pile up, pile down

It's funny how much papers and bills and annoying little important tasks can pile up into an alarmingly large amount of to-do's, isn't it? I confronted the pile head on yesterday, got quite a lot done and am thus proud enough to share the fruits of my labor with you.

1. Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) re-certification
I promised myself that I would take, and hopefully pass, the CNA re-certification exam before taking off in June. As part of applications for PA programs a certain number of patient hours are required to even be considered a competitive applicant. The only hands on experience I can claim is from my past stint as a CNA in Duluth where I cared for a newborn with kidney failure for the first five months of his life. This was quite a while ago and my certification has since lapsed. My plan is to get certified in Colorado so that upon my return home I can snag a job at a local hospital and start chipping away at the required patient care hours. This plan hits a small wall in the form of my not wanting to take an entire round of training prior to the exam and my inability to find any really helpful youtube videos that would help me circumvent the class. BUT, I've been studying from a guide I found on the internet and I took a practice exam last night in which I missed only four questions out of sixty so at least for the written portion I should be alright. Phew, with some confidence gained I finally filled out all of the paper work and will be sending it in today to secure an exam date hopefully at the beginning of May.

2. Thank You Letters!
At the beginning of this process I bought a package of 50 thank you cards and have had to buy a replacement package to keep up with all of the generous donaters! I've finally caught up with my thank you letters this weekend, so if you haven't gotten yours yet they should arrive by the end of the week!

3. Application Part 8
I have officially been cleared by my doctor to participate in Bike & Build this summer! Part 8 of the application is a medical examination, immunizations and health insurance check. Before my trip to Vietnam I was stuck with every imaginable immunization and should be covered on that front for quite a while so no needles this time! Everything else was normal and so I now have a stamp of approval from a medical professional that I will survive this summer unscathed, (well that might be taking it a little too far) but at least intact!

4. Renter's Rebate
I have also officially finished, finished, finished my taxes completely. My last form was the M1PR for my renter's rebate (a glorious tradition that is sadly not practice in CO), and after sleuthing about on the MN revenue website I finally found a pdf of the required form and a pdf of the instructional booklet. Some of you might know of my ongoing battle with FedEx/Kinko's, but I emerged from this round in one piece and with all of the necessary documents in hand and un-krinkled. Going out with my thank you cards, and my CNA application in the mail today is the final piece to my 2009 tax puzzle. PHEW again.

On Thursday JP and I are headed out on vacation again, this time to visit his family and celebrate his grandmother's birthday in Florida and Mississippi. I am so excited to only have a three day week (and only a one day of chemistry week, woo hoo!) and then off to lounge about on a boat and swim in a pool (that counts as cross training right?) and eat tasty food. With my renter's rebate coming soon maybe I can even justify purchasing my new camera in time for this little excursion so that documentation can be properly acquired. Other then that, Happy Monday to you even though it's kind of a Happy Wednesday to me!