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Showing posts from 2013

Signs that our blood has thinned....

As the Christmas holiday & winter season approaches, it brings back memories of Christmases past. And as I look back, it dawns on me how "weak" we've become. 1) About 7 years ago, I remember going for a run with my friend Marissa one night in December. It was -15 degrees out. We bundled up, and went running without question regarding the weather. Last weekend I went for a run in 31 degrees (granted, it was an 2 1/2 hr 18 mile run)....but it wiped me out so cold that my entire afternoon was spent wrapped up in blankets with a fever! 2) Growing up, it was a yearly tradition to assist my Mom and Dad in hanging the Christmas lights. (one of my favorite traditions, in fact) We'd bundle up in snowmobile suits, warm hats and gloves, hefty water-proof boots...and hang lights all day sometimes in sub-zero temps ! Last weekend, Ryan & I opted to wait a few days to hang the lights. It was just too cold. It was 50 degrees F out . The next day, Ryan had taken a

What I've been cooking lately.....

I haven't done any recipe posts lately. Well, I haven't done much posting lately...period. I thought I'd share a few of the things that have been created in our kitchen lately! I've definitely been changing things up lately. #1 Whole Chickens..... I am temporarily boycotting buying chicken breasts! $2.99/lb is assinine for chicken, in my opinion. Especially since Ryan and I eat so much chicken . (Probably 4 nights a week). One Saturday night to impress Ryan, I roasted a chicken...and realized it's not that intimidating! Now we buy whole chickens, butcher them up during the weekend, wrap them in plastic bags, and cook them. Does it take more work? Yes . But $0.99/lb compared to $2.99/lb? Makes a difference. I'll take a little dark meat for that price comparison! #2 I've been NUTs for butterNUT Squash! I've been making tons of butternut squash soup. So hearty and good for you! Apples, onions, squash, cider, and broth all pureed together is quite th

New Beginnings

It's been quite a week for me, as many changes have taken place in my life! I have kept very quiet about this, due to nerves and a little skepticism. But I made a huge career change this week! I've been applying, interviewing, re-interviewing, and shadowing since, well, July. I started it when I was in San Antonio, when one evening my husband finally got square with me and said, "I think it's time you look into a career change....." He was right. Every evening, I would spend about 30 minutes venting about my day. I wanted to like being an ER nurse so much, but it just wasn't for me. In the bloody, traumatic codes that rolled through the door, I would scurry into the corner, "I'll do the documentation!! No really! This is my favorite part!" That's not normal for your standard "ER Nurse". A true ER person, loves chaos and thrives off of it. After doing lots of research about where I could go with my career, (which I'm very

Big Bear Recap

I am a few weeks late, but to be honest, I'm not really sure what happened to those few weeks that passed! I really didn't want this trip to go missed on this blog. It was probably one of my favorite vacations we've taken! It was kind of funny how it developed.... Ryan was supposed to be moving out to Riverside, California for his last 5 month school. We decided I would accompany him on the trip out there (he wasn't going to need a car). But Riverside, CA isn't exactly the romance/travel capital of the world ;) So we were going to make a detour and spend a few days in San Diego (probably one of our favorite cities ever) Instead.....we discovered Big Bear. It's a mountain town located in the San Bernadino Forest, about 7000 ft above LA, and 30 degrees cooler. We found a cabin to rent on turnkey.com, and the plans were in the making! Well, Ryan's CA school got moved. So we adjusted with the plans -- and it worked out perfectly! Instead of a "goodbye

Hello, Holidays.

I am one of those people that goes nuts over the holidays. Not in an over-the-top, tree up on November 10, bell-earing-wearing fashion....but I absolutely adore the holiday season. I love Christmas music. During the Christmas season, it is frequently played as my background music as I clean house or cook. Making holiday baked goods brings me great job. I get butterflies in my stomach when I start seeing Starbuck's holiday cups. Planning and preparations for Thanksgiving brings me so much warmth and excitement. My husband and I are those people out shopping at 3am on Black Friday....(however, now-days it seems to be more on Thanksgiving, which I really disagree with) But this year, I can already predict that I'm just not feeling it . We did the "adopt a family" through Ryan's unit on base for family is the community who are suffereing this Christmas -- and the deadline for the gift was this week. Last night I had to wrap the presents, and when I searched thro

30 Days of Gratitude: The Tail End

Greetings from our cabin in the woods in Big Bear, California! I am supposed to be moving Ryan to March AFB today for training, but his training has been rescheduled and re-routed. However, we had already put our deposit on our cabin (we were going to stay here for a few romantic days before I moved him).....so we made a fun vacay out of the deal! Pictures will come eventually . :) I am determined to finish this Grateful blog, however! So here's the last of it! The best thing I tasted today was.... For breakfast I had a slice of my home-made blackberry lemon bread, toasted on the stove, and a spread little Fage greek yogurt on it. I love going online to .... look up recipes, gawk at dream vacations, and look up home renovation ideas. I must admit a great deal of this is done via Pinterest. I'm grateful for the way these things feel: my husbands arm around my back, a hug from family & friends, cool & crisp freshly washed sheets after a long day, the taste of cold

Marathon Madness: Where I'm at....

Last time I talk about marathon training, it wasn't the most positive post. I was having foot pain, that I assumed to be a stress fracture. (When it comes to sports-related injuries, it is much better to overestimate than underestimate). Well, I finally got x-rays upon my return home to AZ, it turned out to be bone spurs . I have oddly shaped feet with high arches, which affects my gait. He gave me some orthotics, and it's honestly helped. A few things I've changed up with my training plan, since I "went forward" with it: I almost never run on consecutive days. Prior to this injury, there were times where I'd run 3 days in a row. If I had it my way, I would run 7 days in a row - for running brings me such joy and release. But discipline runs marathons. In the past, my marathon training included gradually increasing my mileage weekly and then scaling back every 3rd week. (ex 12, 14, 9, 15, 17, 12). Now I'm building steady and slow. So I did 8, 8, 8

30 Days of Gratititude

Well, it's taking me longer than 30 days, as my consistency in blogging has been horrible since I've been home! It's been really busy and I've been in a constant mode of go-go-go! All good things, but I will admit that I'm having a deep longing to just hole up in my house and be a recluse for a day. All this business has me feeling extremely grateful, which is a great theme to get me ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Let me pick up where I left off with this "30 Days of Gratitude" I'm lucky that I'm smart enough to figure out how to .....use critical thinking in my job. It's something they try to teach you in college, but I think it mostly comes with experience. My time in the ER has really built that. I've reached the point where I feel like I can look at a patient, anticipate what's going to happen and just how sick they are within the first 20 seconds in the room. In this moment, what I love most about my friends are ....

Reunited

So we've been home for a week, and boy, what a week it has been! Got the house cleaned and in order Helped Ryan assemble a 350 lb smoker - and trial run it before our party Returned to work after my leave and got to read about 300 emails. (I think 5 were worth reading) Had a mini dinner party Friday night - made grilled filet mignon, asparagus, & butternut squash risotto Ran 10 miles to resume my marathon training Prepped and threw a party Saturday night with approximately 45 guests Sunday after cleaning up, scrubbing the floors, and getting the house back in order - I will admit I fell asleep with my feet danging in the pool. When I set up this party, I wanted to do something easy. "Let's grill some burgers, have a big salad, and call it a day!" Somehow that transformed into a menu of...... Smoke Pulled pork Pulled pork flatbreads 4-cheese bacon Mac'N'Cheese North Carolina-style Slaw Smoked Beer Can Chickens So Saturday morning Rya

30 Days of Gratitude: Week 3

The strongest part of my body in this moment is ......I'd have to say my legs. Even after basically taking a 3 week break from running (with a few intermittent jogs in the middle) - I am clear to resume training. I went for a 10 mile run yesterday, and worried that I wouldn't be able to carry though. But to be honest, my legs didn't even feel a hint of soreness. I have all the strength training and biking to thank for that! Even after a rough day at work, the things I'm most grateful for are .....This answer is very evident for me right now! My coworkers. After working at different hospitals in a different state this summer, I gained a serious appreciation for my coworkers. I honestly think my ER is the dream team of ER's. No matter how busy it is, everyone helps each other out. People always have your back, and that energy is contagious. We all work as a cohesive team, and we find things to laugh and smile about throughout the day. It makes even the worse days e

Winged: So Long, San Antonio!

Last Friday, Ryan got his wings pinned. He is now officially a military rated pilot. Pretty cool. When he was 17 years old, he signed up for the Air National Guard. He had one goal: to become a pilot for the Air Force. From there, every decision he made had that goal in sight. He chose electrical engineer, he got an internship (and then a job) in the defense industry, he worked as an Avionics technician on F-16's, we moved to Tucson to get to a different base where there were more opportunities.....9 years later, those wings were pinned on! 9 years of some amazing experiences. I've been a part of it for 6. The amazing part is...this is only the beginning! So many years lie ahead of us, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds. The weekend went perfect. Everything from our time spent with his family to the ceremonies was just perfect. It was wonderful to have both his parents there. It was also really cool to see his Dad give him his "blood wings". A little

30 Days of Gratitude: Week 2

I am making a point of savoring a little "me time" before it gets busy. Starting this afternoon, then next few weeks I will be going 100 mph at life. So many exciting things I look forward to coming up. But I'm also a little stressed, as our house has sat vacant for 4 months (ahhh!) -- and we have a party hosting about 30-40 people just 6 days after we get home! So this is my moment to breath. Okay, okay, I lied. I'm procrastinating . All the luggage bags and totes are nicely laid out, I'm supposed to be packing, and then going to the gym, and then packing more, and then picking up Ryan's family at the airport. But I am avoiding packing like the plague. So decided, "I really should drink my coffee and play on the computer...." I'm not going to be able to do my 30 days of Gratitude post tomorrow, as tomorrow is going to be a very busy day with Ryan's pinning ceremony starting at 9 am! I have major butterflies in my stomach thinking about

10 Confessions

Here are my confessions...... I have not cooked a dinner in 2 weeks. I did so well all summer long - using the crockpot in such creative ways. Some fuse in me has burnt out, and my care and dedication to being a great "hotel"maker has vanished.  I never thought this day would come, but I think I'm sick of the Oven Roasted Chicken Breast sub at Subway. (I consume this about 3 meals/week). Yet, I'm too much of a creature of habit to just... order a different sandwich! Part of me feels guilty that I won't be accompanying Ryan to his next school in California. Especially after I was visiting with one of the wives last week at a bbq, who is accompanying her husband in a kitchenless hotel room for 5 months with their 3 month-old . (the hotel room at the next school doesn't even have a kitchen sink!) I felt even worse when she said, "Hey, we're a family. We stick together!"  I got to run today! I've had no pain in my toe all week. I was all

Marathon Madness: Taking a step back.

Well, I'm into week 4 of marathon training. Supposed to be doing a 10 mile run this week, actually! Guess how many miles I have mapped out in my training schedule this week? Zero. Awesome, right?! No. It's not awesome, but I'm keeping a smile on my face and a positive attitude here. Let me recap week 3. At the end of week 2, I had my 9 mile run. Then I worked the weekend. Well, while at work that Saturday I felt a strange discomfort in my L great toe. So I took the rest of the weekend off. All weekend at work, I proceeded with caution. I decided to cross train and rest until I feel better.  Monday -30 minutes spin bike, 20 minutes eliptical - 30 minutes shoulder workout. Barely any foot pain! Tuesday - 40 minutes spin bike - 10 minutes elipitcal - 30 minutes back/bicep. No foot pain at all! Wednesday - 5 mile run (easy pace 8:35/mile) - leg work out. New running shoes, no foot pain, I hit the ground running! Thursday - 4 mile run with speed work (40 sec hard,

30 days of Gratitude

I'm stealing this idea from my sister, Lisa , as I think this is a great way to "refocus". We have so many great things to be thankful for. This summer adventure has put light on that. From the bad moments to the best moments ever -- if I've learned anything it's that m y life is very full and my husband and family are rockstars. So here it goes! 1.  I'm most thankful for my ability to adapt . I feel like I am a very "adaptable" person. In fact, my old manager (you know, the guy that didn't let me run the marathon) once described me as a cat . And that I could be throw from any height, and will find a way to land on my feet. I've moved to new cities twice now where I knew no one, and had no idea how to get around...and I've found my way. I learned to work at 2 new hospitals this summer, with completely new charting systems, department flow, etc. Back in AZ, I was the Nursing House Supervisor, as basically a new grad, googling poli

San Antonio Sightings: Roller Coasters. Botanical Gardens. Good times.

With only a few weeks left in San Antonio, and Ryan finally is in a school where he get's his weekends to enjoy -- we are taking advantage of living in a different city. I also know that I probably will never return to San Antonio again, unless I have to. Pretty much, I will never come back unless we some day have a son or daughter who decided to join the Air Force. Then we will come to San Antonio to attend their graduation from Basic training (which is the city for Basic training in the Air Force) Can you tell how much I love this area of Texas?  I will post more on that later. We had a delightful weekend! We each picked something we wanted to do. Saturday we went with Ryan's choice: Six Flags Fiesta Texas. If you asked my family how I do at amusement parks, they would start laughing. One time our family went to Valley Fair in Minneapolis. There is a picture of me (age 6?) on the "kiddie coaster"( you know, the train that rides through a garden ). I was sob

Wednesday Smiles

News Flash - I have reached a point where I am "over" living in this hotel. I cannot bring myself to elaborating, as this post would turn into a novel. But let me just say, because I am incapable of holding back my words , that we have had to get our door to our room fixed 5 times now . Yep. That means I've been locked out of the room 5 different times. On Friday when I got locked out, it was after my 9 mile run. It took 2 hours for them to fix it! So I sat out in the sultry Texas heat before I could get into my room and get some post-run hydration, food, and shower!! Oh, and the front desk told me I "wasn't helping the situation because I refused to be moved to a different room". We live here for 4 months. Moving 4 months worth of shit is not helpful. Okay, back to Wednesday smiles. Here are the little things that are bringing great smiles to my face today.   The days I don't work, I get to eat lunch with Ryan. Living on base has it's

Marathon Madness with a rant on top.

I'm two weeks into marathon training. This is my third marathon I have trained for. Inconspicuously, I've only ran in one marathon. Hm.... How is that possible? Oh, I know! * BEWARE, SHE'S IN RANT MODE * Once upon a time I had a boss. When I set up my work schedule for my 1st job, I told him I NEEDED that day off as I was running a marathon. His response, "Welcome to nursing, sweetie. You're working that day. In fact, I'm switching you to night shift that day. So you may want to reconsider your little race."   Yep. I had completed the entire Hal Higdon training program by that point, did my 3 20-mile runs, and was told I had to stop. Anyone who's ever trained for a marathon would understand the utter slap in the face this was. I think I stopped running for about 2 months after that meeting.   Want to know the real "kicker"?! My schedule ended up getting switched around, and I didn't even end up working that day. **Insert blood cu

Final Decision

Well, if you read my blog 2 posts ago , you would have found out that I'm accompanying Ryan on the next move to California. That has since changed. I'm going to be honest and say that I really feel at peace with my decision. For if life has taught me anything over the years, if you're going to make a decision, do it with all your heart and don't look back!  Why the sudden change? I learned that finding an apartment that offers a 5 month lease is nearly impossible. I researched about 12 different apartment complexes in the area, narrowed it down to 5 in the Riverside area that didn't worry me that I'd get shot while walking out to my car at night . (Riverside has some shady areas...) I finally found one place that offered a 5 month lease, as they try to cater to military residents. But here's what almost made me laugh. When I asked if they offer furnished apartments, they said "Yes, but your problem will be that we only rent out furniture fo

September's "Currently's"

I like to do these "Currently" posts every once in awhile. Especially because it's interesting to look back and see how I change my "likings". Maybe I'll do this monthly? We'll see. I may not change my hottest happenings that frequently. 1. Current Book Every Last One - Anna Quindlen. This was on the book list my sister sent me, and I highly recommend it. It's one of those books, where you will be reading it in a public place, and you have your moments where you become offended that the rest of the world is just going on with their lives as normal. ;) 2. Current Excitement That in 25 days we will be on our way home! Planning our "We're Home" BBQ. Planning the girls trip to Charleston/Myrtle Beach with my Mom & Sisters in October! 3. Current Fashion It is still awfully hot to be "fashion forward" here in San Antonio! I am just really digging sundresses! 4. Current Drink I am really digging IPA (Indian P