Archive for November, 2008

THANKS!

giving. 
I am thankful for:
My Savior-my family-friends-provision-youth- apple pie (see below)-ableness-Dr. Pepper-snuggly baby cousins-health-freedom-love-joy-Sanibel-new hairdos-conversation-books!-knowledge-gold nail polish-laughter-a full stomach-Ritter Sport chocolate-a warm bed with lots of oxygen (ie NOT on Mt. Everest)-good slippers (thanks Al!)-Christmas music-Kitchenaid Mixers-cameras-puppies (even though we don’t have one)-J.Crew catalogs-Christmas lights-movies-Black Friday sales (I’m going!  tomorrow morning bright and early!-hope-kidney transplants-nursing school acceptance calls!

list to be continued…

LOVE!

ps We had 6 pies to choose from tonight.  There were 7 of us.  YUM!

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Yeesh

seems to be my word of choice these days, don’t know where it came from or why it stuck.  It has almost been a week since I last posted, oh my!  I am currently in Colorado Springs, curled up with my knitting project (secret Christmas gift) and a toasty blanket at Aunt Carla’s house watching a Doris Day/Rock Hudson movie.  Can life get any better?  I find it amusing that I am so thrilled to have left home only to stay in someone else’s home all day every day.  Aunt Carla is a Creative Memories consultant, which means she owns ALL THINGS CREATIVE MEMORIES!  This is splendiforous.  I finished my college scrapbook the other day and am hoping to begin a travel one shortly.  I also got rather far on previously mentioned knitting project and then had to unravel the whole dang thing.  Aunt Carla is also a genius with all things domestic-hobby-ish.  She taught me to cross-stitch and knit and maybe someday she will show me how to quilt! 
Anyhoo, that’s what goes on in my corner of the world. 
HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK TO ALL!

LOVE!

ps This morning we totally saw a deer grazing through the neighborhood, just walking from yard to yard, nibbling from each lawn.  Colorado…how crazy.

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Hurry along now

VERY quickly before I mosey to bed.

Yesterday (11/16) marked 3 YEARS SINCE THE TRANSPLANT!  Though I don’t say much about it anymore, this fact still affects everyday of my life.  Every day I get to wake up in a world where my mom lives, which makes it a very, very good world for me.  Every day I get to talk to my mom, ride around town with her, laugh with her and be normal with her.  These things may not be possible if she were still on dialysis or worse.  Every day I know that there are wonderful, selfless people in the world who would and DO risk their lives for another.  This means there ARE people who can change the world.  Every day I know that there are families who willingly let their loved ones donate, or from grief give life.  I’m so thankful I live in this place at this time with these people.  God is so good!  Thanks again Uncle Bruce and family, I love you so much!!  I will indeed spend the rest of my life trying to convey what it is like to know that my mom is here, healthy and safe, and will be for MANY years to come.  I will spend my life trying to thank you.

LOVE!

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Because I heard you needed a little more random in your life…

I wish the song “Reign of Love” from Coldplay’s Viva La Vida album was by itself. I am in love with this song, entranced by its notes. That song is what I think a dream would sound like. If you have the album, listen to that song. If you don’t, get it! It’s amazing!

I must admit, I have begun to listen to Christmas music. It just seems so unfair that it’s only “allowed” between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so short! I NEED to be able to listen to this music during November, because November is cold, November’s nights begin at 5:30 PM and November means naked trees (when I left for Florida they were still dressed!!) and therefore November needs Christmas music. Now I know there are some of you out there who are all “it’s not even Thanksgiving, why aren’t you focusing on Thanksgiving? You are totally ripping off Thanksgiving!” I would say to you, “first of all, CALM DOWN! Second of all, I TOTALLY LOVE AND ADORE THANKSGIVING! It redeems the bleakness that is November. I am absolutely able to love Thanksgiving and Christmas equally.” If that’s not good enough for you, I am sorry and maybe you should pretend you didn’t read that I’m already listening to Christmas music.

Yesterday I met up with my dear friend Mrs. Clarkson. I babysat for her two girls a LOOOONG time ago while her husband was stationed here. The Clarksons are from England and C and I stayed with them in 2006. They live in Oxford and they are entirely responsible for my adoration of Oxford. Anyway, she is here visiting so we met up, went to lunch then spent a glorious couple of hours in Barnes and Noble. We walked up and down every aisle in the “fiction” section of the store as she pointed out books she thought I’d enjoy. I followed her, writing down titles in my Filofax so I could check these books out from the library (I can’t buy 10 $15 books!!). It was wonderful. Friends + books = goodness.

I suppose this was a media-esque blog but media is quite wonderful and I don’t feel the need to apologize for loving music and books.

LOVE!

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Places I want to go when I am a travel nurse

1. New York City
2. Alaska
3. Sanibel or nearby (during Christmas)
4. Hawaii
5. Washington State
6. Washington D.C. (to see my peeps!)
7. Maine
8. Charleston, N.C.
9. Lake of the Ozarks (during the summer!)
10. Colorado
11. Colorado
12. Colorado
13. all the other states so I can say I lived in them all!

Please come visit me when I am staying somewhere that is appealing to you.  Seriously.

LOVE!

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back

and it’s DANG cold out.  WAY COLDER THAN 75 DEGREES.  Which was what I had gotten used to.  I realize that I’m spoiled, no need to point it out. 
What a wonderful week.  I was trying to think of a way to describe what it’s like to be in Sanibel and honestly, it feels like you’ve won the lottery.  I realize I also likened getting into nursing school to winning the lottery which I guess means being on Sanibel is like getting accepted into nursing school.   whew.  I don’t know why I say the lottery either, as I don’t “play” the lottery.  I guess I’m continually overwhelmed with God’s blessings.  I think a lot of people view Christians as people who expect everything to be wonderful and good, and that we’ll get what we want because we pray hard.  I do believe that God uses everything for good, but I don’t believe everything is good.  Some things are hard and sometimes we must hold onto Him with a death grip!  I know that God has a plan for me, but some things are still surprises, like being able to stay in Sanibel, and getting into nursing school.  That was a long tangent but oh well. 
So Sanibel is wonderful.  Did I already say that?  Even though I spent most afternoons, which everyone knows is prime tanning time, rocking Ethan or shushing Ethan or tiptoing around so I wouldn’t wake Ethan, I’d still rather do it in Sanibel.  Annie, Lyle and Ella got a lot of quality time together, which was evident by the slight lessening of terrible-threes behavior.  I just love family.  I can’t say it enough.  And I love that little boy.  I did get a taste of what it’s like to travel with a toddler and infant yesterday.  First of all, LOTS OF LUGGAGE!  I really don’t know how they managed with two adults on the way down.  I did a lot of holding Ethan and hanging out with the luggage while many potty-stops, food-scrounging and energy-burning got done.  Though I don’t claim to know the first thing about being a mom, I learned a lot.  Like sometimes you don’t get to pee for 3 hours or eat dinner until 10PM. 
I think what struck me the most was how healing laughter can be, no matter how cliche it sounds.  It’s been rough for my cousin’s family and they desperately wanted and needed a vacation.  I felt like they were fighting to have this  vacation, with all of Ethan’s issues, then Annie and I both getting sick and my whirlwind ear-tubes.  So we got there and then Ethan started getting sick again and you could feel the dark cloud descending.  Thank the Lord that Lyle is a goofball, that Annie has an easy laugh and that I have the gift of loud belching (it’s good at breaking tension, I HAD TO DO IT FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR SANITY!).  I laughed more and harder in the last 4 days than I’d expected.  I think that made it feel like a real vacation.  It made it so that nothing seemed overwhelming. 
So yeah.  I’m going back in less than 5 weeks, woo! 

LOVE!

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here

I got to Sanibel safe and sound. It’s been a crazy couple of days I tell ya. Elaboration to follow.

LOVE!

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