Yes, I know, I haven't written for almost two months...but trust me, it isn't for lack of caring, but for lack of a life I guess you could say. And not that my life is boring, it just is that nothing life changing has happened, or exciting. But apparently people told me that they've read my blog and need updates...so here we go again!

First of all, I am beginning to love my job working as an MA for a pediatrics office. It is a little slow now that the flu and roto virus have calmed down, but I'm learning a lot. Especially now that my doctor isn't so crazy busy she will explain things and help me learn. Dr. Prentice is trying to convince me to do Med School because she thinks I'll be so great, but I can't bare the thought of that much more schooling. After being out for a year I'm beginning to wonder how I'll even be able to get through PA school. But there is this 2 month old set of triplets that I love and want to take home with me. And another 4 month old, they seriously are so cute. I have baby fever pretty bad, lets just put it that way.

My roommate Jenny is now dating a really great guy name Mitch, so I don't see her a ton, but it is such a blessing to have the girls down stairs. We'll take turns making dinner for eachother and I'll pretty much hang out at their place so I don't feel so lonely. I did also finaly convince my friend Allen to try Ethiopian food, it first took a while to find a restuarant that actually looked authentic, but it was!! I had almost forgotten how much I did like some of the food. Much if it I could actually do without, but some of it was pretty tasty. I just wish they had sprees, that is what I miss the most. Some of my friends are trying to convince me to write a fictional story based off of my experience there and sort of make it a way to get to know the culture, and now that I'm almost done with my certification classes, I've been brainstorming some ideas. I doubt I'd ever get it published, but it would be fun to have. Sounds like a good christmas present....hum...maybe...maybe. :)

I am finally feeling as if Phoenix is home and that this isn't some prolonged vacation. Mom and the kids will visit in abotu two weeks to bring me some furniture and the rest of my things so I can actually settle down here and have everything. They are still in the process of moving in with my Grandma Shepherd in Washington DC, but dad has one job hopefully that looks very promising. I've made quite a few friends. They also recently formed a new singles ward that I'm in the boundaries of and I love it. It is nice to show up and be just Nicki and start fresh. It is a lot smaller than the last ward and so a lot easier to meet people. I'm very excited and thouraghly enjoying it so far.

As far as boys go I've been making friends, and I did get asked to go on a date by a guy I met once to a reception of someone I didn't know, but it was nice and short, and very interesting. Then some of us girls, and two priesthood holders, play basketball once a week and one of the guys after seeing me make same crazy shot on accident asked me for my number and wants to take me out. But he is from the Dominican Republic, and I still have it ingrained in my head that any foreinger who falls for you that quickly is only looking to get US citizenship...I've lived in too many different countries I guess. But I'll still give him a chance:) I know I'm so gracious right!? :)

I'm still working to save for the 2010 World Cup. Feb 2009 is getting closer! That is when I'll buy the tickets. I also had the most wonderful news. My good friend Jason from high school joined the army and is in officer training and there are a few members of the church in his group. And when he found out they were Members of the church he told them he took the discussions and went to church in high school and his good friend was a mormon and he's been going to church with them ever since when they aren't in the field and he is even reading the Book of Mormon again!! That is such a blessing. He is someone who I always knew would look into the church again. But I'll keep you posted!! Besides that life is grand. I'm still living the Dream and waiting patiently for my turn for PA school and to figure out what I want to do with my life!!

Land of the rising sun

So I wonder if anyone actually ever reads this or if I'm jsut writing to the world wide web, but so be it. I'm really bad at this obviously. First of all if anyoen does read this and since my mom doesn't, her 50th Birthday is April 23rd and we're trying to compile a book of letters to her from people of their favorite memroy or a way in which she has touched their lives. So if you could write one asap and then email it to me at nicolemshepherd@gmail.com I'd love you forever.

Ok, so I moved to Pheonix because things were getting interesting in Kansas. I left behind my boyfriend Dave who did get baptised and is growing so much in the church and just a powerhouse. He's amazing and I'm glad we have the opportunity to stay friends. It is incrediable to watch him grow in the gospel and I can honestly bare you testimony that having him get baptized was one of the greatest joys in my life thus far. Sharing the gospel is so important and it will forever change people's lives.

I'm living in a furnitureless apartment currnetly with my old college roommate Jenny Burris and we love it. It is like we live on a resort or soemthing with pools and palm trees and green grass, a fitness center, waterfalls (fake of course) yeah...my own room, own bath, and even walk-in closet. Even dispite the fact that everything I own is in their and it is not even half-way filled. :) But greatest of all being here is that fact that I've had the opportunity to see people who mean more to me than anything. I was able to go to dinner with Sarah, the nurse I went to Ethiopia with and catch up because she drove a few hours to come see me, and various other friends, or course Jenny and her family who let me live in their house for three weeks while waiting for our apartment to become available.

I'm working in a pediatrics office, currently in the front office until I finish my certification and then I'll work in the back as the medical assistant for Dr. Shepherd (yes I know so cool and she even spells it the right way!!). I'm learning a lot more about the medical field already and about how challenging but rewarding pediatrics can be...except for the raging angrey parents of course. But I plan on applying to school again in a year, I'm talking with some PA schools down here and continuing to take classes online. No, no boys yet, I'm still a little scared of them after the whole Dave experience, but there are two Preisthood quarums in our ward and over 360 young single adults, so my options are out there. Don't worry Grandma I'm not trying to be your only un-married Granddaughter! :) But life it hard, I'm still adjusting, I still work at Applebees here once a week and sometimes I pick up a shift here and there when I have the time. But most of all I love my Savior!! And He has already taught me so much in the short month i've been here.

Older and wiser?

ok so once again I've had requests to keep everyone posted. So I'm working about 20 hours a week at the doctors and still full time at Applebees. I've been spending a lot of time with one of the cooks named Dave and he and I have gone on a few dates and he became interested in the gospel and started coming to church with me and talking to the missionaries for about 2 weeks and reading the Book of Mormon. Then he and I started dating and he was great and quite Applebees and is now working at a nicer restaurant and learning to actually become a chief and looking into going to culunary school in Chicago. Well, things kept getting worse at Applebees, I turned 24 and that was fun and they kept cutting down my hours at the doctors office and turning 24 gave me a wake up call and I knew I needed to move out on my own because of my indepandant nature. So I prayed about it and decided to move to Pheonix for the next six months until August when I'll hopefully be moving to Philly to start my masters in Biological Sciences program to then go on to PA school from there. But I still have not heard anything and they told me they have not even started looking at applications until next week so I'm trying not to freak out and thinking of other options of what other schooling I need to do if I don't get in and what I truly want to do with my life. All I know now is that I'll be happier living with my best friend in Pheonix in our own apartment for a few months while I regroup, I mean because I can waitress anywhere. And i feel good about that and just waiting to hear back from various schools and it not I get the feeling that the answer will come. So I'm trying like mad to work on my classes and take 8 tests and everything else in the next month so I can submit my grades. I leave for Utah on the 25th of February to visit and take a test and see family, then after probably 3 or 4 days I'm driving Lucy down to Pheonix for a little bit of time to be around mormon guys and just have fun. There you have it.

Update

Once again a nice quick update. Things are very very busy right now as I'm working two full time jobs as a medical assistant for a family practice and still closing the restaurant. But my sister Jessica just got hired at Applebees to be a hostess and I love having her there!! I can actually see someone in my family. My daily schedule consists of being at work by 8am, coming home for lunch to get things ready for the rest of the day, leaving the doctors office around 4:30 for applebees, closing, coming home between midnight and 1am and then getting up the next day all over again. fun fun fun...but I'm grateful for the opportunities I've been given and for all I'm learning.

I did take a trip to Philly in December and Sarah came with me to keep me company and I'm SO grateful she was there or else I would not have made it. I drove straight through and pulled up for my interview at 9am at PCOM, changed my clothes in the car and went straight in after driving 20 hours straight to get there. Then we stayed in the fancy fancy downtown Marriott in a $250 a night room, but Nate hooked us up and gave us a family discount. But I've never felt so out of place as I had to tip the bell hop and the valet....never again. It was a very enlightening trip and I loved PCOM and it is now my number one choise in schools. I love their emphasis and research possibilities. I decided after talking to them that I want to take a year to get my masters in biological sciences to give me the opportunity to do some research and learn better research methods since I'd like to do some malaria research after Ethiopia. Then I'll apply to their PA school program. so that is the latest!

Matt is home!!!

Ok so guess what!? I'm am officially a player of raquetball, or in other words, I play racquetball...if that makes sense. I try to play most mornings with my friend from the branch Curtis and I'm finally getting pretty good at it. So I'm excited. Still nothing new from Post regaurding my new job doing some secretarial stuff, I really don't know what I'll be doing, but it is a 9-5 job and is a steady pay, and then hopefully i can see my family sometimes and friends since my schedule seems to be the exact opposite of everyones. But Applebee's is still going and is actually looking up. I'm slowly collecting quite the fan club and am beginning to have regulars and people asking for me, so it is nice. I have one of the waiters and one of the cooks who keep asking me out, so we have a bit of fun too.

Jonathan is driving me crazy and it makes me so sick of dealing with boys. Even though we're "friends" it seems like we were dating with all the time we spent together and now I don't even know him anymore it seems. But it is ok, because MATT IS HOME!!!!! It is nice having him back and all his knowledge with computers and everything, and to just have someone else around the house now that Dad is working everyday. I also did get a little surprise, Jed, the son of the family that I lived with who is out at school at BYU-Idaho and worked for the same company I went to Ethiopia with, we have been talking a lot and his Dad keeps trying to set us up....well he emailed me the other day to inform me he is coming home for Thanksgiving, and I'm so excited to finally meet this guy. I know we'll be fast friends.

I am still working hard at the piano and find it is easy for me to get lost in practicing and playing just the hymns everyday to keep me focussed and looking forward. I am also taking classes online through BYU independant study to keep busy and to keep up on my work, and also because it looks better for PA school.....6 more to hear from!!! I find I'm stretching myself to try new things and to reach out of myself, this is a time when I really can better who I am and it seems that the Lord is working hard to prepare me for the future. I'm working hard as the Enrichment counselor but we had our quarterly enrichment two weeks ago and no one showed up, and when i try to talk to them they seem to tune me out. So i'm praying alot about what this branch needs from me and what I can do to help this program, because it is suffering. it seems like I am rambling, and I am, but again life is progressing and going forward and things are looking up!!

Searching

So I'm still waiting to hear back from PA school, but I've already gotten two rejections, but funny, none of them are the 5 that are in Philly, which is where I really really want to go to school. But I'm still working at Applebee's as a waitress and I've pretty much gone as far as you can go in the world of waitressing at applebees, sad that I did it in less then two months. I feel more like I'm babysitting and I work with some pretty immature people, but then I meet some great people and work with some wonderful people. I'm still looking for another job though, just for my own sanity really.

Our new house is absolutely beautiful and we love it. Dad works on it all day though just because any house built in 1850 has a lot of work that needs done. He's been working alot on the electrical and today got it so our door could actually open. Nate and Mari are coming out for when Matt gets home and we're having a Halloween party in the Ballroom.

Right now I'm just trying to make sure I'm doing what the Lord wants of me and I'm having trouble distinguishing it. I spent the day watching taped General Conference and all I got out of it was that whatever he wants of me I'm supposed to obey with a broken and contrite heart. Sometimes I get scared when I get these feelings, this is how I ended up in Ethiopia, Austria, DC, EFY, pretty much everything I've done in my life. but I just feel that this is something big. So anyways, just trying to get my thoughts down and figure out what I'm thinking really. But I am searching daily right now for the right answer.

Dear Kansas City

so I thought it was about time I let everyone know that I'm still alive. Things are going pretty well here in Leavenworth, KS and I love the Kansas City area. There is so much to do here!! I went to the Royals vs. Yankees game Friday night, will be going to the Royals vs. Indians game in two weeks, went to a Chiefs preseason football game and got to watch John Beck QB for the Dolphins, I'm going to a KU vs. Ohio State basketball game, Wizards MLS game...like I said, tons of stuff to do. Even the art museum here is incredible and ranked 15th in the world. It is beautiful here and there are also tons of church sites in the area as well. I love the singles branch and there are two brothers, Jonathan and James that I do everything with and we've fast become friends. They both call me their sister, and it has been fun. I was also set apart last week as the Enrichment counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. This will be my 5th presidency in just over 3 years. I think the Lord is trying to tell me something!!!! But I'm also excited that Matt will be coming home in a little over a month, it will be so nice to have him here too.
I'm still working as a waitress at Applebees and looking for another job somewhere in the Medical Field here, which hasn't proven very promising, but I'm not giving up. I so like working as a waitress, it has its ups and downs. I love the people, especially my friend Matt. When I'm not with the Griffith Brothers I'm with Matt. But I think everybody should be a waitress or work some form of customer service in their life. It would make a lot more jobs more enjoyable. I did have the creepiest guy wait for 5 hours at his table before he finally asked me to "meet him somewhere private in 5 min" and he's lucky I didn't slug him. I've never been hit on so much in my life!! But I've met some amazing people as well.

We are moving into our house this weekend!! Sept 15th and I'm so excited!!! It is beautiful and only 3 min from work and even though I love the Stephensens and will miss both of them terribly, I can't wait to have my own room again and to not have to feel like we are imposing anymore. But we sure have made great friends and I will consider them as parents for the rest of my life.

Well, I think that is about it. I'll try to do this thing more often, so we'll see. Life is great!!!