I Sell My Body For Money, Its Called Plasma Donations

Welcome to the life of a poor college girl! Today was my 4th time selling my plasma. It's quite convenient only taking a few hours of your week and the Donation Center is so near to my apartment. Then you walk out with about $65 dollars every week. Anyways, the first time I went I had a trainee get me all set up and then this cute guy came and needled me up. Today the girl did it all by herself. I wasn't nervous, she's been working for a couple of weeks, right? And she had someone observing her. Well, she missed my vein but got it the 2nd time. Didn't hurt a bit....until later!

For all of those who don't know what plasma is or what plasma donation is, let me explain: plasma is the proteins that accompany your RBC's in your blood. When taken, your body immediately regenerates what was lost within 24-48 hours (which is why you can donate plasma twice a week. So they take your blood (similar to giving blood) but then centrifuge it out in a machine that's right next to you--separating the plasma from the blood (RBCs). After the centrifuge the plasma enters this little bottle and the rest of your blood re-enters your arm through the needle. So while the blood was re-entering my arm, I noticed a little bit of pain. Just a bit. I thought about it and typically I always try to be invincible and do the "tough it out" thing. But I know a lot about how the body tries to communicate to you. I looked down at my arm AND SAW THIS HUGE BUBBLE RIGHT WHERE THE NEEDLE WAS ENTERING! Freaked me out just for a second.

I asked if one of the workers if that was normal and she rushed over to me, pushed some buttons and just began idly talking to me. I could tell she was trying to be calm, to make me calm, by talking but I saw through it. I did the best I could to act like everything was normal but my body didn't. I quickly began breathing really hard and having a serious hot flash. With a few ice packs and my feet even more elevated, they unstuck me and re-needled me in my right arm so I could get my blood back.

Basically, the needle and vein weren't together. So when my blood returned it just entered my tissue and made this huge awesome bubble. Now I'll have a wicked bruise for awhile. My arm hurts a bit and I don't like the lady who initially needled me up but, heck it was worth the $$.

On The Bright Side of Things.....

I have the best brothers in the entire world!

A little background: John is in Washington DC for the semester for an internship at the National Defense University and Jim is serving in Afghanistan and comes home this summer!!!!

1. A couple of weeks ago, John had me run down to Cougar Creations (BYUs printing shop) and pick up a packet he had sent int to be printed and bound. When I picked it up, there was two sheets that were printed from his email with the packet. I thought it was a fluke that he had accidentally sent in those to be printed or something. But I later discovered that they were receipts from a DELTA transaction for a TICKET to NYC during the 3-day weekend in February for REBECCA RHODEN! Yes, ladies and gentleman. I'm 19 and going to New York City.

2. When I told Jim I didn't get picked to be a Young Performing Missionary (Service Mission) in Nauvoo he replied back with an invitation to take me to GUAM this summer when he returns!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited if this works out. I mean, have you SEEN pictures of GUAM before? I had from missionaries but now especially after I googled pictures of Guam--the beaches and sunsets are S.U.P.E.R.B!

These pictures of my brothers make me laugh so much! Oh, the memories of childhood. I love my brothers probably more than anything else, even over my baby blankie. And my dog Macey. I don't know how my wonderful parents (who I also love dearly) gave me two of the best, kindest, funniest, talented, smartest older brothers a younger sister could ever ask for. I think I probably trust them more than I ever should: if they told me to jump off a cliff, I would. Isn't that a little weird? Anyways, I love them and when I know that they love me I get all tender! Although they did go to Europe without me a couple of years ago, I think I've forgiven them by now...I think. Maybe after these awesome experiences I will be completely healed...

Oh Boy Did I Luck Out!!! A Night With BYU's Cecil :)

Suite 15 is where it is at!!!! Tonight I went to the BYU mens basketball game at the Jazz's Energy Arena in Salt Lake (against Arizona). John lucked out with 2 special tickets, and after asking several girls and being denied, John decided to take me since I'm always back up. :) Suite 15 just happened to be President Cecil O. Samuelson's suite. For those of you who don't know him, you should. He's the President of BYU and in the Quorum of the 70. With BYU having 30,000 students, it's not very likely that many people get to personally meet the President and especially watch a basketball game with him and his wife. It was so much fun! The suite had delicious food, a cute bar with tables, flat screen tv, 3 rows of seats, a personal bathroom, and random waiters to check on us. With only us, Pres.& Sis. Samuelson and their granddaughter, there was also the Vice President of Athletics (another Q of 70 member) whose wife knows John and was the one who offered the tickets with his wife and daughter also there. I definitely had a wonderful evening with President Cecil O. Samuelson :) I promise I'm not that much of a creeper, but here are some highlights:

-When pulling into the parking garage in salt lake, we let a car in the opposite left lane cut in front of us and then when we pulled in to pay at the booth the guy told us that the car in front of us had payed for our parking!!! So nice, especially at Christmas!

-Shaking President and Sis. Samuelson's hand, visiting with them.

-When Sis. Samuelson leaned over to talk to the other lady and Pres. Samuelson said, "Sharon, watch the game!"

-Hearing Pres. Samuelson talk to all the players quietly under his breath, "Oh jackson!" or "Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right."

-Sis. Samuelson turning around and always saying, "Wait, what just happened?"

-During halftime, when Pres. Samuelson got a personal text showing that Noah Hartsock received a minor concussion and 6 stitches to the upper lip when hit during the first 10 minutes of the game.

-Having special sporting officials checking up on us during the game:)

-After the game, walking through a beautiful Barnes&Noble and reading random books while awaiting traffic to die down. I will always dream of having a beautiful library of gorgeous books one day!

-P.S. Did I mention BYU won?

I Just Failed My First Midterm And Feel Like Death Warmed Over.

failedforthefirsttime.e.v.e.r.

Now I'm in one of those moods that come once every blue moon. I really don't feel like talking about my midterm, just typing about how bad I really do feel.

Who knew life could feel like this?

I mean, I try to keep reminding myself that, heck, I'm just going to be a mom for the majority of my life so who cares? My kids sure won't.

Is it because I know how disappointed my immediate family would be? Probably not. I'm probably just extremely irritable because of 1)lack of sleep 2)i just left 20 fill-in-the-answers blank with many other answers filled-in with funny vocabulary words i tried to think of off the top of my head and 3)i know i could have done better, should have, and that IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN EASY

A

IF I WOULD HAVE STUDIED A TEENY-BIT-MORE.

Now I get to deal with me for the rest of the day. The self-absorbed, self-despised, no make-up, hair in a bun, pudgy around the edges, sweat shirt wearing 19 year old that I am. Not sure of what she wants. Extremely disappointed in herself.

Listening to Josh Groban's "You Are Loved--Don't Give Up" for the 100th time as it repeats, repeats,

repeats

repeats.

I, Am a Registered Voter.

And I voted for the first time ever today. Its Tuesday and our Georgia Primaries. Check out my sticker I got. Nervous and excited i was, for all my life I have listened and listened to a very political family discuss very political things. As much as I tried to drown their voices out, I always followed what was up in our local and national governments and began to get that "Rhoden" desire to do your country a service by voting. I went to the Byron City Hall, ran into a few old townsfolk I recognized (I love living in a small town) went to the cool little computer and bypassed a bunch of random names of people I don't know anything about (I'm determined not to vote ignorantly). Then I found the one name I was looking for, Mike Keown. His name is outside on the lawn. When my Dad and I take Macey on walks, he takes a handful of magnets/brochures/posters of this gentleman and walks up to any neighbors he might see (or not see)and gives them a shpill of what this man's views. Because of listening to the same lecture and reading all the left over info from my Dad, I felt like it would be wise to cast my vote and make a difference in Georgia.