Rants, Recipes, and Running

Happy Moments from the week. As with all weeks, there were happy moments and not-so-happy moments . The not-so-happy: 1. Our HOA are being, well, "HOA-y". I think your imagination can fill in the blank. Just remember when you own a home in a strict HOA, that is apparently a crime to try to increase the value of your home. Such as hiring professional painters to paint the exterior (with colors approved by the HOA book). They apparently would like your home to rot, and have paint peeling off like some of the other homes in the neighborhood. Okay. I'm ranting. 2. The tone at work was stressed . We had the big triennial inspection/audit. And no matter how much preparation you do for these things, it always just puts everyone on edge. So I greeting Friday evening with a big smile ( and a cold beer ). But despite some shortcomings this week. There were some really fantastic moments that I prefer to focus on: This week we finally are experiencing our 1st mornings whe...

It's been awhile since this blog has seen any "shop talk". In fact, if you are involved in my day to day life, you would find I don't like to talk about work very much. Is it because I don't like my job? Not at all. I am currently in a state where I'm not excited about it. I know. "Abby, it's called work for a reason. You're not going to be springing out of bed every single morning singing and dancing in a fit of joy over your job." (I repeat this mantra to myself at least weekly) Since I've graduated from college, I've tried quite a lot in my career for a nurse my age. I did a short stint in rehabilitation nursing (just to tide me over until the contract with my hospital was official), telemetry nursing, charge nurse, administrative house supervisor, emergency room nurse, travel nurse, and finally case manager. I'm coming up on my "4 year anniversary" as a RN. That's a lot . Don't worry, my resume isn...

All these vacation posts may have one thinking, "She must have falling off the wagon on that half ironman training!" Not entirely true. However, I will say that week-long trip away did give me a little break from the constant circus of running from the pool, to the pedals, to the road! It was heavenly . It has also been extremely difficult for me to get back on my bike since we've returned. Those 3-4 hour rides are so mentally difficult for me. Dealing with traffic, stop lights, sharp turns, worry of having to change a tire....it all gets me quite worked up. Plus, 4 hours on that tiny, torturous seat becomes barbaric. I am currently in my final push before the taper. Race day is October 19. I can almost say "I made it!" Which is a pretty cool feeling. Because I'm working this weekend, my training is a little screwy. I had Wed and Thurs off this week, so should have gotten a 50 mile ride in. But I just didn't have it in me. So here is a sample of m...