GO BUCKEYES!!!

Wow - can all of you out there believe it? I know all you Buckeye fans were paralyzed in front of the TV in disbelief as Pitt beat WV. Saturday was definitely a day where screaming at the TV was appropriate - usually that is reserved for Michigan day. However, as this loss, along with the shellacking Oklahoma was putting on Missouri, guaranteed us a number one ranking and a spot in the National championship. The only thing that would cap off a perfect season is if Tebow does not win the Heisman - yep, I am a Florida hater. Jodi, you can show this to JJ because I know you are with me on that!!

Today has been an incredibly long day for the mama. The weather out here is horrendous again, and I was more thankful for the tunnels than ever. If the building ever blows up while I am in those tunnels, I will definitely die, because no one would ever find us down there. But for nights like tonight, it was perfect. And I did not even get lost - nothing short of a miracle. The weather outside is still horrendous...wind blowing, chimes ringing. I saw every hour on the clock last night, because I thought the wind was going to blow the siding and roof off my house. I said as much to my mother, whose response was "Don't you have insurance?" My response was something along the lines of at 3AM wide awake and irrationally terrified, I was not thinking about whether or not I had insurance.

Now, on to more important things - like Chelsie's work. She worked tonight, and she was awesome. Definitely the neatest thing that happened tonight was that we got to meet the other Chelsie!! She was up visiting her mom, and they greeted each other in the usual dog way - they got in each other's faces and that made me nervous...sometimes, Chel does not like it when dogs sniff her face. She is becoming my crotchety old lady. I wish she would play with other dogs, but she is content for a quick sniff and she is done - no questions asked, let's move on, mom. Then of course, the jealously came out about whose parents could pet who and all that stuff - you know, normal dog stuff.

Chel did get to see a lot of her favorite nurses - Kori, Heather and Leonard. There were not a lot of patients there tonight - a lot we saw from last week had gone home, which is always a good thing. It still took us an hour and a half to get down the hall - and she was very patient with the mama as I made one last stop about 3 different times.

The most interesting thing that happened tonight was that I was hit on. We saw the guy we saw last week - older guy (I say that delicately - maybe early 50's?) who had lost his wife asked me to come back before I left. So I did - and he wanted to know if I wanted to get a cup of coffee sometime, because he said he did not have anyone to talk to that was as much a dog lover as I was. I said I did not think I could do that - and he said, Not like that, your probably seeing someone...and I was like, No, I don't think I can do that. It was very awkward, and we made a hasty exit after that. My carriage was turning into a pumpkin, as Chelsie had made it very clear she was ready to go - NOW MOM!!!

She did a lot of good work tonight. We also saw a lady we saw last week - the one I cannot understand. She was in the main area when we got there, and she had moved rooms. I saw her walking by a room and went in to see her. Although I could not understand her, I knew she was appreciative of the visit. Her roommate was very nice, we spent about 15 minutes talking to her, she was a dog person. We also came upon a new patient, his wife and daughter were in his room and they were very nice. He was off having some tests, but they had done a great job on his room. He had a nice soft blanket, pictures everywhere - even a lamp with hanging embellishment! It was warm, cozy and homey - this guy had a stroke, so I am sure we will see him for the next 2-3 weeks at least. Let's hope he is home for Christmas.

We are running in a competition this weekend, and we had to practice a command tonight - it involved her running up and down the stairs. Worth it though - there was a treat at the end. Between practicing and working, she is all worn out - slight curl to her body and paws, heavy breathing. Sounds like a good place to be. We hope this finds everyone well - stay warm!!

Love,

Nicole and the Chelsie Belle