Nurse Kimbrough

Gally- B Part 2

2012-02-11T03:43:00.003-05:00

Hopefully the computer won't work against me this time. I just want to remember some of these details for my own sake.

I think I left off last time that I had sent some texts to my nursey friends to see what they thought. It crossed my mind that I was awake for almost 24 hours and I didn't eat a whole lot so I wondered if maybe I had a build up of acid in my stomach. I decided to eat a little something. Big mistake. Huge. (Pretty Woman reference.) Once I ate half of a peanut butter sandwich, my pain got even worse. I learned back when I had my crazy allergic reaction to not stay home and tough it out and the pain was so terrible awful that I knew I'd have to go somewhere.

I called Kristen and asked her if she was busy and could she take me to the hospital. She said she's be there in 12-15 minutes. Y'all. I'm pretty sure that was THE longest minutes of my life. Of course it's 5pm at this point and traffic is terrible.

I feel like I've had to say this the last few months and maybe if I have to say it it's not really true, but I feel like I have a fairly high pain tolerance. This. Pain. Was. Awful. All I can think to describe it was this: you know when you are trying to get the last little bit of toothpaste out of the tube and you squeeze it up? That's what somebody was doing to the middle of me. I called my Momma and told her I was going to the ER ("Sounds like that's where you need to be. Keep us posted."). Mostly, and this is so sad for me to admit now, I laid on the floor in front of my door so I could see when Kristen would come. I'd get up occasionally to grab my insurance card, make sure I had my ID, get my cell phone charger, etc, but only for the count of 20 seconds. I figured I could tolerate the searing pain for that long. It seemed like the only way I could get remotely comfortable (which really wasn't comfortable at all) was on my hands and knees on the floor.

After what seemed like a week, Kristen pulled up. I remember taking the few things I had gathered and walking out of the house as she was getting out of her car and saying "Don't get out. Just drive.". And I proceeded to climb in the backseat of her car and rode on my hands and knees. Friends. Yes. You read that sentence right.

Again, it was 5pm Louisville/St. Matthews traffic so I felt like those few miles we were driving to Mexico. I couldn't catch my breath at this point, so my toes and fingers started to go numb. After spouting off the worst case scenarios (sometimes being a nurse isn't a good thing!), Kristen finally just told me to say the Lord's prayer to keep my mind focused on something else. (Aside-- I now know how much she was freaking out on the inside-- and I don't think me saying over and over "Be near me, Jesus" helped the freaking, but she was portrayed to me the epitome of calm.) That helped.

I remember telling her I would need her help to get inside the hospital because I didn't think I'd be able to walk in alone. I remember asking her what I was going to do if I had to wait to be seen for hours. Her reply was simple-- she'd get me a blanket to lay on the floor while she called every doctor friend we had to try to get us back quicker.

Finally, we were at the hospital. (I was sure we'd been in the car long enough to be in Mexico!) We pull up to the ER and she helps me inside. By the grace of God, the triage nurse was my very BFF from college. She took one look at me and said "Kim, oh my goodness what's wrong?" I could point and say "Pain" and that's about it. She put in a wheelchair, gave somebody orders to take my straight back to room 6 (I think) and called back to have a nurse meet me in the room. She knew my full name and my birthday so she even registered me-- I didn't even have to do that! I am so so thankful that she was there!

Keep in mind that at this point, I'm delirious from pain. I'm mildly delirious from being tired. In Part 3, we get to add in me being delirious from IV narcotics.

See ya later, Gally-B! Part 1

2012-01-25T20:53:00.004-05:00

This is mostly for me because I want to remember.

Last Wednesday night I went to work like normal. Well, except the night was anything but normal. One of those nights where everything was so busy and I was behind from the get go, even though there wasn't one specific thing that happened that put me behind. (Except maybe MY OWN blood sugar dropping to 57 during report. Ugh.)

Anyway, I didn't leave the hospital until 930. I swung by the house quickly and picked up my books and headed to the first Bible study of the "semester". By the time that was over and I was ready to get in the bed, it was nearly 1pm.

A little after 3, I woke up. I'm not sure if pain woke me up, but my first thought upon waking was "Man, my stomach hurts." It was right in my epigastric area. Like... if you put your left thumb barely touching the middle part of your bra and laid your hand out, everything underneath my hand hurt. Bad.

I got up. I tried to puke. I tried to poop. Unsucessful. I got back in bed with my heating bad on my belly, hoping that would help. I wasn't really even able to lay still I was in so much pain. The only thing I can think to compare it to is when you're trying to get that last little bit of toothpaste out of the tube and you squeeze it. I felt like I was the tube of toothepaste and was being squeezed right in that spot in my abdomen. I really felt like I was going to break in half.

I had sent texts to some of my nursing friends to guage their opinions.

***Annoying! I spent probably 20 minutes typing this up til I got to ER and blogger didn't save it. Dag. I'm too sick about it to do it now. Maybe later. Ugh.

Book Signing

2012-01-14T07:54:00.002-05:00

Last night I called to work to see if I could have the night off. At first they said no, but called me back a few minutes later and said that yes, I could. Soooo....

I was able to go to Alecia's book signing here in town!

It was so much fun! There were a lot more Harrison County people there than I expected. Am I allowed to name them here? Oh, why not. Me, Whit ney Grannis, Nona Ken nedy, Lauren & Haviland Argo, Rachel Davis, Bra ndi McNees, Jarrod Carter, Alecia and her Momma (of course), an older lady none of us knew who said she was from Cynthiana, one of the Case twins (I never could tell them apart), and it seems like maybe a few more but I can't think of them right now. She read an exerpt, did some Q&A, and then signed books. Meanwhile, we all milled about talking and having our own multi class reunion. It was fun and something different to do on a Friday night. Book signing > work anytime!

I literally layed (laid? I never did master that one) in bed for about 8 hours last Sunday after church and lunch and read it. I loved it. Loved it!!

In summation, Queen of Kentucky-- go get it! :)

2012-01-03T13:21:00.002-05:00

I was either really brave or really crazy, but today I ran 3.5 miles outside in the 19-20 degree weather. It really wasn't that cold. I had dressed properly. Leggings w pants over them, a tee, a running long sleeve silky kinda tee, and a long sleeve regular tee. Gloves, earmuffs, and my pig toboggan finished off the look. The sun was out, the wind wasn't crazy, and it really wasn't awful.

It is so much more fun to decorate for Christmas than to take it all down, isn't it? Other than putting the tree in the basement, I'm done with that.

It seems like everywhere is getting snow except HERE! It's frustrating! I'd love to get some while I'm off of work for 5 days after this 3 day stretch starting tonight.

I need to get in the bed (oh, who am I kidding, I'm so already in the bed!), er, go to sleep so I can get up and head to work tonight.

Holla!

See ya, 2011!

2011-12-31T04:48:00.002-05:00

I am so nervous about the UK/Louisville game, I can't help but wonder what the players must feel like. I know they're very competition oriented and on a lot of levels this will be just another game to them, but... mercy. I even made sure not to schedule myself to work Friday night so I'd be able to watch the game. I am going to run with my pal Katie and then will head over to some friends house to watch the game. Then, I'll take a nap and head to work tonight for New Year's Eve. I don't mind working tonight. NYE is a hugely overrated holiday to my mind AND I get paid time and a half. Yes, please. I have some sparkling grape juice to take with me. :-)

We had a good Christmas. I was able to get off work early Friday night and ended up getting home around 1130pm instead of around 10am on Saturday. Seeing as how we were doing our Christmas Saturday morning and Su and the kids were leaving Saturday night, I was super pumped. And let me say this: ain't no sleepin' like Cynthiana sleepin'.

I got several books for Christmas that I'm excited to read. I'm excited to read Alecia Whitaker's book, especially after Susan read it in about a day. Of course, I left that at home. Drat! I also go the Hunger Games Trilogy. And I borrowed a few books from my friend Melissa, so I think there are about 7 I have to read. Well, I guess the term "have to" is relative.

I'm still thinking some about getting a Kindle. I still love the library and holding a book in my hands, but at the same time it would be nice to not have to wait forever to be able to check out the "it" books or have to buy them. Anybody have any input?

It's almost 2012 and I don't have one single trip planned. That is SO unlike me! I can't remember the last time I didn't have something in the works. I'll have to work on that. I do know that Southwest has cheap flights to several cities that just so happen to have baseball teams, so I'm envisioning at least one, if not more, solo 1 or 2 night trips to ballparks. Should be fun!

Happy New Year, everybody!

How on earth?

2011-12-19T00:53:00.002-05:00

... did it get to be December 19? I mean, seriously? This time next week it'll be December 26 and Christmas will be over. That's insane to me. We'll all turn around one more time and it will be 2012 and that freaks me freak. How did this year go by so fast???

I am working my fourth day in a row. I'm still enjoying being a house float. It's similar to being a full time substitute teacher without needing lesson plans. While there have been times I've gone to the same unit the second night and had the same patients back, for the most part I work in a different area every night-- different patients, different coworkers, different family members. The change is nice. It's fun.

I am ready to go home this morning though. I'm tired. I work 3 more shifts this week. It'd be super great if I got cancelled my Friday night shift so I could go home Friday evening instead of Saturday morning and get to see Su and family for more than a few hours at Christmas. I'm not getting my hopes up about that though. I'm so much more an "expect the worst so if anything minutely better than that happens, you'll be pleasantly surprised" kind of girl.

I can't help but wonder what 2012 will hold? Time will tell, as they say. I hope it's full of good things!

Short paragraphs

2011-12-05T06:34:00.004-05:00

I keep saying to myself I'm going to update this more, but I don't. Now particular reason, but two facts probably have something to do with it. A) I've got nothing super of value to say and B) I'm the only one reading it anyway and I already know what I'm going to say. :)

I am currently watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It has been a while since I've watched it and I'd forgotten how funny it really is.

I can officially say I'm back to normal. I have worked 3 twelve hour shifts in a row, for the first time since October. I can say that wiped me out! Being a med/surg floor all 3 nights with 6 patients didn't help I'm sure. I have been babying myself a little bit at the gym, but decided last week I could stop doing that. I was afraid to push myself too much and have even the slightest symptom come back. I think it's safe to say now that won't happen and I need to push myself hard! This steroid weight isn't going to lose itself. :)

I love the light from a Christmas tree. Unfortunately, only one portion of my prelit tree works. I knew the lights were on their last leg from last year, but had a strand of lights on them. Well, with more of the lights out than last year, it still looks pretty sad. So after Christmas I will either be in the market for a new strand of lights or a new tree. Most likely a new strand of lights, unless I find an awesome deal on a tree. Tree itself is still in good shape and I store it in basement up with lights on it, so no worries there.

I initially said I stored my tree in the baseball. Wow. Obsessed much? Speaking of, I am hopeful that when I go to DC for either my friend Cheryl's bachelorette party or wedding that I'll be able to go to a Nationals game. The one weekend, they'll be playing the Reds. That would be cool. We'll see.

Other than that, I don't currently have any trips planned. And I don't like it. I will have to try to remedy that soon.

I have been waking up almost without fail at 4am. No matter what time I went to bed. No matter what time I was supposed to get up. I am happy to report that the last two nights, I did not wake up at 4. Woo hoo! (After all, it's the small victories in life, right?)

Speaking of victories, how about my Wildcats beating UNC??? What. A. Game. Wow!

I still have a little bit of Christmas shopping to do. Hopefully will get it done this week.

I think I have pink eye. I have some drops left from when I had it last time. Hopefully they'll do the trick. It doesn't hurt too super bad.

I'd like to run outside today, but it's raining. I wish all this rain was snow.

Recap of last few weeks.

2011-11-21T04:45:00.003-05:00

The two weeks after I was off a week (demanded by my doctor/searing pain upon movement), I was able to change my schedule around to where I didn't have to work 2 shifts in a row. I was just not able to do it. It was odd to work, say, a Sunday night, Wednesday night, and a Saturday night in a week since I usually try to keep my days together, but since I wasn't able to do much of anything while I was off, it wasn't a huge deal. I was, however, able to do a few fun things during that 2 week "take it easy" period.

I was able to do my annual rodeo trip with my friend Ricky. Boy, those seats and Freedom Hall hurt my knees. I watched the saddle bronco riding from the lobby on the TV-- I needed to stretch my legs. I felt so old and decrepit when upon leaving I had to make Ricky walk in front of me and use him like a hand rail since the stairs at Freedom Hall don't have any. (Furthermore, what arena doesn't have hand rails???)

I was able to make it back to both my small group at church and the Thursday morning Bible study I do with a friend from the ICU. There's something to be said for normalcy, friends.

I was able to attend Lillian's 2nd bday party! I can't believe she's already two! I've already decided that I'll always remember her first 2 birthdays-- the original day of her birth because I was there to witness it (A-maz-ing) and her first birthday because I was in the Bahamas and felt awful that I missed it! She and her bro Nathan are such cute kiddos. And, they apparently always are "calling Aunt Kim" when they play phone. :)

Tuesday November 15 is a date that will live in infamy for me. It was the first time since October 20 that I didn't wake up in pain!! Day 27 was a magical day. I have a new appreciation for people with arthritis, those that have to ask for help to rely on others and ask for help, and for my health. I never ever ever want to go through something like that again!

I had this last week off from work and while I had thought when this whole thing first went down that I'd try to pick up some days and work to make up for the days I had to call in, I decided against it. My body needed the rest. Besides L's bday party, I got a massage, I did a lot of Christmas shopping, I got my hair cut (which looked so different at first, but now I feel like it looks the same?? I dunno...), watch UK play Kansas, went to the Outback (YUM!) with some ICU friends, and spent Friday night in NKY at Amber's. Well, truth be told, I spent most of Friday night in traffic on the interstate, but that's really neither here nor there. We had a care free (Andrew would say "boring") day on Saturday before we went to church and I headed back to Louisville after that.

Sunday was a weird day because I'd already been to church the night before. I changed out my dresser drawers and my closet (old house = small closets) when I was "supposed" to be in church. It felt odd. I tell you what, taking inventory like that always makes me realize how much actual *stuff* I have. I literally had a get on my knees and say "Thank you, Jesus" moment realizing all the ways I'm blessed WAY more than I deserve. My pile to donate or contribute to somebody's yard sale in the spring keeps on growing. Let me know. :-)

Tonight in the first time in a month (exactly) that I've been at work not in pain. I've not had to ice my knees, I've not had to ask for help to do simple things, I have no part of my body wrapped.... and it feels GREAT! I work tonight and this will be my first back to back night since, gosh, now that I'm looking at my calendar-- October 9, 10, & 11! I am definitely feeling up to it!

FQQ

2011-11-18T06:14:00.005-05:00

1. Do you have a go to song that always puts you in a good mood?
At any given time, I have several. But one that has stood the test of time is my favorite song of all time: Nuttin' but a G Thang by Dr. Dre and Snoop. Don't judge.

2. Are you a real Christmas tree kind of person or do you use fake?
Fake, all the way

3. What are you thankful for?
Wow. I could do a list as long as me to answer this. The answer, in short, is my Jesus, my family, my friends, my kitties, my job.

4. Which fashion fad from the past do you wish you could wear today?
I still have this pair of overalls that I L-O-V-E love. I'm holding on to them because they'll be back in style one day. And I'll wear them proudly.

5. Do you wait until the "low fuel" light comes on before you fill up the gas tank?
It depends. I frankly don't ever pay very much attention to the gas gauge unless I'm going out of town, so I often don't realize it's running low til the light comes on. Or sometimes if I'm at the grocery, I'll just go ahead and fill up.

A few things I learned this week

2011-11-18T01:22:00.002-05:00

1. It feels (cue Miley Cyrus voice) really good to wake up and not be in pain. I've had a few minor aches at the end of the day, but nothing, repeat nothing like it was. For that, I'm very thankful.

2. Mom and Dad may never come visit me again. In the time they were here, Dad fixed 4 doors for me, Mom did dishes 3 times, and I feel asleep twice while we were watching TV. Am I great host or what? I did enjoy their visit. (And again come anytime. Hopefully I'll be 100% then.)

3. The heated fleece throw I bought at Wal Mart for 19.99 (or there abouts) may be the best thing I've ever purchased in my life. I've put it down on the bed where I lay on it and then pull the covers up over me. Getting into a warm bed is fantastic.

4. I severely underestimated how much my stamina would take a hit after not being able to do much of anything at all for the better part of 3 weeks. Add the extra 10 pounds I gained because of the steroids and I thought the two miles I ran today was going to kill me. But I'll keep at it. I'll get my running back to where at was.

5. Having probably.... 85% of my Christmas shopping done-- wrapping included-- on November 16 feels pretty daggone good.

Seems like there was more than that I was going to say, but I guess that'll be it for now.

The proof is in the pudding...er... photographs

2011-11-15T02:56:00.004-05:00

If you're me and have a weird reaction that takes several minutes to explain and surprises multiple physicians, and moves around to different joints, you're very aware of how crazy it sounds. I started taking pictures to prove that yes, in fact, something was amiss with me. I wanted to share them here. Majority of these were all taken different days, as different joints were effected on different days. Far left: Forgive the mess on the floor in this picture, first and foremost. You can see how red and swollen my left thumb is in this picture. I do know this was taken on 11/5.
Middle: The back side of my right hand. You can see the swelling especially in the middle finger.
Far right: Front side of right hand

Upper left: I know you don't normally see my feet, but here they are the day after work when I first started being effected, which would have been 10/21. This was not nearly as big as they were on that Sunday I felt so awful.
Upper right: Look at those swollen sausages! Those first 2 fingers were what one of my nursing instructors would call "exquisitely painful". This was 11/2.
Lower left: This was fairly early on, I know before my second MD appointment on 10/26. I only had a rash on my wrists twice and for only a few minutes each time. I was most glad to catch this one, because I was already starting to feel crazy. (If I only knew then how much longer it would go on!)
Lower right: The reverse side of my left hand. I am pretty sure this was taken earlier in the day the same day the one above it was taken.

So there you have it. My hot, swollen mess. I am very pleased to report that I am doing MUCH better. I had been doing much better, but felt mostly awful the days after I worked. My knees would just hurt so so much to the point where it was difficult to walk and going up and down steps was not even an option. Saturday morning, my right thumb area was swollen and tender, but that improved a lot before I went to work. I worked Saturday night and I felt good at work. I iced my knee only once (had been doing multiple times per shift) and Sunday after work I felt downright good.

Today (well, yesterday Monday 11/14) I felt downright good. I woke up in the middle of the night with a sore right knee, but iced it and when I got back up again, it felt okay. I felt good enough to walk over 2 miles and even jogged for about 30 seconds. (Not much, but I don't want to overdo it).

I am off work this week and am hopeful that by the time I go back to work next Sunday 11/20 I will be back to normal. Or at least as normal as I ever was. I am also hoping to exercise every day this week, which makes me feel very much back to normal. I missed more days exercising with this joint pain stuff than I did anything else the entire year. I have to get off this steroid/sitting around weight!

Five Question Friday

2011-11-04T13:31:00.002-04:00

1. What movie do you love to quote?
Um, all of them. Really. The majority of my inner monologue is movie quotes or TV quotes. So if I ever compare your situation to a scripted show, don't take offense. It's just what my brain does.

2. Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?
Yup. Several times. A guy I went to college with and my friend Doug several times. Always with a helmet and never on the interstate. It's fun and I like it, but I don't think I'd dig it on the interstate. And I don't think I'd like to drive a motorcyle.

3. What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?
Isn't it obvious? Take a nap and watch a movie. Also, I find they are good days to clean. Or read a book.

4. Do you prefer a bunch of small gifts or one really big (expensive) gift?
It doesn't really matter. I do like at Christmas to get a bunch of smaller gifts, especially the stuff I need that I don't like to buy (some toiletries, pens, etc). I don't typically ask for super expensive things, but it's nice to get sometimes. The only expensive thing I can think of that I want somebody is an engagement ring. And I'll help pay for that.

5. Do you ever lose track of days and show up somewhere wrong?
I can say in almost 8 years of working at the hospital (seriously? 8 years??) I have never shown up on a day I wasn't supposed to or not showed up on a day I should have. I'm always surprised at how often this seems to occur, especially with people who drive quite a ways to work or have taken their kids to daycare first. I have woken up sometimes and thought "What time is it? What day is it? Should I be at work now?" but it's always turned out okay. That tends to occur more when 7am and 7pm look very similar. A few times, I have tried to go to church on the way home on a day that wasn't Sunday, but that's pretty benign.

Good News/Bad News

2011-11-02T00:49:00.002-04:00

The good news is sometimes with my job I'm able to obtain free medical advice, without having to make a doctor's appointment or pay a copay. So when I saw one of my favorite Infectious Diseases specialists tonight, I decided to ask him what he knew about such an allergic reaction to Omnicef. The good news? I got this info for free and he's seen this severe "serum sickness" before. The bad news come to his answer to my question "How long will it take until my joints feel 100% normal?"

"Two to four weeks."

CRAP!

The good news is is that even after nearly half my shift, my joints are feeling better tonight than they did on Sunday. I'm wearing braces on both wrists (mosty) because they make them feel beter and remind me not to overdo it. Also, they indicate to others I can't do a whole lot. :-)
Baby steps, right??

Um, What's wrong with you? Part 2

2011-10-30T23:39:00.003-04:00

Hmm. Where did I leave off? Oh yes. I probably should have called in on Saturday and didn't. If I were still in ICU I would have. But a new position. And the fact we have to make up our weekend days when we call in.... on I trudged to work.

I actually didn't feel too terrible when I got there. Still sore and stiff. Knew better than to work out (which KILLED me-- ended up not being able to exercise for an entire week!!!!Ugh!) But really, I felt a lot better than Friday. As the night wore on however.... my hands.

My hands started to be really sore probably around 2200 or 2300? I iced them during my breaks and didn't do more than I had to do. It was much easier to do gross motor skills instead of fine motor skills. My dexterity was definitely affected! To the point where by the end of my shift I was having to ask other nurses to hang antibiotics or do things for me because my fingers were so swollen I physically COULD NOT do them. I have a hard time asking for help as it is, let alone from people who have never worked with me as a nurse and don't know my typical work ethic!

Around 0300 or 0400, I called the house manager to come look at me and see what she thought. She's in charge of the hospital at night and as a float is my direct boss. Her first thought was "You need to have somebody come get you and go home". Remember that whole I'm a hard head thing? Yeah, well, I said no to that.

By the end of my shift, my hands were so swollen I couldn't hold a pen and my ankles were swollen enough that I was rocking some crazy cankles. At least 3 people offered to drive me home from the hospital. I know I could have called 4 others who would have come to get me no problems. Did I do that? Of course not. I drove home with 2 feet (couldn't physically get my right foot to move to the break pedal. Like really couldn't). The few turns I have between my house and the hospital (and it's not far. Maybe a 10 minute ride on a Sunday morning?) sent pain searing through my joints. And I consider myself to be tolerant when it comes to pain.

I get to the house and it probably takes me 4 minutes to get out the car and get up the steps. It's at this point I start crying.. mostly because I don't know what else to do and my whole body really really REALLY hurts. I get to the front door. I have a security system and it gives you 60 seconds (maybe 90 I forget) to put in the code before the alarm goes off. It almost went off because that's how slow I was walking.

I manage to suffer through changing my clothes. I couldn't get in bed. I couldn't really get on the couch. I didn't know what to do.

Despite my history of poor taste in men, thankfully, I pick the best friends. Like the best friends. I call Keely because she's closer to me in distance than my Momma. And because I don't want to scare my Momma. I tried to suck it all up before I called but she answered the phone "How are you feeling?" I'm pretty sure I just burst into tears!! I mumbled enough that she knew I was hurting and scared and she interrupted me and said "I'm going to pray for you right now". And she did. For my pain to go away, for my fears to go away, for this awfulness to leave my body, and for me to humble myself enough to ask for help. (I mean, see? I pick great friends!) We made a plan for her to come over later to help me out and I was to call her if I needed her.

I had managed to get in bed at this point, taken my steroids and some Benadryl and managed to sleep for a couple of hours. I didn't feel any better when I woke up so I texted Keely to come over sooner rather than later. She did.

She put socks on my feet. She made me a sandwich. She did my laundry. She took out my trash. She cleaned out my litter box. She cleaned my stove. She did "all the stuff I know you'll try to do when I'm not here that you need to do". Don't you hate it when your friends know you so well?? We called the doctor on call for my doctor and discussed with him about going to ER and was it "normal" to have the reaction get worse before it got better? And she yelled at me to get in bed and not try to entertain her. So I did.

Sunday was an awful, awful day. Monday I was supposed to work extra in ICU and called and said there was no way. Monday my left knee and right wrist were the worst. Tuesday I called in my regular house float job. Tuesday my shoulders and fingers hurt the most. Wednesday my shoulders still hurt and I was generally sore all over. I was supposed to work. I called to touch base with my doctor. Who of course is off of Wednesday and did I want to see a partner. You know what? I did.

I went in and told her of my symptoms that had happened since I was my doctor last. She wrote. She typed. She frowned. She looked at my joints. She had my push and pull on her. She had me bend and stretch. She frowned. She was "concerned about a major connective tissue disorder". Great. She wanted to draw blood to check for lupus and RA. And absolutely under no circumstances did she want me going to work the rest of the week. She wrote that out a prescription pad and I took it to my bosses. And.... she gave me pain pills. Yay!

Thursday when I woke up, I felt even worse than I did on Wednesday when I went back to the doctor. Thursday morning was my freak out morning. I envisioned a life where I some chronic awful disease. Which meant I couldn't work. Which meant I couldn't take care of myself. Which meant I'd have to sell my house and move in with my parents. Which meant nobody'd ever want to marry the disabled girl. I had a woe is me kind of morning.

I again called my doctor's office b/c I wanted to know the results of my test. I took my pain pills and Benadryl and steroids and napped. I thought he wasn't going to call me back and I thought I was going to have to get crazy psycho witch Kim out on Friday. But at 7pm he called me back.

My lupus test? NEGATIVE! My rheumatoid arthritis test? NEGATIVE! He said b/c I was still feeling crappy he was even more convinced that it was a severe allergic reaction. I felt SO much better after hearing that!

I've been taking it easy and trying to slow down and ask for help when I need it. I have run a couple of times and am still hopeful I'll be able to do my half marathon on November 12. I am at work now. I'm sore. The soreness has increased since I've gotten here. But I'm rested. My feet are elevated. I'm taking my Tylenol. (Can't take NSAIDs with Prednisone). I'll probably take a better pain pill or 2 when I get home. I'm not going above and beyond to be super nurse. (I mean, I'm doing my job, but I'm resting).

I am on the road to being back to normal...er.... not plagued by an allergic reaction I've never been normal! I've learned it's okay to ask for help and it's okay to say "I can't". Lesson learned. The HARD way, but learned all the same.

(I didn't really reread this so sorry if this doesn't make sense!)

Um, what's wrong with you? Part 1

2011-10-29T18:17:00.002-04:00

By now you've most likely heard that I've been dealing with some health issues the last week or so. I hesitate to call it "sick" because I've not been what I think of when I think of sick. Maria von Trapp said the very beginning because it's the very best place to start. So here goes.

I see a dermatologist (actually the nurse practitioner) for adult acne. Glamorous, huh? Anyway, we've tried several different combinations of drugs and creams mostly to little or no effect. (Which has opened my eyes to the people who do all the right things and STILL have problems, like diabetics and those with malignant hypertension. But I digress...)

I had an appointment with her on October 12. She changed the antibiotic to a "big gun" called Omnicef. It's in the same class of drugs I have taken before, but can't recall ever taking this one before. I know I haven't with her. So I filled the Rx, started taking it 2x/day and before too long I could tell a difference. The acne still came, but didn't scab over and stay for 2-3 weeks like they usually did.

On 10/19, I went to a Trivia Night with some girls I used to work with and I wore my super cute hat I got at court days. So on Thursday morning, when I woke up with an itchy head, I blamed it on the fact I don't typically wear hats and went about my morning.

After Bible Study, I took a nap b/c I had to work that night. When I woke up, I noticed that my left ankle was a little sore. But I had run and didn't really do a good stretch afterwards. I made a mental note to be sure to take the time to stretch out from here on out and headed off to work, my first time in a week.

By about 9pm or so, both of my ankles, knees, and hips hurt. Also, my left pinky and ring fingers were sore. I knew the only thing new was Omnicef. Luckily for me, one of my BFF's husbands (I call him my best friend in law) works in the pharmacy of the same hospital I work in. I called him and asked him when he got a minute to look up if there was any data on Omnicef and joint pain. A bit later, he calls me back and says yes and sends me some meds to help with the pain and allergic reaction.

So I kept right on working. I've only been in this position for a few weeks, so I wanted to give my best first impression since it was my first time on this particular unit, but as the shift went on, I couldn't hide it. "Are you limping?" "Did you hurt yourself?" They were nice enough to help me do a few things, open some things my weak hands couldn't, and be concerned about it. Even my one patients husbands, who I'd had a pretty deep heart to heart with earlier in the shift, asked me around 6am, "Kim are you okay?" No, no I wasn't.

Once I finally hobbled to my car and made it up the steps to my house, all I wanted to do was get my shoes off. Because it hurt so bad to bend over and my left hand hurt, it wasn't easy. When I finally did succeed in the task, my feet were SWOLLEN. Like whoa. And I wear compression hose while I'm working. I was hurting pretty bad and figured I needed to be seen. My derm doesn't do office hours on Fridays, so I called my family practice guy and set up an appointment.

I didn't change my clothes, but I also couldn't get my shoes back on. It was cool that Friday morning, but I threw on (well, slowly slowly put on) some flip flops and went out. The appointment was a struggle. I told him the above and when he asked me to sit up on the table, he literally had to help me get up on the step. (He's over 7 feet tall, so don't feel too bad for him!) He agreed that it was likely an allergic reaction, gave me some steroids to take, and drew some blood. It was also mentioned that lupus or early onset rheumatoid arthritis was an option, but he wanted to wait until I'd done my 12 days of steroids to send for those tests. I asked him about work and he said it was up to me.

Because I was supposed to be back that night and I didn't get home from the doctor until noon after working the night before, I did call in Friday. I HATE to call in, especially, again, since I'm new to my position.

Saturday, I was better. I was sore still, but could get up and down easier and the swelling was gone. Another day off would have been nice, but since I hate to call in and we have to make up weekend days, I went ahead and trudged to work.

To quote Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman "Big Mistake. Huge."

Things went from bad to worse on Saturday night. Because this is long enough, I'll make it into a second post. Probably later tonight or tomorrow.

My New Job (So far)

2011-10-14T05:09:00.002-04:00

So far, my new job is going well. I don't know if it's a good point to say that since I've only been working it on my own for 6 shifts. Funny that 4 of them were on the same unit-- so much for floating!

My 7-11 part of the shift is busier in a busy type way. Obviously, it takes longer to see and give meds to 5-6 patients than to 2 like I was used to in the ICU. They aren't as sick of patients so it's not a huge deal if I don't see them til later. Busy is different in the ICU, when patients are critically ill. But, most other floors don't do midnight and 0400 full assessments and I was used to that in the ICU, so the middle to end of my shift isn't as busy. It's all a trade off.

I am also not used to not having to draw my own lab work in the mornings. Once, when lab came up and I wanted my guy's results sooner than later, I got the stuff from the lab tech and drew them myself. (Most other floors don't even stock the supplies for me to draw them). I have been starting my own IVs, because it's a skill I don't want to lose.

And I do miss my doctors. Oh, how I miss my doctors I was used to in the ICU. I've seen a few of them-- actually my 3 favorites now that I think about it-- and it's nice that all of them gave me a big hug. Between that and the fact that I call them all by their first names, the nurses that I was working with thought I was a rock star. Ha. :-)

One thing that's frustrating to me is having to get doctor orders for things in the ICU I didn't need orders for. Nurses in the ICU have more autonomy than floor nurses and we have a lot of protocols set that we can enact without talking to the doctor. And it's frustrating when sometimes (so far MOST times) it takes at least 3 pages and an hour or more to get said doctor to call back to give me an order I was used to being able to do myself. Oh well.

Apart from my job, running has been going much better lately. I ran 10 miles on Saturday and could have gone more, but I wanted to be able to walk on Sunday. I did 4.5 yesterday and once it gets daylight today I think I'm going to go to the park and run again. Or the gym. I can't decide. But am hoping to get my long distance in today before I head to Mt. Sterling/Cynthiana for the weekend. Half marathon is less than a month away now! Eek!

Hmmm. It seems like I was going to mention something else on here, but I can't currently think of what it is. Am hoping to update this more frequently, just for myself. We'll see how I do. :-)

2011-10-02T16:38:00.002-04:00

Holy Moly. 11 months from today I will be 30. And that's as much as I can think about it or I'll burst into tears. Bah.

Sermon series is on areas of your life you can "re-tool". Today's topic? Singleness. I told my preacher I was going to sue him for copyright infringement because I could have written the thing myself. Like for real. God's sense of humor sometimes is hilaaaaarious.

I realize I'm only 3 days in, but so far I'm loving my job. I actually had to do 3 days of orientation where I was paired with another nurse, so I'll be glad to actually be on my own again starting tomorrow. The only part that I've had trouble with is answering the phone. I still want to say "ICU this is Kim"... except I'm not in the ICU. I confused a bunch of people last night. Ha. I also need to make a good report sheet. I might try to do that later today.

I've not done so hot on my football pool this year so far. Who ever would have guessed Detroit would be 4-0? Not this girl.

I love that it's fall and getting cooler. I know Kerry would disagree (if she's reading) but I say bring on the cold weather and the snow! I love it. I had a great summer and wouldn't trade any of it, but am ready for fall. Annnnd so is my checkbook. :) So far you wouldn't be able to tell that I don't have a car payment to make monthly anymore. Nothing crazy and money things are fine, just lower than what I prefer. I think it was Keely who one time said there was a difference between funds being low and "Kim- low". I am my father's daughter and like to have a lot in my accounts; what can I say? And that's not to say I only spend money on myself. That would be an absolute waste.

Training for my half marathon has gotten some better. It's 11-12. Anybody who wants to come watch, bring it on! I'm going to try to update here some more now that things have calmed down a little bit.

That's what I love about the cooler weather; life in general just seems to slow. And the snow? There's something sooo peaceful about that.

Happy Sunday!

My new job..

2011-09-15T04:36:00.002-04:00

Technically, I don't guess it's a new JOB. Rather a new position. I am at the same hospital, same shift (7p-7a), still full time. The difference is the unit I'll work on. I won't have one.

I applied and was hired for a house float position. What that means is that I'll "float the house" or that's what we'd call it at the hospital. In short, I could work nearly every unit in the hospital and I won't know where I'll work until I get here. I think it will be nice to meet new people, have different coworkers everyday, and know that where ever I am, I'm only there for 12 hours. I can do anything for 12 hours. Plus, it's more moolah, too, and that's never a bad thing.

I'm baaaaaaaack!

2011-09-07T01:29:00.002-04:00

I think this might be my longest blog break since I started blogging, what, a few years ago? Sorry to those of you that read this. So essentially, sorry, Momma. :) As you could probably infer, (and as I mentioned on my last few blog entries) I've had a busy, busy, busy summer. Yes, that equates to lots of fun but some extras slipped by the wayside in general. Example #1 would be my blog. Also, I didn't read quite as much. And I haven't exercised the way I need to (especially considering I'm going a half marathon 11-12-11). But boy, did I have tons of fun.

Things I want to blog about:
1. Visiting Evansville to see my friend Renee and her sweet kiddos.
2. Several Reds games.
3. Adam and Luke and their hilarity
4. Visiting Janette in Pittsburgh, which overall I think was my favorite part of the summer
5. Visiting Connecticut
6. Turning 29
7. How I won't be getting married on 11-11-11 or be the first person Bucky marries (two things I'd always assumed/hoped would be true).
8. That this year really has turned out to be the year of the concert for me as I saw Train and Maroon 5 in concert
9. How my car is paid off-- free money to my account every month
10. How I got a new job (same hospital) that I'm pretty excited and yet nervous about.
11. Some really cool notepads that I got from Keely for my birthday that the lister in my loves
12. It would probably also be entertaining to do a posts regarding my OCD-ness and quirks. They've come up a lot in conversation lately. Also the ways I'm just a little bit dyslexic (which obviously caused me no real detriment. It's just interesting.)

Things that are up with me right now. I'm going through a spell where I'm trying to be enlightened. AKA not freak about the little things, not overly stress, not hold myself to unrealistically high standards, and to focus on the positive. Frankly, sometimes these things hurt. But growth is sometimes uncomfortable. And growth is good. :)

I am currently reading Bridge to Terabithia. This is the first time I've ever read it. I know for most my age it's a childhood nostalgic classic. But I never read it. I was always in the highest level reading class and that one was read by the middle level class. So far I'm really liking it, even if I don't like the way Jess is treated at home.

I am also currently in the middle of the LONGEST night of work ever. Oy. It's only 0206. And I have to come back for two more nights. And I worked 8 extra hours last night. This'll be fun.

I'll be back to the blog sooner than later to post about most of the topics I listed.

Hope all is well with y'all!

It's been awhile

2011-08-04T23:10:00.001-04:00

It has been quite some time sine I've written on my little blog here. Did anybody notice? Ha. I know I had mentioned on here that I was going to have a very busy July and I did. It didn't lend itself to blogging.

Evidently, I was gone entirely too much because on Sunday both cats followed me around the house everywhere I went. I know that Conan got stepped on at least three times because I didn't know she was there. And they snuggled with me to sleep, which was nice, too.

I went to visit my friend Amber in Brooksville, spent a few nights in Cynthiana, and spent a night with my friend from college Renee in Evansville. I hadn't seen Amber is 5+ years and it had been a year and a half since I'd seen Renee. It was nice to be able to spend time with them and see their kiddos. Luke is now two (what??) and I went to the NKOTBSB concert which was AWESOME, and to a Reds game.

I had breakfast with Keely and family (can you say HOMEMADE biscuits and gravy?) and lunch with Melissa. Needless to say, add all that onto work and sleep and I've not had a moment to myself. Or it feels like it. I am looking forward to getting a bunch of chores done around the house tomorrow and spending the day by myself. That's my Friday usual. I've got to get back in the habit of eating healthy and really exercising. I had to let some of that go by the wayside and let's just say that it's obvious on the weigh side. Up 7 pounds. Awesome. (Insert sarcasm and a fuh-reak out here).

I'll elaborate more on some of these topics at some point. But the next two weeks are pretty busy, too! I just wanted to say hello.

Busy, Busy

2011-07-17T02:02:00.002-04:00

I had a good night on my stay in Mt. Sterling (minus some ugly locked-out-of-the-house-with-an-almost-2-year-old-and-a-5-year-old-making-my-sis-and-BIL-drive-back-from-Lexington-to-go-right-back-to-Lexington incident) hanging out with Adam and Luke. I got some really good pictures but I'm at work now and therefore not able to post them. Luke is talking more and more and seemed even bigger than the last time I saw him, which was about 5 days difference! Ha. Funny how that can happen.

On Friday, we went to the pool where it proceded to be cloudy and then the sun shined all afternoon after we left. Isn't that the way it always seems to go?

I came back to Louisville after supper on Friday night. I went to the gym, cleaned a little bit, and watch the Reds win via walk off homerun style. Always fun!

Today, I ran a few errands and napped before coming in to work tonight. I don't want to use the "q word" (nurses are pretty superstitious) but let's just say that I'm not overly busy. ;-) Like Dad always says, I am available if needed.

Our census has been pretty low at work and since I'm signed up for 4 days the week of the 17th, I may get cancelled. I'd like to get some overtime/extra hours before I take my trips next month. I don't need to per say, but replenishing the supply is never unwise.

I am hoping to see my friend Amber this week who lives in Baltimore. She and her two daughters are coming to Kentucky for a visit. If I work my days, I'll get off of work Tuesday morning, go to Mom and Dad's to sleep for a bit, then head to Brooksville to see Am. Wednesday I have to come back here because Kristen and I are going to the New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys concert. Reread that. Yup, I said it. Jealous? Ha. We're currently debating whether we should dress circa that era or circa now. Suggestions?

I work Thursday and Friday nights and then will go back to Cynthiana for Luke's birthday party on Saturday. Am planning on staying in Cynthiana that night (okay, Mom?) and seeing my friend Rebecca on Sunday sometime. Then it's back to work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights.

Shew. I'm tired just typing that! Lots of fun and laughter and love to be had, but a lot of running, too. Guess that's what summers are for! I have a few things to chose from to do on Saturday the 30th, but the 31 I'm going to Reds game with a friend from high school. Oh, how I love baseball.

August brings more work, two trips, and a whole new list of things to be tired from!

Weekend

2011-07-12T02:01:00.002-04:00

I had a really fun weekend, that really came out of nowhere. I have to do an "on call" shift at work (not true on call, but close enough). At the end of our shift Thursday morning, a coworker asked if she could do my on call shift that night. I agreed, even though it wouldn't hurt me or my checkbook to work some overtime. I hope to get some OT here in the next few weeks.

Sooo, I had Thursday night off unexpectedly. I was able to give blood, go to the grocery, clean some house, catch up with friends on the phone. The best part was that Friday I was able to go to Cynthiana to see my parents, my sister, and my two (super cute adorable sweet awesome lovable) nephews. Totally unexpected!

We had the best time. We hung out, played baseball, laughed, cuddled, laughed at people we knew, and attempted to drive though every drive thru in town without buying anything. (Not really, though we did discuss it!)

I had long standing plans with a friend in Louisville that I wanted to keep so I headed back around lunchtime on Saturday and met my friend Leigh at the movies. We did a double feature day-- we saw both Horrible Bosses and Bad Teacher. I called it a Horrible Bad day. :-) Both movies made me laugh, but I laughed more at Horrible Bosses so I liked it better. It was HILARIOUS! Neither one is one of those movies that changes the world but they are very entertaining.

After the movies, I met my friend Kristen at Old Chicago for dinner and we went to this new place in town called Drake's. It was packed. Who did I see there? Scott Padgett!! Former UK National Championship winner! I sure did walk over to him and say "I'm Kim Gossett and I've been a Cats fan my whole life. I'm from Cynthiana". To which he said "Joe B is from there". I gave him my typical spill about how Cynthiana is famous for 3 things (Me, Joe B Hall, and we make all the Post-Its in the country). I found it quite hilarious that he said to that "I thought Romy and Michelle made the Post Its". Ha. That's the thing about Hollywood; it lies! I also recently got a twitter reply from Rex Chapman so I'm having a good former Cat month, I guess.

Who isn't having a good month? My Redlegs. Don't EVEN get me started.

Sunday I went to church and napped before work that night. Today, I came in early to see my friend Scary Melissa's newborn twin girls! They are precious and so tiny! They are probably the smallest babies I've ever held, poundage wise, not age wise.

I have a packed full next 6 weeks or so. Even looking at my calendar makes me tired! A lot of it is fun but between fun, working, working extra, trips, and the day to day life stuff that has to get done, I could really go for a 27 hour day.

I've also go to do better about watching what I eat and exercising. Things are not good in the pounds department. Well, they are never good in that department, but they are worse. Ah, the never ending battle. Boo.

PS: I had to include that when I hit spell check, nothing was spelled wrong!

Things that make my heart smile

2011-07-07T08:48:00.002-04:00

* Having a friend on your heart and mind and telling her so and the response being (paraphrased) "I cried all the way to work today and God knew I needed to hear that. I'm smiling now". Yay! That makes my day!

*Paying for the car behind me at Chick-Fil-A. Even from my rear view I could tell she was shocked. (As was the guy working the drive thru. I had to ask him twice to put the car behind me on my card, too. Ha!)

*Sending in some samples to become a potential donor on the bone marrow registry.

*Having a coworker say "Can I work your extra shift tonight?" Um, yes. I know I should work some overtime, but having somebody offer to work it and I don't mind staying home until Sunday night.

*Good compliments from people who mean them

*Colby jack cheese. We've recently become reacquainted again and I don't ever want to go without it again.

2011-07-05T08:09:00.002-04:00

Oh my. I don't know if any of you all have every heard the adage that the way through a nurse's heart is through their stomachs.... but it is SO true! We did a potluck last night for the 4th of July and there was SO much food. Mini pigs in the blanket, KFC, cheese balls, chips and dip, lemon cake, blueberry cobbler, Hawaiian sandwiches, brown beans, mac and cheese, chocolate chip cheese ball, and I'm sure I'm leaving some things out! I ate waaaaay (like entirely way) too much. I still feel too full. And am still thirsty. I left my big Powerade Zero at the house. If being a glutton means you're a good American, then I should be first on the civilian list. I've got to start doing better. Like for real.

I'm going to go relax a bit while I watch my morning dose of Saved by the Bell. You'd think Screech could take the pressure of being a hall monitor, but it goes to his head every time.

The Basics

2011-07-04T15:15:00.002-04:00

For the heck of it, I thought I'd participate in the commenting challenge over at Jenna's Journey Blog. Well, I'll try. I do work 12 hour shifts the next 4 days, but I'll do what I can. Thought I'd give you the basics if you're visiting.

1. I'm a nurse born and raised in the great commonwealth of Kentucky. I currently work in the Intensive Care Unit and enjoy my job. I work the night shift. On purpose. :)

2. I'm the proudest aunt you'll ever meet.

3. Big sports fan here. I particularly love the Cincinnati Reds and the Kentucky Wildcats.

4. I love to travel! I want to go to all 50 states. I also want to see a game in every MLB stadium.

There's more I could say, but that's me in a nutshell!

Have a great 4th of July. Be sure to thank a soldier and their family today! Well, actually, you should do that everyday!

Once was lost, now is found

2011-07-02T13:06:00.002-04:00

Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned that I lost a library book and my cell phone.

Yup. You guessed it.

BOTH have since been found.

Ugh.

I found the book first. I didn't feel quite as bad when I went to library and discovered there was actually a form to fill out if you've paid for the book and then found it. I figure if they have a form already then I wasn't the first person to do it.

While cleaning last week, I tipped over the love seat and heard something hit the floor. My old cell phone was face down, right there in the living room. It almost freaked me out at first b/c since I thought it was lost my first thought was "Whose phone is that?!?" but quickly discovered it was my old one.

I'm used to my new phone now so I guess I'll just hold on to it in case I lose my current phone. It'll be my second spare. OR, if Momma ever wants to upgrade to a better more modern cell she can have it. But if that ever happens, I'll buy some ocean front property in Arizona.

The week so far-- Tuesday

2011-06-28T10:04:00.002-04:00

It's been a good week so far, even if relatively uneventful.

Sometimes when I work both Saturday and Sunday nights, I will attend mass at a Catholic church down the street from my house. Whereas my (Protestant) church doesn't begin until 930, mass starts at 8 and this week I was home and in bed by 9. Of course I don't think that one has to attend church every Sunday because our God is too big to be held into a building, but if possible, I do prefer to go weekly. This church had gotten a new pastor and he was the perfect cross between Drew Carey and one of our doctors at work. It was weird!

I worked Sunday night and had a new orientee. This one had been a nurse before but is just new to us. Most of what she needs to know is just our protocols and where things are located, etc. She's nice and did a great job. Speaking of work, I'm quite sad actually as two of my favorite people from work are leaving. :-( Sean is going to work full time at the job he currently works part time. His last day is next week. Steven is going back to school to be a CRNA and is moving to TN. School doesn't start until January so he'll be there for a few more months. In a woman dominated profession, I really hate to see some great guys leave who break up the (for me) monotonous girl talk which I'm not really good at. Sigh....

Our doctor that was on call on Sunday a lot of times will bring doughnuts in for us in the morning time. He knows that I don't really dig doughnuts and that I prefer salty stuff. When I told, uh, I mean asked him to bring in some food for us, he brought up a big bag of chips from the doctors' lounge. He's done that several times for me, because that's just how I roll. Ha.

I had gone in a few hours early for a friend on Sunday night, so when I got home from work Monday morning, I was pretty tired. I woke up several times and did a few things around the house, but actually woke up to get up and leave the house at 6. I fixed some supper and went to the gym. Once I got home, I watched the Reds game and chatted with a couple of friends and cleaned up the kitchen.

For me, I went to bed pretty early and was probably asleep by 1 am. I woke up at 530 this morning and thought about going to the gym then. I decided against it and didn't wake up again until 930. So, that's when I got up and now I'm watching Passport to Europe (can I BE Samantha Brown, please??) and writing on my blog. (But surely you could figure that one out!)

Besides my to do list today, my main plan is to make it to a pool at some point. Hopefully it'll work out!

Vacation Recap

2011-06-25T12:20:00.003-04:00

I had a really nice vacation from work. Honestly, when is 15 days off from work not a good thing? Because I'm such a lister, I'm going to tell you in list form what all I did.

Hung out with Keely and her family

Had breakfast at Cracker Barrel with Melissa

Went to Aunt Margaret's and hung with Walters, Hails, Gossetts in the pool!

Went to Pigeon Forge where we shopped, ate entirely too much, shopped, played (modified) corn hole, had a water balloon toss, did sparklers, attended my first sleepover in over a decade, went to Dixie Stampede, and walked some hills in the Great Smoky Mountains

Got a Loft card. I was encouraged by girls from work to go to that store (never had) and they were right. I LOVE it!

Hung out with a bunch of people from work. (Amazing how much more you can like your coworkers OUTSIDE of work!)

Had a massage. I ran into a respiratory therapist at work I'm friends with so she waited for me after and we went next door to get some ice cream. Yummy!

Went to the pool with Kristen

Cleaned my house, even though I thought it was going to kill me

Hung out with both my friends Sarah and Kristen

Went to the 11:00 service at my church for the first time (started at Easter)

Went to the pool with my friend Keith and his kids

Saw the movie Bridesmaids with Melissa

Hung and with Keely and kids again

Briefly thought I was going to get swept away in a tornado

Had lunch with my friend Leigh

Book a flight to go visit my friend Sarah in CT for a few days in August. Hoping it'll still be beach weather!

Decided I want to actually make and write down a "Bucket List". I've not yet done it, but the ideas are there

Went to the gym a lot. In fact, after I ate entirely too much in TN, I self imposed two a day workouts.

Enjoyed not going to work

Enjoyed laying around the house

I don't think I realized I had done so much, but when you write it all down like this, it does seem like a lot! I wasn't able to sleep very well going back to work on Thursday so I was pretty tired when I was there and especially when I got home Friday morning. The best part? I got cancelled all night on Friday, so I got to do a really long workout AND hang out with my friend Haley. I'm telling ya, be off for 15 days, go back for one and then get another day off? Yeah, that doesn't sound so bad!

Hodge Podge- What I do best!

2011-06-17T00:52:00.002-04:00

I'm going to go numeric here, because there's several things I was going to blog about and I want to keep them straight.

1. Now that I've gotten this blog started, I can't seem to think of any of them. Figures. :-)

2. Will you keep my friend Tara in your prayers? She and her husband Josh spent 4 wonderful days with their adoptive daughter... and then the birth mother changed her mind. Suffice it to say, they are devastated. (To connect, Tara and I walk steps at work together often and it was she and her husband that came to my rescue in The Great Sump Crisis of 2011 that I blogged about (briefly) here.

3. Please continue to keep my friend Sarah and her family in your prayers. I don't think I blogged about it, but the 4 of you that read this, I think made you aware on Facebook. It was her goddaughter/niece Gianna that died at 8 months old a few weeks ago. This weekend will the be first time they Gia's parents will see Sarah's 5 month of daughter and they are all nervous about reactions.

4. I'm ready for my friends to be able to share happy news. Don't get me wrong, I am more than willing to mourn with my friends who are mourning, but I'd like to be able to celebrate when they are celebrating even more.

5. Cats shed. A lot. Like a LOT. Like whoa. This does not go well with the fact that I hate to vacuum.

6. I've decided lately that I need to update the movies I watch. I tend to watch the same movies over and over and over. That's fine, but the "newer classics" I ignore. I've only ever seen Wedding Crashers, Stepbrothers, The Hangover, and many more like that only once and can't quote them or pick up on quotes when they are used. I can quote Billy Madison and Monty Python and the Holy Grail with the best of them, but anything this side of 2004 I'm foggy on. Am watching Dumb and Dumber now. :-)

7. I am having my deck pressure washed, stained, and waterproofed. A much needed necessity... but also not cheap.

8. My toes are itching to be in the sand.

9. I cannot decide if I should keep my hair longer or cut it. It's longer now than it's been since I was in high school. If I got it cut, it would most likely be like how it was here. This is what it looks like now. What are your thoughts? Really, I want to hear them.

10. I got my monthly massage today. One of the Respitory Therapists I'm friends with at work was there, too. We met up afterwards and got some ice cream at the place next door. Yummy. It was an expected, spur of the moment treat.

11. I can't believe I only gained 3 pounds on vacation. We ate a LOT.

12. I am being pretty strict with my diet and exercise (minus aforementioned ice cream) for the rest of July. At least that's my plan. I have one in mind. My weight just fluctuates SO MUCH-- sometimes as much as 8 or 9 pounds in a days time. I don't know how you WW people do it. I never weigh close enough to the same to be able to keep a running talley as to what I've lost or gained. Frustrating, but true.

13. Dry shampoo seems to be a reoccurring topic here lately. I don't know how on earth some people go a few days without washing their hair. Maybe it's because my hair is so thin, but it looks so greasy after a day's time. Of course, exercising daily might have something to do with that, too. Sweat doesn't typically make for a good styling tool.

14. I hate to end on an odd number, so I'm going to think of something else to say for 2 more things. 15 is also an even number, I know, but it's not as odd as the odd number 13. I'm weird and a little OCD I know. I'm well aware. I think the politically correct way to say that is "quirky".

15. This past week, my one BFF had her 8th wedding anniversary and another BFF had her oldest turn 3. They are such grown ups. Wonder what they're doing with a friend who's a young whipper snapper like me????

Nurses Night Out

2011-06-15T01:12:00.000-04:00

FQF

2011-06-10T08:43:00.002-04:00

1. How close is your childhood dreams to what you're living now?
Job wise, it's spot on. While even in college I didn't think I wanted to work in the ICU, I knew I wanted to be a nurse that worked night shift and that's exactly what I am. As far as my personal life goes, I wanted to be married by 25 at the latest... and I'm nearly 29 and haven't had a date for 3 years. So yeah... not so much.

2. What is your one must have item for summer?
Quality time in a pool. I am a water bug.... jiggly pale white thighs and all!

3. Do you have your kids stay up on school stuff in the summer? Or if you don't have kids, did your parents make you stay up on school stuff in the summer?
Self proclaimed dork here. My parents didn't make me keep up with reading and writing. I WANTED to!

4. Do you can or freeze fresh produce?
No. Fresh produce is the one thing that tends to go bad at my house. I need to get better with that. That's just money in the trashcan!

5. Do you get ready for the day first thing in the morning?
Yeah, I avoid doing anything anytime in the morning. If I do have to do something early in the morning, I set things out the night before. Otherwise, I just get things ready as they come AKA fly by the seat of my pants. I'm crazy like that.

Vacay!

2011-06-09T01:32:00.002-04:00

So I'm off work until June 23. Woot! I need the break from the grind of the ICU.

Monday night might have been the best night of my life so far. I'll do a post about that later.

My neighbors (finally) cut down the trees in their front yard today. She'd mentioned it to me several times and seeing as how that's the tree that gives me all the helicopters in my gutter in the spring, leaves in the fall, and bird poop on my car all the time, I was all for it. It was quite the ordeal, big bucket truck and chippers in their yard and mine. (She asked if that would be okay. It was.) When I went to go to the gym today, a couple of the guys were sitting on my front porch/front steps drinking their drinks. I really didn't care, but it took me aback a little bit. The one guy said "We noticed you had seats over here". Um. Okay. But I can't complain. They used a leaf blower to get most of the saw dust off my porch, my driveway, the front walk, etc. I am so glad to have that tree GONE!

I (finally) got to see Keely and her family tonight. I hadn't seen them since Adam came to stay with me back in April. It was so nice and mint chocolate chip ice cream was involved so when is that ever bad??

Am going to breakfast with Scary Melissa tomorrow. I'm anxious to see her as she's about 32 weeks pregnant with twins! BUT, that means I better try to get some sleep!

I promise this is us!

2011-06-04T02:39:00.002-04:00

I forgot to bring my REAL camera with me to the ballgame tonight. The Friday night fireworks theme was "Fincinnati", AKA a Jimmy Buffett theme. They asked for fans to submit pictures to put on the big screen during the fireworks. Here was the picture I submitted from the NC Buffett concert. (Well, in the hotel prior to-- fins to right, fins to left)

And here it is on the jumbotron! It was much easier to tell in person that it was me (which may or may not have been helped by me yelling "that's me!!!") but my cell phone didn't capture it very well. But really; compare the two. That's us!

Random

2011-05-31T00:08:00.002-04:00

I just (as in like 10 minutes ago) finished reading Water for Elephants. It was so good. I really did love it. For any of you that read it, the parts of the book where he's an old man flat out broke my heart. Literally teared up or cried during every chapter of him at the nursing home. I absolutely can't imagine Robert Pattinson playing Jacob, but whatever. I never expect much from movies based on books anyway. And heck, I may not even see it.

So I figured it up tonight and 20. That's the number of days in all of 2011 that I've not exercised. Most of those days were because of something, like I took some time off when my foot hurt, when Aubrey was born, or because of opening day for the Reds. So by and large it was was for something significant. While I think that's pretty awesome, I'd like to think that I would have lost some weight by now. Oh well. Being active is the key, right? Er, or, something like that. Something to make me feel better at least. Some of the days were just a walk or running only a mile or lifting weights or something light and low key, but at least it's something!

There are two half marathons in the fall in Louisville that I'm thinking about doing. Well, I'm thinking about doing one of them. I just can't see me doing 2 in a 2 week span. But I don't know. It's already so blingidy blanging hot out there now, I don't know how the training would go. Still thinking about it.

I only work 10 days in June. I like it and am ready for it. Our census at work has been low so I've been getting cancelled my overtime and I've had an orientee who is awesome so it's not like I've had a rough go of it, but dang it, sometimes ya just need a break! I have been getting my scheduled 3 days; so far only overtime that's been cancelled. I will try again in July to sign up for some extra.

In little more than 3 months, I'll be 29. Wow. I keep trying to say that to myself so maybe I'll be able to better stomach the prospect of it, but so far it hasn't helped. It doesn't help that I have a general disdain for odd numbers, especially 27 and 29. I keep reminding myself that the majority of my friends from high school are turning 30 this year so I shouldn't fret about it too much. It's so bizarre; I NEVER thought I'd be somebody who minded getting older. And yet, here I am... and I so am. I'm never going to be one to lie about my age, but will sure be one to choke back my vomit as I sputter out the words. Blah.

This was quite the random post, huh?

By Numbers

2011-05-28T22:46:00.002-04:00

31- Number of hours I've been awake

1- Number of times I didn't stutter; yup, up since 4pm yesterday

47- Number of items on my to do list today. For serious

1- Number of days I have off in a 7 day stretch (which is today)

11- Number of innings Reds and Braves have played tonight

?- Number of innings total the game will go tonight

19- Number of innings Reds went on Wednesday in a loss to Phils

1- Number of books I thought I lost and paid for, but found while cleaning today

6- Number of weeks it'll take to get reimbursed for my (now) UN lost book

36- Number of hours I spent at work this week with a really competent orientee just sitting kinda bored

1- Number of hours spent uneasy and a little scared that the storms were going to be waaaay worse than what they were. (Too much coverage of hospital getting hit. That would be hell on earth!)

1.5-Number (percentage) above my base pay I'll get paid at work tomorrow night

3- Number of cats I've loved on today

3 million seven hundred and twelve- Number of weeds I've pulled today

All of them- Number of muscles that hurt after weeding, cleaning out gutters, cutting up wood, and mowing today

1- Number of bunions that have been really bothering me this week (the right one)

0- Number out of 97 contacts that could hang out with me today

10 fold- The increase I've had to clean the shower drain since I've let my hair get longer

1- Number of c-sections performed IN the ICU this week

1- Number of times that's happened in the history of the hospital

0- Things else I can think at the moment to tell you.

G'night!

Wednesday

2011-05-25T16:38:00.003-04:00

Last night several of us from work went to Z's Oyster Bar to hear one of our doctors do a talk about a newer drug on the market. Don't be fooled; I mean, I like Dr. Haller most days and now that I've gotten used to it, Precedex is alright... but mostly I wanted the free food! It was yummy as expected. My friend Tara and I got smart. She ordered the crab cakes, I got the fillet and we split in half so we had the best of both words. We also had mushrooms and calamari as appetizers, salad, and dessert. For free. I really could get used to that.

I spent the weekend in Cynthiana. It was nice, though something about that place just makes me want to fall asleep. :-) Sorry to Mom and Dad for falling asleep on the couch. I was there from Saturday to Monday and never did lay in my bed. Ha.

I went home specifically to go to my friend Stefanie's wedding from high school. It was at the Prizing House and that place is really neat. I'd never been there before. There were several of us from high school there and it was nice to catch up with people. Plus, my cousin Luke was there and that was fun. I should have taken a picture of he and I. Oh well. The wedding itself was baseball themed; the men's roses looked like baseballs (hard to explain but they were neat), the program had a "ticket" attached to it, and the centerpieces were tall, skinny vases with baseballs in the bottom and flowers in that. Cute. Even the food was appropriate; sliders and white cupcakes with the red stitching icing.

It's funny how the older I get, the less weddings are a big deal to me. If I am ever to marry, I would much rather focus on the marriage itself and not the big rigamarole of a fancy schmancy wedding. Who cares? I mean, I do want to white dress and to say vows aloud in front of people that love me... but that's about it. (Anybody else thinking about the statement Miranda makes on SATC when she marries Steve? Just another example of how much I AM a Miranda!) I don't care if I do that at the Justice of the Peace, my living room, or Wal-Mart. There are only a few things about the ceremony that matter to me, and a few of those aren't going to be able to happen. It's life. But if I had $5 for every time somebody asked me while I was home if I was married or why I weren't married, I could pay for the biggest wedding you ever did see. Sad but true....

Well, I need to go to the gym before work. You know what I do NOT want to do before work? Yeah, go to the gym.

Just some stuff

2011-05-18T07:37:00.005-04:00

As promised, here's a picture of Adam at the Bats game when he came up to stay for the night. Can you believe how BIG he is?? I wanted this to be at the end, but it came to the front and I'm not going to fix it.

Aren't you all glad that wonderful mid spring weather is here?? Er, not. Glad I spent the time this weekend to switch my closet out for warm clothes. I figure it'll warm up one of these days. And stop raining to the point of a draught. Fun.

I went to go run at the park the other day, with cloudy skies. It started sprinkling a smidge as I was running along. Before I got back to my car, it was full on pouring rain. I was absolutely drenched. Nothing I could do. Even if I had turned around when it started sprinkling I would have gotten caught. It happened as I was smack in the middle of the park. I tried to call my friend who lives right by where I parked to borrow a towel, but she was at work. I took off my socks and shoes, and my shirt to drive home. I didn't want to drench my seat. The irony is that before I got home, the sun was out and shining brightly. Niiice.

I am in the process of having some landscape work done to the front yard. The (rotting) wood that boarded my flower beds are gone and being replaced with rock. A guy my neighbor knows is doing it, and for cheap, too. She had told me he was a "good ole country boy". I think the man has about 3 teeth in his head. But if I know anything from growing up in Cynthiana, it's that those kind of men are dang good workers. I will post pictures whenever it gets done.

What about my Cincinnati Reds being back in first place?? Woo hoo! I had plans to go today, but my friend cancelled because she didn't want to sit in the rain. I don't blame her in the least, but am hard headed enough that I would have gone. Ha.

There are a couple half marathons in Louisville in the fall and I am thinking about doing one of them. Yes. I'm insane.

I can't believe Conan let Will Ferrell shave off his beard off. I miss it. He never asked me if that was okay.

Speaking of hair, mine is currently the longest its been since I was in high school. For the most part I do like it, but man, does it fall out much more when it's longer. I fill like I'm constantly cleaning hair out of the shower and the bathroom in general now. In fact, I was worried about it for a little while and thought something was wrong with me. My BFF Amber has the longest hair she's ever had (right?) so I sent her a text that said "Does your hair fall out more now that it's longer?" and was so so relieved when her reply was "Yeah, weird isn't it?" I had convinced myself I had some weird disease. Ah, the joy of being a nurse! I'm currently trying to decide if I want to keep it long or if I want to get it cut short. I think for the most part it looks better shorter but was assured by Amber that this is the phase I just have to suck up and let it get a little longer. I do like being able to wear it curly some more and pull it back in a pony tail. It's not like I have great hair either way, but I don't want to look like a skank or something. Thoughts?

My jam of the moment is Chris Brown's "Look At Me Now". It features Busta and am literally mesmerized every time I hear it how fast he can rap. It is AMAZING. This is a huge compliment from my fast talking self!

I have a bunch of stuff on my to do list today; I've already gotten several things crossed off the list. Methinks I won't be able to mark "mow" off my list. Better go mark a few things more off my list!

A few early morning things

2011-05-14T07:03:00.002-04:00

1. I'm hoping to get cancelled at work tonight. I'd be in overtime and we only have 12 patients. Since I want it, it probably won't happen.

2. Changing out my closet today. I can say that I'm getting rid of a couple pair of jeans because they are too big and that a pair I'd been hanging onto hoping they'd fit one day DO! Woot. Guess that ice cream must not be as fattening as I thought. Ha. (See last post). I am always a little embarrassed when I switch out my closet (it's small and only holds one season at a time) because I have way more clothes than I need. But I am good about donating my castoffs. And the majority of my clothes are T shirts and solid color long sleeve shirts; not too fancy!

3. If I get all the things done I want to today and don't have to work, I might go see a movie tonight. There are a few I'd kind of like to see, but I'd REALLY love some popcorn. :-)

I'm addicted

2011-05-13T13:56:00.002-04:00

Like seriously addicted to Birthday Bash ice cream from Kroger. This isn't exactly what the carton looks like now, but my oh my, it is FANTASTIC. After several late night/early morning trips to Kroger to get ONLY ice cream, I'm confessing. I've got to stop. My short term goal is May 25. Depending on the level of withdrawl, I may try to go until my friend Tara's baby is born. She and Josh are adopting and the due date is June 15. We'll see.

Catching you up to speed

2011-05-08T11:52:00.004-04:00

Here's what's been going on lately....

1. Adam came to visit. I don't think I ever mentioned that. I'll try to post those pictures sometime and do a post about specifically that.

2. My sump pump broke and my basement flooded. Twice. It led me to meet my friend Tara's husband Josh (soaking wet, no bra, unbrushed teeth) and to meet a really nice plumber at 0300. Surely that's now taken care of.

3. Because (in my life at least) when it rains it pours, my lawnmower also broke. It has since been repaired and used.

4. Life and love is neither fair, nor easy.

5. Several of us from work have decided to start going to these free dinners where either a medication or topic is discussed. Free food at fancy places? Yes please. So far we've been to Ruth's Chris and in a few weeks we're going to Z's Oyster Bar. Yummy!

6. I L-O-V-E Mexican food. (Just in case you forgot)

7. I have to recertify my ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) this Friday. I hate studying for this!! I had to do the computerized version since the class was full. It is much more complicated and picky than if I were doing it with a real person and I do NOT like it. Proof positive that online learning would NOT be for me!! Solid confirmation that higher learning is not something I am at all interested in! You know, until it's free when I'm 60 (or is it 65) and I can take tons of history classes, and maybe even a math class or two.

8. I am ready for a vacation.

9. I would never have watched it if I weren't at work, but it was kind of fun to watch Prince William get married. The hats were crazy, the pomp and circumstance ridiculous, and the bride beautiful. I very much remember going through Nanny's magazines and cutting out pictures of William and Harry and the rest of the royal family and making a collage out of them. I'm not sure why we did that, but always did think it was pretty cool a prince was just a couple of months older than me.

10. Speaking of old, I felt super old the other day when I read an article saying that Ace Venture Pet Detective came out SEVENTEEN years ago. Ouch.

11. I have a terrible case of the lazies. I have got to snap this habit because my house is a wreck and my "to do" list is currently double my height. It's also effected my workouts and that's something that I (or my waistline) can't afford.

12. I can't really think of anything else exciting, but couldn't end on 11. So I guess #12 can be I'm still OCD about certain things! Ha.

So from here on out, I'll try to do better about updating!

Update, no pictures

2011-04-27T13:41:00.003-04:00

Yes, I'm aware I've neglected my blog lately. Now ya'll know how I feel when YOU don't update frequently.

I don't know if you're aware, but it's been raining a lot lately. I've done the homework on a lesson for you. Don't, under any circumstances, unplug your sump pump then forget to plug it back in. The results will not be good, even if you feel pretty awesome that you ripped up the wet nasty carpet all by yourself. Still not worth it. Trust me.

Here's some bullet points to show what I've been up to lately. Then I'll post some pictures later.

** I went to a wedding shower for Stefanie, one of my friends from high school. It was good to see some people I'd not seen for quite some time.

** After said shower, I met Su in Lexington and kept Adam for the night. We hung out with Keely and her kids, watched TV, went to church, to McDonald's, and the Bats game. We had a good time. He's so funny.

** I've been to my first Buffett concert. It was a good trip and lots of fun. I never knew people tailgated before a concert, but those crazy Parrotheads do!

** I went to Cynthiana for Easter (where I took zero pictures).

All the above events were in the same week; I think I added it up and was in the car for 20+ hours that week. Ugh!

Tonight I'm going to a FREE dinner at Ruth's Chris steakhouse. I don't even know what drug they are going to talk about, but for free, I'll listen to anything!

Another Public Service Announcement

2011-04-23T10:30:00.002-04:00

When speaking to a female 28 year old acquaintance, it is not comforting (no matter how much you think it is) to say "Well, if Jane Doe can find TWO men willing to marry her, why aren't they lining up to marry you?"

Not helpful.

Repeat: not helpful.

My New Shower

2011-04-15T07:40:00.005-04:00

I've had my shower redone. It's needed it for awhile and since the tiles starting falling off, well, I decided to go ahead and get it done. It was a pain to not have a shower, but thankfully I live really close to the Y so I'd just shower there and get ready at home. I thought I took a before picture of the shower itself but can't seem to find it anywhere. Here's the before with the shower curtain.

I also had a glass block window put in, instead of the wooden one that was there. I am pleased with the results. Before

Demolition Day

After the backer board was put up and the shower pipes redone.

Finished project! I chose a neutral color, in case I ever want to paint the current tiles. This color would be easy to match. And I picked black trim so at least that won't have to be changed. I don't mind the color difference. Especially since you can't tell it when the shower curtain is up.

Speaking of, I decided to get a new shower curtain. I really like the way this looks. (Ignore the crap you can see on the sink and the back of the toilet.) I also got a new shower caddy, non slip mat, and bath pillow. I think I know what I'm going to do after yoga tonight!

******************************************************************

This is the 2nd post of the day; be sure to check the out the first one!

Better Late Than Never. Right?

2011-04-15T07:18:00.002-04:00

So on March 26, I ran the Papa John 10 Miler. Since I'm not doing the mini marathon this year, I invited Mom and Dad to come see me at the finish line. It was pretty cold that day and they waited 2+ hours outside to see me finish. They are great. :-) I finished in 1:50:10. Which was great and I was super proud of, considering the fact that I hadn't been able to train like I should have because of my foot. (BTW, it has been feeling very good since the 10 miler. Odd that running that long would make it feel better, but I'm glad).

Me before the race. (Did I really just put that awful picture of me on my blog??) A sweet picture that Mom took herself.

The first 2 or so miles I was thinking "Ugh, I don't really wanna do this", but I knew I wanted to see Mom and Dad so that kept me going.

Approximately at mile 3 (right before Iroquois Park, AKA the Park from HELL) I was thinking "Ugh. I hate the park, I really don't want to do this". It just so happens that right before I got to the park was when the wheelchair racer passed us going the opposite direction. I thought about how much he would probably love to run in the park. So that kept me going.

Once I got out of the park, I was at mile 6 and I thought "I got this" and it was pretty easy from there on out. I hate that big hill at the start of mile 9, but it was all good. I ran the whole time and overall, was pleased with the race. Yay!

Rounding third and heading for home. In case you're keeping count, that's a baseball metaphor about running in a football stadium. That takes talent!

I had gone inside the stadium with Mom and Dad and pointed out where they should sit to see me, so I knew where to look for them. As soon as I got inside the stadium, I waved like a fool to get their attention. Can you see me? I'm in the blue!

Again, thanks for coming out to watch Mom and Dad! Means a lot to me!

************************************************************************ This is me and Audrey approximately 5 minutes after UK made it to the Final Four at Fan Outfitters to get our tee shirts. We're cool like that.

Public Service Announcement

2011-04-11T05:01:00.003-04:00

1. Repeatedly saying "I'm sick" will not make you feel well any sooner. 2. In the same vain, repeatedly saying "I'm cold" will not make you warmer. 3. All #1 and #2 do is drive those around you C-R-A-Z-Y! The more you know....

Curious minds want to know... at least mine does.

2011-04-10T01:09:00.004-04:00

I'll do a family post later, but for now I have to say this. I don't typically get caught up in celebrity gossip and all of that jazz. But I DO have one question for Scarlett Johansson. How on earth do you go from this: to this?

Opening Day Fun

2011-04-04T12:40:00.004-04:00

Reds Opening Day was SO much fun! Totally worth only sleeping about 3 hours out of 24! Am has a friend named Staci. Staci's mom works in some capacity for the Reds. Opening Day (March 31) was Staci's birthday so her mom asked one of the players if they had any of their tickets left since that would be a good present for her daughter. She got some. In the meantime, Staci's boss got all of them opening day tickets. So, she shared with Amber who (ever so graciously) shared with me. Not sure which player gave the tickets but our seats were AWESOME! The best part of the whole day was that Reds won on a walk off 3 run homerun!! Bottom of the 9th, two outs. It was your classic movie scenario. When Ramon Hernadez (man I have fun saying his name with my fake Spanish accent!) I told Amber, "Ramon can do it, too". And he did! That one belongs to the Reds! Here are some pictures!

The picture above and below kinda shows our seats. We were on the 3rd base side (which felt a little weird because I usually sit on the 1st base side. And no, that's not a complaint, just an observation). We were between Johnny Gomes and Scott Rolen. (Left Fielder and 3rd Baseman)

The top picture of this one makes me laugh. He was (?) seat surfing. I don't know what else to call that. I bet that hurt, but he went the entire way day. Then, we got to see Jim Day hosting Reds Live after the game. That was really cool; as many times as I've been to GABP I've never seen those guys. I have no idea how the people at home heard anything becasue everybody was going CRAZY screaming and yelling at him. Pretty cool.

My first of many pictures with Andrew and Aubrey. :-) Are they sweet kids or what??

Loserville, Population: Me

2011-04-02T08:37:00.001-04:00

1. I've lost a library book (first time ever) 2. I've lost my cell phone (first time ever). To add insult to injury I lost it in between the gym and my house, which is approximately 500 feet away I feel like such an irresponsible loser!!!!!

Confession and Excitement

2011-03-31T00:17:00.002-04:00

Confession: I have been eating like CRAP (and I mean awful) this week and I figure that if I say that on a somewhat public forum, maybe'll encourage me to stop. That's right, I made "maybe it will" into a contraction. That's how I roll. And if I keep eating the way I have been this week, I'll be rolling everywhere. I've GOT to stop eating! Excitement: I'm going with Amber tomorrow to the Reds opening day! Post to come about that afterwards! Suffice it to say, it will be well worth the cold and sleep deprivation!

2011-03-29T23:35:00.001-04:00

This week's sign that I'M personally going crazy. I check www.people.com this morning and there's a headline that Kevin Federline (the ex- Mr. Britney Spears) is going to have his 4th child. My first thought "Nuh, uh. That'd be his fifth." And I was right. Wow.

This week's sign that the world is crazy

2011-03-29T18:01:00.001-04:00

One of the schmucks from Jersey Shore is now promoting Miracle Whip. ??? Actually, this makes me want the world to END, not just go crazy!

Hodge Podge. And go CATS!!

2011-03-29T02:10:00.003-04:00

I did the 10 mile race this past Saturday. My time was 1:50:10. Not too shabby, considering I haven't been training the way I would like to because of my foot. As for my foot, it actually feels pretty decent. WAY better than it did a week ago! There are just a few positions that I'll turn it in where it hurts. It also hurts to do the motion of puttin my foot in flip flops or house shoes-- you know, where you use your toes to grip? Yowza. I am at work now and will see how it feels in the morning to see what (if any) further intervention I will do. Much thanks to Mom and Dad who sat for 2+ hours in the cold just to watch me finish. I think they love me. :-) (I kid; I KNOW they do!) How about them Cats, huh??? I'm so excited! When everybody was giving them crap about losing games this year, I told them (especially Aud and Jill) not to lose the faith and not be a fair weather fan. And here we are!! I ended up meeting Audrey at Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the last 10 or so minutes of the game. That place was INSANE-- it was SO much fun, blue was everywhere!!! The BWs I went to is close to a Fan Outfitters store, so approximately 10 mintues after the game was over, I had my Final Four tee shirt. (Which I'm wearing at work with my UK scrubs, thankyouverymuch!) I'm very jealous of my friend Bradley who has been at the games and gets to go to the Houston. He works at one of the local news channels. He's be sending me pictures to rub it in, I mean, keep me posted. Ha. So I got the Dish installed last week. I'm not quite sure how to use the DVR yet, but haven't really sat down and attempted to learn, either. I don't know how to move up by day, because I don't want to have to search by the hour for a show I want to record on Thursday if it's Sunday. Does that make any sense?? All I have watched since the beginning of January on television is sports so if I try to watch an actual show, the commercials are so LONG! And since when did Jaguar made TV ads?? Weird to me. I am sad to be working 4 days in a row this week while Momma and Dad are keeping Adam and Luke. :-( Hopefully, I'll be able to hang with them soon. A random pet peeve of mine; bathroom doors that you have to grab the handle and pull open. Grosses. Me. Out! I was blessed last week to be able to care for a coworkers family member. (Well, if you really wanna get technical it was my coworkers boyfriend's father, but they've been together for 4 years and plan to marry, so it's kinda the same thing). I hated that he was here, but was glad to care for him. I'd met her boyfriend before, too, so it was nice that they "picked" me to take care of him. He's had cancer for several years and decided with his wife and family that he didn't want to receive treatment anymore. He died yesterday. If ya'll could remember the G family in your prayers, I'd appreciate it. Back to NCAA tourney, what about VCU?? Wow. I will be curious to see if their coach and Butler's will be back next year. And why on earth did Sullinger say he's coming back to Ohio State?? I feel certain that he's going pro and didn't he learn from LeBron that Ohioans don't take kindly to leaving their teams??? Anyhoo, there are several pictures I want to post, but am at work so I can't right now. So I'll end with again thanking Mom and Dad for braving the elements to watch me run. At least it didn't snow until later that day!!

Happy Birthday, Bucky!

2011-03-26T15:03:00.005-04:00

Classic Bucky shot, whenever he sees your camera unattended.

Happy birthday to the best brother in law a girl could ask for. He daily loves my sister like they've only been together for a few months, when in reality they've been holding hands since 1994. And yes, they still hold hands. He's a great father to my two favorite little guys, Adam and Luke. He works hard at his job to bring young people (or people in general) to Christ. He's great to watch a UK game with because it's like having an announcer in the comfort of your living room. Buck, you've been with us since I was 12 so I've lived more life with you IN our family that out of it. And we're all the better for it. I hope you have a wonderful 34th year, with lots of love and laughter. And many green fairways.

Dedicated to YOU, Amber Deshae Neace

2011-03-22T00:06:00.007-04:00

Twenty nine years ago today, one of the most special people in my life was born. I can't remember a time when I didn't know Amber Juett. In fact, when people ask how we met my answer is simple. "Our parents go to the same church. She was born in March, I was born in September." That's really all it took. Easy peasy.

Amber is the greatest of best friends. Despite her busy schedule of being a wife to a wonderful man Arnett, mommy to two beautiful kiddos Andrew and Aubrey, and bank teller extraordinaire to the riff raff of downtown Cincinnati (ha), she always manages to find time to spend with me. Just today, in fact, she helped me pick out new shower tile via text photos. (Thanks, technology). She'll drive to Louisville to see me, let me stay with her whenever I want to, go to a Reds game with me at the drop of a hat, and always makes me feel like a priority in her life be it by text, by phone call, or by email. Even though at times I know she is, she never is "too busy" to be involved in my life.

She is always willing to listen to whatever drama I have going on in my life with THE most non-judgmental ear around. She knows when to agree with me, when to tell me to get my head out of my butt, when to have to things from a different perspective, and always reminds me that prayer time with the Big Guy will make things better. While she's willing to attend a pity party for me on occasion, she never allows them to last very long and reminds me as a whole how good I've got it. She has to remind me (probably more than she'd like) that I'm awesome and blessed despite the fact that I don't have a husband. Some days, I think she considers me lucky for just that. (Sorry, Arnett!) I know she means it when she says she loves me and prays for me.

Laughter is a given when we're together and for that I'm thankful. Am is one of the few people with whom silence is absolutely comfortable. I mean, sometimes you have to catch your breath from all of our gabbing and laughing. And shovel Birthday Bash ice cream into your mouth. (Yeah... that's mostly me).

In addition to having an awesome family of her own, Amber comes from an awesome family and I consider her parents a second set to me. I will always be appreciative that Ricky and Sherrie came to Louisville for my pinning ceremony. (Isn't it flattering when people love you when they don't "have" to?) They love this girl even more than I do!

While I wish I had pictures from the last 29 years (well, I guess it would be 28, since I am a mere 28 years old-- had to get one jab in there, Am!) on my computer to upload and share with you, I do have pictures from the 3+ years. This is my first delve into using picnik.com so I hope you enjoy them. They are from all over-- ice skating in Fountain Square, multiple Reds games, before King's Island, tennis tournaments, and just hanging at home. (Am, I couldn't find the ones from when you and A1 came to visit at Christmas. ??)

Amber, I am thankful for you beyond words and hope you have the happiest of birthdays. I'll be curious if you take Andrew's advice and go to Chuckie Cheese. I know that wherever I go and whatever I do, you'll always be in my corner and on my side. Thanks for believing in the best for my future on days when my hope is thin. Thank you for being a rock in my life in the gray periods of my life when I needed one. We've had a great ride so far and here's to 29+ more years as BFFs. I can't wait to see you again! You're the BEST!

This week's sign that the world is crazy

2011-03-21T14:09:00.001-04:00

On a commercial for Temptations Cat Treats (which, as an aside, my girls LOVE) it mentions that they are "only two calories per treat". Yeah.... am pretty sure that the cats don't care!

Random Hodge Podge of Pictures

2011-03-20T21:01:00.007-04:00

Audrey, Melissa, and me. While this picture doesn't show it, Melissa is pregnant with twin girls! Little Audrey and Little Kimbrough will be here this summer. She says the names are not set in stone; I don't know what she's talking about.

My friend Alexa and me at her house on her birthday. She made this paper mache' hotdog when she was in high school and has kept it ever since. It makes me laugh every time I'm at her house when I see it in the guest room, so we decided to get it into the picture. (This can be rented for cookouts this summer; just let me know. Ha.)

The next few pictures are from a house warming (apartment warming??) a bunch of us from work had for my buddy, Matt. We always have a good time when we're together outside of work. And at work, too, but still, we're at work.

Kimbrough and Kristen. Gee, I look awful here. Oh well!

Matt and me. He grew this beard in about 6 minutes.

Sarah and Kristen.

Kerry, Kimbrough, and (the other) Kim.

Brandi and Sarah.

Upward bball:

Adam and Coach Buck in action.

Luke and his ear protectors (I think there's a better word for those, but I can't recall it right now). And of course, his tongue. You'll see more of that later on.

Callie. She's soo good to my nephews that I almost like her, even though she's a dog. I jest. I do like her in spite the fact that she's a dog.

Granddad reading with Luke. Again, Luke with his tongue.

My awesome nephews. Even if a little blurred. Guess Luke was hungry. He walked out of the living room and into the kitchen and came back with a loaf of bread and a bag of trail mix. Huh-larious!!

Also while I was home, I went to a 99th birthday party. I mean, how cute are these two? Melvin and Mary Frances have been married for over 70 years. They are sweet as pie. And I think he looks dang good for 99.

That's a glimpse as to what's been going on with me. This and watching a lot of basketball (um, did VCU really just beat Purdue by nearly 20 points??) You know you've been watching a lot of basketball when you start singing along with the Napa Know How song commercial for Napa Auto Parts. Ha.

Am getting the Dish tomorrow and having my guy start replacing the tile in my shower. You know, since it's falling off already. Wish me luck!

Can I just say....

2011-03-17T18:25:00.001-04:00

..... that I have NEVER been more proud to be a Cats fan living in Louisville!!!!!!

Blogging cause I'm Bored!

2011-03-16T22:43:00.004-04:00

How's this for an super intelligent "oh no you dih'nht". Kudos, Grant Hill. (and you know it must really be good if I'm supporting a dukie! But in my mind, I'm more supporting Sprite. Which you know Grant Hill drinks, right?)http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/grant-hills-response-to-jalen-rose/

I filled out my brackets today. We'll see how well I do. It's been several years since I did one. I did one in college based on which mascot would win in real life. That damn Orange will get you every time. :-)

Had a lazy couple of days. Boring is more like it. Just sitting here right now. My foot feels better. It still hurts some but not like it was. I was able to run on it a smidgen today. I ran very slow and only a half mile. Going to ice, wrap, and elevate tonight and take some more ibuprofen before bed. Depending on how it feels tomorrow I might run more. We'll see. At least I'm walking without a limp now.

Made Kristen CDs today of NKOTBSB music. Boy bands at their best. The concert will be fun. She's made me Buffet CDs. Quite the variety there, huh? :-)

RIP Nate Dogg. You will forever be jammed to. Mount Up.

ABCs Of Kimbrough

2011-03-15T13:45:00.005-04:00

A: Age: 28. I am having a minor freakout about being 29 later this year. Better than the alternative I guess.
B: Bed Size: Queen. It's amazing how much bigger it feels than a full sized bed.
C: Chore you Dislike: Cleaning the bathroom. It always seems to be dirty and with me being the only one to use it makes me very unmotivated.
D: Dogs: No, thanks. They aren't my favorite.
E: Essentials to start your day: Quiet. I don't like talking much in the morning. Then a good song and a Coke Zero.
F: Favorite color: Pink!
G: Gold or silver: Silver
H: Height: I'm not exactly sure. I think 5'5? Maybe 5'5.5?
I: Instruments you play(ed): Piano. I wished I had access to one now so I could take lessons again.
J: Job title: Registered Nurse in the Intensive Care Unit
K: Kids: No, thanks. They aren't my favorite. :-)
L: Lives: with my two kitties.
M: Mom's name: Mary Reynolds
N: Nicknames: Bro, Brough Baby, Brodie Odie (thanks Ebony), Fran
O: Overnight Hospital Stay: Everytime I'm at work. :-)
P: Pet peeves: Numerous. Repetitive noises, having to repeat myself multiple times, people who don't turn off their turn signals, to just name a few.
Q: Quote from a Movie: "I wish I had a different life. I wish I was braver and prettier, or just happy. But it's useless to dream, because nothing ever changes"- My Big Fat Greek Wedding (It's a bit dramatic, but I love that movie and I get the sentiment and understand it).
R: Random Fact about you: I won the jump roping contest at Eastside Elementary School in 4th and 5th grade. I'm still a rockstar jumper and usually don't "mess up" until after 100+ jumps.
S: Siblings: Susan and Bucky
T: Time you wake up: Depends on if I've worked the night before. If I'm off several days in a row, I usally wake up between 10-11.
U: Underwear: Essential
V: Vegetables you don't like: Beans that aren't green beans (as in limas, brown, garbonzo, refried).
W: What makes you run late: Going to the gym before I go somewhere and not giving myself enough time to shower afterwards.
X: X-rays you've had: teeth, left wrist
Y: Yummy food you make: Banana pudding, strawberry bread, and I made a mean chicken taco soup the other day
Z: Zoo animal favorites: Giraffes. They are so neat to me, especially that from the neck down they look exactly like horses. They're just cool.

What's going on around here

2011-03-14T10:56:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a busy day. I woke up early, went for a short run (more on that later), went to church, then headed downtown to meet some friends from work to go see Le Miserables. I wasn't familiar with the story line, but it was so good. Like SO good. In fact, I got a little faclempt at the end. No tears, but emotional. I already want to see it again.

Of course, I was getting text updates of the UK game while I was there. We planned on this day several months ago... otherwise I wouldn't have agreed to go. Ha. (Not really; I was glad to see the play). The play lasted longer than what I thought it would so I wasn't able to meet up with my small group. Instead, we ate some really good Mexican food. (We had planned on meeting up again for dinner after my small group, so we just moved up our plans so where we didn't have a break in the afternoon.)

Then we went to 4th Street to watch the Selection Sunday stuff. I have to say that I'm surprised that both UK and U of L are number 4 seeds. Frankly, I thought Louisville would be higher. And Florida as a #2? Please. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the games. I'm not the most excited that we'll likely be playing West Virginia who knocked us out last year. Oh well. Regardless of what happens, baseball season starts in 17 days! Yay!

So I tweaked my foot while running the 10K on Saturday. While cleaning that night, I noticed that it hurt a little bit, but figured a good nights rest would help. Sunday morning, after sleeping 7 hours (wow!) it still didn't feel great. I decided that if I worked it out, it would feel better. So I ran on it. Yeah, not the smartest decision I have ever made. Ironically though it's not the worst decision either. I have it wrapped right now, am keeping it elevated, and will rest it for a few days. I plan on swimming later today.

I got the a few weeks ago season 5 of Friends and have been watching it. I really don't remember a lot of these episodes. They are so good and SO funny. I laugh out loud at nearly every episode.

Here's something exciting that's going on at 2232 Bradford; I can't get the timer on my stove to turn off. Yup, it's going off now and while I reset it over and over again, I can't get it to turn all the way off as it buzzes every 30-60. Surely that buzzer will die out at some point right? It definitely went off the majority of the night last night. I got up a few times to turn it off and had fallen back asleep before it went off again. Sigh.... for someone who hate repetitive noises, it's a bit much for me. It had been acting a bit funky and I knew it was probably going to go kaput soon, but I never imagined that kaput would translate into "not stop going off".

Maybe if it goes off all night while I'm at work, it'll die. I am thinking about picking up extra on Tuesday night. I'll check staffing tonight. If not, I'll just stay home and watch Friends. :-)

Update from last post

2011-03-13T08:24:00.003-04:00

Last night, I dusted all of downstairs, vacuumed downstairs (included the couches which I HATE to do!), did 3 loads of laundry, did the dishes, cleaned the downstairs bathroom, vacuumed upstairs, and switched out the shower curtain. Yay! It feels good to have it all done. But I still didn't find the missing library book. Hmm. I hope I didn't leave it at work or something.

Be sure to read my last post. Lots of good (and useless) information in there!

2011-03-12T17:11:00.003-05:00

Is cleaning your house like gift giving-- where it's the thought that counts? Because if so, then I've cleaned my house all day! My plan is once I do this post to put in a movie and clean the whole time it's in. I'll let you know how that goes. It needs to be cleaned and I have lost a library book somewhere. It's not due yet, but still, I need to find it.

I had the 10K (6.2 miles) this morning. My official time was 1:01:59. Not my best time, but not too shabby either. (Not too far off my best time which was 59 minutes and change). I felt good during the race, too. I'm dreading the 10 miler because it goes through Iroquois park, which I hate. Sometime I'll have to take my camera out there and take pictures of those hills which are surely from the eighth bowel of hell. Since they changed the course, the 10 miler will actually be harder than the half marathon. Yeesh.

On a somewhat related note, I discovered this morning that since I got back from my cruise in November, I'm down ten pounds. I can't really tell that much, unless I'm in my workout pants or scrub pants, which feel bigger. I'd had just attributed that to them being cotton and stretching out as I wear them. I am doing much better on the frequency in which I weigh myself. I may have not mentioned it on here, but I had some serious issues with that around the holidays and was weighing myself waaaaaay too much. Thanks to my friend Leigh for sternly but lovingly setting me straight. Anyhoo, I'm loving that I'm down 1o pounds. One of these days I'm determined to see myself the way I actually look.

A few months ago, we did an Employee Engagement Survey at work where employees rate on a 0-5 scale how they feel about their jobs, their bosses, hospital management, etc. There is a spot where one can mention a specific employee that they think makes a difference in their area. Two of my coworkers mentioned me! I wasn't allowed to keep the comments (not sure why) but one mentioned that I was always willing to help coworkers and build up new employees and the other said something about the unique way I make both patients and families feel comfortable. Ginger (my boss) said that not many people were named and that it was a "big deal" that two people mentioned me. I always try to do my best regardless, but having positive reinforcement and knowing that people notice that I try to go the extra mile makes me feel pretty good. I'm fortunate to have a job that I (most of the time) enjoy and the accolades are a nice bonus.

The last two weeks I've actually had 2 patients and 1 family say something about my awesomeness (ha) to my face. I struggle with knowing what to say in response to face to face remarks. My natural response is to be sarcastic, but know that's not appropriate. It sounds so hokie, but I really do attempt to take care of all my patients like they were my mom/dad/sister/best friend/family and I inform families of things I'd want to know about if it were my mom/dad/sister/best friend/family as the patient. I guess that comes across. In the same regard, I attempt to always help my coworkers the way I'd want to be helped. It's inevitable that some nights are going to be crappy for some nurses and I want to try to help them along. That said, there are some nights I'm ready to leave before I get there and keep to myself, but (luckily) those night are few and far between.

We had a patient and husband come by last week at work. She had a stroke and is in our rehab department and they took a "field trip" to come see us. She looks great! She can walk (with help) and talk and comprehend. It's always good to see the success stories!

I am going to see Le Miserables tomorrow with a couple of friends from work. I'm excited. I don't really know the story, but I've heard the soundtrack a ton because Barbara Rorer always listened to that on the way to school when she would pick me up. Ha.

I can't believe Harrison County didn't go to school this past Friday because of snow. Craziness!

I gave up Facebook for Lent so be sure and email me or call me all of your news!

Okay, I can't avoid it anymore. The dust bunnies are calling my name!

Aubrey Deshae Neace

2011-03-10T17:34:00.008-05:00

Aubrey was born March 4, 2011, weighing in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces and measuring 21 inches long. Enjoy this (jumbled up mess) post of pictures!
How pretty does my best friend look? Would you ever guess she'd just had a baby??

Proud Big Brother Andrew. I bet somebody awesome gave him that shirt! (It was me!)

Pretty Aubrey.

Aunt Kim and Aubrey

Don't we all have days like this sometime??? (Am, I really do think you should sell this to a greeting card company or something!)

Aubrey with big brother Andrew.

Randoms

2011-03-08T07:56:00.003-05:00

I've wondered a lot lately about certain songs. You know, the ones where the "real" versions have... ahem... choice words in them. There is always a radio edit that have the words replaced with something else. I don't know how the singers keep them straight. Surely it's difficult to switch back and forth.

I ran at Iroquois Park yesterday. I've said it before and I'll say it again; that place was designed by the devil himself. Soooooo many big long steep never ending hills. Harumph.

Adam and Luke are awesome. Loved spending the majority of the day with them on Saturday. Their parents are pretty cool, too. Picture to come later. I think my favorite part was when Luke walked into the living room with a loaf of bread and bag of trail mix. Guess the little fella was hungry! Ha!

Amber had her baby on Friday. Aubrey Deshae Neace weighed in at 8 pounds 3 ounces and was 21 inches long. No picture of her as she had to stay back in the special care nursery the first day or so. But take my word for it when I tell you that she's gorgeous!

As an aside, the hospital where Aubrey was born doesn't have a "regular" nursery. They only keep babies who need to be monitored, otherwise they are in the room with Mom. I thought that kind of odd. But if you want them to keep your baby, you can ask them to and they probably will. Hmm.

Speaking of babies, my friend Melissa (the infamous Scary Melissa) found out yesterday she's having two GIRLS! I've been telling her that all along. Man, I love to be right. :-)

Well, I guess I'm going to try to find something to eat for breakfast. I really want some hash browns, but don't even have potatoes so I guess that's out of the question. Hmm.

Gonna be a long one

2011-03-02T09:03:00.003-05:00

I wasn't able to sleep very well last night. I think I fell asleep around 0400 and woke up at 0615 hungry as all get out. I got up, made some pancakes, finished and submitted my taxes (always makes me nervous), and now it's 0900 and I'm tired. But, I'm meeting my friend Katie to run at 1230, so I don't want to go to sleep now because there will be a good chance that I won't wake up in time. So, it'll be a long day. Blah.

My last race (a 5K) went SO well! I met up with Katie and we ran together and it was great! We both put up our best race times ever. I did 3.1 miles in 28:35! I was super pumped! It's one of the main reasons I want to meet up with her today to run, because we're going to try to run the 10K race together next Saturday.

This Saturday? I'm going to watch Adam play Upward basketball. I'm excited. I wish I could have made it to more games, but going to the last one will have to do. I talked to him on the phone a few weeks back and asked him about basketball and without missing a beat he said, "It's good. You coming?" I nearly drove past the hospital and went right then. Thank goodness he hasn't learned how to say "Can I have all the money in your checking account?" because I think I'd have to give it to him then file for bankruptcy. (Note to Su and Buck: If you ask him to say that and I do go broke, you have to house and feed me!)

I thought for sure I'd have to work my support (kinda like "on call") shift last night, but I didn't. I ran and lifted weights, made supper, watched Love, Actually, watched the UK game on espn.com, almost had 7 heart attacks during the game, and then couldn't sleep. Tomorrow I have to go check off on certain skills at work that we have to do every year to prove that we're competent. I couldn't go to the last Competency Day, so I have to go to this one at some point between 7a and 7p, and then work at 7p. Bugger. Then Friday, I've signed up for extra. I wouldn't mind getting cancelled though so I could get to Adam's game sooner. I have somebody coming in early as it is for me on Saturday and I plan on being able to leave straight from the hospital.

I am officially going to Pittsburgh to see Janette in August. I'm excited! I could have been leaving tomorrow for Vegas, but decided against it. I'm still okay with my decision, but I would like to have another trip on the books.

I think everybody who reads this blogs has husbands and children to fill their lives with joy, activities, and happiness. Me? I have travel, UK basketball, and Reds baseball. At least that's something, right?

Five Question Friday

2011-02-25T14:23:00.003-05:00

1. Can you drive a sick shift.
I have before, but no. This is despite the fact that I drove a stick shift from Pennsylvania to Kentucky and can hold my own on a tractor. First gear is, as they say, a bee-yotch. It's all good after that.

2. What are two foods that you just can't eat?
My gut instinct is to say mustard, but I don't know if that's technically a "food". I've never heard of anybody serving mustard for dinner. Easily, my answer is blueberries and any kind of olive. Both taste just like dirt to me. Blech!

3. Do you buy Girl Scout Cookies? What's your favorite kind?
I don't, because if I do I'll eat them and my bum is big enough, thank you very much. My favorite kinds are Peanut Butter Patties (are those the ones known as Somoas to some? Yup, the names of the cookies aren't universal. Isn't that weird?), Thin Mints (esp straight from the freezer), and Shortbreads. An aside, I HATED selling cookies when I was a Girl Scout.

4. How do you paper yourself?
I get monthly massages. This just started this year, so I've only had 2, but I'm already looking forward to it. Fridays that I'm not working are Kimbrough days. I go to yoga at the gym from 6:30-7:30, then hang out at the house by myself, usually fix a late supper and watch a movie or something. I am willing to DO things on Fridays, but if somebody says to me they can do either day, I'll pick Saturday. Fridays were hard for me for a long time because they were the day that my ex and I always hung out with his family. Then, it was always the days my friends spent with their significant others. I finally decided to grab Fridays by the horns and make it MY day and it's been good ever since.

If you want to read more responses, head over to http://fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com/
for more!

This week's sign that the world is crazy...

2011-02-24T18:49:00.002-05:00

Now, I didn't see this with my own eyes, but one of our doctors did and I'd trust him with my life, so I believe him!

We had a 3 year old who came through the emergency room at work... who weighed NINETY pounds! That's 9-0. He had to wear a c-pap machine when he slept because he had sleep apnea! I don't care what the laws say, that is child abuse!

Holy Moly! What a great concert!

2011-02-21T03:31:00.002-05:00

Wow! The Jerrod Niemann, Darius Rucker, and Brad Paisley concert was AWESOME!!!! It might hold the top spot of concerts I've enjoyed. It helped that I had great company. (The only down side of the night was that my camera wasn't charged so I wasn't able to take pictures. Booooo! I was too sad about it).

This was the first time I'd been to The Bucket (AKA The Yum Center). It's really nice in the lobby/common areas. There are tons of bathrooms, and lots of space by the concession areas and things are really well marked. However, once you get into arena itself, the seats are SUPER STEEP! (Keely saw a guy with bloody legs where he fell. Yikes. Thankfully, it wasn't her!)

We got to our seats just as Jerrod Niemann was performing. He had such a good presence with the audience and talked a lot and got the crowd into his songs. He's one of the better opening acts I've seen to where I was pumped up! Plus, he was very appreciative of the crowd and made note that the song "Lover, Lover" changed his life and thanked us all for it. (AND, I think it's cool that he and his band did a free concert at 4th Street Live after the show!)

Darius Rucker. Oh, Darius. How I love thee. I don't think that I realized how much I loved him until the concert. I was hoping he'd sing some of his Hootie and the Blowfish songs... and he DID! Rocked the house and was a total cutie. I REALLY wanted him to sing Walking in Memphis... something his keyboardist (who rocked) started playing reminded me of that opening intro and he would have rocked it out. I mentioned as much to Keely and her eyes got big and she said "Oh, he SO should!" I think I'm going to try to figure out how to email him and let him know that he should do that song... and to send me a copy of it! Ha. He, too, was very appreciative of us country music fans: "Thank you for letting me in your world". He did cover Prince's Purple Rain and that rocked!

Brad. This is the 3rd or 4th time I've seen him concert and he is a great performer. He didn't get voted Entertainer of the Year for nothing! On the big stage, he had mics set up in 4 different places so he could sing in different spots and "work" various parts of the crowd. At one point, he walked off stage to a small stage in the back (where the seats are similar to the ones he could afford growing up) and did an acoustic set. It was awesome!

The whole name of the Tour was the H20 tour, so water was involved everywhere. During the acoustic set, Brad sat on a diving board in a "pool". (And I think that's why Darius sang Purple Rain)It was just so cool to see Brad sitting there on the end of this diving board, kicking as feet as he's playing his guitar. Awesomeness!

All in all, it was a fabulous night with fabulous people... even if I didn't have my camera!

Thoughts on a mini, and other ramblings

2011-02-17T11:53:00.003-05:00

So, about the mini marathon (half marathon- 13.1 miles)... I'm not going to do it. There are several reasons. They are as followed:
~~There is about a month between the 10 mile race and the mini. Keeping up with a running regimen as heavily as I would need to for an extra month would stress me out and I'm busy a lot of that month. Yes, it's silly stuff like finding time to exercise that stresses me out, not taking care of peoples LIVES in the ICU. Makes no sense to me either.
~~Second, my bunion hurts all the time. No, not an excruciating pain, but the dull, painful ache is always there in my right foot, sometimes in my left.
~~The date of the mini is also my weekend to work and I'd have to find somebody to switch with me and I've traded a lot of weekends in May and June already.
~~I'd like to go somewhere fun to run the second day I'm there an sight see.
~~And, I like what Keely said-- run for something that supports more than the Kentucky Derby Festival.
So while part of me thinks I'm copping out by not doing it (and I can't focus on that part too much or it gives me anxiety), I am sticking with my decision. I think.

******************
My bathroom hates me currently. My toilet broke the other day and (though it took me FAR to long to figure it out) I fixed it myself. Mostly. Good enoughly. That same day, some tile in the shower fell off. Sigh. I'd known I needed to have it re tiled, but was avoiding it until I could avoid it no longer. That time is here! My guy is going to get to it in a few weeks, but I'll have new tile and a glass block window once he's done. (Another reason I'm not doing the mini-- I'll need to work extra for repair costs! Well, not NEED need, but I will.)

*******************
Still no cable or satellite here. It's funny because I thought I'd get a lot more stuff done around the house, but I really haven't. Guess it's just proof that my laziness can't be blamed on television. Ha. I've gotten out of the habit of list making, which I'm going to have to get back in the habit of. If it's on a physical, tangible list, I'll want to get it done. I also need to stop sleeping so much. Once these flannel sheets come off the bed, I think that will be easier!

2011-02-14T08:20:00.002-05:00

Isn't it nice to be able to swallow and not feel like you've swallowed a bunch of sandpaper? Isn't it nice to be able to talk when you first wake up? Don't you just love the person who invented the humidifier? I know I do?

I nearly grew into my sheets over the weekend, but I am feeling 100%. Other than my right bunion really bothering me. But that's nothing. I absolutely hate having a sore throat!

One night down; two more to go. Then, 4 days off. Activities include a massage, dinner with my friend Emily, and the Brad Paisley/Darius Rucker concert with Kayla and Keely. I might even go find a new shirt to wear to the concert. I'm wearing my cowboy boots for sure. :-)

FQF

2011-02-11T13:57:00.000-05:00

1. Would you rather be on ABC's Extreme Home Makeover or TLC's What Not to Wear?
I've mentioned this before on my blog-- What Not to Wear for sure! I think that show would do me a lot of good for my body image and I'd love to see what they'd do to my hair. Of course I mean, after me and Stacy had a knock down drag out fight. Cause I'm pretty sure that would happen. :-)

2. Do you have any tattoos?
Nope. Tattoos in general aren't my thing, but I know what I'd get.

3. Do you tell your kids about things you did growing up?
Not applicable. But I L-O-V-E-D hearing my Dad talk about things when he was growing up. I was always mesmerized by the stories from the farm and school and his time in the Army. I literally hung on every word and thought that he was the coolest man alive! I still think that, now that I think about it.

4. If the traffic signal turns yellow, do you stop or speed up?
I rarely speed up unless I'm on the way to work or at a light that is red FOREVER! It depends on how close I am on whether I just go through or stop. Sometimes I maintain that the light is pink. :-)

5. What's your preference: chocolate or chips?
Again, if you've kept up with my blog at all, you know that this isn't a question for me. I'm a salty, salty, salty girl so I'd say chips. My sis got all the chocolate lovers genes in the family!

Post # 3 of ???

2011-02-08T22:00:00.000-05:00

51. When I love, I love deeply and hard. It's hard to get around my (high, thick) walls, but once you're in, you're in.
52. I'm willing to try new things.
53. I can see the positive side to most circumstances.
54. I have a love for all four seasons.
55. I am a good friend.
56. I can sleep anywhere. Anytime. Any how.
57. My walks with Melissa. And just Mo in general.
58. Ebony and her family.
59. As proof of #55 I've been a bridesmaid a lot. Su, Amber, Holly, Amber, Audrey, Ebony. More??
60. I've been the Maid of Honor 3 times-- Su, Am, Aud. (The first Amber-- they've each only gotten married once. ha)
61. I'm not a picky eater
62. Scrubs (the TV show)
63. Classic Movies I watched while growing up
64. Disney Movies
65. I'm a pretty organized chick
66. I say something in those awkward moments when you're not really sure what to say. For example, when a loved one dies or something tragic happens. I'd much rather say "I'm not sure what to say here, but I want to say something" then give the impression that I don't care by keeping silent.
67. Country music
68. Rap music
69. Pandora
70. Music in general
71. Old School television shows
72. I know every episode of Saved by the Bell
73. I have praying friends
74. Even when I don't understand (which is often) I believe that God has a Sovereign plan
75. Some Reds players have responded to my tweets!
76. I can see really well at night/in the dark. Thanks, huge pupils!
77. I've always loved that I was one of the youngest ones in my graduating class
78. I am disciplined. But in a crazy paradox, I have no self control.
79. I have a good memory and remember silly details and useless information
80. I balance my checkbook to the penny

Twenty Things

2011-02-08T04:24:00.002-05:00

1. Not a whole lot exciting has been going on.

2. Have any of you watched True Blood? I just finished the first season on Netflix. I've never watched anything like it before. It freaked my freak about 60% of the time, but the other 40% was so intriguing I kept watching. But I sure did have every light in the house on while watching it. (I'm kinda a chicken when it comes to scary stuff on television. Minus the "kinda").

3. I always set unrealistic goals for myself when I have several days off of work. You'd think after seven years (nearly) I wouldn't do this anymore. I'm thinking this stops now. Like the thing on my fridge says "I cannot hold myself to impossibly high standards".

4. Not gonna lie; it bothers me when people have their second marriage before I have my first one.

5. Conan gave me a heart attack on two separate occasions today. I had done a chore outside and came in to put something in the basement. I realized I left something in the trunk and though I didn't want to go back outside right then, I did. I opened the door and there is Conan-- on the outside of door! She must have gotten out when I came in but I didn't see her. Shew! Thank goodness I went outside when I did! This evening, I was getting the rolls out of the oven when I dropped something. I turned to pick it up and turned back to the oven just in time to see Conan trying to jump into the (very hot) stove. I yelled really loud and she didn't jump. Shew!

6. I really haven't missed having television. I do miss sports and currently plan on getting the Dish before baseball season starts at the end of March (I think) but I am enjoying the break in both the television and the super expensive cable bills. Everything I want to watch, I can find online.

7. In January, I gave up fast food. If you'll remember (if I mentioned it on here) I want to do something good for mankind (from my "Do Gooder" list) each month as well as give something up in month. There were a few times that I really wanted to stop and get something before work, but for the most part, it was easy to do. I did, however, enjoy last week having McDonald's with Amber and Andrew. Yummy. I haven't had it since. Maybe I'll just limit myself to once a month.

8. I also think it's crap that I can change my diet and exercise all the time and see no results, but if I eat bad for a couple days or don't exercise on a regular basis, I can tell a difference in THAT. In the same vain, I hate when people have babies and look better than me in approximately two months. It's not fair. I know life isn't fair, but it feels better to moan and groan about it.

9. In quasi related news, I now hate my belly more than I hate my thighs. I have to say it's weird to not hate my thighs more than anything, since I've done that since.... well, as long as I can remember. I don't like my thighs by any means, but stomach wins (or loses??) Despite the fact that I do 200 crunches a day. **Sigh.**

10. I wasn't able to do my "do- good" activity for January. I went twice to donate blood and my hemoglobin level was too low. I did, however, make a donation of "stuff" to charity and help my friend Tara make the profile book for she and her husband to adopt. So I did do some good things. I'll try to donate again this month.

11. Let me say this about UK basketball this year. I'm a true blue fan. Always. I dare say that any other team who lost the talent they lost last year couldn't have the record we do. They are very young and haven't quite figured out that playing UK is like the finals of the Tourney for a lot of other teams. Yes, I hate losing as much as the next lady, but I don't think it's quite the crisis situation that some make it out to be. I think most/all of our freshman will be back, so I'm already excited about next year.

12. I'm even more excited about baseball season. Pitchers and catchers reported today! I cannot wait to get to GABP! I am hopeful that I won tickets to opening day. :-) (Hey, a girl can dream!)

13. I haven't figured out what do good activity I'm going to do for February yet. Maybe I'll try to donate blood again. I am giving up both television (aforementioned) and Coke Zero at home. I can get it out or at work, but I'm not going to keep any of it in the house.

14. I have been watching a lot more movies since I don't have television. I'd forgotten how funny all Austin Powers movies are. And The Princess Bride. And My Big Fat Greek Wedding. And Billy Madison. And Big Bang Theory. (I know, not a movie, but I love watching it).

15. I don't have any major trips planned for this year. So far, this year is turning out to be the year of the concert/play. I have tickets to Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker (in less than 2 weeks! Woot!), Les Miserables, and NKOTBSB. As in New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys. That's right, jealous? Because Kristen conceded to go with me to that, I'm going to a Buffet concert with her.

16. While all of the above is going to be super fun, I'd still like to add at least one new state into the mix. And one new baseball stadium. Janette, I think I'm coming for ya. And going to a Pirates game while I'm there. I'll be in touch about some dates. :-)

17. I've set the bucket list type goal for myself to go to all of the MLB stadiums before I'm 40. I say bucket-list type because ideally, I won't kick the bucket at 40. Audrey and I have talked about going to St. Louis. And my cousins in ATL are always telling me to visit, so I have some options.

18. I had the opportunity to go to Vegas next month. But the girls that invited me can be wild in Kentucky and I was afraid to go to Vegas with them. 90% of me is proud for not going, but the other 10% of me wishes I was going out of town in four weeks. And getting a new state in. Still, I know it's the wise decision.

19. When I look in the mirror lately, I feel like I look old. Not really "old" per say, as I don't really feel one is old until they are approximately 85-ish, but I see wrinkles and just feel like I'm looking older.

20. I have a working list of movies I need to get on DVD, so that way if I ever find them on sale for cheap, I can buy them. I'm really looking forward to Monster's Inc and Dumb and Dumber.

Speaking of, I've probably made you dumber by reading all of this, but I hope you enjoyed!

This week's sign the world is crazy

2011-02-07T19:01:00.002-05:00

My friend Brandi from work lives in a small (smaller than Cynthiana) town in Indiana. She goes to the tanning bed (even though I think nobody should go to the tanning bed. You know, unless you like looking like leather and having skin cancer-- but I digress. But seriously, quit going). Before she goes in to the tanning bed, she had to get her fingerprint scanned to ensure that somebody isn't trying to use her account! Isn't that crazy!?! Brandi has a license to conseal and carry a weapon so her fingerprint is on file anyway; otherwise she wouldn't have done it. That seems a bit extreme to me!

This week's sign that the world is crazy

2011-01-31T10:35:00.003-05:00

14 % of people surveyed said they'd make sure their pet was out of their burning home before their spouse was out safely.

There's another question to add to my 'getting to know you list' if I ever date again...

2011-01-29T10:19:00.000-05:00

Is Steve Nash not the oddest looking person ever?

A few pictures from my week.

2011-01-28T13:39:00.002-05:00

Here's is what is supposed to happen: I draw blood from my patient and send it to lab. Lab runs the ordered tests and puts results in computer for me to see. Last night at work, I had drawn some timed labs and needed to make changes based on the results. I waited and waited. I called and was told it should be resulted in about 5 minutes. Cool. I wait 10 and still no results. I call again. They said, yeah they are resulted. I argued because I had no results in my computer. I even logged off and logged back on and nothing. He said he'd give them to me over the phone, which I took (hesitantly because I can't be 100% certain that he's reading the exact ones I want and I'm changing medicines/drips around based on these lab values) but told him that I still needed the results so the doctor could see them. At this point a doctor couldn't because if they aren't in my computer system (which they should have been) they aren't in the doctor's system either. So Jake, from the lab, say "Do you want me to print it out for you?" Assuming it would be just the 1 page of labs I was looking for, I said sure.
THIS is what I got! They printed every lab result in her 3+ week stay. And the kicker is, the first time they printed them out---- the results I wanted STILL weren't there. So they printed it again-- two more times! And you know what? It still didn't cross over to our system for another 3 hours!! It goes back and forth on which department is more frustrating, lab or pharmacy. Lab definitely won this time! (Coke can there for comparison!) As an aside, my manager was going to make their manager give us 3 reams of paper and an ink cartridge!

Part of the equipment I was dealing with at work this week. I wanted to give a good impression as to why the type of patients these are have their own personal nurse-- so much to deal with. The big box looking thing is an artificial kidney. Glad God didn't design ours to be that big, aren't you? Keep in mind that this picture doesn't show 3 more IV pumps, a PCA (pain) pump, a wound vacuum, and a ventilator. Safe to say that this young lady is pretty sick. Say a prayer for Mrs. X?

The old man from Up was at the gym with me on Monday!! I nearly burst into tears when I saw him. That movie ruined me. I never want to see it again!

2011-01-27T21:42:00.002-05:00

So the 0.2 of you who read this blog, sweet Audrey is home and fine. It was determined that nothing was seriously wrong with her-- Praise God! Despite Sarah being pregnant for nearly 41 weeks and Audrey weighing 9 pounds at birth, she showed some signs of being premature-- of of them being she forgot to breathe every once in a while. They are now home, without any monitors at all, and very much enjoying their time bonding as a family.

I'm debating on scrapping the blog and just typing things as a journal for myself. I guess that's really what this is, but I've kinda lost my zeal for it. I enjoy it, but I dunno if it's worth my time to make it purty when only I read it. We'll see. Still debating.

Goal Met!

2011-01-22T16:53:00.003-05:00

I ran 26.25 miles total this week! I was able to meet my goal and run at least 2 miles every day. And my bunions? They hurt. But otherwise, I feel great!

Yes. I took pictures of my feet. :-) You can see the redness there. No blisters (thank goodness) just a constant dull ache. Guess I should start taking ibuprofen for that.

You can see my bunions pretty good there. The little buggers.

**********

Update on Audrey: She had an episode free night last night. Ideally, prayers were answered and she'll never drop her sats again. But if she's going to, the doctors need to see it!

Prayer Request

2011-01-21T14:19:00.002-05:00

Remember when I went to Connecticut to visit my sweet friend, Sarah? We had the best time. This is us in the New Haven subway terminal awaiting a train to go to Manhattan. She was around seven months pregnant while I was there. On January 10, 2010, she gave birth to sweet Audrey Harper Luerman.

See? I told you she was sweet. And little Miss Audrey needs your prayers right now. When she was about a week old, they were admitted to their local hospital after a few spells where she'd quit breathing and turn purple. They ran a multitude of tests and found nothing wrong. They sent her home with an oxygen sensor.

Well, last night and today, the sensor picked up saturations in the 80's. It should be 100. Or at least in the high 90's. They are on their way to New Haven again, except this time to go to Yale Children's Hospital.

Will you please pray for my sweet friends? They are in Connecticut and her family is from Ohio and his is from Kentucky. Will you pray for peace for Sarah & Greg? I can't imagine how anxiety provoking this must be. Will you pray that the staff there can figure out what's wrong with Audrey? I appreciate it and I know the Luermans do, too.

I love organization and goals update!

2011-01-19T13:42:00.003-05:00

I recyclable and use reusable grocery bags. (Most of the time; I reuse all the regular bags, too). I just haven't had a great method of doing such. I use a couple large empty kitty litter containers for my plastics and glass and a Rubbermaid container for paper products.
Or I did. See above, just not very organized. The second Rubbermaid container is cat food. It just got to be a mess and in the way of going down to the basement, which is to the left.

Here's my after:

I found this recycling bin at Wal Mart for $18. I love it! It has a top, where I can put my cat food and the bins are much larger then I had before.

The best part? When they're full and I'm ready to go drop off my recyclables, these bins just come out and have handles on both ends. I love it! Isn't it the little things in life??

**************

As far as what I wanted to do on my days off, I was able to do most of them. My bedroom is clean, laundry is done, and I've run everyday so far. :-) It does make me more hungry but it also makes me feel so good! I'm not done with my book, but have put a good dent in it. It is so good so far! I can't wait to share it with Amber, who is on bed rest the rest of her pregnancy. :-(

I can't think of what else I was going to do, but I've been pretty productive. My favorite thing so far is that my Insight bill was cut in half since I got rid of my cable! Woot! I will get Dish eventually, but am liking not having anything right now.

Books I Read in 2010

2011-01-17T23:22:00.002-05:00

1. The Lovely Bones byAlice Sebold
2. The Blindside by Michael Lewis
3. This Much I Know is True by Wally Lamb *
4. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
5. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown *
6. The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot
7. Getting Warmer by Carol Snow
8. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
9. The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright
10. Wedding Belles by Haywood Smith
11. I Will Carry You by Angie Smith
12. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini *
13. Sweetwater Run by Jan Watson
14. Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
15. True Lies of a Drama Queen by Lee Nichols
16. The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kruas
17. The Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kruas
18. The Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch by Haywood Smith
19. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
20. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
21. Alternatives to Sex by Stephen McCauley
22. Glory Gone Forgotten by Barry Goodall, Jr.
23. A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
24. The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards *
25. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
26. Shades of Blue by Kathy Kingsbury
27. Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger
28. The Diary Queen by Allison Rushby
29. Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
30. The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg *

*Favorites

** Am aware these titles should be underlined, but am not going back to do it. So deal. :-)

Isn't it funny the things one can remember? For instance, I know I was in DC reading #2, Pigeon Forge reading #14, in Aunt Margaret's pool for #18, and Connecticut for#26 (which I didn't like very much-- too froo froo and non realistic for this hardened girl) and yet I don't remember #15 at all. I know I read #24 at work in two nights during a slow period. All in all, it's 9989 pages! (Dang, I wanted to get to the 10,000 mark. I guess if you counted the devotionals and magazines and newspapers, I certainly did).

Happy reading, everyone!

Goals

2011-01-16T17:47:00.002-05:00

My goals for the week are as follows:
~Run at least 2 miles everyday. So far, so good. Yes, I realize it is only Sunday.
~Try to finish my book. I am reading The Help. It's oh so good. The fact that I've gotten rid of my cable and have yet to get satellite will probably help with this one.
~Clean my mess of a bedroom. And the rest of the house, but especially my bedroom. It's currently in awful state.
~Do at least 4 different blog posts
~Stay sane while working 4 shifts this week. And in general.
~Donate blood

I think that's it for now. No sense in setting too many goals because then I'll just be stressed about getting them done.

2011-01-13T07:38:00.000-05:00

http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201101/billy-donovans-secret-sorrow

Click on the link to read a very well written article.

Repitition

2011-01-11T10:15:00.004-05:00

I'm tired.

I saw Country Strong last night during the first 4 hours I should have been working. The dude who plays Beau (Garrett Hetlund or something) is sexy. Yummy. Deep country voice and blue eyes. I've always been a sucker for blue eyes. Even drives a beater truck in the movie. His birthday is the day after mine. Well, 2 years and a day after mine.

I am tired.

I went to work at 11pm. I watched the BCS Championship Bowl in it's entirety while there. (2nd half live; first half rerun). Go SEC!!

I am tired.

I think my tires are magnetized. I had the 2nd flat in 3 months. Really? I mean, really? I sat at Wal Mart and read 40 pages of The Help while I waited. The book already breaks my heart that a mere 50 years ago things between black people and white people were so vastly different. I realize that things are different now, but not different like this, in deep Alabama.

I am tired.

Baxter is laying in the vent. Silly cat.

I am tired.

Sunday night, I got send home at midnight. My friend Kristen got sent home at 4 am. She came over and we played with a play doh puppy set. You read that correctly. Don't be jealous. Then we watched Dinner For Schmucks. It's a silly movie. Hanging out from 5-9am is totally normal when you work night shift.

I'm am tired.

I've seen 3 new movies this year already. Well, new to me. Invictus, Dinner for Schucks, and Country Strong.

I am tired. I realize the last one said "I'm am tired", but am too tired to fix it.

I've read 1 book so far this year. I need to do a post of all 30 books I've read in 2010.

I am tired.

I love love love the snow!

I am tired.

And now I think I'm calmed down enough to go to bed. Been watching Austin Powers the last couple of days to go to sleep. Oh, be-have!!

2011-01-08T07:18:00.003-05:00

So the last day or so, I've been rocking out to Pandora. I typed in "Bottom's Up", the song by Trey Songz because that's one of my favorite dance songs at the moment. Ya'll know I have dance parties often around here. I was rocking out to a lot of songs that I hadn't heard in forever! I mean, I felt like I was at the club. Snoop, Pitbull, Chingy, Lil John, Eminem.... and then Pandora throws me Joan Jett's I Love Rock and Roll. REALLY?? It's a great song, but doesn't quite fit into the genre of music I was going for. I listened while I was cleaning so it was on for several hours and it came up twice. Weird to me.

I am getting back into training for the Triple Crown of Running, which is a 5K, a 10K, and a 10 miler. I don't run much in the summertime; it's too blessed hot. Kudos to those true runners that can, but I'd rather run in 30 degree weather any day. Actually, 50ish is ideal for me. Just keep my ears and fingers warm and I'm good to go. Provided it's not too slick, I'm meeting a girl I went to college with to run at 11 this morning. We'll see. She runs on her lunch break (jealous of that!) so I'm pretty sure she'll leave me in the dust after a couple of miles. Still, it's nice to have somebody to run with. Thanks, Facebook. It's gotten harder to run on days I work. Not that I'm crazy old or anything, but I can tell a difference in my energy level now after working a 12 hour shift than I used to. Of course, I was 21 when I started. Just going to have to retrain my body, I guess. Sleep is for the weak, right?

Baxter, evidently, has forgotten she's covered in fur. She's taken to laying on the registers nearly all the time. She'll come into whatever room I'm in and lay down. It makes me chuckle. I don't know what happened to Conan yesterday, but she smelled like a poop monster for about an hour. I hope whatever happened never happens again. Blech.

I am going to finish taking down my Christmas decorations and clean some more. Go Cats, both football and basketball today! Thanks to Santa, I have to pick which shirt I want to wear to the game today. Meeting friends at Old Chicago to watch the basketball game.

Fun times at the BEast

2011-01-03T10:20:00.002-05:00

We will often call work the BEast- Baptist East mushed together. It has nothing to do with the fact that it IS a beast sometimes. Ha. Thankfully, I work with a lot of great and fun people who help make it fun, even when we are chasing our tails.
This is Caitlin. She and her husband were moving (the next day) to California because he got a job at church there. They are from Alabama and in Kentucky so he could attend seminary. (A funny aside to this picture-- this was the 2nd take; the first one had a patient in the background! Oops!)

Stephanie, Caitlin, and Kimbrough. We decided to have a little fun.... I mean it was 8pm and the big boss wasn't there. :-)

Attempting to "save" Steph's life.

I don't think it worked. :-)

Okay, this is blurry, but I had to take a picture and show that on Dec 31, some fool drove their convertible with top down TO work. It was 48 degrees. I realize that it warmed up that day, but really??

Speaking of, I worked New Year's Eve this year, a first. I really don't mind as I'd never been a fan too much of holiday anyway. In fact, I think I'm going to try to work it next year, too. I

mean, not having to worry about drunk drivers AND holiday pay? Sounds good to me!

We were able to make it fun. (Again, this is where working with great people is helpful.) We brought in food, sparkling grape juice, and took a minute out to watch the ball drop.

Don't let this fool you-- it was a crazy night, especially until about 1am. Then things kinda chilled. This lasted about 10 seconds, I just managed to capture it on film, er, memory card. :-)

One thing I thought odd was that we had two side by side rooms with TVs on, different channels. They were about a minute and thirty seconds apart with their countdown. Weird, huh? I guess one of them must have been on a longer delay in case something they couldn't air happened?? I dunno. But it was funny when one room yelled "Happy New Year" and the other room said "There's more than a minute left, what are you talking about???"

Proof that the night was crazy.... this is me dashing back to my guy's room who kept trying to get out of bed. And pull out his catheter. And kick me. And hit me. And cuss at me. I did NOT kiss him a midnight... but I did give him some pretty great drugs and restrain him. :-)

Brandi, Kristen, and Kimbrough. We'd probably be together on NYE even if we weren't at work. No, I'm not sure what I'm so scared of in this picture.

And because the camera was still in my work bag, here are some pictures from New Year's Day. (Well, technically, these are taken early morning 1/2/11.)

Tara, Steven, and me. These are two of my favorite people to work with. They both make me laugh so much. No matter what happens during the shift, everybody is always all smiles 15 mintues before day shift comes out, which is when this was taken.

This is a silly silly picture, but it's one of my favorites I've taken in quite some time. Tara and I always walk the steps to get a little bit of exercise in when we work together. Floors 1-6 at least 5 times. She's one of those people I can say things to in full confidence that I know it will stay between me and her. And the Big Guy, of course.

Moral of this post, working New Year's Eve and New Year's Day isn't bad at all. Heck, I signed up extra to work New Year's Day! And I work with some great people!

I know I still haven't done a Christmas post, but that's a lot more pictures to have to dig through. Maybe later today. We'll see.

2011

2011-01-01T08:45:00.003-05:00

So it's 2011. I've never been one for resolutions; I think ya'll know I make a list from birthday to birthday of things I want to do in my life in that year. I usually want to do a little something starting a new year, but it's never what I would call a resolution. Last year, I wanted to read 2 books a month. I ended up reading 30!

This year, instead of wondering if 2011 is going to be "my" year and wondering if this or that is going to happen (and frankly this translates to "relationship" and that means "wedding") I've decided to make 2011 a great year, not want it to bring me great things.

I am going to do one thing a month that benefits the greater good. I regularly donate clothing and blood anyway, and I've made a list of additional "do gooder" things. (No, really, that's the actual heading of my list.) It includes things like paying for the car behind me at a drive thru, volunteering for a Habitat for Humanity build, seeing a need that I can meet and do it (ideally anonymously), get on the bone marrow registry (which only involves a swab to the cheek) and a few others... but frankly I'm too tired to think of them all.

In addition, I also want to give something up every month. A good lesson in self control is never a bad thing, methinks. January's item? Fast food. And that's the only one I've come up with so far, as I just thought of this on the way to work.

What about ya'll?

Made me laugh

2010-12-29T15:00:00.004-05:00

I've heard several people who have iPhones talk about how they dislike how the text/chat changes what you're trying to say to other words. "Auto correct" is I think what they call it. (I have lots of thoughts on the iPhone currently as I spent the evening with ladies who were commenting on each other's Facebook walls... while sitting RIGHT NEXT to that person! Really? But I digress).

My friend Haley was trying to tell me that something was "as dead as a door nail". (As an aside, I wonder how that expression got started??) The text that came to my phone?

"It was as dead as a football".

Ha!

More updates later. I hope.

I also keep forgetting to mention....

2010-12-22T08:30:00.002-05:00

... the crazy conversation I overheard between two Kohl's workers whilst I was Christmas shopping. I L-O-V-E Kohl's anyway and during the holiday season they stay open until midnight, which is perfect for this late night gal who doesn't like crowds. As I was shopping for some boy clothes, I heard two employees talking. One was in her early twenties (at most) and the other was probably in her fifties. (Aside: I am TERRIBLE at guessing at age. But rest assured one of them was young and the other one was older. Promise.) This is the conversation I overheard:

Younger Girl: But the difference between this boyfriend and my last boyfriend is that he doesn't WANT to be in jail. My old boyfriend didn't care.
Older Lady: Well, that's an improvement I guess, but any boyfriend in jail doesn't sound good to me.
Younger Girl: No, I mean like my old boyfriend didn't care that he was in jail. He liked the food.
Older Lady: (silence) (silence) Um.... oh.

At this point the older lady comes to put some clothes nearer the shelves that I'm ~~cocking my head to the side to hear the rest of this conversation~~ browsing and says to me, "That girl is nice, but man she talks a lot. What am I supposed to say to that??"

Me: "Well, at this this boyfriend doesn't WANT to be in jail".
Older Lady: "Good Lord."

So, Amber, if Andrew's sizes are completely off, know that I was 100% distracted while I was shopping!

I keep for getting to say....

2010-12-20T17:38:00.002-05:00

... that I'm a glutton for punishment and have signed up again for the Triple Crown of Running. This is a 5K, a 10K, and a 10 miler. While I want to do another half marathon, I'm thinking about doing one somewhere else where the course is flat. But ya'll should plan on being in Louisville March 26 to see me finish the 10 miler. It ends in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium so you'll have seats and everything. Just make sure you wear blue. :-) It'll be over by noon, so you'll have to rest of the day to celebrate Bucky's birthday!

.... that it doesn't matter how many number 1 songs she has or ever will have. In 25 years, all Mariah Carrey will be known for is "All I Want for Christmas Is You". And don't even try to play, you know you like it.

... some things and most people never change.

3rd post in 24 hours

2010-12-17T12:34:00.004-05:00

Am I allowed to keep my Christmas trees up all year? I do love the light from a Christmas tree.

For the first time ever yesterday, I made Momma's pimento cheese on my own. I think it turned out pretty well. It may be a little "pimento-y"but since it's sat overnight, it might not be too bad. I am taking it to a work Christmas party on Saturday so it's not like anybody there would have tasted Momma's anyway!

I am pretty certain that whoever saw me walk to the gym yesterday had a good laugh. I nearly fell about 4 times. Ice is slippery!

I am 28 years old and I still get a little creeped out when I am in the basement when it's dark outside.

Mom, Dad, and I had a good visit last weekend. I invited them up for a Christmas dinner and concert at my church. It was nice. We went to Target and got some good deals first. I wanted to take them to see The Bucket (Also known as the KFC Yum Center) but it was about 1130 and they were playing a noon game.... and I didn't want to fight the traffic.

We have had a run on crazy patient families at work. I mean, there should be a word above and beyond crazy to describe these people. It makes me get there super early so I don't have to take those patients. I can understand being anxious while a loved one is in a hospital and I can even recognize the fact that certain nurses aren't going to jive (as my Daddy would say) with certain families, but to act obnoxious in a way that security is called on you.... just makes NOBODY want to care for your loved one and your loved one doesn't get the highest quality care. Store that in your file for future reference, people!

I had a great dinner the other night with Rebecca McCord. Funny, she's been married for 10 years and she'll still always be Rebecca McCord to me. :-) She was in southern Indiana for work and it was great to see her. She's always been one of those people who I don't have to talk to very often to pick back up where we left off. I know that if I truly needed something, I could call her and she'd make it happen. It's nice having friends like that, and I'm lucky to have a handful of them. Like I always say, I may stink at picking out men, but girlfriends I am good at!

If the weather holds up, Amber and Andrew are going to come visit next week and I'm excited about it!

I need to update the pictures along the side of my blog. I should have taken a picture of me, Mom, and, Dad at that dinner at church because we were certainly the best looking family there. Next time.

I am sooo excited for my pal Melissa (AKA Scary Melissa) and her husband Barry. They've struggled with infertility for a while now and just found out they are pregnant with TWINS!! It half makes me chuckle because when they were pregnant before (miscarriage :( ) they could NOT decide on one name they liked between the two of them. Now they have to come up with two! We keep suggesting Kim and Audrey but for some reason they keep vetoing that. Ha. I might have to go back on my vow to never go to another baby shower. However, I'd come fashionably late so I don't have to smell anything, guess momma's circumference with toilet paper, and the other nonsense I hate about baby showers.

This post has been all over the place, so I don't know how I know that I'm finished, but I am! Enjoy the ice and snow! Be careful!

Five Question Friday

2010-12-17T12:22:00.002-05:00

1. Are you a regifter? If so, do you have a regifting horror story?
I have the belief that if you give me a gift, I'm free to do with it as I please even if that means giving it to somebody else. That said, I know I have regifted but can't think of an instance where I have. So no, no horror stories.

2. Do you know what you are getting for Christmas this year?
Several things yes. While it is nice to get exactly what you want, I also love me some surprises, too.

3. Who brings the most gifts in your family, you or Santa?
Santa. Santa always complains that she doesn't get us nice things or enough things, but there are certain things I hate to buy that I love that Santa brings me!

4. What store do you love to buy jeans from?
Uh, "me", "love", and "any sort of clothes" don't really go in the same sentence well. My go to jeans of the moment are Apt 9 brand from Kohl's (how was I not naked before Kohl's???) and Axcess by Liz Claborne. Or is it Access? I dunno.

5. Christmas meal-- big and all of, or snacks and appetizers?
Neither? We always have hash brown casserole. It cooks while we open stockings and then have it, fruit, ham, and biscuits. We finish opening gifts (one person/one gift at a time, of course) and for our mid afternoon meal, we have homemade pimento cheese, country ham, turkey to choose from for sandwiches, chips, fruit, etc. It's not a fancy, sit down meal, but we aren't fancy people. And I wouldn't have it any other way!

Nobody call PETA

2010-12-16T14:31:00.004-05:00

Mom and Dad came up this past weekend. We had a good time. At Target I picked something up at the dollar area of Target. I found a cute little elf dress that was intended for small dogs, but it works on cats, too. See?
Me with Princess Conan.

"This is so embarrassing"

The growled the whole time.

But look how pretty she is.

Me and Princess Baxter.

She kept walking backwards. She hid more than Conan did so there are less pictures of her.

But she's just as pretty as her sister!

Despite your thoughts on these pictures, I've decided to wait until I'm 30 to become a crazy cat lady. I want to add two more cats to my brood; Pete Rose and Clooney.

Bullets

2010-12-07T17:36:00.003-05:00

* I was going to go to the gym about half an hour ago. And here I sit on the couch still, updating my blog.

* I got tickets for me, Amber, and Arnett to go to the Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker concert in February. I am so excited about it.

* February seems so far away, but it will be here before I know it.

* I am planning on going to Kohl's once I go to the gym. They stay open till midnight tonight so I'm in no rush.

* I keep forgetting to watch Conan's new show. 9 months without him on TV got me out of the habit. Thankfully, he gets DVR'd every night so I can catch up.

* I finally watched the Oprah interview of George W. Bush that I'd had DVR'd. I'm not an Oprah fan, but thought she did better with the interview that I expected. I love that he was honest about a lot of things he'd like to change. I really want to read his book now. I thought it was super funny because his mannerisms reminded me of the actors who played him on SNL. And George HW, too. Weird.

* I'd rather run in weather like we've been having than run in the 90 degree heat. Any day.

* I'm nearly finished with my Christmas shopping. Maybe finish up tonight??

* Tomorrow night is the UK game. Woo!

* Thursday, I'll be celebrating the life of a wonderful woman, Jean Walters. I love the Walters family, who at 12 years old, invited me in as one of their own. And I was kind of a brat when I was 12. Oh, who am I kidding, I'm still kind of a brat.

* I am doing better at focusing on the things that really matter and thus not being so stressed and anxious. This week anyway, but keep in mind it's only Monday....

* My favorite dance party song of the moment is Bottom's Up by Trey Songz. Love the beat.

* My favorite country song of the moment is Why Wait by Rascal Flatts.

* Still finds it amusing that my two favorite types of music are rap and country.

* I have two Christmas trees this year.

* Procrastination over. Off to the gym I go.

Don't be offended

2010-12-03T10:57:00.006-05:00

Don't be mad if when you open a Christmas gift from me, it looks as though it's been mangled. Blame Conan. Aw, look at my pretty girl. Isn't she so cute and so sweet? Sure. But she also has a hobby of chewing on non food items. Specifically cardboard, ribbon, and the Cynthiana Democrat. (Am not sure why other newspapers don't tickle her fancy, but it's just the Democrat.)

See?

This is supposed to be the handle of a gift bag.

Notice anything funny about this handle? Yeah.... it's mostly MISSING!

The inside of a box.

Tissue paper was a new one this year. It might not look so bad here....

But up close you can really tell where she got a hold of it. She's got some fangs.

It's not just gift packaging she has a hankering for. Really any kind of cardboard. Above is one of the boxes I store Christmas things in.

A folder I used to keep some of my students paperwork in.

Imagine my joy in opening up a storage closet and finding this. Guess I didn't need to be keeping the laptop box anyway, but still.

Okay, this is 100% true, I kept hearing this noise while typing this. When I went to investigate, my UK schedule/poster was getting chewed up. By both of them this time. Seriously??? Don't these girls know that's blasphemous??

Anyway, I guess I should be glad only the wrapping gets chewed, not the actual gift itself. Good thing I didn't get anybody a ream of card stock for Christmas this year. Ha, ha.
I'll end with this Merry Christmas shot from Baxter. :-) Enjoy! (And yes, I put my tree in a different spot this year!)

Oh, that Luke!

2010-11-30T20:00:00.004-05:00

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, the Walters 3 went to Knoxville to UK's football game. So Aunt Kim, Granddad, and Gran stayed behind and got to spend the day with Luke. We had lots of fun. He is really walking now and at one point he would toddle from Dad in the front room to me and Momma back in the den. Back and forth, back and forth. There must have been one point where Dad thought he was in the back with us and we thought Luke was in the front with Dad. Then we heard some noises from the kitchen. I walked in the kitchen and this is what I found.

Busted!!

Somehow, this child had gotten the container of pecan spins down off the counter top and was going to town. You can see the green pacifier behind him. He'd taken a bite from a few of them.

I guess he was hungry! What a (very very cute) stinker!

A bunch of stuff you could have lived without knowing...

2010-11-28T04:27:00.004-05:00

.... but I'm going to tell you anyway!

~ First, why does this: ~ even need to be a key on the computer? Who knows?

~ Going to Pandora and typing in "Christmas music" is a great decision.

~ The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia is an awesome documentary, though I do not think it reflects the general population of West Virginia. It is mesmerizing and if you let yourself go there, really sad.

~ One of my favorite local acts Kimmet and Doug are breaking up. I wish they would have ran that by me first because I never would have approved it. Change that, they're my FAVORITE local act.

~ Small and silly things have been causing me lots of stress and anxiety and I hate it.

~ I've decided to try a new type of calendar this year. Well for 2011. It's a monthly/weekly which I typically don't like, but got tired of paying $10 for a monthly only. The tab allow me to go just to the monthly which is what I'll use most often. I want to keep track of some things on the weekly part. It was $3 at Wal Mart.

~ Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas is a stinking sad song.

~ For me, it has to be dark outside to put up Christmas decorations. I don't know why, but it just seems wrong to do it with the sun shining.

~ I think I'd love to be on What Not To Wear, but I think me and Stacey would fight. And, I'd want to explain away their secret footage. "Yeah, I went out of the house in my pajamas, but I was just going to the grocery and I was going to the gym once I got back" or "Sure, I looked terrible, but was only leaving to go to the park to run" or "I'd just worked 13 hours".

~ I just realized I need to reevaluate the way I look when I leave my house.

~ I know that Sherry and Kerry's birthday is January 10. This year I won't go out to eat WITH them on their birthday, mention NOTHING about it, and then let them pay for MY meal. What a schmuck I was in 2010.

~ I think it's hilarious that some 5 foot 5 guy threatened repeatedly to "f-ing kill" Bucky on black Friday. We all know he's a nice guy, but he's not the build of a stranger I'd provoke.

~ I refuse to make black Friday a proper noun. It's not a holiday.

~ I also think it's hilarious that when I thanked Adam for taking his wet towel to Gran to be hung up so it wouldn't start to stink he whispered to me "Would it stink like smelly bottoms?"

~ A smile from Adam or Luke melts my heart. Here's hoping neither one learns to say "Aunt Kim, will you empty your bank accounts for me?" because I might just do it.

~ I loooooove (like love to the Nth degree) love snow. I hope we get a LOT of it this year. I hope that it snows on my wedding day, a light dusting like we had on Friday. Not the blizzard my cousins had last December.

~ I can't help but watch Sarah Palin's Alaska. Now I REALLY want to go to Alaska. Wow, it is so pretty.

~ While watching the Travel Channel's show today about fancy schmancy yachts, I learned that is is really high class and shows off your wealth if you use whale foreskin upholstery. May I never be that rich. Blech!

~ My favorite Christmas song is "Do You Hear What I Hear?"

I think that is all for now!

Something really cool I forgot.....

2010-11-24T08:56:00.002-05:00

... to tell you about my trip to Connecticut. We went to the grocery store to get ingredients to make lunch. They have the option where you can take a scanner along with you while shopping, scan your items, and go ahead and bag them. As someone who uses reusable bags (you know, the cloth ones) I would LOVE for that to find its way south. How easy would that be. Once you're done shopping, you give your scanner to the staff to download, pay, and go about your day. I think they may weigh the bags or something to make sure you aren't shop lifting, but man! that would make grocery shopping for me so much faster!

As an aside, I just want to say I don't think it's quite fair that some people get two husbands before I get one. Granted, I realize that means a divorce is involved, but still. I just have to remind myself that while God always blesses, He doesn't bless everyone in the same way. Sigh.

I finished my first Christmas gift this morning! Yay! And by the way, I typed in "Christmas" on Pandora and have been super pleased with the results. I may get out some of my Christmas stuff today since I won't be at the house much my next few stretches of days off.

New England

2010-11-21T22:43:00.007-05:00

My friend Sarah moved to Groton, Connecticut back in July. Her husband Greg got a post doctorate position at Pfizer. Sarah is 7 months pregnant with little Audrey. I went to visit and here are some pictures. In the train station in New Haven, CT (home of Yale, which we saw). It's only about 45 minutes from their house and you can ride the train into Manhattan. So we did (for $28, round trip might I add. It takes about 90 minutes).

The train station architecture was so pretty I thought.

Grand Central Station in NYC.

The ceiling of the New York public library where Carrie and Big (almost) got married.

Me reenacting the "he's not coming" scene.

Time Square

Me and Sarah at Time Square.

At M&M world. At Hershey world. I know enough to never deny a pregnant woman chocolate.

And I mean never....

ever! :-)

Central Park

Me in Central Park. The hat I would wear to Hogwarts at FAO Schwarz.

Me on the famous Big Piano. The other douchebag in the picture was for serious playing Beethoven's #4 on this thing. Please.

All of Legos!

Bailey, one of two dogs I like.

A pretty sunset.

We went to (late) Halloween party while I was there. Sarah was a redneck with a "beer belly" and Greg was a lab rat. Ha. (Note: Sarah's beer was just a prop. She (obviously) didn't drink it).

A graduate and a redneck. (A boring costume for me, but it was easy to pack!)

Where the movie was filmed, in Mystic, CT. They have really good pizza!

Before I went to the airport to leave, we spent the morning in Newport, Rhode Island. It was sorta rainy and VERY windy, but could still tell how pretty it was.

This kind of lets you set how windy it was. Sarah told me that if I fell in the ocean, she and Audrey weren't going in to get me. Can't say I blame her. :-)

There are huge homes like this all over Newport. They were really pretty to look at. I'd love to go back on a better day and do the cliff walk and get a look at those homes again. We also went to this little diner that THE BEST clam chowder. I wouldn't mind having that again, either!

So pretty!

I do hope to go back and visit again, maybe in the summer next time. I also can't wait to see little Audrey!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!