy and only cares about the mice if they try to get at his food) aaanyway- i figured out how the nest near the kitchen has subsisted for so long- apparently in a box from Christmas we had a huge package of ramen noodle type things and well- they chewed a hole in the box and ate ALL of the noodles- so- there's the answer to that problem- maybe now if i can get rid of any other unknown food source- they'll go back next door where they belong lol :) (or hey- i don't know- maybe out on that giant brush pile in the back where the rabbits live peacefully and we don't give a damn?? just get out of our house! lol) aaanyway- just a little grossed out from having (almost) finished cleaning my kitchen- i can't take anymore tonight though- i might wind up losing my appetite for a week- anyway- onto more interesting topics? :) lol- thanks for reading

Snickers, Three Musketeers, and M&M's Oh My!

Learn more at MarsCandyKills.com.

Wouldn't you rather take off a break of that Kit Kat Bar? :) -just taking a moment to say- THANK YOU HERSHEY'S (for making delicious candy and not being a cruel and ruthless company like MARS)!! :)
Oh- and Just an FYI- MARS also manufactures (obviously- the infamous mars bar) Skittles, Twix, Milky Way, Dove (also known as Galaxy), Starburst (as listed in the video)- they also produce Combos, Uncle Ben's, Dolmio pasta sauce, Whiskas, Chappy, Greenies, Medi-cal, Nutro, Royal Canin, and Pedigree- They also unfortunately purchased Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company just this past april (sorry Bubble Tape- used to love ya- but no longer will I be a fan...)

sorry i've been out for a while-i have some noteworthy things to say -but i'm going to let this run for a bit first- because I feel like it's more important :) Thanks for stopping in!

Young Children With Asthma- Needing Advice!!

Well.. I'm in an odd spot right now... sorry I dont have new and interesting tidbits to rant about... but.. i guess life has just gotten too serious for my funny bone the last few months... Our pediatrician finally took us seriously today- and for whatever reason- i'm not relieved- i actually feel a bit anxious now... Owen starts using an inhaler 4 times a day as of tonight... and well.. i guess it just feels a little too real now.. like i'm not just that crazy mom who worries too much.. this is a real problem that could create real obstacles.. and i'm trying not to look at it negatively- but i think it will take me a while to adjust... anyway- for those of you out there with young children who have asthma.. i have a question- how in the world do you get them to use it when they're not having an attack?? (our pediatrician wants us to use it routinely every 6 hours and he HATES the taste of it... i mean.. i'm sure i could get him to take it if he was having an attack and seriously couldnt catch a breath (I hope!!) but.. he just cries and doesnt want to take it (he's 2 just so you know... will be 3 in june)- we have the aerochamber. but he doesnt want to put it in his mouth-- what can we do?? (oh and did i mention inhalers are insanely expensive?? lol) :) even with insurance its a new 30$ a month bill! didnt see that coming!

Headed For Recovery

So I've managed to scrape myself back up a little- and hopefully I'll become a bit more interesting again soon :)
Anyway- for some updates- I conquered the pneumonia, however, I have a mild ear-infection trying to start up that I'm fighting rather aggressively with mucinex and Tylenol (and my beloved zicam lol) anyway :) I think I'll manage to knock that out without a hitch (god pleease! I can't afford another dr's visit lol-at least wait for me to get insurance before I get sick again!)
Owen is almost all better- they put him on a stronger antibiotic when the augmentin didn't completely knock out the pneumonia and he got a double ear infection on top of it-- he's still coughing but faring much much better
Dave had a PET scan this past Tuesday- no results yet- will update on that more later
Also, I dropped one of my classes to lighten my load a little and have managed to catch up a little and may actually manage some good grades this semester (*crosses fingers*) whether or not I will have to repay my grants remains to be seen- but I think this late into it if anything they'll just adjust it and i'd have to pay for that one class out of pocket if anything (I can hope!) :)
And I just thought I'd add that I adore my new daycare :) I couldn't ask for a more supportive bunch of women and I'm just astounded at how well Owen has been doing since he started there- he's happier more playful and learning even more :) (oh and we get an art project to take home every day to boot) :) I LOVE them :) lol- just thought I'd share :)

When It Rains... It Really Does Pour...

Wow-- this year has not been so hot so far. Sorry for the quiet page for the past few weeks- I've been in misery health-wise. Dave initially got sick (presumably because whatever was already wrong with his lungs made him more vulnerable) (which for those of you who don't already know- he's got a mass in his lungs that we're still trying to figure out what it is)-- anywho-- so then Owen wound up getting really sick- home 4 days in a row with a fever between 103.5 and 105 + a horrible cough.. it was horrible.. then he started a round of antibiotics and then...predictably... I got sick... but i didn't just simply get sick-- i got REALLY sick-- like pneumonia sick... and it's not responding to antibiotics at all.. I started on amoxicillin first (because well.. with no insurance antibiotics are a little out of my budget so we tried to throw some hope at it lol)... well.. quite frankly-- it did absolutely nothing- and next.. i took z-pack (azithromyicin) which started to make me feel better... but.. ultimately in the last day and a half of my supply my cough started to come back-- and I thought it was ok- but then... today... it came back with a vengeance.. and now.. i can't sleep... which I'm sure is only going to make it worse... so.. i decided to give the codeine script i never filled a try tonight.. and it seems to be helping slightly.. so hopefully i can sleep soon.. but.... man this has been rough-- and obviously all this has not helped in the least with me catching up with my school work-- so... I'm just kind of slipping away.. but.. hopefully all will be well again soon- I'm going back to the doctor (AGAIN) tomorrow after i drag my sorry ass to class in the morning (I hope anyway lol- we'll see if i manage to make... i may well end up completely retaking my classical mythology class.. because I'll be really surprised if i don't fail it (you think I'm kidding-- but seriously I'm doing worse this semester than I've done in my entire life at school- i just pulled a 74% on my physiology exam 3 weeks ago- that's unheard of for me.. i just can't even believe what's happening...) for those of you with religious hearts... pray for me.. i really need it right now... i don't know what happened but the holidays hit, passed, and when i came out on the other side my life was upside down and something just snapped and i can't get things back how they were... something has to give.. right?

The Church Down the Street

Picture soon to come (if I can pull my head out of my ass that is :) ) I keep forgetting to charge my camera- but :) we have something new to laugh at down the street :) our church down the street's message this week: "Getting Naked for Lent" :) just thought i'd share :) and hopefully i'll manage to snag a picture before it's gone :)

--well... quite obviously i didnt manage to snap the shot :/ sorry..but.. I'm going to leave this up because i still think even without the image it's hillarious and hopefully it'll give someone a good laugh :) and when i add some pictures down the road of this church i want it to show up with those :) I swear- I love that church lol- we've considered going just because of their signs before :) but alas.. that would be the wrong reason to go wouldn't it? :) oh well lol :) (what confuses me even more is that I didnt think methodists celebrated lent?? :)--can ANYONE explain that? :) )

Road To The Greenhouse - Give Peas A Chance

Just a little good natured humor :) no real politics involved here :) just a fun way to reiterate a wholesome message :) Enjoy!


Find more PETA videos at PETATV.com

What a Week!!--fresh semester brings much chaos

so i'm back- had some difficulties with my backup disk- i apparently didnt copy the system files for most of my programs :P that really sucked- and my modem didnt want to cooperate- anywho- this week has been chaotic- i have been running around all over town- getting flood insurance-thanks to rezoning- getting in touch with my new prof for piano- that was a joy-- and trying to get all of my books- which i still havent accomplished- and i shadowed at methodist today in oncology, ER, and neuro- ooh and all while trying to make sure everything is lined up to start my nursing school application on tuesday now that all of my prereq's are done- YAY :P :) so i also had to make a trip up to my highschool to get my transcripts and proof that i did indeed take 2 semesters of chemistry and passed (with an A in both semesters i might add :D ) that was also quite interesting- soooo :P now the week has come to a close and i'm exhausted :P i havent started on any of my coursework yet-- but i will- i'm just trying to give myself some breathing room right now-- i'll post on something more interesting soon :) i promise :)

Fresh Start

Well- I'm off to reinstall windows so I can start the semester off fresh-- just in case i wasn't 100% effective in clearing all the bad crap off after my last infection- (Norton still doesn't update right despite nearly 9 hours of tech support- i also cant update my camera software-- so i'm sure SOMETHING is still wrong :) probably something i damaged while trying to frantically clean it :) ) little nervous because i had a LOT of stuff to clear off and i'm just praying it all works :) anyway- wish me luck :)

original photo credit: full sized and complete image can be found at www.positivechangeuk.com/images/biting_cd.

Incessant Waittimes!

What is it with Sallie Mae? Is there just an ever present need for the company to keep its theoretical hands on students' money until the last possible second?? My refund has been posted for nearly 4 days now but has yet to process-- i'm guessing due to the holiday period-- but.. the catcher-- its ALL automated- all my loans/grants ect are direct deposited-- so what-- do their computers take a 4 day holiday too?? can anyone enlighten me here? what am i missing- why is it so difficult to automatically transfer money electronically??- or hell at least process something in less than 4 days! that way at least i'd know i would have it in my bank account by the 31st... so much for it'll be here 10 days before classes start--well.. 8 days and counting motherfuckers! i am going to be really upset if i have to wait until AFTER the 1st to get my money that I will be paying back- its not like its free money- i'm paying intrest on this shit and can't manage to get it when i need it-- it's such bullshit :P --end bitch session--

Videos--The Miracle of Childbirth

Someone shared these on a message board i check in with once in a while :) thought they were awesome so i wanted to share them with you :)

This video is just downright hilarious :D


And as for this video, I just can't get over how happy she is during the delivery, and the process seems to take ages compared to what i remember mine to be (though i think i pushed for nearly 20-30 minutes so maybe not lol) and the lack of hands from doctors and such would have been awesome- i still attribute my tear (small as it may be lol- i still resent it ;) )to my doctor trying to pull back skin because she thought it was taking too long- according to dave she was almost ready to give me an episiotomy without my permission- i would have decked her just like the guy in the first video ;) enjoy!

On a Brighter Note

My grades for the semester are in- straight A's :) My thanks to anyone who tolerated my stress filled tears rants and whinings throughout the semester :D final cumulative GPA: 3.953 :) Hopefully next semester goes according to plan and entrance in the fall is a shoe in :) Wish me luck!

Operation Castle-- Castle Bravo-- 1954-- Remembrance and a Moment of Silence

Just one of many tests endured by the Marshall Islands... Just thought I'd share... I think the digital enhancement of the footage is nice- makes it easier to see just how devestating these tests truely were... and to think that many of the people who were exposed to the fallout from such a blast are still denied any assistance or even acknowledged publicly as having been harmed by the US gov.- and all the while the goverment knew full well that those islands would be impacted yet they manipulated the people of the Marshall Islands, used their trust, used the barriers of language to their advantage, and have utterly ignored pleas for help from the people impacted by this testing program- and these people still cannot go home-- I don't think I'll ever be able to let this go... Barker, I may just take you up on that offer to teach english in the Marshall Islands.. infact, I may try to take up employment with Greenpeace or some other organization that would enable to me to practice in the marshall islands and teach english as an aside- I have many concerns related to that plan- but for now i have to get through school... I just wanted to take this oportunity to share the footage with my readers and have one more moment of silence for this shattered culture... Thank you for your time.

Don't Hide Behind a Shroud! Breastfeeding Moms Stand Proud!

The Great Breast Fest Montage from mothergoosemouse on Vimeo.

A Bone to Pick- Daycare Provider Battle Grounds

So, as those of you who speak with me on a regular basis already know, I have run into a bit of a problem with our new daycare provider (that we just started with back in August). And although I have discussed it with nearly everyone already, and all have been totally supportive, I still feel hurt and angry about it. I cant figure out why I'm letting it get to me so much.
For those of you who don't know this story, I will briefly enlighten you. My son, who is just now two and a half years old, started lashing out at daycare about a month and a half after he started there (he had already started on his terrible twos so i can't attribute it to that- we ran into power struggles starting 3 weeks after his 2nd birthday)... Anywho... the outbursts this woman describes are just beyond me.. I have never seen my child behave the way she says he does when he is angry at her home. We occasionally get hit or screamed at by our son... but she is describing a child that violently attacks other children for no reason at all (she never has an answer for what started the whole ordeal) she has said he has headbutted, scratched, bit, punched and kicked her and multiple other daycare children all in the same fit... I have seen him hit another child MAYBE two times ever... usually its screaming over stolen toys or taking toys from another kid... but the problem is generally easily resolved... she says she cant get him to go to time out and when she puts him there he starts punching her and threatening her. She called me Tuesday to come talk to him because she said all the other daycare kids were afraid of him (mind you he is the smallest and youngest child there). When I arrived, he was sitting quietly in his time out chair (which faces so that he can see everything- quite a contradiction from our time-outs which she said she would switch to) and had the most hurt look in his eyes that were welled up with tears.. and the other children appeared to be playing quite contentedly...so... anyway.. when i came to pick him up at the end of the day (which was around 3o'clock) she had handwritten a letter about how if he acted out again like that one more time he would no longer be allowed to continue at her daycare... she called him a danger to the other children and called him physically and verbally abusive. How a two year old can be considered abusive is beyond me to begin with-- but.. as i said-- i have never witnessed such behavior out of my child. So, somewhat concerned, we took him to the doctor... who.. of course.. said he saw no behavioral issues and that it was most likely a problem with the daycare provider and either her disciplinary style and or her temperament... (I have never received a complaint about my child's behavior from anyone else who has ever watched him without me either).... SO..
Just to put things into perspective.. I have already paid through the end of the year-- so two weeks are left-- and I'm afraid to send him there-- because I'm not sure what's going on while I'm not there- not to mention I'm afraid to not be allowed to take him there during my finals (which i still have 2 left to take)... I don't know if this woman simply cant deal with very young kids or what... but.. I have started looking for another daycare-- but I'm kind of uncertain as to what is going to happen with the money we have already paid her-- in her contract it says we have to give 2 weeks notice to terminate the contract (paid) but it does not mention what happens if she terminates it-- and I'm assuming she'll wait until the last day of paid time is gone-- at which point i would be left scrambling to find another daycare days before my spring semester starts...
Well.. I feel slightly better I guess... I don't know.. I just don't understand how someone can charge to care for children that they know they cant emotionally handle (she has thrown another child out of her daycare in the past of the same age for the same exact said problems-- she informed me of this about a month after we started with her) And then throw that kind of stress onto someone just before the holidays at a time they already know is stressful for the other (ie:my finals) I don't know what else to say at this point... but.. that's where my thoughts lie right now-- just hours before my Spanish final.... I'm trying to move my mind away from the issue so that i can crack my book back open-- but... i just don't think its going to happen as i know i will be finally confronting her again in a few hours as well (I have kept him out of daycare since the letter was written) Oh well.. anyway.. thanks for reading... have a happy holiday season if you don't stop in again before then

Hooray for Snowmen!

As you can see :) we had quite a lovely snowfall. As a reward for finally having a good day this week (lack of hitting ect) we rewarded Owen on Friday by helping him build a snow man :) it was quite the event :) I dont think i've seen his eyes sparkle that much in a while now :) (alas, the effects weren't as long lived as i hoped lol :) he hit once yesterday and had a bit of a meltdown today-though today we kept him up a bit past his nap time inadvertently so today i would attribute as our fault- but- never the less he still loses his reward for the day :( ) *crossing my fingers for tomorrow* :) anyway :) just wanted to show off our snow man :)