The windows are open

and a cool breeze is blowing in.  Have I mentioned how much I love fall?  Oh, I have.  Funny.   I had my first hot chocolate last night at the Predators game with the Eddys.  It was delicious.  I've also been enjoying caramel apple ciders from Starbucks, but don't let them fool you, it's just steamed apple juice.  It's still very tasty, minus the whip cream, which makes it terribly sweet. 

Speaking of tasty hot drinks, I no longer drink coffee!  It was hard, but I weaned myself off of it.  Now, I've been drinking hot tea instead, which has way less caffeine than coffee.  I even went one day without anything and I had no headache at all. I love coffee, but we'll see if I go back to it after this.  It was so hard to wean myself off of it.  I don't know that I could just drink it occasionally either.  It would be like an alcoholic taking just one drink.  I'd be a full fledged coffee-aholic in no time again.

I went to the Flea Market this weekend.  It was fantastic!  I got so lucky.  I'll have to do a post of all things I got.  Of course, that requires me to actually take pictures of them. First off, I got a vintage apron for $2.  I know, like I need another apron, but it spoke to me and it was only $2.  Next up, the best find of the day, a beautiful dresser from the 1950's (though it could be from earlier).  It's black with a gold/silverish detail on it.  It has a swing mirror.  One of the small drawers opens with a skeleton key, which we don't have, but I can't help, but think maybe there is something inside the drawer, a hidden treasure.   It will be Baby O's changing table/dresser.  Want to know the price?  Only $125.  I couldn't believe he went that low on it, but I would have taken it for $150, though I didn't want to.  It's solid wood, has numbered drawers, and is in pretty good shape, minus a tongue-and-groove in the back coming loose, a nick on the side of the dresser, which needs to be filled with wood filler, and missing one of the details of the dresser pull.  I found a Christmas gift for B.  It's awesome.  I also found myself a gold turtle necklace.  It is huge and I love it!  I also got two little owl trivets.  I think I'll use one in the kitchen and hang the other one somewhere on a wall.  Oh, and I got a gold deer/reindeer/some other curved horned animal head bookend.  It is pretty fantastic too!  I spent $38 on the other things and that includes the $4 for parking!  I got some great deals.  I'm still kicking myself because I didn't buy this old utensil holder or that I didn't buy this pair of horseshoes.  Oh and I also found a cabinet that I loved that I wanted to put in our kitchen, but it was $275.  Maybe next time.  I'm definitely going in October.  Anyone want to go with me?

Here's a picture of a dresser that is kind of similar, but mine is so much better!  Perfect for a changing table, right?

Oh, my anniversary is today.  Eight years.  It's absolutely mind blowing.  More on that later.  Right now, I've got to hit the shower and go to the store to pick up some things for dinner.  How about roast, macaroni and cheese, and cabbage?  It sounds like the perfect dinner to me.  I've almost perfected the mac and cheese thanks to watching Barefoot Contessa make about five different versions of it and tweaking it to make it mine.  Aaron has to go to school tonight, so it has to be ready by the time he gets home.  

The dead zone

I'm at work right now.  Lucky for me, it's slow and I'm in triage.  I haven't checked in a patient in one hour and 30 minutes.  Seriously.   I'm not complaining though.  I hope tomorrow is like this too.  The only downfall is that I'm getting sleepy out here by myself.  Great, I see a car pulling in.  I think I just jinxed myself.

Anyway, until they come in, I've had some random things pop into my head lately that I've wanted to write, but haven't gotten a chance to do. 

Okay, back from checking them in.

First off, I was in the shower yesterday and I started hearing this buzzing noise.  I swear, the first thing that popped into my head was Supernatural and how spirits make tvs turn to static.  Geez, I need to pick up a hobby or something or stop watching Supernatural.  It turns out it was our hand held Yahtzee game.  It started buzzing like someone was "rolling".  It was like the key was hung and then I turned it off and beeped again a little bit later.  Maybe there was a spirit.  It's just like something my dad would do, only I was in the shower, with a clear shower curtain and that just makes the situation even weirder and gross.

Great.  Now someone is in the lobby telling someone on the phone that there is no one here.  Bring all your friends to the ER at 12:51.  You know, it's funny because people actually come to the ER together.  I mean, friends will ride together and come up here and check in together.  Seriously.  Next time I hang out with one of you let's just jump in the car and head to the nearest ER.  It'll be loads of fun.  We'll pee in cups, be stuck by needles, and hopefully, get a little radiation from X-rays.  Sounds like oodles of fun, right?  All I have to say is people are strange, man.

Moving on, I saw the cutest thing on one of the blogs I follow about bringing a book instead of a card to a baby shower.  Now, that is an awesome idea.  I mean, you throw cards away, but books will last fo' evs.  Plus, I'm nuts about books. 

Okay, so I didn't get to finish this last night.  I'm finishing it now at 2:12 AM.  Today work was a nightmare.  Yesterday may have been the dead zone, but today was a pay back for it.  I didn't get to eat..again.  I managed to eat a banana, some grapes and granola bar around 11:00 PM.  All I had before that was some scrambled eggs and two pieces of toasts.  Funny though, I didn't really notice any hunger because we were so slammed.  I just started feeling weird and disoriented, probably a dip in blood sugar, around 10:00 PM.  I'm good now.  Exhausted, but good.

Other things I was going to write last night was that I had one of the best compliments I think I could get from one of my patients this week.  She asked me how long I had been a nurse and I told her 10 months (actually, I think I may have said a year. I usually round up because it sounds better).  She said something along the lines, "Oh really, you don't seem intimidated by it all.  I would have never have guessed that.  I would think you had been doing it longer because you do it with such ease."  Wow.  That is awesome!

I have been craving a cheeseburger for days now.  Every time I drive by McDonald's, which is twice on my way from work, I think, "I could just stop and get one."  I have to remind myself that McDonald's=the devil.  I don't know why I like their sorry little hamburger so much.  I think a Five Guys burger would fix this craving for a while.

I had a patient take off her coat (she was a tiny little thing) and her mother, who shops on the plus side of the clothing store, said, "My gosh, you're so tiny."  The funny thing was is that it didn't sound like just a comment or a compliment.  It sounded straight up like jealousy and was in a snarky tone.  I was like, "Whaaaa..?"  Being a nurse is kind of like people watching only you get to interact.   I'll say it again, people are strange, man.

I find it very ironic that I have more confidence now more than ever.  My face looks straight up like I'm a fifteen year old.  I have never in my life broken out this badly.  I'm even starting to be persuaded by all the celebrities that "use" Proactive.  Okay, is it me, or are their before/after pictures ridiculous.  Wow, you have some tiny little bumps by your chin that were magnetized, so that we can actually see them.   Poor you, Jessica Simpson.  It must be so hard to be them.  Don't call me crater face next time you see me or I'll be forced to buy some.

I'm sure there was more, but I'm literally swaying because I'm so tired.  Time to rest my weary head.  I'm off for the next two days.  Woot!  Maybe you'll get a more exciting post than this and one that makes a little more sense. 

And it's over..

My five days off were fabulous.  I can't believe it's already over.  Of course, it does feel like I haven't been to work in forever.  Now, for the next five days, I have to work four of them.  It's called pay back for having all those days off.  Oh well.  I'm hoping for good steady, none emergent patients.  That's the days that fly by, but don't wear you out completely.

I bought a new journal and some new notebooks at Wal-Mart yesterday.  Aaron said that I'm the only person not in school that still loves school supplies.  Yes, yes I do.  I use them for certain purposes.  I'm excited to start my journaling for a year, at least.  Remember, that's on my list of things to do.  One of the other notebooks has a special purpose.  The other two, well I'm sure they'll be filled with lists, sketches, websites, etc.  That's how I roll with my notebooks.

I'm off to shower and eat some lunch before I head out.  Now which leftovers will I choose, portabella burgers with sauteed peppers and artichokes or Sweet potato and hominy soup.  Those are both delicious! 

Speaking of that, I haven't done a menu planning entry in a while, so here's what's on our menu for the next week. 

Last night:  Quite possibly the best meatloaf I've ever made, brussel sprouts, and green beans and potatoes.
Tonight:  Leftovers
Thursday:  Cheesy Zucchini and red onion flat bread and salad
Friday:  My farewell to summer meal:  Sloppy joes on Italian bread, potato salad and baked beans
Saturday:  Lunch, Mexican Quiche & Dinner, leftovers - I have to work
Sunday:  Lunch, Grown-up Grilled Cheese & Dinner, leftovers - I have to work
Monday:  depending on the leftovers status, Ratatouille with fried eggs on top - So delicious!
Tuesday:  Roasted Eggplant pizza & salad
Wednesday:  Leftovers
Thursday:  Turkey and Wild Rice Skillet

Happy weekend

This weekend has been positively lovely.  We had a double date with Aaron's sister and her new boyfriend on Friday night.  We went to dinner and went bowling.  It was a lot of fun.  He seems like a really good guy. 

The rest of the time has been spent with just Mr. O and me.  It has been fantastic.  We barely left the house.  Isn't that how the weekends are supposed to be spent?  We did a lot of lounging, played Scrabble four times, watched Date Night and Resident Evil 3D, ate ice cream, cuddled, went on a late evening walk, and just enjoyed each other's company.

We have to savor all this time together.  I don't think I've mentioned, but Mr. O is heading to electrical school next week, so that he can have the certificate to back his knowledge.  It will be weird having him gone two nights a week, but I usually work at least one of those days and may plan to make those two days the days I work during the week.  We'll see how it goes.

The roles will be reversed.  Now I'll be the one begging for him to put the books away and come hang out with me.  We're in it for the long haul too.  He'll be in school for four years.  We're hoping that he can go in the summers too to speed it up, but we will see. 

With a baby and Mr. O's school on the horizon, I'll savor every weekend like this weekend. I wish every one could be like this.  I'd be a very happy girl.    

Coveting thy neighbors things..

What I'm wanting right now:

Cane back dining chairs, not these.  I can't find what I want, but I thought this living room chair looked better than most of the dining chairs I could find.  I guess I'm going to have a hard time finding the ones in my head. 

Steve Madden knows how to make a boot.  Too bad these are $200.  I love them!

Cuteness!  I love Modcloth!

Not for me, of course.  This is the cutest thing ever!  Blablas has some cute things.  This is Prudence the Owl.

I want some kind of fake animal head.  The wooden ones are ridiculously expensive.  I like this one a lot.  It's made out of old book pages.

This is a rice cooker and a steamer.  I want it.

 

Ah, my birthday dinner this year.  I want a repeat.  If you haven't been to Wild Ginger in Cool Springs, you must go and soon!

I want one of these, but an O, of course!

I cannot wait until the Nashville Flea Market this month.  It's been so long, since I've been!

This is how many days I have off after my shift today!  I am definitely coveting days off!   

Oh, the horror!!

So, you're all dying to know what else happened on my mom's birthday.  Well, my mom's boyfriend, Michael, who you may remember from this post, took her out to breakfast at Cracker Barrel (my mom loves it), then he drove her out to the Inn at Evins Mills.  We sent them there to stay as a Christmas present a few years ago.  It is gorgeous out there.  I want to go, but it's not cheap to stay. 

Well, you can hike for free there and use their trails.  There are miles of trails, creeks, and waterfalls.  Well, they went hiking and they hiked down to the bottom of a big waterfall and he asked her to marry him.

I'm still trying to process this.  Granted, they have been dating for like six years.  I should have seen this coming, right?  He is just such a douchebag.  Ugh.

The only positive out of this is the ring.  It is gorgeous!  In fact, when my mom showed me the ring the only thing I could say was, "That ring is awesome!"  She called me the next day to ask me what I thought about him asking her and I said, "That ring is gorgeous!" and then promptly changed the subject.  I cannot lie to my momma, peeps.

I don't know what to say yet.  I know, I'll have to have a talk with her about it.  In fact, I have to talk to her about it.  It's very hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that she chooses assholes every time.  Every single stinking time.

Don't get me wrong, I love my dad, but he was a big ol' jerk.  I spent much of my time defending all of us, which landed me in trouble a lot.  He constantly put us down and called us names.  The day he called my mom a "stupid bitch!" and my brother, sister, and I "stupid dumb asses" when I was the only one there and they weren't there to defend themselves turned me into a stark-raving lunatic. No one calls my momma that!  I proceeded to say, "The only idiot in this house is you and you're redundant use of stupid and dumb," or something along those lines.  What followed was not pretty, partly because I know he didn't know what redundant meant and I proved my point.  I wonder why we all had self-esteem issues and self-hatred?

Now, he wasn't always that bad. He spent the last ten years of his life in a lot pain and very sick.  This is isn't a bashing of him, nor am I defending him either.  It's just to show the choices she makes in men.  It's mind boggling.  I know, my bio(logical) dad wasn't much better.  He was/is very emotionless, distant and had his own anger/pouting problem.  The funny thing is Michael reminds me a lot of him, even down to appearance, although, the bio dad is more handsome (shout out, to good genes).

The only thing I can figure is that growing up seeing my grandmother's choices in men, somehow led to this pattern.  Although, none of them have been alcoholics or physically abusive, the emotional abuse and the subservience is there. 

I'm sorry, but women were not put on this earth to bow down to men.  Hell-to-the-no!  I don't care what some churches preach. Times have changed and it is not the 1950's anymore.  I will never understand that mentality.  In fact, if a man really loves you, he wouldn't either.  It's ridiculous, not to mention chauvinistic and out-dated.

Well, looks like someone has some daddy issues. I thought about not publishing this because it's really personal and, obviously, opens up some wounds and so much anger. I figure, you've already heard about my uterus, so there isn't much left to hide from you.   I just don't get why some women choose the way that they choose.

Any advice, besides see a shrink?  Ultimately, I know it's her choice.  Luckily, they aren't getting married anytime soon.  Oh, and they are planning to have a small ceremony, in which, my mom wants me to help her plan it.  That is just fantastic. 

Fiesta Fifty!

Okay, so I have yet to write about how my mom's birthday party went.  It was great!  My mom said it was the best birthday that she has ever had in her entire life.  I say that is about the best compliment you can get on a party you throw.  Of course, she also had some other things that happened that day.  I'll have to dedicate another post on those things.

We ended up having around 22 people.  I did everything outside.  We had it catered from El Chico.  It was only $94, which I say is a heck of a lot cheaper than cooking for all those people.  The year I had the Christmas party we spent about $400, not all of it was food, but a good chunk of that was. I bought most of the decorations that year at the Dollar Store and Deals, so I know it wasn't the decor!

For the Fiesta, I got a few good ideas online and decorated everything myself.  I was so proud of the paper flowers I made.  I still have a bouquet on my kitchen table and my mom took one of them home too.  I totally should have made those at the showers I've hosted.  I never knew how, but now I do, so expect that if I ever throw another shower (hint:  B, have a baby!). 

I wish I had gotten better pictures of the decor, but the picture above and below are about the best I got.  Next time, I'll take pictures before the party gets going.

The food spread.

I made that cake plate for the Moms.  Isn't it lovely?  I'm thinking about making more of them, possibly even asking a friend to put them in her boutique.  They are so easy to make.  The hardest part is scouring to find pretty plates and candle holders.

The cake, that I ordered.  The cake came just plain white, which is what I asked for.  Each layer on the inside is a different color.  I decorated it with the flowers and the candles.  The cake actually had a crack in it, so I had to cover it up.  I was planning on doing that anyway though.  It was delicious!

The pinata time was hilarious.  My brother also bought the things to fill it.  Yes, there was candy, but he also put denture cream, enemas, and icy hot in it. 

My sister-in-law is so pretty.  Look past the moustache, but she doesn't wear any makeup.  She doesn't need it.  My brother looks so cute and mischievous too. 

Group stache pic.  We had a good time with those staches.

He makes my heart sing

I know, I blab on and on about how happy I am with just about everything in my life.  I also know, you must get sick of it.  Well, stop reading if it does, because this one may push you over the edge.  This is one is another ode to Mr. O.

I've been reflecting lately about how much my life changed when I met Aaron.  I've said it before, but he saved me.  I won't go into much detail, but I will say, I was not in a good place and was filled with so much self-hatred. He has done so many positive things for me, not to mention, he's easy on the eyes.  I love him so, so much. 

I know, I'm lucky too.  Lucky that we found each either in a world full of thousands of people.  People talk about soul mates.  He is mine.  There is no doubt about it.  I don't know if there is more than one person out there for each of us, but I  know, when you find one person that fits you so well, you are lucky.  I know it doesn't happen for some people and that makes me sad for them.  Everyone deserves this much love. 

I was recently asked how I knew that Aaron was the one.  Without just saying, I just knew, which I did, I thought of several things that made him different from all the other boys that had briefly appeared in my life.  On our first date, at one point, he was sitting on a chair and I was standing, half sitting in the chair too and his arms were around me.  I fell asleep with my head on his shoulder that night on the way home.  I also kissed him that night.  I never kissed anyone of the first date.  I don't give those away freely.  On our second date, we spent 13 hours together.  He called into work too.  We ate sushi for lunch, went Christmas shopping for his family, held hands, went to see a movie, ate dinner, then we went to his house where he wanted me to meet his mom.  Talk about nerve-wrecking, especially, since his lovely sister told me that she would hate me at first.

It's quite obvious how I knew.  I knew because I instantly felt like we had known each other for years.  I felt like he knew me, deep down to my soul.  I have never been that comfortable with someone so quickly.  If we could have moved into together that quickly, we probably would have after the second or third date.  We instead talked about it after two months of dating and actually did it six months after we talked about it.  I was in a state of euphoria.  I still think I am, but with a little more reality sprinkled in now.

If you know him, you know he's great, but here are some of things that make him so great to me.

• I'll feel him stare at me from across the room and I'll look at him and he'll smile and say, "I love you."  He makes me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world on a daily basis.  He'll tell me how great I look when I haven't showered, have my hair in pony tail and have no make-up on.  Now that's love.
• He made me see what was in the mirror staring back at me for the first time.  I realized that it wasn't so bad.  He increased my self-esteem ten-fold by reintroducing myself to me.
• When he kisses me I still feel electricity run all the way down my body.  I hope that never ends.
• Lately, with all the Baby O talk, I see how great he'll be as a dad.  I've always known this, but to see how badly he wants this too just reaffirms this.  I also know this by my having a glass of red wine the other night and he was concerned that it would somehow affect our chances this month.  It was on (hopefully) ovulation day.  I was like, "No, we're good.  I can have this."  He'll probably have his own list of questions to ask my OB doc, which just makes him more endearing to me.
• He surprises me with little things, like the tie rack in our closet that he bought for me to hang my jewelry on, the shelves he put up in our closet to give me more storage, and, recently, a panini maker.  He used to bring home treats for me too, like gummy candy, pepsis, milkshakes, ice cream and other candy.  Of course, now that we don't drink soda and he knows I'm not supposed to eat tons of sugar, that has dwindled down, but that's okay.  He helps me stay on track when all I want to do is stick my head into our canister of sugar.
• I have a list of Things to Do that I left out on the kitchen table.  He added, "Love my husband endlessly" to the bottom of the list.  I discovered it today and it made me smile.  I can check that one off for sure.
• He is so intelligent.  He'll say he's not, but he it's definitely true.  He's mechanically minded.  It amazes me how he can look at something and just know how it works or figure it. He can fix anything.  He is an excellent Scrabble partner too.  He has an endless vocabulary.  Smart is sexy.
• He's pretty dang cute.  Do you see the pictures on this page?  Hello.  I'm lucky.
• He'll send me texts in the morning that say things like, "You alive, sunshine?" or "Good morning, bright eyes!"  It's that whole making me feel special thing.
• When I crawl into bed after he's fast asleep on most nights he will pull me close or put his hand on my hip or arm and let out a great big sigh, as if to say, "You're finally here."  He isn't awake either.  This is all in a sleeping state.  It makes me smile every time.
• He chose me to love him.  There are million of girls, but he chose me and hasn't looked back since.
• He makes me laugh every single day.  From silly dances and songs to jokes to laughing so hard at things that it makes me laugh.  He especially does the silly dances and songs, if he knows that I'm mad or sad.  It never fails to make me smile.
• He's my last first kiss.

There are so many more reasons.  Things that I can't even put into words.  I'm a very lucky girl.  I know we'll be married until death does us part.  There is no question about it.  It'll take a higher power to pull us apart. 

Now you guys can all go throw up.  I'll write about something less happy next. I have just the thing in mind. 

I am a survivor

I made it through my three day holiday weekend shifts in the ER.  It ended on a really good note (I got to leave at 12:15 last night), but at times, it was horrendous.  In fact, one of the worst days I've worked yet happened on Sunday.  My patients were super, super sick and very needy.  I was running back and forth between two rooms for most of the night.  Let's just say it was a (literally) crappy day. 

I've made comments to people and they seemed shocked about different aspects of nursing that they did not know.  So here are a couple of things that you may not know about nursing and ERs. 

1. We (in the ER) clean our own rooms when the patients leave.  Housekeeping does not do it.  With that being said, we usually have to do it quickly.  Now, you know, I'm pretty thorough, but some people are less than thorough, so if I'm ever in an ER, then I'm going to do a little cleaning before my nurse or doctor comes in, if I have time. 
2. We get one 30 minute lunch in a 12 hour shift.  No breaks, unless you smoke and sneak out to do it, which only a couple of people in our department do.  By the way, we are a no smoking campus and they are nurses and know better.  We are lucky to get that lunch.  For the past two days, I didn't get one.  Now, last night I scarfed down my sandwich and a banana around 8:30 in about 5 minutes.  On Sunday, I ate a granola bar at 10:30.  Hmm, and I wonder why I've dropped weight?
3. We do not have techs in the ER at least not the ones that do the bathing and cleaning on other floors.  We clean up vomit, puke, urine, etc, etc.  Most nurses do this too though.  It's part of the job.  Oh my goodness, I had a head wound last night and while cleaning it, I touched something and blood shot everywhere.  I am very thankful that I got none on me or in my eyes, as I was not wearing protective eye wear.
4. If you come to ER and wonder about the wait time, know that we have to wait on your lab work to be done by the lab and for the xrays and cts to be read by a radiologist.  Sometimes CT is slammed and we'll wait hours for a report to be done, which means the patients are waiting hours.  Our hands are tied.  People get very irritated and most of the time, it's not our fault, it's another department's fault.

With all of the above being said, I can see why nurse's become burnt out and bitter, but I'm pretty sure that will never be me.  I've already said that if I feel that mentality coming on I will do nursing somewhere else or look into another job field.  You know what you are getting into when you go through school. 

I started my day yesterday doing an enema.  You know what, it's the nature of the job.  Even with all the not so pleasant things, I have never felt more rewarded with a job EVER.  I literally help save people's lives.  Not only that, but I take their pain away and make them feel better.  My rewards far exceed the negatives. Going back to school was one of the best decisions I've ever made.  I am thankful for all the people that encouraged me to go back to school when I doubted that I could really do it.  I'm doing it and I think I'm doing it well!

Just the bad and the ugly

Yesterday in the ER was really, really, really bad.  Probably one of the worst days I have worked so far.  I am praying that today is nothing like yesterday.  Unfortunately, they told me Labor Day is one of the worst days of the year.  They actually saw a record number of patients two years ago for it. 

Can't people just enjoy their holidays and try not to injury themselves or wait until Tuesday to go to a doctor?  I know with the weather the way it has been this weekend I would want to be anywhere, but indoors and especially not in an emergency room.

I just have to make it through today and then I have two days off.  I actually have to work Thursday, then I'm off for five days in a row.  That will surely make up for this hellacious weekend. 

I hope you guys actually got to enjoy your weekend.  Hopefully, you'll hear from me after today.

It delivers again

I failed to mention that on Wednesday I prayed hard that I would get off at 11:30 or earlier.  I pictured myself telling the charge nurse thank you for letting me go home early. 

We started getting busy during the day and around the early evening hours.  I kept saying that I would get off at 11:30 in my head.  Well, around 10:30ish things started to die down, which is a rarity, we are usually busy until around 12:30.  You know, 30 minutes before I leave for the day.  Well, at 11:05, Tammy, my charge nurse, said, "Renee, how about we play it by ear, but right now, plan on you leaving at 11:30?"  I said, "That would be fantastic!" 

Yet another thing that is delivered to me.  I ended up leaving around 11:50 because I stayed and discharged my last patient.  I wish I could tell you all about my patients.  I meet some of the nicest, most interesting people and hear the best stories.  Dang you, HIPPA! 

Mark it out, please!

Things to do while I'm alive and kicking

94.  Stay on an island

Heck, yes!  It just dawned on me that I could mark this off of my life list after staying on Tybee Island.  One down, 99 more to go.  There should be more to come in the next year.  I can easily see marking a few of them off.  I hope you guys took my advice and made your own lists.  If you need any help with any of them, let me know.  I'd be more than happy to help and to mark another thing off of my list!

An anniversary of sorts

I  have officially been blogging for one year.  Craziness.  I think I've come along way from the beginning.  Well, at least I'm blogging with a little more consistency.

You remind me of a this one time

I'm listening to Jango and it just played Dinosaur Jr. and The Gin Blossoms back to back.  Holy flashback, Batman!  Add this to the fact that one of the blogs I follow did a post on Troop Beverly Hills this morning and you've got me feeling nostalgic.

So, I thought I'd do a post on some of my favorite things from my childhood. I'm sure you're dying to know.  I'm curious to know other's favorites too.  Did anyone else love Troop Beverly Hills?

Things that added happiness to my little heart:

• Troop Beverly Hills.  My bio dad used to rent movies for me when I went to his house.  I chose Troop Beverly Hills so many times.  I loved that movie.  I ended up burning a copy from the rented one, so that I would have it at all times.  Did your realize Jenny Lewis was in it?  I didn't until today.
• The Neverending Story.  Again, I saw this a million times.  It was so sad in parts too.  I've been wanting to either buy a copy of this or rent it again.  Again, this one was a rented regular at my house.  My sister and I would have to take turns renting movies each week.  We choose this one all the time.  I think we would each just pick it for weeks.
• Jellies.  I've said this before, but my mom bought these for me in every color she could get her hands on. I had at least 15 pairs.  I told you she inspired my love of shoes with allowing me to have so many.  The other day I was at Goodwill and saw a pair of clear ones and my heart went to fluttering.  Unfortunately, they were too big and then I came to my senses and thought, "Do you really want to wear jellies now?"  The jury is still out on that one.
• The Torkelsons.  Please tell me that I'm not the only one that watched this show.  I loved it.  I loved Dorothy Jane Torkelson.  She was like me in a small town and wanting out.  The other night we were watching Dexter and they showed a waitress who said a couple of lines and I shouted out, "It's Dorothy Jane Torkelson!"  Aaron looked it up on IMDB and sure enough it was Dorothy Jane. He could not believe that I remembered her name or could tell it was her.  She has not aged well, then again, she is a year older than me.  She was an avid tanner. You can tell.  After that I immediately looked up the DVDs.  You can get the whole series for like $20.  I'm hoping Mr. O remembers at Christmastime that I said I wanted it.  I'm not sure if I would still love it today, but I know I was so in love with it then.  By the way, Mr. O used to watch that show with his family too.
• Janet Jackson & Paula Abdul & Girl's Just Want to Have Fun & Ms. Cathy's Dance Studio.  All of these inspired my love of dancing.  All throughout my childhood if you asked me what I wanted to be I would say a dancer, an artist and a doctor.  That's a very well-rounded person, if you ask me, artistic and intellectual.  I would dance and dance to Janet's and Paula's music and mimic there music videos.  I think I've seen Girl's Just Want to Have Fun about 20 times.  I understood completely that Sara Jessica Parker just wanted to dance.
• Punky Brewster.  I've talked about her before.  She was my fashion icon for a while.  I loved her spunk.  I almost bought a DVD the other day.  It was only $5.50 at Target.  I want to make my nieces fall in love with it, so that I can watch it again with them.
• New Kids on the Block.  My first concert.  I'm not afraid to admit that.  I was so in love with Donnie.  See, loving the bad boy even then.  I had issues even at age 11.
• My So-Called Life.  Yes, not so much of a kid when this was on,  but still so influential. I watched every episode a million times. I had them taped.  Bridget and I did a skit in Speech and Drama from one of scenes in the show.  She played Angela's mom and I played Angela.  Ah, Claire Danes, why did you leave the show?  I'm sure there would have been another season of it, especially after MTV started replaying the ABC show.  I watched it when it was on ABC for the record.  Oh, Jordan Catalano, be still my heart, even if he was an idiot who called Brian by the name Brain.
• Snow White.  She was my favorite because she had dark hair like me.  I loved her.  One year, I can't remember if it was Christmas or my birthday, but Aaron bought me the newly released to DVD version of Snow White.  I watched it with Ava not too long ago.  She loves  it too.
• Great White.  I know you're thinking, "What the heck?"  Well, I have the fondest memories of having the windows down with "Once, Bitten, Twice Shy" blasting and my mom, my sister and I singing it at the top of our lungs.  It still puts a smile on my face when I think of that.
• Super Mario Brothers.  I've talked about my love of this too and the memory of my grandmother and I staying up until like 3:00 in the morning because we couldn't stop.  I miss my Granny.  I wish she was here to see me today and meet Aaron.  I still need to do a post on Eva Sue.  I wish I could find the picture of the day I got my Nintendo.  It was Christmas morning, I had permed bed-head hair, a flannel nightgown, and the biggest smile. I was so excited about it.
• Lady in Red.  I considered this my favorite song for years.  I think my taste has gotten a little better since then.
• Valley Girl Speech.  I spent my entire Fifth Grade year talking like a Valley girl.  I don't know why I even picked it up.  I know everything was like, "Gag me with a spoon!" or "Gag me with a credit card and charge it!"  Silly little girl.
• Books.  There are so many that inspired me.  I loved James and the Giant Peach.  My mom ended up buying that movie for me when it came out on video.  Granted, I was a teenager, but I still loved it.  I ended up giving it to one of my cousins later on, but I wish I still had it.  I think, I may even read it again.  The Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley High books.  Wait a second, maybe the Valley twins talked like the above entry.  I don't remember.  Nancy Drew inspired my love of detectives.  I ended up adding detective to my list of things I wanted to do when I grew up.  I think the love that she inspired, inspired me to want to do Forensics in my early twenties.  I almost bought some of the books at an antique mall the other day.  The Little Engine that Could was one of my favorite stories as a child.  I still have a collection of children's books from my childhood that will belong to Baby O one day.  That story is in one of the books.  I have a book with a collection of Beatrix Potter stories, including Peter Rabbit.  My aunt gave it to me when I was one.  It's a little beat up and chewed on from one of our family dogs, but I still have it and will pass it on too.  There were so many more.  I won a reading contest in the fifth grade because we had see who could read the most books in like three or four weeks.  I read over 100.  I could still spend hours in the library.  I vividly remember sitting in front of the bookcases when I was little with books surrounding me.  I chose my books then by the pictures and the cover.  I found myself doing that again when I would pick out books with Hayden. I took him about every two weeks to the library.  I think books help shape children's imaginations.  I know, it did for me.
• He-Man & She-Ra.  By the power of Gray Skull..I loved both of these shows. 

There are so many more things, but these are the things that came to mind.  I wouldn't mind watching, listening, reading or wearing anything above again.  In fact, I may, soon.

Never call a French lady German

Yesterday, we had a patient with a heavy accent.  One of my co-workers said that she could be related to some of another co-worker's (German) ancestors.  You should have seen the look of horror on her face.  She promptly said, "I am not German.  I am French.  This is a French accent."  It was quite amusing.  I loved her accent.  I think I must have been French in a former life.  I am drawn to it.  I will get to Paris in this lifetime.

Speaking of French, yesterday before work, I was listening to Carla Bruni.  I will add her music to a special baby play list for baby O.  I love her voice.  It's mesmerizing.  Maybe with a few French lessons, Baby O will speak french fluently and talk back to us in French and I can say, "Hey, I know you said, "no" and "stupid" in that sentence!" I only pick up a few words out of sentences usually.  Thanks three years of French for nothing!

I need to watch Amelie for the millionth time.  I love that movie.  Also, if you're into foreign films, check out "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not".  It is also a great French movie.

Happiness in August

Lovely things that happened in August:

.  throwing a Fiesta Fifty for my beautiful mother  .

.  a house for just two  .

.  getting ACLS certified  .

.  peanut butter fountains  .

.  celebrating lots of friend's and family's birthdays  .

. fertility drugs that actually seem to work with my defiant ovaries   .

. a wonderful, relaxing vacation to Tybee Island .

.  successful antique store shopping for the perfect birthday gifts  .

.  friends following their dreams  .

.  cool breezes that remind me that fall is around the corner  .

.  friends helping me out when I'm in a bind (Thanks B!)  .

.  grilled pizza  .

.  Secrets from a Stylist and American Pickers  .

.  a clean and tidy house  .

.  being sun-kissed  .

.  bike riding on the beach at night  .

.  homemade ice cream  .
.  building things with my little nephew and playing cars  .

.  pancake breakfast birthday parties  .

.  vegging out to Supernatural before work (don't judge)  .

.  shopping and lunches with friends  .

.  Burlington Coat Factory finds  .

.  Nancy Drew books at Goodwill  .

.  Hayden spending a couple of nights with us  .

.  playing at the pool with said nephew and Mr. O  .

.  gold, shiny flip flops  .

.  the alphabet game on long drives  .

.  Not getting sick on long drives (shout out to Dramamine)  .

.  being told I was the best nurse that a patient had ever had at HMC  .

.  music that makes me smile:  The Weakerthans, Kate Nash, Carla Bruni, Vampire Weekend, Stars, The Black Keys, We are Scientists, Pedro the Lion...I could go on an on and on  .

. angry birds..stupid iphone and your provoking of time-wasting  .

.  Dream Cakes Etc and their delicious cakes  .

.  seeing the first leaves falling to the ground  .

.  meeting new neighbors  .

.  getting compliments on my home's decor  .
.  new blog readers  .
.  crafts that come together beautifully  .
.  party planning  .

It was a really good month.  Hope September follows suit.