Ok, But Seriously

Here's the deal...being late to your doctor's appointment is very rude and inconsiderate to the office staff. We try our hardest not to show annoyance, but it's difficult. See, we go by a schedule. When a patient is late it throws everyone off, and at times it's difficult to make that time up. Now, there are always exceptions to this. It's not irritating when one calls ahead and lets the office know. That way we can prepare. There is an art to The Doctor Schedule. It's a fine line that we all have to balance on. Mostly it's just unfair to the other patients who do show up on time.

Yesterday we had several patients who were like 10-15-20 minutes late. That's a big deal. That's a whole appointment time. It threw our schedule so off. Then out of those patients, half of them added on things for us to see them for. You know, since they are here and all. Golly.  Obviously we are here for the patients, but it can be so annoying. 

Rant over.

Sorry if that offends anyone, but it's the truth. Like I said, there are always exceptions. It just seems to be a new trend around these parts lately. More so than normal. 

So! Been a long while since I wrote. It's been an interesting couple of months. In February, I did a month of no spending or Target going. It wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. I saved a lot of money, and learned a ton about my spending habits, and what I need to/want to do financially. I think I'm going to do a month of no spending every other month, or maybe every two months. It's really eye opening how much one spends on miscellaneous items. REALLY eye opening. It was probably the most personally beneficial thing I have done so far this year. 

Sad thing is that I have been neglecting my Pins of Interest. The beginning of the year is so busy for my family. More than half of the members of my family and most of my close friends have birthdays in the first 3 months of the year. It's crazy. Fun, but crazy. Seems we are always celebrating birthdays. It's such a good time, but it leaves little time to do much else.

So! Goal for the next coming weeks is to spit out some new posts, new Pins of Interests, and another month of no spending. Anyone wanna join me? It's fun, I swear! It's like a little game with your finances and self discipline. 

Laters!

It's Still Winter in Texas

So Dearies, it's still Winter in Texas. Now I know that we don't have it all that bad when it comes to the winter months in Texas. In fact, most of the time we have very mild, noninvasive weather. That's a perk of Texas. I mean, when was the last time you heard someone say, "I think I'll move to Texas for the snowy winter weather they have down there." I'm going to hazard a guess and say never. You've never heard that. You've never said that. We freak out when there is a little bit of white on the ground because it's never ever there. In the winter, the ground is brown. Very ugly brown.

So! It stands to reason that Texans would hate the ice and snow. If hate is too strong a word, then perhaps strongly dislike. Let's face it, it's foreign to us. Thus the annoying, terrible, I-am-a-brand-new-awkward-horse style of driving. I roll my eyes every time I hear someone from out of state complain about the driving here. I'm going to let y'all in on a little secret: we all know. Many here can't drive on a good day, so why would you think that ice/snow would improve that? It wouldn't. Is it frustrating? Sure. But, I hardly think it's news to anyone around you. Just be patient.

Anytime I see anywhere in the north covered in snow, I just shake my head and say, "Bless your hearts." That much snow just suuuuuuuucks. It's pretty, but I wouldn't want to be out in it. Unless I was learning to ski. But that would mean I was on vacation. And, if I'm on vacation, I'd rather be at a beach. I digress! In conclusion, today with its one inch of powdery snow, is about all I can handle.  :-/

On a much lighter note, as part of my Spending Less Month, I'm baking bread. It's always scared me in the past. My mom bakes bread. My best friend Alison, her mom has always baked bread. Why should this scare me? Well, I'm not entirely sure, but I think it has something to do with proofing yeast. It sounds gross. It looks gross. But the end product of freshly baked bread...holy cow there is nothing better. So y'all cross your fingers and toes that it goes well. I want some warm rolls with cinnamon butter at the end of all this. Doesn't that just sound good when it's cold outside?   :)

Happy snowy day Y'all!

I Am a Nurse

To say I would rather pass out than accidentally inhale the fumes emitting from that small cup, is a gross understatement. I'd much rather undergo a lobotomy wide awake, than handle what I was about to. That may be a slight exaggeration. Regardless. I held my breath for about 45 seconds, a  few shades short of turning blue, and went for it. Previously, I made the mistake of breathing normal, thinking it couldn't really be that bad. I was wrong. And spent the next 6 minutes gagging and trying not to throw up, making up for that mistake.

See, as a nurse, you do a lot of really gross things. I could probably write a book about it all, but I'm not sure everyone's stomach is made of steel. I mean, when I was going through nursing school, I never once thought the words, "It's an anal swab, it's aerobic. It didn't go in the butt. Don't they know the difference?" would EVER come out of my mouth. Or even cross my mind, for that matter.

I never once thought that I would see fruit flies come pouring out of an open (and dripping) ulcer that was covered up in an ACE wrap. Never. Neither could I have ever imagined the smell that would emit from said ulcer.

Never in 5000 years could I imagine being in a room with a patient who had an infected amputated leg, and every time he moved the leg, or coughed, or laughed, blood would squirt about three feet out of the wound.

Did I ever think that I would have the following conversation with a parent?
     Parent: How much Tylenol should I give little Jimmy?
     Me: Do you have the bottle in front of you?
     Parent: Yes.
     Me: What does the bottle say?
     Parent: 2 tsp
     Me: Well, how much do you think you should give little Jimmy?
     Parent: 3 tsp?
Seriously? No.

This isn't even scraping the surface of a day in the life of a nurse. Nurses work hard. They put up with a lot of crap, both from doctors and patients (or patient's parents as it were). But, nursing can be rewarding too. When you get a patient who is deathly afraid of getting his blood taken, and says he always passes out, to give blood by distraction and with out passing out...that's rewarding. Seeing the gratitude on his face, and to see absolute awe in the face of a grown man, proud of himself and realizing that he could actually get his blood taken withOUT passing out...that's awesome.

When you give a kid a shot and he screams in happiness that he is the bravest boy he knows because he didn't cry once...that's awesome.

When you get the undying love of a patient because you talked said indecisive and stubborn patient into going to the ER because they were in excruciating pain and could have thrown a clot...that's awesome. So are the hugs and smiles that come EVERY SINGLE TIME that patient sees you.

It's awesome and rewarding to be a part of a patient's care. It's tough work. There are a ton of things I'd rather not do, or discuss, but that just goes with the territory. Nurses are under-appreciated, and over-worked, but they come back day after day to take care of you all.

So! Next time you see a nurse, give them a hug and say thanks. Trust me, it'll make their day.

That's all I have for now Chickens! Later!!

Perfectly Imperfect

So, I borrowed from an old blog I had that I never really wrote in. I've totally changed this up, but the jist is still the same. This has been on my mind the past couple of days. Lucky you, I am now sharing it! Yay!

"Fault lines should be worn with pride." -Incubus

I have my favorite bands and Incubus is most definitely up there. I hear their music, the poetic way they phrase the most simple of questions/statements, and I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Another band that can get this kind of reaction outta me is Muse. Surprise! Now, Matthew Bellamy is one clever and amazingly talented musician. He can write the most profound music and lyrics, then go out and play the piano and guitar with flawless ease. He makes it look as easy as breathing to him…and it very well may be. I’m only slightly VERY in love with him. Maybe that's why I have seen them, I think, seven times in concert. When I hear any of their songs, my heart beats a little bit faster and I get a huge grin on my face…the world just seems right. End cheesey, mushy music moment.

So anyhoozits, I was listening to “Talk Shows On Mute” the other day and it really got me thinking…as Incubus regularly does. That line, “fault lines should be worn with pride,” got stuck in my head and just kinda twirled around in there, marinating. I kept singing it and repeating it over and over again. And, I’ve come to the conclusion that our fault lines (imperfections) should be worn with pride. It’s really sad that we compare so much of what/who we are to what is considered mainstream, normal or cool. We watch the TV, we read the gossip, we see the models and we critique ourselves on those things. When we don’t add up, when we don’t fit in, when we can’t even come close, we go to extremes to make that happen. We become anorexic, we hate our faces, we belittle our own intelligence and our bodies, we become dependent medications/drugs/alcohol/name-your-poison to even us out... and for what? A bunch of heartaches, headaches, and low self esteem? (Side note: this is in no way saying that medications aren't sincerely needed. I'm very pro-medication for the right reasons)

We should celebrate our differences and imperfections. Honestly, this is what makes the world a much more interesting place. It’s sad that we’re so blasted hard on ourselves. I wish that I could say that I’m not included in this, but I’m so very guilty it’s not even funny. Ok, it's a little funny. Just think how wonderful it would be to not care about your flaws or about what makes you different? Wouldn’t it be fabulous if we could be like, “Yeah I’m fat, you’re ugly, he's poor, she’s gorgeous…let’s be friends.” To be able to say that, actually mean it, and not feel self conscious would seriously be ideal. It’s so hard for me to not compare myself to those around me. It’s difficult to not be hard on myself for all the things that I lack. What we need to remember is that there are no rules, no "normal"…well, there shouldn’t be.

I have these talks with my besties all the time. It's so funny because we are always sarcastically saying how awesome we are. It's true. We are awesome. But in that same breath we are wondering why we look this way, I need to lose weight, why can't I find a dude that's as cool as me (hehe), why why why? That girl over there did. So and so got married, why can't I? I mean, who hasn't thought that? We are silly. It's so hard to do, but really we need to concentrate on what's important. Everything else will fall into place after that. However, knowing and doing are two very different kettle of fish. This is something that I will probably have to work on my whole life. Ideally we would just be happy with who we are and to heck with everything else. We need to realize that we are perfectly imperfect, and that's totally fine!

Anyways. I’m done ranting. I’m going on and on and I’m not sure it’s making sense. It’s just some things that were on my mind. They are always on my mind. At times, it consumes my mind. Makes it mush. Makes it hard to focus. Wouldn't it be wonderful to not have to worry? It really would.

So my chickens, let's work on being nicer to ourselves this year. Let's work on being nicer to each other. And, let's celebrate our fault lines and imperfections. All we can do it try, and I say we work on trying!

Hugs and butt pats!

A funny PS: my other favorite line in this song is "I hate to say it, but you're so much more endearing with the sound turned off." Ever been around someone when you feel like this? I have. I'm going to try to be nicer about my thoughts though. :) Work in progress folks, work in progress.

Epiphany

Well, this week (I know it's only Tuesday) has sucked. Work is so stressful right now because of all of these changes and different things they are trying to put into place. That's a blog for another day. Like I've posted before, I'm going to try to be more positive. I think that is so important. I don't like getting sucked into that rabbit hole of negativity. So! This is me being positive about a sucky week...

A little background:
I love to shop.  I love to buy clothes, home decor, bath stuff, art stuff, craft stuff...the list could go on and on. It's always been a thing. And I love to go out to dinner with friends. It's social. It's therapeutic. It's just fun. If there is money in the bank, why not? Right?

Wrong. Boy, is that thinking wrong. Well, I realize that now.

Present Day:
I had a half day today, which gave me ample opportunity to reflect on my situation. If you read my New Year's Day blog, I wrote about my goals. One is to de-clutter my life. I've been going through my room and closet, getting rid of things. I realized that I have this urge to go out and purchase something else to fill that space. Then I look at my bank account and rethink that.

See, I've been living on basically part-time wages. It's been SO difficult. Between getting sick about 5 times with no paid leave to make up that time off,  and having a billion half days around Christmas, my pay checks have sucked. It's difficult. But, I have made do. That's not to say that I haven't griped about it. Or struggled through it. Because I have. However, yesterday I had an epiphany.

Like I said before, work has sucked this week. Yesterday was uber stressful. I was running on one hour of sleep. Work was a nightmare of stress. I came home and poured my frustrations out to Amber (my BFF and roomie). Thanks Amber! After I was finished griping, she asked if I wanted to go to dinner. I immediately said that I couldn't because I was too poor. Then I thought about it. I actually do have plenty of money, but I didn't want to spend it on going out to eat when I had perfectly good homemade leftover soup in the fridge. That's a change!!! Turning down going out, AND eating leftovers?!? Last night, I was thinking about this. It was weird that my first reaction was "no, I'm too poor." Weirder still, is that I actually stuck to that.

I realize that I have been blowing so much money on stupid stuff. I'm not saying that going out to eat with your friend is stupid, it's not. But going out to eat 3-4 times a week is ridic. I mean, that's a ton of money! Purchasing stuff for no good reason, is such a waste! Especially when half of the time it ends up in a garage sale two months later. I realized how much I've been able to do without whilst living on these measly paychecks. And it's been great!  I don't need that. I honestly didn't realize how much of a thing it had become. I want to continue with this "I'm too poor" mentality. If it's going to help me save money and keep my apartment clutter free, then holler! My goal is that much closer to being met.

I've been reading the Living Well Spending Less blog, and she has some awesome points. I want to do the 31 Days of Living Well and Spending Zero. It seems like an awesome challenge. They ended up saving close to $1000 in one month because they ate what they had in the house and they didn't do any unnecessary spending. And on top of all that, they de-cluttered and organized their home. Win/Win! Anyone want to join me? I'm going to try this in February and the first couple days of March. I just want to see if I can do it. So! If I turn you down for a movie or going out to dinner, don't be offended. I'm just trying a month of not doing any unnecessary spending. I do still love you all!

Well folks, this week has no where to go but up. Tomorrow is a new day. I'm going to continue on in my goal of finding positive things to focus on. I'm also going to continue on in my goal to organize and get rid of things. It feels so good when your house loses some of that weight it's been carrying around. AND, by putting some of my stuff on the Facebook Garage Sale sites, I've made some money. If you haven't already, y'all should try it! It's awesome!

Later, chickens! Y'all have a good night!

New Year, Years, Year's.

You see any variation of the above. Happy New Year. It's New Year's Day. New Years (more than one?).  It's funny when it's used incorrectly. Unlike "they, there, and they're" or "to, too, two." The misuse of those words drive me crazy. I'm not a grammar nazi, but I have my limits. hahaha!

Enough of that. It's New Year's Day!!!! This is when we are supposed to make resolutions and raise our expectations, often higher than is reasonable. Not in every case, but in my own experiences, it's what I do. This year shall be different! Like many people, I'm going to make goals instead of "resolutions." Are they the same thing? Basically. But "setting goals" makes it more of an action. Makes it a game to play. My goals are going to be reasonable, doable, much needed goals. And I'm going to try not to work in absolutes. I've decided that very rarely in life are there any absolutes. So, to start the New Year off, I'm going to attempt to put a stop to that (in my life).

1) I'm going to work on getting the clutter out of my life- physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. This is something that can be done fluidly. It's something that I can work on every day. It's going to help me feel more settled in my own environment, which is something I desperately need. It's also a never ending thing, but one that I have sorely neglected the past 12 months. 2013 was not kind to me. Neither was I kind to me. Time to work on that.

2) I'm going to work on being a better friend and family member- I keep in contact with my immediate family and my core group of friends on a very regular basis. But what about the cousins that live far away, or the friends that I don't see regularly? I can be really shy and quiet, but those friends became friends for a reason. I need to remember that so I can re-cultivate those relationships. In my prior post, I mentioned my hilarious extended family. I'm going to work on trying harder to reach out to them. I'm going to try to go visit them. They're awesome! I'm mean, they're related to me, so was there any doubt?

3) I'm going to work on having more positive things in my life- There is so much negativity out there. ALL OVER. I'm not talking about just negative attitudes. I'm talking about negativity in the media, social media, books, music, atmospheres we hang out in, etc. I'm going to try to replace those things with fun, light and more wholesome things. If I see that watching the news and hearing people bash on eachother is taking me down, then I'm going to turn it off, shut off the phone. If the book I'm reading isn't quite what it said it was, then into the trash it goes. If the music that's on makes me feel oogy or angry, then it needs to go the heck away. Y'all get the point. That's what I love about ya!

4) I'm going work on using my right brain more- I'm a nurse. Have been for 13 years. The left side of my brain is tired and worn out, while the right side is jumping around like it's on crack, just waiting to be used. (ha!) It makes for an interesting battle in my head, that's for sure. I love art. I love photography. I love making things. It's time to do more of these, so I can have some sort of creative outlet. I'm positive this will help with the above mentioned goals as well, so score! Also, Santa brought me a sewing machine for Christmas, so I am going to be able to learn something new!

So. Those are my goals, and I'm excited to start! Another thing that I'm going to do to help make all this happen is what I'm going to call "52 Pins of Interest." Recently, I have become obsessed with Pinterest. Mostly because I'm in awe of what some people are capable of making with their own two hands. How much patience and focus they have. And it's all SO SIMPLE! Yeah. Well. I'm going to try to do one Pin a week. Then I'm going to write about it and document with a picture or two or ten. It should be way fun...and funny. I mean, I like to do all these things, but that doesn't mean I'm any good. I will probably have some pretty awesome Pin Fails. All the more fun, I say!

So stay tuned! If you have any input on what I should try, let me know. If you have any comments or questions, hit me up! I hope 2014 treats everyone like the ladies and gentlemen they are (or should be). I hope that we can all get rid of some of the negative and put more light back into our lives. People are awesome (most of the time), we all just need to remember that.

Perfect For Me

At the beginning of this past Fall, I had to opportunity to go back to San Diego. I was born there and spent many happy weeks each summer visiting family. In October, my Grandma passed away. It was very sad, and (not to sound morbid) a relief. She and my Grandpa were best friends, and when he passed away several years ago her heart broke. Since then it seems that she was in a steady health decline, physically and mentally, waiting to return to Heaven to be back at my Grandpa's side. The funeral was beautiful. Small, filled with family and close friends, humorous, and spiritual. Just like my Grandma. It was a perfect send off. Whilst there I was able to catch up with some of my cousins that I haven't seen in FOREVER...ok, so several years...and my Dad's brothers, sister and their respective spouse.
Also while I was there, my Dad indulged me in what was termed The List. I made a list of all the things I wanted to do while we were out there. Things that we did every summer we visited. Things that reminded me of my awesome family and my childhood. Why was this a big deal? I'm the youngest of five children. While most people are rolling their eyes and thinking that I was probably spoiled...they'd be right. HOWEVER! Very rarely did I get to choose the where, the when and the what. So rare, in fact,  it never actually happened.
So, my parents, eldest sister and myself rented a hotel room and car. I figured since I was paying a lot of money for that hotel room (which I didn't pick out), I ought to have some say in what happens while we are out there. Don't think that I went crazy, I didn't. Like I mentioned before, all the things I wanted to do reminded me of family. We were out there for Grandma first and foremost.
The List went as follows:
 -Shopping at Seaport Villiage
-Go to San Diego LDS Temple
-Eat rolled tacos at El Puerto
-Go to the beach at sunset
-Take a picture of Coronado Bridge
See? A simple list. We stayed downtown, and a lot of the family happenings were further inland. My family seemed pretty on board with the whole deal, which made me extremely happy.
After we got things settled with the funeral home for the service, my family went to the San Diego LDS Temple. Now, those of you who have never been or don't know what the temple is, you can go here --->  LDS Temples  for some more information. 

Photo I took outside on the grounds.

That's me. Hi!

Ever since is was built, I have been in love with this place. It's so beautiful. When you are inside, you can truly feel God's love and peace. It's amazing. And I got to share that with my family! Score for me. What made it even more wonderful, is the sense that my Grandma was with us. It truly was beautiful and awe inspiring. It's a really neat experience to have, going to the Temple. One I've had on numerous occasions. But, going with my family was super special for me. It was perfect. 
After we went back to the hotel and changed our clothes (you go to the Temple in your Sunday best), we went to the next place on my list...El Puerto!
What can I say about El Puerto? It's small. It's dirty. It's a little sketchy. It's AMAZEBALLS! They have the best rolled tacos in the entire world. Well, I can't honestly say the entire world, but they have the best rolled tacos in my world. They are seriously roll-your-eyes-in-the-back-of-your-head good.

Oh. My. Yum.
I might have bought two orders.
After rolled taco overload, I needed to walk, so we ventured back downtown. Drove around a bit looking for an ice cream place. (Yeah, I know) There were several in the Gas Lamp District, but all the parking was miles away. So, off to Seaport Village!
As fate would have it, they have a lovely ice cream shop right there in the Village. Seaport is really touristy, with loads of tchotchkes to buy (if that's your wish). I like walking around and looking in the stores. It's right on the bay, so you have the boats coming and going. You have every nationality visiting the area, so it feels like Disneyland, but more subtle. There are parks and sitting areas, street performers and musicians, tourist, homebodies and business people. It's fun to go relax and enjoy the atmosphere by just taking it all in. People watching galore! We also saw some Navy Seals boating through the bay. It was neat. Also, Coronado Bridge happens to be right there. Holler!

My parents and me. We're cute

Street Performer. He was pretty cool

My sister, Rachel with my Dad and me

My cute parents. They are so adorable!

Coronado Bridge

If you guys know my Dad at all, you know how hard it was to convince him to take this many pictures. He doesn't like the camera pointed at him. I kept telling him I was documenting for the sake of The List, and he calmed down and indulged me.
The following day, we had my Grandma's funeral. Like I said, it was beautifully perfect. Our family stayed with each other most of the day. It was so good catching up with each other. Going back to my Dad's old house he grew up in, which is now owned by one of my cousins, reminded me of all the fun times we had when we were kids. It was also way awesome to be reminded of how friggin' hilarious my family is. Man, my cousins will make you wet your pants from laughter.
It was getting time to mark the last thing off my list. I still needed my sunset pic. So, we went to Coronado Island. *insert heavenly angels singing* I love Coronado. I'd live there. For real. Anyone want to buy me a house there? Or La Jolla? No? Ok, then.
We went shopping, took some pictures, wasted some time until sunset.

Rachel and me

Then, oh boy, did San Diego give me a sunset. It was gorgeous. The weather was beautiful the entire time we were out there. I'm not sure I could have asked for more perfect weather. Cool, slightly breezy and sunny!  We went further south of Coronado to Silver Strand Beach...then this happened:

Can you believe my phone took this?!

I mean, come on! Postcard anyone?

 Oh. My. Goodness.
Now, I love a good Texas sunset, but I haven't seen anything that can rival a California one. Now, granted, I haven't been all over the world. I know there are other beautiful places...I'm just talking about my small little piece of the world. There is something truly spiritual about a sunset. Especially when it's on a quiet beach, with your peeps. Man, oh man.

That's me again. I had to document...again.

                              At last

.

I learned a lot on this trip. Just let me tell you, family is what it's all about. Whatever kind of family you have (friends, co-workers, blood relatives or any combo of the aforementioned). I realized after this particular night, how right everything felt. How "at home" I felt. I realized that is was the people I was with, the setting was a bonus, that made it home.  It was awesome. For the first time in a really long time, my heart was full and stress free. I found I needed to bond with my family in this way. I found that, though I have known it my whole life, my parents really are some of the most wonderful people ever made. I learned a lot about my Grandma and what an amazing person she was. I also got the opportunity to really bond with my sister. All of us kids are best friends, but it was nice for it to be just our parents and us. I found that though my Grandma's death was sad, it was in no way the end. Through her, her family got to come together again and be a family just they way she liked it...happy, laughing, and everyone together...and eating! This trip to San Diego settled my soul and helped me realize all the things that matter: Family, togetherness, being close to Heavenly Father, seeing beauty everywhere, and remembering where you come from so you can know where you've been and where you're going. For a small time everything was a little perfect. Well, perfect for me.
On the flight home, I was looking out the window of the plane and saw this very fitting goodbye:

Where the clouds are is the ocean. It was so incredible!

 

 

Texas Rangers Baseball

I think I need to stop watching the baseball games at home.

It seems that every time I watch the games from my living room, the Texas Rangers lose. If I go to a game, listen to the game on the radio, or just get the updates on my cellular device, they are more apt to win.

Superstitious? Perhaps. But it's baseball, so what'd you expect?

Went to the game the other night. I realized that there are very few things greater than going to a baseball game, getting some nachos and drinking a Dr. Pepper. Delightful.  They won that game. Watched the game last night, and I'm watching the game tonight and they lost/are losing respectively. Maybe tonight is the night to change my luck and in effect change the Ranger's luck. I'm gonna turn the game off. Just in case.

I kind of feel like the dad in Silver Linings Playbook (awesome movie bt dubs), only he likes Eagles football (sick).

Something else that's fun about baseball is the walk-on songs...or whatever they are called. Suit and Tie, God's Gonna Cut You Down, Machine Head, some random christian song, Radioactive, or a rousing song that's all in Spanish.  Those are some of the songs for this year. It's always been one of the quirky things about baseball that I love. 

Well, I probably could go on and on about the Texas Rangers, but I'll reel it in a little.

PS:
This song is in my head. Enjoy!

Demons