Empire State of Mind...

Corny title, I know--but it is my current favorite song on the radio, so props out to JayZ! :-)

Besides that, this blog post is consisting of pictures from our most recent trip to NYC for Thanksgiving weekend. It was a great weekend, although I think I left NY more exhausted then when I arrived (and remember, I worked all night the night before we left!). We went down with Brooke & Sash, met up with our friends Kate, Nick, & Laura. Tons of fun, tons of food, lots of drinks.

I have to give a shout out to Brooke for getting us to NYC in 3 1/2 hours! STRONG work.

Girls, Kate, Nick, Laura: Thanks for a great weekend. No better way than to spend it with fabulous friends!

Brunch at Prune

Thankful Thoughts...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I probably said this last year, but Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I am so lucky to have the most wonderful husband, family and friends, besides having a spot in CRNA school, a job, and the BEST dog in the world. This year, there is just so, so much to be thankful for. I am going back to grade school, but I am making a list of just a few of the many things I am thankful for...There is no way to account for everything, but here are a few. (In no particular order.)

I AM THANKFUL FOR...

Fun dads!

A Handsome Husband

One fabulous year of marriage (with many more to come)

And trips away from home...

My cute dog & sweet husband

Doggie Ice Cream

Looks like Mac is thankful, too!

Great classmates with fun birthdays: Bettina (birthday girl), Meredith, Katie, Hannah, & Nicole

Friends & live music: Katie, Jesse, & Allison

AWESOME classmates & the future faces of anesthesia

ROCCO

Moustaches: Ryan

Jag bombs (kind of!) but most of all Great Friends: Kristin & Gabe

Great friends & Bloody Mary's! Kirsten

Beer Pong & Great Friends: Ry & Kate

The BEST Brother

Great family! Kirk & Janelle

Visits from my mom! & My Mom, of course

Fenway--& the Sox

Group Hugs! And the BEST sisters ever!

Fun weddings & Great friends! Steph & Pat

Great memories: LOHS Class of 99

Cute dogs: Macster

More cute dogs: Jazz & Mac

Great mother in laws: Ty & Pammy

Climbing trees! & Great friends: Shan

Visits from great friends & support during school! Danielle

My spot on the Leukemai & Lymphoma's Team in Training for Boston 2010

Wonderful grandparents: Grandpa & Grandma Olson

More wonderful grandparents: Grandpa Joe & Sue

FUN FAMILY! The OLSONS!

MORE Fun FAMILY! The GRANAHANS!

I hope all of you have a great, great, great Thanksgiving. Eat a lot! I will be working tonight and Thursday night, but am happy to be there, taking care of those who are not well enough to be home with their families. (Another thing I am thankful for: my job!). Friday, Ty & I are going to New York with Brooke & Sasha. So looking forward to a weekend away & so thankful that we are able to do it. Will post some pictures after we get back.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

MARATHON Time!!!

Well, as if school & working almost full time were not enough, I have decided to add another "full time job" to my schedule. I am running the Boston Marathon! Yep, I am doing it. All 26.2 miles. Whew. I am tired just thinking about it. I do need some help, though. Not only with encouraging words, but also with donations. I am running for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am honored to have been chosen for this charity. Being a former Bone Marrow Transplant nurse, I saw patients with blood born cancers (leukemia, lymphomas, multiple myeloma, ect) struggle every day, fighting for their lives. The first marathon I ran was because I was so inspired by those patients. Now, in a way, I have a chance to pay them back for inspiring me. I am trying to raise $5000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help fund research to find a cure! Please, if you can donate anything at all, please do. My training website is...

http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/boston10/jhartmao6u

Please visit it and donate if you can.

YOU ALSO COULD WIN $900!!!!!

I am also going to have a 50/50 raffle. You can bet on my finishing time by emailing me or clicking on this link

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AqDgpBAfro94dHAyVFAzNE1hUWNucjJrNEpSeU9yZHc&hl=en

and promising to donate $25. In the email, include the time in which you think I will finish. You can bet on times with in one minute.

To give you all some idea, I finished my first marathon in 5 hours and 9 minutes. My second marathon in 5 hours, 8 minutes & 45 seconds! (HAD to be the previous time! ha ha!)

I do think I have gotten a bit faster though. I did two 1/2 marathons this summer and my times were

Providence 1/2 Marathon 2 hours, 21 minutes, 22 seconds

&

Heart Break Hill 1/2 : 2 hours, 16 minutes 27 seconds

By this pace I would finish in approx 4 1/2- 4hrs 4 minutes. SO, there is a lot of room for guessing!!

So, if you want to bet that I will finish in 5 hours, 7 minutes--email me that time, with your promise to donate $25. Or click on the link above, and put your name and email in. If I finish in 5 hours, 7 minutes and 59seconds--YOU WIN 50% OF THE POT! If you want, you are welcome to bet on more than one time (with an additional donation of course). Once you have spoken for a time, please send me $25 via check through the post office. Once I have your bet & email, I will send you my address. Also, if I finish before 4 hours 10 minutes (wishful thinking) or after 5 hours 30 minutes--the person whose guess was closest will get the 1/2 the pot.

After crossing the finish line, the person closest to my actual time will recieve 50% of the "pot" and the other 50% will go to Leukemia & Lymphoma. There is no way to really do this online, so I will need to collect your money via mail through a check--which is also how I will pay the winner 1/2 the pot. SO--email me at jjolson4120@gmail.com with your guess and your promise to donate.

Or click on

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AqDgpBAfro94dHAyVFAzNE1hUWNucjJrNEpSeU9yZHc&hl=en

to see what is available and sign up for yourself!

I will be taking the bets on a first come first serve basis.

If all the times are taken & everyone sends me their $25, 1/2 the pot works out to be over $900!

A picture from my 2nd marathon.

Other exciting news: THis is where we are going for spring break! It has been a while since we have taken a trip together, so HONDURAS it is! We are going to Roatan, an island off the main land. So, so excited. We booked our tickets last night. I think I am going to need a break! What do you think?

Halloween 09

First, to start off my blog, I just have to give a shoutout to the BYRON Volleyball team for beating Stewartville! WAY to go girls! I am so, so proud of my cousin Brittlyn, who is in the photo below! She has been KICKING butt in volleyball since she was a freshman. I am so proud of her! Way to go Britt! Love ya! Good luck on Saturday. For anyone in MN, please, please go to the game and cheer the girls on for me! :-) Wish I could be there!

Now, as promised, here are some pictures from our Halloween party. A great time was had by all---I behaved myself a little more than last year. Had an exam on Monday, and actually managed to get an A! Yippeee! Enjoy the pictures! (Brooke & Bettina, I stole these from you---hope you dont mind--They are such great photos I couldnt help myself! Thanks!)

I tried my hand at a little cooking/baking/food preparation. A girl in my class had made these for a party the week before, I saw a picture, fell in love, & had to make the pumpkins for my party! Rach, thanks for the recipe. They were a HIT! :-)

Ah, the bones. These were a feat in themselves, but I think they ended up ok. Hopefully next year they will look just a little prettier! :-)

The spread---Pretty good! Most of the food was gone, thank goodness!

Yes, this is Mac on Schaffer! He just loves violating the rules! Thanks for being such a sport Ashley! :-)

Some of the NEU CRNA class of 2012! We have the Morton Salt girl, Juno, an Illegal Alien, Ugly Betty, & Ginger!

Ooo, and then the tooth & the tooth fairy joined! :-) It was awesome to have some of my classmates over. I am SO lucky to have such awesome people to be surrounded by everyday. 4 of us in this picture will be at the same clinical site, too! We have already planned our regular Friday night post clinical beers! Looking forward to it, guys! :-)

Jon & Kate & the stage mom & her beauty princess! Great, great costumes you guys!

Carlos!!!

Something about this photo is just not quite right....I love it! :-)

Ty with our friends Chris & Kelly! Have fun in New Zealand, you two!

What you cant see here is that Schaffer (stage mom) has a FUPA! Yep! A FUPA! :-)

Ryan!!! Love my Ry!

A three hour tour, a three hour tour. Anyone wanna go sailing with Ty?

Jon & Kate..Where are the kids?

Kate is a little upset when she relizes that Jon has left to "check on the kids"--aka check out the nanny! ha ha ha!

The skipper!

Doesnt he make the perfect Gilligan? Gotta love him. He was a good sport. Everyone loved him. I mean, how could you not?!

Thanks for checking out the blog this week. Ty is super busy at MGH this month, but did break away last evening to take me to the Ray LaMontage concert for my birthday (belated!). It was an awesome concert. I had a rough day yesterday--I will spare you most of the details, but the final straw was being summoned for jury duty! So, a great concert was very well recieved on my part. This weekend, I am being a good student & getting some studying done. Another Monday exam (seems to be a trend, wouldnt you say?). Hope you all had a spooktacular (I had to, couldnt resist!) Halloween. Love to you all! :-)