Dad :D

I've been uber-busy lately- but I had to put in a late entry for my Dad for Father's Day...I love my dad, he is my hero in more ways than one.
We are more alike than I would like to admit to, but different enough that we don't get on each others nerves all the time.
My dad has cheered me on at games, gotten kicked out of some of them, and always shown up for any function that was important to me. That seems silly, but I have a lot of friends who never had anyone waiting out in the audience and now that I'm older, I'm getting pretty sentimental about that kind of thing.
I love that he has entered the technological age and now I get random texts from him--- usually all ending in "Love Dad", like I don't have his number saved in my phone :)
I love that he helped shape me into a strong woman that was able to put myself through school, find a man I wanted to be with- not needed to be, and can help provide for a family I am hoping to have soon.
I love that he trusted me enough to make my own mistakes in life, because quite honestly the "They'll only do it once" philosophy really does work.

I love him lots and lots and count myself incredibly lucky to have him in my life...

Love you Pops!

Since my dad hates the camera, I have few pics to choose from... I need to catch him in the lens more...

Success!!!!

I suck at IV's. I am almost done with nursing school and they still scare the shiz out of me... I don't want to hurt anyone and I'm kind of a perfectionist so I don't like doing things that I'm not really comfortable with- I want to be the IV master!
My first attempt was on a fellow student (Sorry Melissa!) at school. She was super calm and collected, but my lab teacher was yelling like a banshee over my shoulder, "Why are you doing that!?" "Hurry!!" "Why did you do that?!" "No! That's not how you should do it, that's all wrong!" Not exactly conducive to a learning environment...
My second attempt was in an Emergency room with a nurse who seemed to forget I was a 'student' and sent me into a room with a little dehydrated lady who 'has bad veins'. She then watched over my shoulder as I 'blew' this little old lady's vein while her husband muttered "God damn amateurs, don't know what the hell they are doing" in the corner of the room.... Not really building up my self confidence.
I figured I would learn best by being thrown right in the fire- I set up my preceptorship at a surgical center with a pre-op nurse-- IV's all day everyday! Good plan, no?
Thank God that Chelise is a very patient and helpful person, she walked me through the steps several times, let me watch her do several and then actually let me practice on her, Bless her heart!
I do not feel like the IV master yet, but since I was able to successfully stick myself I am actually looking forward to getting to try again....

PS the Davis Surgical Center gives a numbing shot to their patients before they start the IV, so I don't feel like such a bastard trying to place one... yay!

Messican

I am .... Hispanic? Chicana? Mexican? Latina? I prefer American, because I am from America after all, this answer doesn't satisfy people but I figure, eff it- they are being nosy anyway so why do I care?
My parents were both born here as well as all of my grandparents. I'm not from Mexico so I feel awkward saying I'm Mexican. I tell people that I am Mexican to simplify things and all they really want is to place a label on me anyway.
I'm very light skinned and don't look like the stereotypical Mexican. I am often asked which of my parents are white... uh, neither. I don't know when it became appropriate to ask people this, it kind of bothers me. I don't walk up to white folks and ask them about there heritage. It shouldn't matter.
I am subject to racism because I don't look like the traditional stereotype of a "Mexican". People say things to me that they probably wouldn't say to me if they knew I was Hispanic, which is worse because I feel like they are letting their true colors show.
A co-worker once told me that she used her "Mexican" tupper-ware that day. I didn't get it, in my head I was thinking: "Does she only put Mexican food in it? Is it a chili container? Is it red/green/white?" I had no idea and I asked her why she called it that. She told me it was because it was an old butter container and it was "ghetto" so that's why she called it her "Mexican" tupper-ware. I just stood there, shocked. She equates Mexican people with something cheap and dirty.
I look for certain things when looking for friends and not one of those things is what the color of their skin is. It takes all kinds so let's just all get along and be open to what each other has to bring to the table.
There, now I will get off of my soap box :)

Update: July 19th 2012- I went to DOPL to apply for my RN license and they asked me my ethnicity... my choices were Hispanic: Cuban; Hispanic: Mexican and Hispanic: Spanish descent..... I told her I was American :D