August already?

Not only is it August, it's also more than halfway through the month. 2014 is flying by so rapidly.

For instance, I can't believe that today was the first day of school for my little first grader! I vividly remember first grade (probably the first year that I really truly remember most things) and I can't believe that my little boy is now that age.

It's the Circle of Life and all that jazz.

Anyway, it's been a whirlwind of a summer. When I last published a blog post, we had just returned from a trip to San Diego. Since then, I've worked a LOT of overtime, and in between that, I've been trying to make the most of summer with the family before September rolls around and I head back to the insanity that is nursing school.

In July, the kids and I took off to Albuquerque, New Mexico to visit my BFF, her husband, and her new baby (aka my unofficial niece)! It was my son's first flight, and he loved it. According to him, when we were above the cloud cover, we were in Antarctica.

I just have to say that I love New Mexico. I know that's not a popular opinion, but I really liked the Albuquerque area. I'm already actively earning frequent flyer miles in order to go back next summer and hopefully explore the area a bit more than we were able this time.

Then, after we got back from visiting them, my BFF+family happened to come back to California for some adventures, so I got to spend my birthday with them too. It was wonderful to be able to spend so much time with them since we're living so far from each other. We used to be fairly inseparable during high school and (my first time around) college.

So that fast-forwards us to now. Time to get back to the school grindstone. Classes start on September 2nd (!!) in our brand-spanking-new Science and Nursing Building, and I, for one, am ready to get back to it. It's been a long transitional summer for me, and it's time for Second Semester.

Summertime!

Hotel del Coronado. One of my lifelong dreams is to stay there.

How is the summer going for everyone out there in cyberspace? It's been heating up here (and I mean literally... the 100+ degree days have been beginning).

I can't believe it's almost July! I still have two more months before I head back to school at the beginning of September. It's strange because I'm champing at the bit to get back to that insanity. I'm ready to move forward and get closer to that RN licensure.

We just got back from a sojourn in beautiful San Diego. Although the purpose of the trip was sad (my grandpa's memorial service), I was very glad to spend some time with my grandmother and the rest of my family. We stayed a few extra days and went to Legoland and the San Diego Zoo, as well as spending some time bumming around the beach.

I miss it already. However, I can live without the 12 hour car ride (hah).

Coming back to real life has been a jolt. We're having some issues with Mike's car and we spent part of today looking at car-buying options. I'm not going to lie, I am TERRIFIED about buying a new car. I've been totally overwhelmed at all the options, not to mention the sticker shock! Yipes!

Anywhoodle, just thinking out loud a bit. See ya later!

Oh. Em. Gee.

It's been one of those days in the ER! With the beginning of Memorial Day Weekend and the start of the lake season, it leads to seeing some interesting injuries and hearing some crazy stories.

However, my favorite thing today is that my son lost his first tooth!

Bummer that I had to work and missed out on it, but I'm so excited to play Tooth Fairy for the very first time tonight. He's growing up so fast. (And that was his very first tooth that ever came in *sniff*)

Five Things Friday: 5/23

Hello Internet world!

Time to get back into a posting habit, so here's five things about today.

1. Today was my only day completely off this week, and it worked out perfectly that it was Michael's day off too.

We did have a day date! We went out to breakfast together after we dropped off the kids at their schools, and just spent the day enjoying each other's company and getting errands done (plus Dutch Bros and a nap).

2. I bought my first roll of washi! (as pictured above) I've been seeing the cute patterned masking tape around for a bit, and I decided to finally buy a roll for funsies. I think I might get a few more rolls, because the kids (well, at least the six year old) seem to get a kick out of it too. This is just Duck Tape brand I found at Walmart, but I know some people get it from Etsy, eBay, and other places.

3. This little girl is sixteen months old today!

I was trying to get a picture of her cute little pigtails she has in today, but she's at that age where she just won't hold still. This picture was actually taken with PhotoBooth while Daddy was playing peek-a-boo behind the computer!

I can not believe she is already sixteen months. I was looking at pictures from her first birthday, and the difference in just four months is staggering!

4. We picked up The Nut Job from Redbox for family movie night. It's cute so far! This little guy is enjoying it at least, plus it has Will Arnett in it (GOB love for life).

5. So it looks like a group of coworkers are going to apply for entry to the Nike Women's Marathon, and I'm thinking I'm going to join them and apply for the half-marathon! I've been picking up my running mileage again since school ended (going from um... zero miles per week), and I should be in half marathon shape by October. 

In the meantime, I'm running slow. Very slow. If I don't start seeing a lot of improvement soon, I'm definitely going to have to readjust my very ambitious goal time for my first half. Today's run was two miles at a blistering 10:23 min/mile pace. However, it was a recovery run, and I'm up to seventeen miles so far for the week. I've been using Hanson's Half-Marathon Method's "Just Finish" plan to gradually build up my mileage.

And there we go. Sitting down to actually blog, rather than surf the web, is the hardest part.

I have a weird type of paralysis when it comes to blogging.

I have so many ideas and things I want to write about and then I stumble upon articles about the business of blogging and pictures and Pinterest and SEO and all that jazz and I feel... inadequate. I don't know how to grab attention and monetize and have my ish go viral, and so then I don't do anything.

All I want to do is write fun blurbs about stuff that interests me, like I used to back in the Dark Ages (read- late 1990s/early 2000s, when Blogger first came into existence) of the Internet. So I am.

I still can not get over how much FREE TIME I feel like I have during this school break. After a full semester of fitting in classes, clinicals, and homework around our family's schedules of work, school, and (trying to) maintain the household, subtracting all the school stuff leaves a gigantic amount of free-feeling time.

I spent the first week just enjoying ONLY having to go to work. All the rest of the time, I've been enjoying being able to spend time with my kids and my husband without having the nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I always need to be doing something school-related. It's been amazing.

Now, I'm systematically trying to reorganize the entire house and restart my running routine to prepare for a half-marathon in October, and I'm beginning to get bored and ready to go back to school and learn more nursing stuff.

C'est la vie? I always want what I can't have.

Hmm. I've been neglectful again.

Trust me when I say that it's not you. It's me. Nursing school was zapping the life out of everything around here! However, finals are over, everything is turned in, and I have officially completed the first semester of the nursing program. *fanfare*

Back it up a bit, and let me tell you, world, a lot has changed in the past three months.

So where did I leave off last?

Oh yeah, nursing school.

I am officially a student nurse! (as of a week ago...)

I even have a badge to prove it!

So at first, I was like...

All Nemo-style.

But after I walked into my first class with a syllabus that was half-an-inch thick, I was feeling more...

ACK! (btw, picture from goofing off with Photo Booth, but it summed up my feelings perfectly.)

We've hit the ground running.

My buddy (from the class above ours) presented me with a nursing school survival kit.

 It included such essentials as:
-Airborne (bump up that Vitamin C)
-Goldfish crackers (because they are the snack that smiles back)
-Sour Patch Watermelons and Peanut M&Ms (because they're awesome)
-Monster (caffeine, for sure)
-Pencils (pens are verboten in skills lab)
-Notecards (for learnings, of course)
-and Purell. Because hand washing is the best way to prevent the spread of infection! (x infinity)

She also wrote a really sweet note. Definitely brought a smile to my face.

So, it has begun. We (as a family) have signed up for two and a half years of insanity, but it will be so, so worth it in the end.

In family news, little miss J can officially be called a toddler!! She took five consecutive steps yesterday.

She's been flirting with the walking idea for two months now, at least, but would take a step and then chicken out and drop to her knees (always with a huge smile as we would try and encourage her to take a few more steps). But yesterday, when I set her down on her feet, she stayed stable for a few minutes and then stepped cautiously toward me while I encouraged her. When she fell into my arms, she had the HUGEST smile as we all clapped for her. So stinking cute.

I can NOT believe she is turning a year next Thursday! The year has just flown on by, and I'm scrambling to plan a small family party for her. As long as there is cake, we're good, right?

Home again

Another successful long drive in the books! We're back home safe and sound and I am reunited with my babies and Michael. 

(Though I already really miss San Diego and my grandparents)

It was a really good trip overall. I was so lucky to be able to celebrate my grandfather's ninetieth birthday (with white wine, his favorite) and spend some quality time with both of them. 

I also managed to make it out to the marina on a run, after an emergency trip to an REI for a replacement sports bra! I love exploring on foot. 

Our hotel was so wonderful too. It was run by the sweetest couple, and the breakfast spread each morning was amazing. The history of the hotel was really interesting too! It was built in the 1930s, Art Deco style, and for a long time it was a rundown flophouse before the current proprietors renovated it completely. 

Best hotel I've ever stayed in because of the personal service. I told the proprietor I'd write a nice review for him on TripAdvisor!

Some neat sights (because I don't feel comfortable posting my family pictures on the interwebs)

Horses just hanging out in front of Murrieta's, where we went for dinner last night. 

This sculpture is titled "The Fisherman"

The trolley!

Down the street from our hotel. There seem to be palm readers all over San Diego area. My sister and I were tempted to stop in. 

The geese at my grandparents' house. They've had them as long as I can recall. 

So tomorrow our family is back to real life. I spent most of the evening cuddling with my little family, and tomorrow is my last free day before the first day of nursing school! Eeeeek! I have so many last minute to-dos, plus working on my organizational projects (in accordance with my New Year resolutions) and grocery shopping.

Good night!

Phew, another whirlwind day here down in San Diego! We're waking up super early tomorrow to get a jump on the road. I can not WAIT to get home and see Michael and the kids. I really really missed them. So, a brief rundown:

*went for a six mile run down to the marina.
*walked with my sister to one of the malls and bought actual makeup (?!)
*celebrated my grandfather's 90th birthday at a wine party
*went out for delicious Mexican and margaritas with my siblings and grandmother. I got the camarrones a la diabla and our margaritas all had extra "vitamins"

It was a good day! Off to bed. I'm going to probably write more extensively from the road tomorrow (gotta remember to charge my phone!)

Pop in...

to share something that I found funny.

You know how a lot of services use your browsing and usage history to show advertisements that are most likely applicable to that particular user? 

I know Pandora is one, and I use it a lot, but especially at night when I'm putting the baby to bed. She likes to hear some soft lullabies, so I had the station still set to "Rockabye Baby" when I started running on the treadmill the next morning. I switched it to the Pitbull station, since it's pretty high energy music, and it immediately showed an ad for Plan B contraceptive.

It amused me because it struck me as a judge-y move. Are they saying that I have bad taste in music and should refrain from procreating further? Or that Pitbull listeners use that on the reg?

Oh, Pandora.

On the road

(I wrote this throughout the long day on little sleep so if it's disjointed, I'm sorry. Perfect to link up with Thinking Out Loud Thursday?)

I love the advent of smartphones. For the first time ever, in the many times that I've made the twelve hour road trip from Redding to San Diego, I can blog and internet (it's a verb, k) from I-5. Amazing.

Though I added the images with Ziggy. The handlink can't handle it.

It has been a long day so far. I got off work a little late and started packing and preparing to leave at five am today. Solid three hours of sleep there, heh, but I had to finish it up because I wasn't able to earlier due to my back-to-back-to-back twelves.

Got 'er done, Whirlwind style!

So at 0500, I said goodbye to Michael and the kiddos (still can't believe that I'm leaving my little Julianna overnight for the first time!) and my sister and I headed out to Sacramento to meet up with our brother. 

I've overly caffeinated myself. My brain is going bzz-bzz-bzz rather than settling down, so blogging it is to spend the time!

We just passed Santa Nella and Pea Soup Andersen's. No stopping at this time (we're trying to make it through LA before peak traffic time) but I hope that we will stop on the way back and recreate a childhood photo op.

Thanks to the Google and their website, I figured out why we probably would have stopped as children: the founders were Danish!

Speaking of my Danish heritage, my mom gifted me my nursing school shoes for Christmas, and I just got them yesterday. They're Danskos, which, as my grandmother informed me, is a portmanteau of "Dansk" for Danish and "sko" for shoe. Literally, Danish Shoes.

They are also really really ugly, but kinda cute in their ugliness? If I start a blog called "Scrub Fashion" (a fashion blog for medical personnel that have to wear scrubs to work?), I think these will be my first purchase:

Or pretty much any other pair besides boring black.

Adding to this entry later:

So I finally fell asleep for a short while, and a long time later, we finally arrived! Phew. Long long drive. The San Joaquin Valley is not known for scenery, but I liked seeing all the little baby cows running around.

However, we finally arrived at my grandparents' house, and saw them for the first time in 2.5 years. Grandma, my siblings and I went out for dinner and reconnected. It was wonderful to see them again, although I'm really missing my kids. I wondering how my little girl is faring without me. Daddy sent me this picture to tell me everything:

Yeah, I think she'll be okay.

Night!

New Year, New Me

"Hey y'all! I haven't seen you since last year!"

That's my very favorite way to greet people on New Year's Day. I get some people chuckling and other people shaking their head. I'm okay with that.

I'm also a sucker for the fresh new start feel of a fledgling New Year.  Everything just feels so fresh and so clean clean, and this January is full of excitement.

Tomorrow, I am heading down south on an impromptu road trip with my brother and sister to San Diego to visit our grandparents. It's not for the happiest reason, but I'm very happy to have this opportunity to spend some time with them. I'm a little anxious about it because I'm leaving the baby overnight for the first time, but overall, I think it will be okay!

Then right after I get back, school starts up again for everyone, which means that I'm FINALLY IN NURSING SCHOOL!! So sorry, I had to use the Caps Lock shortcut for awesome because I am so so  grateful to finally be beginning nursing school. It's been in the works for a long time.

And as the end of January approaches, my little girl is going to have her very first birthday. I can't believe that it's already been a year! It seems like such a long time and also no time at all simultaneously. I need to start planning her party ASAP. I know it's going to be a small family shindig, so no stress. We just need a smash cake :)

So I've made about a billion New Year's Resolutions this year. I always want to be the best version of myself and never stop improving (like the Home Depot). In fact, I'm fulfilling one right now, since I'm taking the time to sit down and write whatever I feel like. Even though it's been a crazy crazy few days in the ER, I'm insisting on taking my breaks and having a little me time to write.

My timer just went off, so I'm headed back to the floor. Only a few more hours left!

December 13th

 "hhaix" - love Julianna (she came over to smack my keyboard when I had this open this morning)

Hello! Happy Friday the Thirteenth! It's been a busy day at work (like always, heh) and I'm a little bummed to be working tonight because that means I'm missing the big work holiday party. (Super sadness for missing out on free delicious food and drinks, but a plus that work is supplying some stuff for us. And free massages. So excited for that.

Anyway, I brought my new laptop to work with me so I can fool around with it on my breaks. Have I introduced my new lappy?

Meet Ziggy. She's gorgeous.

Michael surprised me with her after Thanksgiving because he found a super awesome deal at Best Buy. I nearly started crying when he did because I really needed to get a laptop or a Kindle or something for nursing school, but we couldn't really fit one in the budget and my aid wasn't enough to cover it. He had been saving on the side because he knew how badly I needed it.

Gosh, I love him.

It's apparently National Hot Cocoa Day. Um, yum. I think I need to make myself a nice steamy mug when I get home.

I found an article with all kinds of fancy upgraded hot cocoa recipes but I'm probably going to stick with my tried and true Quik since that's what I have at home. Ha.

Have a great Friday night! I'm on my last break of the shift, so it's all downhill from here!

FREEDOM

... At least until January.

Yesterday was my last day of finals for the semester, and I am SO DONE with school for the remainder of the year. I can not even express how excited I am about that. This semester has been kinda rough on all of us, between school and work and all the other day-to-day life commitments, and it's nice to be able to drop the school part of that equation for a few weeks and focus on our family.

Turtles to remind me to slow down, but they're blurry because I move so fast!

We had a fun little snowstorm in our area recently. We live in an area where snowfall actually sticking around is very rare, so when it snows, it's a novelty.

At work the morning after the snow, I was greeted by Surgeon Snowman.

(It also means that people FREAK OUT when it snows and can't handle it. Too many accidents!)

Even a week later, some areas it's really sticking around.

We've also been preparing for Christmas. I can't believe it's Julie's first Christmas already!

My parents' tree. Because I certainly don't have my Christmas shopping done!

I also wanted to share a few pictures of my ridiculously adorable kids.

My man Sam.

I wanted this jacket so badly. Too stinking cute.

So I plan on writing more later, but I wanted to just share a few of the things we've been up to lately!

Gobble gobble!

I am just in LOVE with how pumpkin cute this is.

I'm going to be completely original out here in Bloglandia (read: not at all) and wish all my fellow Americans a Happy Thanksgiving.

Everyone else is still asleep, and I am finishing up making my Jalapeno Popper Dip to take to my in-laws' house after I return from the annual 6 mile Turkey Trot.

Race-wise, I'm hoping to maybe make a slight PR because I think I'm around the same level as I was last time I ran it in 2011. My goal is to try and hold a 8:20 min/mile pace. Eep! Seems so pumpkin fast! (anyone else hear that amazingly funny AM/PM commercial? Mike and I have effectively found the best replacement modifier for the F-bomb)

To prep for my race, I ate my traditional PB+J, holiday-style. Dave's Killer Bread+PB+Pumpkin Butter. I also drank the best holiday coffee combination in the world!

 

Egg Nog Latte >>>>> Pumpkin Spice Latte. Forever and ever.

I am so thankful that this year I get to spend Thanksgiving at home and not at work. It's this little one's first Thanksgiving (this was taken when I was FaceTiming her on one of my breaks. She is puzzled and excuse the derp face on my part):

But WHY is my mommy IN the phone?

And although my little man is at his dad's for the holiday, I am so glad that I will be seeing him on Saturday!

Now it's time to get my Turkey Trot on. Have a great day!

A brief haiku.. for you!

I know, I've dropped off the face of the earth the past week.

I just finished my essay that's due at 1350 today (go me), which is the main reason I've been avoiding blogs and all the other social media I enjoy.

I hope to recapture some blogging mojo, but in the meantime, a haiku I wrote today (inspired by our assignment to write a haiku in World Civ):

Leaves falling downward
Revealing trees' skeletons
Undressed, dark, and bare

I am so not a poet.

Have a good Wednesday!

Reason number 3839758 I love Michael

He knows how to make a sandwich! (and he makes the best sandwiches in the entire world)

This one (in order, "because it makes it sound and taste better" - Mike):
*pepperjack cheese
*shredded barbeque chicken
*bacon
*sliced red onion
*tomato
*avocado
*on toasted Dave's Killer Bread, Good Seed variety

+ love, he says :)

Friday

Today has been a rough rest day ;) I got to sleep in until 5:30 am and it was fantastic! Julie slept pretty well too. She woke up a couple times, but I don't mind because it means extra snuggle time. However, one day, that baby will sleep through the night!

I felt super tired today. It's so weird sometimes that I feel more tired on days when I get more sleep. The morning was brisk, and my Ugg-lys and nice thick hoodie kept me warm and made me feel a bit drowsy in class! On my short break between classes, instead of doing a chore blitz like I normally do, I took a little nap.

So sleeping in + a nap?! I think that's the most sleep I've had since January.

Then after my last class, I went and got the kiddos. I tried another route to my in-laws' house which ended up being a big fat fail.

In case you can't read it, the sign says: "Stop. Private Drive. No Exit. Your GPS is wrong."

There's a reason why I always have Michael drive.

After backtracking, I finally started my weekend with the kids. Julie was supposed to be playing with blocks, but she was more interested in the cart they came in.

 

 

 (Sam is camera shy right now because he fell and scraped up his nose)

We saw wild turkeys on our way home.

I made Pasta Carbonara with Chicken for dinner especially for Mike because it's his favorite. Yum.

It's been a good day!

(Late) Thursday thoughts and scenes from my run

It's ice cream social day! (Aka my favorite work day of the month.) You see, every month my work has what they call the "Ice Cream Social" for the whole hospital. Free ice cream? I'm so there. 

Yesterday on my run, I ran the segment of the River Trail that makes up most of the route of the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. It's a six mile race (not quite 10k) with some decent hills during the first half, and I fully intend to run it again this year after my pregnancy hiatus last year. 

I took some iPhone pictures to try to show why I love this area so much. As I said before, I don't stop or slow down to take pictures, so they may be a little blurry.

The Diestelhorst Bridge is open again after its facelift, and it's looking pretty good! 

This is the second bridge on the route, and it's crazy how much the ambient temperature dropped over the water.

This is a neat rock maze that is along the trail. It's great for a meditative walk!

These guys are either ROTC or Reserve, but they were singing about how they want to be UPS drivers. It was a funny little chant!

Terrible, terrible picture but I thought the leaves on this tree were just such a gorgeous color.

The morning was an early morning treadmill run, and it was a tough one. I forgot to charge my phone overnight (dead battery=boooooo) which meant no music or Netflix or any real distractions. It was really hard to stay on that treadmill so long! I managed 4.5 miles before I had to call it a day and drink my chocolate milk. I'm going to count it towards my mental toughness bank.

So I'm posting this now on Friday, heh. Oh well. Here's to Friday and the weekend! I'm looking forward to spending all day with the kiddos.

The rundown: 10/28-11/3 + WIAW: my new favorite yogurt.

Better late than never, right? I meant to post this on Sunday, then yesterday, but I had a crazy day at work yesterday and spent my breaks doing today's homework rather than blogging. Anyway, here's what I did last week for my running schedule:

Monday, October 28th- rest
Tuesday, October 29th - 4 miles @ 12:02 overall pace (48:11)
Wednesday, October 30 - 5.05 miles @ 11:05 overall pace (56:00)
Thursday, HALLOWEEN! - 4.25 miles @ 11:45 overall pace (49:57)
Friday, November 1 - rest and prepare for my race!
Saturday, November 2 - CASA Superhero 5k - 3.1 miles @ 7:44 overall pace (23:59)
Sunday, November 3 - I was going to get up and walk a couple miles before my shift started at 6am, but instead took advantage of the fall back and slept in instead (sleeping in = 5am). I did keep track of the NYC Marathon on my phone, so that has to count for something?!

Total miles: 16.4 miles
Total time: 2 hours 58 minutes.

Really not-so-impressive mileage, hah, but I'm working my way up. I'm gearing up to start a half-marathon training plan this month in preparation for the Shamrock'n Half in Sacramento, so slow, easy miles are the name of the game.

I signed up for Run Eat Repeat's Pile on the Miles contest, so I'm hoping that will keep me motivated. My goal for this week is 20 miles.

Now, for What-I-Ate-Wednesday...

My good habit is my probiotic consumption (aka I like to eat a lot of yogurt). I'm always checking out the yogurt case at the store for new flavors and brands, and I make my own plain Greek yogurt in the crockpot. Since I'm a nursing and active mom, I can (and do) go through a lot of food, so my yogurt consumption is through the roof.

My coworker shared this yogurt with me because she knows I'm a yogurt fiend:

mmmmm... Noosa.

Well, actually she had strawberry rhubarb flavor because she adores rhubarb.

I almost wish she hadn't shared it with me so I could have discovered it on my own at Target. No matter, they're all fantastic. A day or two after she shared it with me, I went and bought a few more... mango and honey and another strawberry rhubarb.

Isn't this cute?!

Well, g'day to you!

The cow amuses me before I break into the yumminess. Seriously, this yogurt is so creamy and smooth. It's made out of whole milk, which contributes a great deal to its tastiness, and the flavors I've tried are great. Next time I hit up Target, I'm planning on picking up a few more.

Now, unfortunately, all the flavors I picked up have honey listed in the ingredients, so I'm not able to share it with the baby until after her birthday, and Sam and Mike are a little burnt out on yogurt (heh), so more for me! I'm not complaining ;)

So, now that I've shared my deep love for yogurt, anyone else have any flavor or brand suggestions for me? What did you eat this Wednesday?