A grasp on gratitude

Taking Missy out for walks 

is kind of how I like to 

indulge my brain. 

I just let random thoughts 

stream through my brain without interruption. 

 

<I wonder what it's like to be a narhwal>

<I actually felt like a great nurse on my Friday shift>

<I wonder if my calves will fit in my new boots>

<Why do lizards like to hang out in my sink?> 

 

blah blah blah. 

 

I haven't had a chance to go out

recently, so naturally my mind is full 

of anxiety-ridden thoughts and 

frustrations. 

My soon to be ex-permanent-roommate has succeeded

in making my life thouroughly

unpleasant. I spend hours every week 

doing statistics and calculus homework 

that I honestly don't really understand

but just do the formulas

so I can get semi-decent grades. 

And I HATE it. 

 I go to work and deal with fellow 

nurses who try to walk all over

me because I am young

or are lazy and don't 

take care of their patients. 

And then they get irritated when I have the 

cojones to question their

judgement or put my foot down. 

 

I've realized that I have

come to depend on my time

with my perro as the

one chance I get to concentrate

on other things. 

Just breathing, pondering, walking, navigating, 

and occasionally chasing 

my dog who is chasing a fox. 

 

I am lucky. 

I am lucky to have good things to reflect

over during those hikes. 

My life isn't terrible. 

I have so much to be happy about. 

 

Taking time for yourself (like hiking with the dog) to reflect

on the good stuff is a step towards a happier life.

 

Whhhhhaaaaaat a blur...

Jeesh. 

I haven't written on here in many moons. 

Time flies when life is full. 

In my world, everything has been turned upside down. 

Relationships have changed, 

I have become better at my job, 

I'm selling my house, and have 

been on a personal journey

to try and be the person

I have always wanted to now that

I have no one in my life making me feel 

bad about who I am or the choices I make. 

As Nacho Libre would say, "It's fantastic!". 

So. In the last four months I have... 

<bought a pair of Old Gringo Boots>

<been asked to be the Maid of Honor at my best friend's wedding>

<delivered a baby in the hospital parking lot>

<moved to Cornville in a charming one bedroom casa>

<gone to Disneyland with two of my favorite friends>

<gone hiking all over Sedona>

<gotten in a car accident>

<been a new auntie to my newest niece Reagan> 

<filed my taxes... woohaaaa!> 

<binge watched New Girl> 

Those are just the highlights for now. 

Currently my life is changing in big ways and I

am just rolling with it. 

 

 

 

Strep will take the pep outta your step

Whelp. 

I am at home with my throat aching... 

if you could imagine your throat being clawed open by a rabid

grizzly, then you would have an idea of how I am feeling today. 

I am sick and irritated. I just spent three awesome days in Disneyland with 

my favorite co-worker and a friend. I was ready 

to hit the unit today like a hurricane. I was going to pass meds, listen to lungs, 

and question orders like no one's business. 

But this morning, that came to a screeching halt. 

My day goes like this:

0500: Wake with a raging sore throat. Hurry to the loo and proceed

to clutch the porcelain throne while my bowels take revenge for

every piece of spicy food I've subjected them to. 

0530: Try calling clinical resources to tell them I can't come to work... because 

I am fairly sure I have dengue fever or some other whack disease. 

0545: Keep getting directed to multiple wrong phone numbers. Start to cry a little.

0600: Finally get in contact with clinical resources. After being on the 

receiving end of snarky comments like 'It's 0600 and you are supposed to be

here in an hour... and you are just now calling in?" 

 And in my head I think "I am fairly sure I could be dying. Spare me."

0700: Tell my mother I am sick... revert back to childhood behavior and request

medicine, coffee, and to tuck me in. 

0900: Answer door for my mom; proceed to ingest a latte, tylenol, and chicken soup. 

Then proceed to vomit. 

1200: Wake up from a short nap. Wonder why I don't feel awesome yet. 

1400: Admit defeat and that I could actually have something worth a trip to the 

urgent care. 

1500: Answer the door for the UPS man: who accidentally blurts "Holy...... wow, are

you okay?!" 

I wasn't sure if he was referring to the onesie pajamas with cats on them, my

Star Wars hoodie encrusted with dried soup, or my approaching death 

etched on my face. 

1630: Mom picks me up. I go to urgent care. 

1700: Doctor tells me he likes me hoodie... although he surely saw the 

soup stains and smelled how pungent it was. 

1730: Leave urgent care with a dx of strep throat and a prescription 

in hand. 

1900: Take a bath. Take antibiotics. Break out in a rash because I am allergic to everything on the gah-damn planet. Flop my bed and take two benadryl. Wait for the stupor to take over. 

I also didn't swallow my antibiotic fast enough. It's a large pill 

that I couldn't swallow on the first try. I have the gag reflex of a cat. 

So the pill started to break down in my mouth. 

Now my mouth tastes funny. 

Ew. 

Praying for a better tomorrow.

Breakfast food for dinner? Oui Oui !

So. I am now living on my own. 

My permanent roommate and I were not 

getting along and since it seems like our romance has 

imploded and will never recover, I am now

tucked away in a small one bed/bath house. 

It's actually really cute. 

I live on a quiet dirt lane that has lots of trees, is really green, 

and surrounded by pastures and nice houses with friendly faces. 

I have been keeping to myself a lot for the past couple weeks

trying to adjust and to have some privacy while my eyes leak nonstop. 

BUT. I did create a delicious baked french toast dish tonight. 

And that's a plus. 

This stuff is so fluffy and delicious it could easily become a once-a-week staple for me. 

Cinnamon Apple-Blueberry French Toast Bake

Ingredients:

 6 eggs

 1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup flour

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

1 pkg cream cheese

1/4 cup brown sugar

Cinnamon for dusting

1 baguette ( cut into cubes about 1-2 inches thick)

1 container fresh blueberries

1/2 apple, cored, peeled, and cut into 1 inch chunks

Maple syrup

Slice up your baguette into 1 inch chunks. Allow to

sit out for a few hours so it's nice and stale... yes, STALE :) 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees :)

Thoroughly spray a 13x9 pan with non-stick spray

 Whisk together eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, and salt. 

Once blended, add cubes of bread to egg mixture (I hand dip each cube to make sure it's completely coated). 

Place soaked bread cubes into sprayed pan. Cut cream cheese into small cubes (1 inch) and scatter over top of bread cubes. Top with blueberries and apples.

 Dust with brown sugar and cinnamon. 

Bake for 25-28 minutes. 

Remove from oven, let cool. Cut yourself a piece and drizzle 

with syrup and enjoy :) 

*Pecans, powered sugar, lemon ricotta, and peaches are also great substitutes for ingredients.

Diced up baguette...  nice and stale

Coated bread chunks, cream cheese cubes, and blueberries with apples

 Dusted with cinnamon and brown sugar

 

Fresh out of the oven after 28 minutes!

 

 A delicious piece of fluffy goodness for dinner :)

After eating all these carbs, my eyes are getting heavy. Work tomorrow and Thursday... then I will be off to Disneyland with a couple friends for the weekend. Can't wait :)

Perpetual Hiatus

It's been over a month since I last posted, 

and I guess that's okay. 

I have had a lot going on. 

I've been working, doing a little travel, 

and mostly trying to come to terms

with a lot of emotional upheaval in my life. 

I am now living on my own in a cute little house. It's about

a fifteen minute drive from work. There is a park close by

and I live in a nice area that is really 

pretty. 

So that is good. 

A few weeks ago I did get to go on a trip with my mom to

Northern California and Nevada to see my Uncle Mike. 

I got to see some amazing sights. 

Yosemite National Park

Lake Tahoe

Sequoia National Park

Grant's Grove in Sequoia 

My mom and I in front of Golden Gate Bridge! 

It was good to be away from work... 

I'm sick this week and have been stressed trying to move and 

do homework. But life will keep plugging along and so will I. 

God Bless and Happy Thursday :)

Tip top breakfast for a Nurse!

As you are aware (if you read this blog at all), 

I am a nurse who works looooonnnnnnng shifts. 

I am at the hospital from 0700-1945ish every day. 

That's a long day. 

In the morning, I wake up and try to eat something for 

breakfast because one thing floor nurses DON"T do is take a 

lunch at 1200 everyday like most normal people. 

We take lunch when we have a spare 30 minutes... which sometimes

doesn't happen until 3pm. That's a long time to wait to eat

when you are dealing with sick people and running your

butt off all morning. 

My favorite breakfast is these oatmeal muffins I make out

of bananas, oatmeal, and other ingredients. 

They are really filling, and perfect to pop in a baggie to stash

somewhere in the unit kitchen when I need a snack. 

I take three overripe bananas and mash them with a potato masher 

until they are pulverized in a large bowl. 

I add a cup of vanilla almond or soy milk, 2 eggs, 

a tablespoon of baking powder, 3 cups of rolled oats, 

1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. 

Preheat the oven to 375, mix all ingredients together, 

and line a cupcake tin with liners. 

I spoon enough of the mix to the top of the liners, and then bake for 25 minutes. 

Once they are browned on the tops and firm to the touch, they are done. 

It makes from 13-15 muffins. 

Once they cool down they are easy to remove from the cupcake liners :) 

These are one of the best recipes I have found when it comes to needing

a filling breakfast... they also can be stuffed in your mouth while on the way to work :) 

Summer is slipping away

The days are slipping away this summer! I am not sure why 

time seems to go so quickly... 

The past week or so I have been busy working (of course). 

That's most likely why time seems to go fast... because 

most of it spent being an adult and working!!! 

I am actually starting to really get in the 

groove of things at work. 

My assessments are not taking forever, med passes are

going quicker, and it's becoming easier to 

see the whole clinical picture. 

To let off some steam last week, a co-worker and I decided

to go for a paddle down the Verde River. 

It was a fun day; it involved too many Blue Moons, a lost paddle, 

a 911 call, lashing two kayaks together, missing car keys,

a ride from a good samaritan, and

lots of hilarious photos. 

The view from where we beached the boats for a break

The photo we sent to a concerned co-worker, Kevin, after telling

him he may need to be our designated driver.