little rock

i am in little rock this week with my whole family for my brother's wedding. yea!
i grew up here and every time i come to visit, i get a wash of nostalgia ~ i love to go see my old house, my old school, i try to see old friends, etc... today on the plane, i was remembering all the nice things i remembered about this town ~ there are some ;). i told my mom something like, "maybe someday i will come here, buy a house, work at childrens hospital here, blah blah blah." we got to the hotel, went to lunch and on the walk back to the hotel passed a shoe shine station on the street. for the first time ever, i consciously observed this very obvious portrait of race/class relations in this city. the shoe shiner was a black man who looked very much like i remember most older black men looking in downtown little rock ~ kinda disheveled, older clothes, etc. the man getting his shoes shined was an upper class white man sitting there in his work clothes. i couldnt help but notice his burberry plaid socks. something about this visual made me pay attention to what was going on ... the shoe shiner was sitting on his little stool shining the other man's shoes, talking to him (not sure about what). and the man who was having his shoes shined sat upon his throne, holding his newspaper up, as if hiding behind it meant that he didnt have to acknowledge the other man sitting in front of him, and completely ignored anything the other man was saying. i was floored. this is probably the kind of scene i "saw" countless times when i lived here and never noticed. time and being in denver and education, i think, have made me more aware. as we walked away, my mom said (as i was thinking similarly), "your job is to shine my shoes, boy." WOW. it is so interesting to me that this town was the center of a huge race issue ~ a POSITIVE one, not so long ago (Central High integration, the Central 9, etc etc etc) and yet a white man cant bring himself to acknowledge the other human being that he might be giving a few bucks to shine his shoes. how sad! i won't be moving here anytime soon...

(i plan on doing some photography while i am here, if i can find some time. i hope to capture the dichotomous nature of this place, among other things. if i get some good shots, i plan on posting them here.)

The Amazing Disappearing Cat

... AKA the Prodigal cat.

People who know me well know that I LOVE animals ... especially mine!
One of my cats, Sami, disappeared just after Ian was born - over 3 months ago. Yesterday I came home from class and my mom said, "Guess who's back!" At that moment I noticed the carrier in her hand. Sami had spent the last 3 months in a neighborhood near ours. A lady had been watching her, observing her catching mice, etc. Something told her to get Sami and take her to the neighborhood vet's office. They scanned for her microchip and called. I am totally floored!!!
The weirder thing is my mom was thinking last week, "Wouldn't that be strange if Sami just showed up again!"

Woohoo! Welcome home Sami!!!

couldnt resist

You Belong in 1986

Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.

What Year Do You Belong In?

Peoples' stories

I have just re-realized something that I had forgotten, and that I think I need to keep in mind much more than I do.

We all have our stories, we all have our struggles, we all have our baggage. I often forget, when I am meeting new people, that they, just like me, have struggled in their lives. I am not the only one with "problems". I am not the only one with scars.

No matter how much another person seems to have it all together, they dont. No one does. That would make that person perfect, right? And since none of us can be, it cant be true. We all have so much more in common than I remember until I meet someone new who shows me those scars and reminds me... I need to remember this when I see someone who I envy for one reason or another, or someone who is so angry at the world that they seem unapproachable or rough or whatever...

I just wanted to write it down, as a reminder to myself and anyone else who might need to be reminded of it too.

Update to food allergy post

Good news! My acupuncturist CAN desensitize people to gluten if they do not actually have Celiac disease!!!!

I am free to eat real bread again! YEA!!!!

(H, you have to go see her!)

Bucket List

I am starting my own bucket list. Who wants to join in the fun?!

Travel the world
Read the Bible again ... the whole thing ... with my Orthodox perspective
Read something by Ayn Rand
Learn the truth about more of our history
Swim in the Mediterranean
Learn how to forgive more
Visit a monastery in a few other countries
See great art up close
Hike ... anywhere
Get through a year with no injuries or illnesses
Learn some form of "alternative medicine"
Make really great art
Teach someone something meaningful
Make a difference to someone who needs it

.....
to be continued as I think of more stuff :)

who wants to be debt free?

I have heard of a thousand different ways (and/or) to pay off debt early, but my parents have found something new and innovative, and quite frankly pretty amazing! I am a skeptic when it comes to stuff like this and I have seen it in action!

What would any of us do with the money we use to pay our mortgages, car payments, credit card payments, school loans, whatever?!?!?!?! I don't have a mortgage yet, but when I do, I plan on giving the bank as LITTLE interest as possible! I ran pretend numbers for when I graduate including a car payment, a mortgage and my school loans (my only debt at this time) ~ if my numbers are even close to accurate, it will be a total of over $300K in original debt (not counting interest!!!) I will have all of it paid off after 5 years and will keep $190K that I would otherwise had to have paid in interest. And after 5 years I will have those payments to do with whatever I please ... like send Ian to Yale (or whatever school he wants to go to.) How cool is that???

I am way excited about it!!

food allergies!!!!!

Thanks to my friend Amy who told me I should blog about the cool stuff I have found lately...

I grew up around a LOT of kids who had food allergies that limited them to the same diet as their goats and horses. Yikes! I always felt really sorry for them.

Recently, after Ian was born, I started having stomach aches every time I ate. Ian started getting really colicky at around 6 weeks. I was in my chiropractor/acupuncturist's office and told them about his colic. The acupuncturist told me that food allergies are often the cause of colic (I had no idea.) So, she did this very different, completely non-invasive, non-painful allergy test for Ian and I and guess what!! He is allergic to almost the whole planet and I am allergic to all of that plus the rest of the planet! My son and I are those kids that I felt sorry for!

BUT GET THIS!!!! She can desensitize our bodies to almost anything (just not gluten). So the poultry and eggs, dairy products, vitamin B, sugar, rice, corn, and soy that we are allergic to will soon all be edible for us again. HOW COOL IS THAT?!

I LOVE alternative medicine! What allergist ever offered to cure you of allergies or cure your kid's colic?!

Network chiropractic coming soon! ....

Another blogger baby...ha!

just ignore the commentary in the background ... we were not really paying attention to what we were talking about while we were watching Ian play. lol

mercy

I don't remember much about my labor, especially the last few hours, but I very clearly remember thinking, "Thanks a lot EVE!!" The intensity of contractions and the emotional and mental piece of it were completely overwhelming at the end.

When Ian was a few days old, I started hearing comments like, "Isn't it amazing how you forget about the pain of childbirth?!" I would say things like, "Umm, I'm not there yet...." My response in my head was a less polite, "Are you freakin' kidding me?! NO!!" Now that a little more time has passed I know what all those women were talking about. I wouldn't say that I have completely forgotten, but the intensity of my memory is seriously diminished. And, more importantly, I have the realization that he is SO worth it! Who knew you could love someone this much?! It is as amazing as they all said it would be. Wow!

Green Smoothies!

YUM!

I have a hard time getting in enough leafy greens each day ~ I don't eat salads much unless someone makes it for me. Just one of those weird things, I guess. But someone told me this idea to get those greens in and it is SO easy and really really yummy! I have been drinking at least one a day for a week now. Here is how I make it:

8 oz Apple juice
1 or 2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
frozen strawberries
fresh banana

Blend all together in the blender until smooth and pour!

It comes out looking green, because of the spinach, but you only taste the fruit. You can use pretty much any kind of fruit or juice that you like and it is WAY less expensive, and as good tasting as "Super Food."

Next I am going try adding plain flavored protein powder to it, to make it a more complete meal for breakfast. I am hoping it wont change the flavor too much. I'll let you know!

Nesting

I was laying in bed this morning thinking about nesting, wondering exactly WHAT is nesting supposed to be anyway? Am I nesting yet? Am I supposed to be nesting yet? Does everyone nest in the same way? I am up for feedback, but this is kinda the conclusion I have come to: My nesting is a different kind of nesting, or at least I think it is. I thought of nesting as a kind of hunting and gathering/fixing up babies room kind of thing. I have done a little bit of that, but not too much. I realized today that the kind of nesting I am doing is ... well, I guess it could be called small-project-remodeling nesting. And my mom and I are both doing it. We are thinking of all the little projects that need to be done or that we want to be done, and just trying to tackle one or two at a time. Take, for instance, the floor. We ripped out carpet and painted the floor. Next! Repainting the kitchen. Then, finishing touches here and there - repainting doors and trim where it needs it, stuff like that. And windows and doors where they are needed first.

It all probably has to do something, also, with the fact that my Dad is gone, so we can do whatever we want uninterrupted, and without bothering him while he is working. It seems really strange in a way, but at the same time, it is just "us."

And on a very happy note ... I am spending a day at the pool today with my Mom (AKA Super G), my sister and her kiddos, and my brother, for a mini baby shower. It is going to be fun! Cant wait! Woohoo!!

So, I am well into 2nd qtr of Nursing school. Seriously, I don't know what I was so afraid of!

This month has been full of getting ready for baby ... registry, getting really generous gifts from friends, and doing a little shopping. People have asked me how I am, if I am scared etc etc etc. I'm not ... that is the only thing that kinda freaks me out, is that I am not freaking out. I guess that means one of two things: I am either super-mentally-ready, or super-naive! We will see which one applies ....

One interesting piece of news ~ I may be 2 weeks further along than we originally thought. So now it could be end of June - mid-July. Sweet! The less time I can't breathe the better!!!

I wish I was the avid reader that H is ... I kinda envy that of her. For now, my reading list includes Nursing Research, Nursing Foundations, Pharmacology Calculations, Davis' Drug Guide (a really interesting read if you take any medications!) and baby related stuff ....

So, that's all I have for now ... more later.

pics

And as soon as possible I am whipping out the camera again ... besides swimming, my favorite thing! :o)

I forgot I have a blog...

"Real life" got in the way and I spaced it completely. I should probably set a reminder for myself. What else is new?! My mom was teasing me today that I am going to forget to feed Sofia. God I hope not!!

H reminded me today ~ thanks!

I still dont have much to say. For all the thinking I do, you would think I'd have more to say than hurry up summer!

I would like to say, though, that I think I am getting a little wiser (probably very little, but every little bit helps!) in my old-ish age. I recently met (sort of) this guy who is Orthodox, lives in Arizona, seems nice, is semi-well put together as far as his life is concerned. He showed a great deal of interest in getting to know me, despite my current circumstances ~ that by itself surprised me! He then revealed something to me, that I had already had suspicions about, but that I didn't want to make assumptions about. He is divorced and his previous marriage ... well, it was not pretty. I must say that I admire his courage for being so honest with me and I appreciate that. At the same time there are things that scare me to death!! One of my greatest (I think) life lessons has been to PAY ATTENTION when my intuition is bothering me about something. I would make excuses and feel guilty for not doing whatever (with the possibility of hurting someone else's feelings) and I would end up being the one getting hurt. It is hard to say to someone who you like on some level that there is something about them or something about their life (even in the past) that you cant accept or cant get past. But I think it is much better to do that than risk that potential (maybe likely?) harm down the road - to either person. And I have someone else to think about at this point! So, all of that is the long way of saying that I am kinda proud of myself for paying attention, and for acting on it.

I thought that breaks were supposed to be breaks. I feel like I have been more busy on break than I was when I was in class! And yet, I am begging this week to slow down. Monday is coming WAY too fast!!

I am reading a book a friend of mine ordered from Amazon for me. While on break from school I refuse to read anything I don't enjoy thoroughly. (I have to read enough dry material that is not always so enjoyable for 11 weeks straight - I think I deserve a little reading for pleasure!) This book is called The Tales of Secret Egypt. It is an old collection of short stories - mysteries - set in the 20's (?) in Egypt. It seems ancient! But the stories are great!! You just have to get used to the language.

Oh, for anyone who likes to cook healthy stuff, and likes really easy healthy stuff ... ever heard of vita-mix? It is the blender they use to make Jamba Juice. They were selling them at Costco and they made this really delicious Tortilla soup - yes in a blender! It was really yummy! So I found the recipe on their website and tried it in my regular (not $400) blender and guess what ... it worked! So, for anyone who would like to try it out, here is a link to their website with all the recipes. I also made the broccoli cheese soup - also very yummy! It just needs to stand a little while to thicken.

I am still awaiting my chance to go to the beach. Permanently. I am jealous of Riley and his easy life. I'll take him with me. We can all be beach bums together!

Pray for 75 degrees on Saturday! Woohoo Spring Fling!

Phew! (and other stuff)

Final number 1 and my last "regular exam" are over. TGFT!

My mom got the new OS Bible for me - I have been looking forward to it finally being released to see the WHOLE OT. (What were they thinking - whoever 'they' are - when they decided to chuck whole books or sections? And how did they get away with that??) I am really excited to have the WHOLE thing. I started out by reading some of the intro section and the "How to Read..." section. And then the lectionary to read throughout the year. I am PSYCHED! (And I have never really been psyched about reading it, to be completely honest.)

And did anyone else get all choked up and teary on Sunday?? Is it just me, hormones, or is that kinda a normal response?

For all you voracious readers out there, I have a book recommendation from a friend - "Dialogue with the Savior" By Fr. Lev Gilet. Have not read it, but it got rave reviews from this friend. He said it changed how he viewed the NT.

Alright ... who's ready for the beach?!

In the beginning ...

were all my friends and their various lovely, entertaining and challenging blogs.

I decided quite a while ago that I need another creative outlet, and somewhere to vent about not-so-loveable nursing insrtuctors or stretch marks from time to time. So why not here?!

I will add more later, but just to start, thanks to my sister Heather and my friend Don for their inspiring blogs which encouraged me to "get out there."

I just want to say, I have been through my first 9 weeks of nursing school and have gotten myself into a nice little rhythm - aside from a few projects, it has been a steady 2 quizzes a week, 1 major exam a week and a paper every other week or so. Not so bad, right? YEESH!
Next week, I have 2 exams on top of the regular stuff. The first one is a practical exam in which I have to do a full head to toe health assessment/exam in half an hour ... including all the cranial nerves. YIKES! And then the following week I have my final exams ... 4 of them to be precise. OMG! I have not taken that many tests in one week in a LONG time!!! I know I got myself into this, but how do I get out now?!


OK thats all I have time for right now ......