Rants, Recipes, and Running

This was week 1 of my new job! All I can say is I feel like I just completed an outer body experience. a) This is my dream job. b) Holy shit I am on information overload. c) I never got a second to regroup all week. In addition to starting new job....Tuesday and Thursday I went straight from work to Scuba classes, and didn't get home until 11 pm. Which means my day pretty much went non stop from 4:35 am - 11 pm. I'm not complaining, because obviously this is all positive and exciting things, but I am feeling pretty exhausted!!! So instead of an insightful post, here are my 10 questions. 1. Twitter or Facebook?  Facebook. I don't even know what Twitter does or is. Hi, I may be in my late 20's, but assume I'm a senior citizen.rik 2. Morning person or night owl?  Morning person without a DOUBT!! I am almost non-functional once the clock strikes 9 pm. I claim I turn into a pumpkin after 9 pm. 3. How do you drink your coffee?  Dep...

Tomorrow is my last day at the hospital I've worked at for the past 5 years. As I reflect this evening over my cup of tea...it feels rather bitter sweet. I've had quite the journey at my hospital in a fast 5 years. From a new grad nurse on a cardiac unit, to the ER, to taking the huge responsibility (aka, was in over my head) as house supervisor of the entire hospital, to finally landing my "sweet spot" in Case Management. I really thought I'd stay in my position for a longer time, but there are a variety of reasons that lead me to seeking a new path. And fortunately, that path kind of found me. (Thank you, "LinkedIn".) I interviewed with 5 different companies in a short period of 2 weeks, and I just couldn't turn this one down! It's time to spread my wings, and move on to a bigger hospital where there is more room for me to grow. My new job is still in the case management world. I will be working in a Pulmonary Clinic as a "Nurse Na...

Friday was my Golden birthday! Funny story about that..... Confession time : I lie about my age . Almost daily. I tell people I'm older than my actual age, so I am taken more seriously. Especially at work. Because in my experiences, when I tell them how old I actually am, they automatically judge me as some irresponsible, 20-something who still gets her bills paid by Mom and Dad. And it infuriates me so very much ! Because I am a 20-something who is paying off a mortgage, enjoys gardening, reads "Southern Living" magazine, and talks frequently about "retirement savings" with her spouse. Because I lie so frequently about my age, I got confused about how old I was turning this year. So I swore I was turning 28. Come to find out, it was 27! This was discovered 2 days before my birthday, when my husband had to politely ask me to " do the math, babe ." It was an amazing weekend packed with all the things I love! Friday was the actually birthda...

I really need to do a "re-cap" post on my birthday weekend, but that will come later. Instead, I am stealing my sister's post idea from today - called "little letters". Dear Miles (our 15 week old puppy), I take one rest day a week, where I sleep until 6 am. Could you please get it right, and sleep in as well? It sure would be lovely to have one day of the week where I sleep past 5. :) Sincerely, Tired Pet-Owner Dear March 11 , Please get here soon. I have 7 work days left, and it is so tough to be present when not just my foot , but my entire leg is "out the door". Your truly, Tendered Resignation Dear March Weather, In opposition to the rest of the county, I would like you to linger. Soon it will be 90 degrees on my 5 am runs and 100 degrees when I get home from work in the evening. I'm savoring these pleasant 70 degree days. Sincerely, Runner Who Doesn't Like Rhabdo Dear Cubical-mate , Please go see your ENT doctor and get those ...

We did our 2nd training hike for the Kalalua trail yesterday. This time we got a little more serious about the weight we put in our packs! It was really good practice for 2 reasons. 1) We practiced packing our backpack. Which takes skill . You have to disperse the weight a certain way so it helps with balance and comfort. And you have to seriously use some muscle to get your gear compact! (sleeping bag, sleeping pad, clothes, tent, water, and any other supplies needed). 2) Hiking in Tucson has it's challenges. Most of the trails are very steep and rocky. Now adding extra weight? All of a sudden 11 miles is no joke! Here are a few photos we took along the way! It was a beautiful morning, as there was a storm passing through the canyon!   The desert is so green right now with the plentiful rains that January brought. (Green for the desert)       A few things I learned on this hike:   I am super excited for mor...

Last weekend at this time, we were on our final miles of Ragnar Del Sol: Wickenburg to Phoenix 205 miles! This was probably my best Ragnar to date. Mostly because I didn't get injured, I didn't throw up, and I didn't get dehydrated! Because let me tell you, those 3 things can really ruin a good time! It took me 4 of these races to get it right ;) I could gush on and on, but I'm going to refrain from that. Instead, I'll let the pictures do the talking! My run legs from 8.4, 2.1, and 7.7. (The 8.4 was supposed to be 7.5....but they changed up the course. Talk about screwing with one's mind!) We were in Van # 2, which means we got to relax Friday morning while Van 1 ran. We had a start time of 12 pm! Unfortunately, I don't know how to sleep in past 5:30am. But my morning was relaxing. We had time to eat a good breakfast, enjoy our coffee, and decorate our van! Our team name was "Running our AZ's Off". This was a healthy attempt at...

We all know how unpleasant I find it, when people make the constant remark of "Are you pregnant?". I'm pretty sure this one has come up in rants' past. But just a refresher: Just because you are at childbearing age, it is possible to be tired - and not be with child. Just because you are at childbearing age, it is possible to be nauseated - and not be with child. Just because you are at childbearing age, it is possible to lose your keys - and not be with child. Just because you are at childbearing age, it is possible to not want a glass of wine - and not be with child. Just because you are childbearing age, and you have any one symptom - it doesn't mean you're frigging pregnant!! Now that we have that cleared up. :) Here's the other comment I find almost on a daily basis. (when I'm not being asked when I'm planning on getting pregnant, or why I don't have kids yet, and when am I going to have kids...) "Just wait unt...