Alison's Blog

Quick Update

2009-06-16T02:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't really been feeling like blogging lately, but I suppose I should at least post a little something! :) Where to begin?

Rob and I are loving being engaged! It's funny... we knew that we were planning on getting married, eventually... but wow. Being officially engaged is wonderful! :) We both have been going around telling everyone! Poor Rob made a good point... I get to flash my sparkly ring, but the guy gets nothing to show for it. I offered to make him a t-shirt that says "Engaged" but he declined for some reason. Haha! :) Of course, once we got over the initial excitement of the proposal, it became apparent that there is so much to do to plan a wedding. Yikes! It's like a whirlwind. A really fun whirlwind!! :) We're planning to get married next spring so we have about a year to get it just right. :)

Aside from the obvious, there are a couple other new/big things in my life lately. First, I got a new computer!! I am writing this on my brand new MacBook Pro! I got it on Friday night (after a trip to the FedEx warehouse with Rob... long story) after they only were announced last Monday. It is pretty darn awesome, I gotta say! If only because I can blog/surf from the comfort of my couch while watching TV. :)

As you may have noticed, I am writing this in the middle of the night, which means I am all messed up from working night shifts. :( But only 2 more night shifts left until I go back to days! And when I do, I am training to be a charge nurse! Pretty exciting but also pretty scary. :) Kind of a complement, though. We'll see how it goes.

Alright, time to try to sleep a bit so I can be productive during my day off tomorrow... or today as I guess it technically is...

Engaged!

2009-05-28T20:13:00.003-07:00

Rob proposed!! We are getting married! :)

It happened on Sunday night, when we took a drive to Alki Beach in West Seattle after dinner. We went out on the beach just after sunset, and he got down on one knee in the sand!

We haven't picked a date or even a location yet (our families are all over the world!) but probably within the next year. :)

(I would post more pictures, but my quota is full for Picasa!! What terrible timing on that. Check out the one on the sidebar, though, in the meantime.)

Time for me to get off my cloud and start getting ready for work...

The End of Vacation

2009-05-14T03:27:00.000-07:00

I just finished uploading 80 or so of my 300+ pictures from the trip to CA onto Facebook! Almost all of them have been put on Picasa (link on the sidebar) but I haven't had a chance to caption or edit them... there are a bunch that are similar or didn't turn out well! Eventually I will get around to that, I suppose. :)

The trip to California (and technically Nevada, too) was so much fun! Rob and I flew down on Saturday morning, was met by his family at the airport, and then spent the day in San Francisco. On Sunday, we drove to Lake Tahoe, stopping at a petrified forest, a geyser, 2 Napa wineries, and the Jelly Belly factory along the way! Monday was spent in Lake Tahoe, exploring the area and just relaxing in the sun in the afternoon, followed by a BBQ for dinner. Tuesday we drove to Tracy, where Rob's parents live, and I got to see their house and the town a little bit before heading back to the airport. It was a whirlwind trip, but definitely worth it! I really enjoyed meeting more members of his family and getting to know them all much better... now we really need to go to Iowa so I can meet Rob's sisters!

It's back to work tonight for me (hence the 3 am post... trying to stay up as late as I can). Not really looking forward to it! Although I suppose that nobody actually likes going back to work after a vacation. :) But these night shifts have been brutal for me. Sleeping (or lack thereof) has been a problem, as well as just work being tough. Only 6 more weeks of night shift left!

Here is one of my favorite photos from the trip... I was going to put more in the blog, but I have reached my Picasa quota! Oops. :)

Not a Morning Cat

2009-05-08T11:09:00.001-07:00

I thought cats were nocturnal... but here's a picture of Smokey that I took at like 3 am the other day. If looks could kill...

Flaming Soy Corndogs

2009-05-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a random bullet post lately, so I think it is time for another one! Some thoughts:

* I am completely addicted to playing Mafia Wars on Facebook! And now it seems as though I have gotten Andy and Kelly hooked on it, too. :) Hehehe.

* I just realized that I am off work until next Thursday night. I mean, I knew intellectually that I was on vacation, but I actually just put away my work shoes/bag in the closet. And washed scrubs... and put them away in the dresser!! Lately I've been leaving them folded in the laundry basket since I am just going to wear them the next day. Lazy, I know.

* Tonight Rob and I are going to go see "Wolverine"!! I am very excited. :) I loved the first three movies!

* I've been listening to my iPod today and dancing around the house as I clean. Just put it on shuffle and the last song it chose was from the Spamalot soundtrack... "Lancelot"! Makes me laugh. :) "His name is Lancelot, he wears tight pants a lot..." Slightly inappropriate but I am still giggling!

* I learned a valuable two-fold lesson today. First, Trader Joe's frozen soy corndogs do, indeed, get freezerburned and go bad after a couple of months. Second, if one decides to try to eat them anyway and pops them into the microwave... they are flammable. I wonder if I am the first person to ever set a soy corndog on fire using a microwave? Luckily I was standing right there watching it (let's face it, I was really hungry!) and managed to stop it before it damaged the microwave. I am rather ashamed to admit it, but I actually tried to eat the non-burned part. It was really gross. And this is coming from a person that normally likes soy corndogs.

* To go back to thoughts about music, I am currently listening to Steven Curtis Chapman's album, All About Love. For some reason, I really enjoy his version of "500 Miles". Of course, I can't help remembering that Molson commercial where the guy walks to Canada for beer, then drops it by accident at the border crossing. Hahaha! Makes me laugh just thinking about it. Anyway, good album. :)

* My house is filled with cobwebs. They seem to be multiplying like crazy lately! What's up with that? I tried using the swiffer to bat them down but then they are all dangling everywhere instead of just being in the corner. Sigh. Maybe I need to buy a broom.

* I need to pack for the trip to California! But I can't decide what to bring/wear so for the moment I am procrastinating on that front. I suppose I should look up the weather forecast, first, huh! I hope it will be sunny and warm!

* The Seafair Torchlight 5K is July 25. Which means that I need to start running again! Otherwise my goal of beating last year's time is NEVER gonna happen!

* I have decided to postpone buying my new computer for a few weeks for a couple of reasons. First, I am hoping the Apple runs a promotion (like in previous years starting in June) that gives not only the existing education discount (which I am eligible for) but also some other gift. Last year it was an iPod! Also, I am trying to decide whether I should wait for Snow Leopard to be officially released. Rob has played with the beta and wasn't super impressed so maybe I don't need to wait for that reason! But I decided to try to save up a little bit more money so I can get the faster model... because I intend to keep it for a while!

Can you tell that I am feeling rather lazy and not wanting to continue cleaning my house? :) I guess that's enough randomness for now, though.

Day of 3 Posts

2009-05-07T00:28:00.003-07:00

Ok, well... technically it is after midnight so this is not the third post of the day... but rather the first post of a new day!

I just spent all this time on the internet. Surfing and whatnot. You know, Facebook, playing Mafia Wars, random friends' blogs, Mafia Wars, news websites, more Facebook, more Mafia Wars. And now I am totally depressed. Can I blame it on my circadian rhythms being all out of whack? Probably not.

I should know better than to compare myself to other people. I really should. And yet, I seem to always fall into a pattern of doing so. Sigh. I read other people's blogs and look at their Facebook photos, and it makes me think about my own life. Inevitably I fear that I fall short of what I want for myself. I am not the kind of bold Christian that some people are. I don't have it in me to go to a foreign country or even an uncomfortable place, in the name of Christ. I look at these pictures and read about their experiences, and it makes me think about how I barely could work in Philadelphia without having a nervous breakdown! I mean, I had nightmares for months after quitting my first nursing job and moving away... and that was in the US! How is it that there are people that can have the kind of faith that takes them to the ends of the earth? And why is it so hard for me, even on a daily basis in Seattle?

A friend sent me a card today to celebrate Nurses' Week, and in it she mentions that this (nursing) is what God called me to do. It's true... I know that He has guided my life for His purposes. So why do I have such a hard time letting go of the control? I get so frustrated with myself sometimes. I hate being so anxious! I don't want to be "a stress ball"... but I am. It's what I do. And there's no way out of it on my own.

Sigh. Maybe I should spend less time online. :) And I am definitely in need of some sleep. Sorry to be so random and, well, anxious in this post!

Tomorrow is a new day. And His mercies are new every morning. :)

Spotted on CNN.com

2009-05-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

Check out the sponsor of the poll...

Sick Day

2009-05-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

I'm not feeling very well today, so I called in sick for tonight's shift... which I suppose means that I am technically on vacation (since this was my last shift before being off for a week). But man... the problem with that is that you have time off, but... well, you don't feel well! Seems like kind of a waste. Haha!

This weekend is the trip to California! Yay! Looking forward to some sun and seeing Rob's family and just general relaxation. :)

Hm. What else is going on? Not too much besides work. And I think I have complained about working nights enough for now! I just got my pay stub for my next paycheck in a few days and saw something interesting. I am being paid an extra $6 for floating to another unit last week. Wow, what amazing compensation for the stress of doing that! [note the sarcasm] Seriously? Well, at least I won't be subjected to that for a while since we rotate who gets floated. And our unit doesn't float much... usually folks get floated to us!

Well, I COULD write about it being Nurses' Week or some other such thing, but I am not really feeling up to it. Time to go curl up on the couch with Smokey and watch some TV.

Made It!

2009-05-05T07:57:00.003-07:00

Well, I made it. It is nearly 8 am, and I managed to stay up all night!! Yay! Now hopefully I will be able to get some good sleep today. :) Didn't get a chance to work on those curtains, but it is supposed to stay nice and rainy today so maybe they won't be necessary!

Yawn. I am tired. Time for bed.

On a Dark and Stormy Night

2009-05-05T01:03:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post... hopefully I will write more later. Tonight I am staying up all night so I can sleep tomorrow... so I can work tomorrow night. It's complicated but the only way I can be well-rested before work!! Of course, all last week I got about 4-5 hrs of sleep before each 12 hour shift, and it was miserable, but that's another story. :) Just trying to make it through the next 2 shifts, and then I am off for a whole week!! Hooray for mini-vacations!

So I am attempting to stay up until about 7 or 8 am... we'll see how well that works. Last time I made it until like 3 and then it was a battle of drifting off and waking up 5 minutes later and trying to do whatever I could to stay awake (for example, pacing around my house). Not very productive.

I am working on a couple of sewing projects tonight, which should do the trick. Current project is a surprise for someone who will likely read my blog so I won't go into too much detail yet until the gift is given. But I am getting close to the end on it! Yay! Then hopefully I will be able to work on a more practical item... a gift to myself... curtains to block out the light in my bedroom! The blinds just do not cut it when one is trying to sleep during the daytime. Especially when Seattle has one of those gorgeous sunny days (like it was all last week when I was trying to sleep! Argh.).

Speaking of which... it is definitely a dark and stormy night. Like, the wind is whistling through the trees in a way that makes me wonder if we will have tree branches down and power outages and stuff. Seriously blustery outside!! Originally I was going to go hit up the 24 hr drivethru Starbucks in Northgate, but then I decided to just make some coffee here since it was so yucky outside. :)

Alright, time to get back to quilting. And battening down the hatches. While drinking my coffee.

Shift Transition

2009-04-30T05:09:00.003-07:00

I think I'm getting too old for this whole night shift thing. Yawn. I have been up all night (minus a few minutes here and there where I have drifted off accidentally) in preparation for the transition to night shift later today. It's been a few months since I did this... and man, it is tough!!

I thought I was all prepared... drank my coffee, had all the lights on, etc. But as soon as I even remotely sit on the couch, there I am, drifting off again! At this point, I am hoping to make it until 6 am before heading to bed. Then it's off to work a 12 hr shift tonight... 7 pm to 7:30 am.

Smokey is no help. She was actually snoring on the couch next to me a few minutes ago! I thought cats were supposed to be nocturnal!! And who knew they could snore? :)

Rob was kind enough to come over earlier in the evening for a little while... I get all stressed out over working nights, and so he came over to watch some TV and eat popcorn and generally keep me company. (Yes, that is what I served for dinner... popcorn!) It was especially nice of him as he is on call this week, so he is kinda stressed, too.

Well, I'm going to go see if I can clear one more show off my Tivo before bedtime. That is, if I can do it without falling asleep halfway through!! :)

[By the way, I've been meaning to write about the flu thing and stuff, but that requires brainpower that I don't have right now. However, I did catch the news tonight, and it seems that there are 3 cases now in Seattle. Not just in Washington, or in King County. But in Seattle proper. Did I mention that I am super excited to go to work?! Sigh.]

Simpsons Acapella

2009-04-27T09:49:00.003-07:00

For those of you that may have missed last night's episode of The Simpsons, check out this video that they aired during the closing credits. It is an acapella version of the theme song, performed by a group called Canvas. AWESOME!! :)

In case you need another fix of the acapella Simpsons music, check out this version of "Spider Pig" (from the movie) by the Dordt College Concert Choir:

Teaching Moments

2009-04-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I completely rambled about a random topic that was probably of little interest to anyone. (Although I have to say that I suspect that most of my blog posts fall into that category!) Tonight I feel like I need to write something a little less, well, strange.

I've been precepting a new nurse at work for the last month or so. We have had our good moments and also our share of more frustrating moments (on both sides, I'm sure). I found out tonight that we get to have a few more shifts together next week, which makes me really happy. I like teaching, even though it can be really tough sometimes! We have had our share of hard shifts lately, which only makes the learning process harder.

When I first started orienting folks, I was a little bit in disbelief that I, of all people, would be the one to do training. I mean, what sort of wisdom do I have to impart?! And yet I realized that even though I might still feel inexperienced, I certainly have more experience than someone who just graduated and has maybe only a few shifts under their belt. God has really provided this as opportunity to teach ME some valuable lessons. Sometimes, it might be a boost to my confidence level, when I discover that someone is turning to me for advice or my opinion. Or it might be a humility thing... a reality check that I do not have all the answers (like when a student or new nurse asks a great question or points out my error). Often, it is that working with someone else forces me to step back and analyze or to view a situation with a new perspective. And I love that. Even when it kicks me in the butt. :) That is precisely the reason I work at a teaching hospital!!

One of the my pet peeves, though, is when other staff get this idea that perhaps a nurse preceptor "isn't working" or that they are just sitting around and supervising. True, that occasionally happens when the new nurse is at the end of their orientation. But I have always taken that opportunity to help out other nurses that are swamped or to restock the supplies or answer the phones or whatever might need to be done. That's just me, though. Anyway.

We have had some tough shifts lately, even for me. I can only imagine what it has been like for my preceptee!! This past week was the first time I ever busted open a code cart for one of my patients. Talk about nerve-wracking. There is this little plastic "lock" on the carts when they are stocked (so that once it is open, a whole new one can be put in its place... so you are never without supplies)... and never before have I had to break that seal. It sounds silly. I have been to lots of codes and rapid responses. (OK, maybe not "a lot". But my fair share.) But this week I was in a situation with my orientee and one of our patients, where he just started crashing. The stat nurse was already there, and the docs were quick on the scene. Before I knew it, they were intubating the guy, and soon we were transporting him to the ICU while he was being bagged. Craziness!

Here's the thing, though. This was the first time I have been in one of these situations where my legs weren't shaking. Usually, that adrenaline starts pumping and my legs start to shake (honest to goodness moving) and I can't think straight because I get so overwhelmed. Sure, I felt that level of anxiety to a certain degree this time, but yet I realized later that not only did I stay calm, but I actually did the right things. Piped up when it was appropriate. Took charge with certain things. In short, was an asset rather than a liability (or maybe more accurately, a neutral party). It might sound arrogant. But I was really proud of myself. Honestly. I felt like I had made a difference. And hopefully taught something to that new nurse.

Nevermore

2009-04-23T17:16:00.005-07:00

I was just sitting here, trying to think about what to write about. And I looked out the window at this tree in the backyard (which of course has no leaves, since it is late April in Seattle)... there is the biggest crow sitting on a branch. Huh. Made me wonder what the difference between a raven and a crow is. I mean, is a "raven" what they call a big black bird in Maryland, while a "crow" is what they call the same bird on the west coast? And yet I feel like a raven is bigger than a crow. Except that the bird staring at me through the window is pretty darn big. Hm. Might be time to go to that fount of knowledge (no, not Dad)... Wikipedia.

Here's what I learned.

The true crows are large passerine birds that form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-sized jackdaws Eurasian and Daurian to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents except South America and several offshore and oceanic islands (including Hawaii). In the United States, the word "crow" is used to refer to the American Crow. The crow genus makes up a third of the species in the Corvidae family. Other corvids include rooks and jays. Crows appear to have evolved in Asia from the corvid stock, which had evolved in Australasia. A group of crows is called a "murder," though this term usually appears in poetry rather than scientific contexts.

Hm. Interesting. Seems as though the difference is that crows are really Corvus brachyrhynchos while ravens are Corvus corax. And both exist in North America. Also, it appears that every place in the world has some form of large, black, annoying bird!!!

Wait, further research on Wikipedia shows that:

Apart from its greater size, the Common Raven differs from its cousins, the crows, by having a larger and heavier beak, a shaggy throat, and a wedge-shaped tail.

This is SO not what I thought I might blog about today. But nevertheless, there it is.

Alison is Famous, Again

2009-04-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

Longtime readers may remember my excitement when I started getting hits from another blog (that one about Costco, found here). Well, it has happened again. I am famous. Sort of. In a mild, Internet-y sort of way. :)

Again, I was purusing my Google Analytics and discovered that there was a new source of traffic to my blog! And not only that, but the website was actually quoting me as a nurse. Haha. That amuses me for some reason. Perhaps because I have never really thought of myself as "inspirational". Still, kinda cool.

If you want to check out my "famous" and supposedly "inspirational" quote, click here.

:)

#175

2009-04-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

This is post #175! :) I have been terrible about keeping this blog up to date! But sometimes I like to maintain a level of privacy... kinda strange to think about whatever I post being put out on the web for all eternity. Haha. :)

Today is a BEAUTIFUL day in Seattle! 70 degrees and sunny. One of those cloudless days that makes people want to move to the Emerald city. :) This afternoon I decided to do a little sunbathing in my new swimsuit (in the privacy of my backyard!!) and it was glorious. Might have gotten a bit sunburned but thats ok.

This morning I had coffee with my friend and former college roommate, Jordan!! She was in town to visit some friends who moved here last year, and we got together to catch up. It was so good to see her, honestly. I didn't realize how much I had missed her! :( Funny how all the dumb stuff fades away over time and the actual friendship can remain. It was also neat to catch up on all the folks from F&M that I haven't kept up with, since she is much more in the "alumni loop" than I am. She is the first F&M person I have gotten together with in years!!! It was good. Made me think about how much life has changed in the last 10 years... and how much I have changed. Wow. Thank goodness for that. :)

Me and Jordan

Hm. What else is going on? This is my last week on day shift... next week is back to night shifts for 2 months. I am sad about the weird schedule but happy about the differential pay since I am saving up for both a new computer and a new phone. Hopefully a Macbook and iPhone!! :) This computer is doing well for being nearly 6 years old (ok so some of the parts are newer...) but I want a new one before this one dies (knock wood)!!

I am looking forward to a trip to California in a couple weeks! Rob and I are going to go visit his parents and go to Lake Tahoe with them for a long weekend. Yay! A vacation will be fun. :)

My latest addiction is playing Mafia Wars on Facebook. Sigh. So much fun! But I need more members of my mafia. :( Wanna join me?

Friday!

2009-04-17T18:24:00.003-07:00

Rob's on his way over, but stuck in traffic, so... just a quick picture to share with you while I am waiting.

One of my favorites from our trip to Canada. :)

Canada

2009-04-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

Rob and I took a mini-road trip to Vancouver, BC yesterday. So much fun! Here is the link to my Picasa album, as well as the link to Rob's photos.

Alison's Canada Photos
Rob's Canada Photos

It was a beautiful day, so we mostly visited parks (Stanley Park, Jericho Beach Park, and Queen Elizabeth Park), but we also made time for Tim Hortons and of course, Canadian McDonalds. :) It was a long day and we ended up very sore from our walk on the seawall (as well as a little sunburned), but it was definitely worth it!

Twitter

2009-03-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't joined Twitter. And guess what? I probably won't, ever. There was a time that I seriously considered it. But like the early days of Myspace, where I was worried that it would say something like "Alison has zero friends", I was concerned that nobody would "follow me" on Twitter. That would make me feel like a big dork! Haha. Beyond that, I didn't really feel like I actually NEEDED to have such instant updates on people. To paraphrase something that Whoopi Goldberg said on the View recently, I don't need to know everytime someone goes to the bathroom. No matter how close a friendship we may have!

I have realized in recent weeks, however, that there's another reason to avoid Twitter. It has become overly mainstream. Now call me a tech elitist (please do, I'd love it! Haha), but honestly, do I need to jump on the massive bandwagon now that EVERYONE has? I am getting really tired of hearing that someone has joined Twitter and we should follow them. Do I care to get constant updates from CNN? Nope.

Thinking about Twitter has made me wonder what kind of things I would post if I did, indeed, use it. I mean, my life is rather mundane, most days. Here are some examples that I have come up with... things that I could have Twittered the last couple days:

* Alison is at work and really needs some coffee.
* Alison is cleaning her bathroom.
* Alison is at Costco with Ingrid.
* Alison is woefully behind on episodes of "ER" on Tivo.
* Alison went running for the first time in a month.
* Alison is going to owe the IRS this year.
* Alison needs a new cell phone.
* Alison is vacuuming.
* Alison hates the new Facebook.
* Alison is dancing around to Ace of Base.
* Alison wants to break the diet with McDonalds.
* Alison is quilting.
* Alison loves NCIS.
* Alison is at Costco, again.

See? Who needs THAT in their life?! Haha. I can only imagine if there was an automatic Twittering of what we do at work... "Alison is handing out narcotics like they were M&Ms"... "Alison is kinda grossed out by her patient". The possibilities are endless. :)

It might be funny to read Smokey's tweets, though...

Back in Seattle

2009-03-17T15:30:00.003-07:00

I am back in Seattle after a trip to PA over the weekend for Andy & Kelly's wedding reception. We got back to my apartment about 12:30 am (this morning, technically) and then poor Rob had to drive back to Issaquah (another 25 minutes or so) so he could sleep and then go to work this morning! He must be exhausted! But I don't have to go back to work until Thursday, so I am enjoying my vacation time today. :)

I just finished unpacking! Very proud of myself. But I haven't uploaded the pictures from my camera or anything yet, so that will have to be a post later today or tomorrow. There are some great ones, however!

Smokey is being very cuddly and following me around the house looking for attention. Apparently I was gone too long, in her opinion. I woke up this morning with her sitting on my chest and meowing at the top of her little lungs... for no apparent reason other than she felt it was time for me to get up and pet her. Hahaha! Spoiled little kitty.

Well, I better get some chores done around the house. And make a quick run to QFC... I need to buy a Guinness to have tonight!! :)

Boring Post

2009-03-05T15:03:00.002-08:00

I know that should blog more. But I'm not really in the mood this afternoon. Don't know why, really. Maybe there's just a lot on my mind. And I don't really feel very well today, either. Nothing specific, honestly. Just a bit... off. I forced myself to do the powersculpt dvd this morning, but it really wore me out! Seriously! I am exhausted and sore now! At least it is done for today.

I'm working tomorrow and Saturday, and then again on Tuesday. Then it's off to Pennsylvania for Andy and Kelly's wedding reception!! Should be a fun time. :) I am definitely looking forward to a mini-vacation.

That's about it for now. I fear that if I write more it will be further complaining and things, so maybe I better stop. :) Boring post, I know.

Dreaming of Summer

2009-03-04T10:30:00.003-08:00

My computer screensaver is a whole bunch of random photos that I like. I walked past my computer just now and saw this one from last year and simply HAD to post it on my blog because it makes me smile. And it reminds me of summer. :)

Me and Rob at the locks, July 2008

Cold

2009-02-26T20:34:00.000-08:00

I am cold. Just got home from work and my house is a tropical 55 degrees inside! And poor Smokey just sneezed... no joke. Maybe I will have to rethink this whole "turn off the heat to save money" thing!

We got less than 2 inches of snow here last night. Just enough to make my morning commute annoying! But it was all gone and the pavement was dry when I came out of work tonight. Of course, everyone was parked all crooked and stuff because when we parked there this morning, you couldn't see the lines! Haha. :) Looked pretty funny.

Tomorrow is my last day of precepting for a while, I think. Sad. I like the whole teaching thing. It is good practice for me to learn how to back off and not micro-manage so much! Work has been good, lately. Knock wood! (Or IKEA particleboard covered in wood veneer, since that is what my desk is made out of!)

Well, I am hungry and Smokey is starved for attention... time to get off the computer and get some dinner. :)

Skiing Pictures!

2009-02-25T15:58:00.003-08:00

My immune system is attempting to fight off a cold, I think. It's making me miserable. Lucky me, sick on my 2 days off! I am using it as an excuse to wear sweats today. Technically, a sweatshirt and my fleece pants. :) Also, I have resolved to keep the heat in my house at a balmy 63 after getting my City Light bill last week! Sigh. It was cold enough when I kept it at 67!

It was a nice rainy morning, although now it is actually kind of sunny and windy. We are maybe going to get an inch or two of snow tonight! I am rather surprised that schools aren't closed for tomorrow already...

I just finished uploading some pictures to Facebook... here are my favorites.

We went to Snoqualmie last weekend... it was my first time back on skis in 4 years and only Rob's second time on a snowboard (I think). It was so much fun, even though it was a little harrowing at times. Unfortunately, it was pretty icy, which was sad. Of course, THIS weekend it is supposed to be awesome! Oh well.

Not too much else going on. Rob came over last night and we did some Power Sculpt together! Then had chicken for dinner... we are both working on eating healthy. :) I did the workout again this morning and boy am I sore! But it feels good, I guess.

That's about it for today... I'm mostly just laying low and drinking tea and things in the hopes that I don't really get too sick. :)

Randomness

2009-02-24T16:52:00.002-08:00

Here's the thing about blogging. Whenever there are exciting or interesting things to write about... one is too busy to do so! And therefore, when there isn't really anything in particular going on... I have time to write what often amounts to boring posts. :)

The other problem (sort of) about blogging is that you NEVER know who might be reading it. Sure, there are some people that you figure are probably reading the post, but my experience with Google Analytics (a wonderful invention) has shown that the audience for a blog is pretty widespread and/or random. Which means that I am sometimes hesitant to blog about the stuff that I really want to write about... because it is immediately very publicly available! Take, for example, the fact that some of my seemingly innocous posts have been linked to on a blog about Costco... which means that hundreds of random people have read about my shopping trips. Surreal and kind of exciting, for sure. But kinda scary too!

Anyway. That's part of the reason that I have been a slacker when it comes to blogging... I feel like I have to be very careful about what I say, because it is so public. And my personality is such that I tend to be what Rob affectionately calls "a stress ball". Haha!

Hm. What to write about? I spent my day off today doing laundry, a task that would be much simpler if there was a working dryer in my complex. Argh. I dream of a day where I will no longer need quarters for laundry... and a dryer that works. One day. :) I also went to Costco for some much needed groceries! I swear that I am not attempting to write about Costco for that infamous "Costco Bump" (not to be confused with the "Colbert Bump"!). It just so happens that I go to The Warehouse a lot. And I really like it! And, well, since Rob works there, it has managed to become an integral part of my life. :) I was happy to get some food in my cupboards... particularly the ground turkey (which is not technically in the cupboard, mind you) and my new obsession, Fiber One bars. Can you tell I am on a high fiber, high protein, low calorie diet?! Also got a 5 lb bag of carrots. Oddly enough, the bag of carrots lasts only about 2 weeks or less! I eat a lot of baby carrots. Especially at work. :)

I was amused by something that happened in the Costco parking lot today... I was nearly run over by a car whose driver was paying more attention to eating their chicken bake instead of pedestrians. I don't know why it struck me as being so funny, but it did! Driving under the influence of a Costco Chicken Bake. Maybe they should put a warning on it.

This post is getting ridiculously long, and is about nothing at all. :) The beauty of blogging, I suppose. I will close with a picture from a couple of weeks ago that I love... me and Rob with the Fremont Troll.

Bulbs, Binoculars, and Brandon Heath

2009-02-20T18:47:00.003-08:00

It was a beautiful day today! And yesterday, too. Makes you almost feel like maybe spring (and summer) might not be so far away! In fact, my bulbs are starting to come up. Daffodils, I think. Which brings me to a funny revelation I had yesterday... I was preheating the oven to bake some chicken breasts for dinner, and had a few minutes to kill. I found myself out in the back yard, bent over the garden, clearing dead leaves off the flower bed with my bare hands. Then I wiped the dirt of my jeans, came inside, and started cooking dinner. I had this moment... I felt like a grown-up. Actually, to be honest, I felt like my mom. Haha! Not that there's anything wrong with that!! It reminded me of something Ingrid mentioned the other day on Facebook... that she and Chad had taken a Valentine's Day trip and that they brought binoculars... for bird-watching. Her comment was that she felt like she was turning something much older than 29! :) (Hopefully she won't mind me sharing the story here!)

Rob and I were talking last night about how strange it is to reach an age where you realize that, wait... this IS your life! It hit me last year. There's no more "check boxes" like graduating or finding a job or passing the next test. This is it. You wake up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, maybe watch some TV, and go to bed. Or whatever else you choose that day. This is life! I know this sounds kind of elementary, but it really is actually a pretty profound thing to have dawn on you one day. :) Kind of like the Switchfoot song says... "This is your life. Are you who you want to be?"

Speaking of Christian pop songs (like the terrible segue?)... I'm currently listening to Brandon Heath's "Give Me Your Eyes" on my iTunes. I will be honest. I used to HATE this song. Mostly because it is simple pop chords and was very overplayed on the radio! But then one day, I was at work, in the med room where there is a radio (which is tuned to any variety of stations during any given shift!). Apparently on Saturday mornings, the local pop/dance music station plays a nationally syndicated Christian songs countdown show... I guess they figure their prime audience is not listening since they were out clubbing the night before! Anyway, I'm in the med room by myself, and suddenly I hear that song come on. At that moment, in that shift, I was struck by the lyrics. Here I go to work every day, and it is my job to care for people. I mean, literally. I am paid to care. And it is so easy to become jaded and cynical. In fact, on our floor, it is a known fact that if you aren't a little bit cynical and sarcastic... you will NEVER survive! That morning I had a homeless patient who was really being difficult, and I was feeling pretty judgemental and self-righteous. Yet God used that song to really make me think about what I was feeling and thinking! At any rate, I went home and bought it on iTunes, and now actually like it. And I have never again heard Christian music in the med room.

Well that was a random digression. I suppose that is what a blog is really about, though. :)

President's Day

2009-02-16T15:25:00.000-08:00

This is my 4th day off in a row, and yet I am still not doing so hot on keeping up with the blog! :) I had a nice weekend... On Saturday, Rob and I went to go see "He's Just Not That Into You", which was a pretty good movie. Then we came back to my place and drank my Christmas present from Rob (a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne!). It was a nice Valentine's Day! On Sunday we attempted to go skiing/snowboarding after church, but unfortunately there isn't night skiing on Sundays (apparently). Kind of a bummer, but we had fun driving to the mountains and just hanging out.

I installed my new scanner this afternoon! It is pretty cool, and especially considering how inexpensive it was. Now I have to find more things to scan! Haha.

As I am thinking about what to blog about, I am realizing that my life is rather boring! The big thing going on today for me is that the dryer is still acting up, so my laundry is hung up all over the house. My neighbors and I are fighting back, however, and are starting to keep track of all the quarters (which add up) that we lose on the dumb thing, since the landlord was unable to replicate the problem when my neighbor reported it. Hm. Interesting. So, yeah. Exciting life, huh. :)

Time to go do my Power Sculpt DVD! I have not been very good about working out lately. Or eating healthy. But now that my workout clothes are almost dry, I should try to get moving!

I know, I know

2009-02-04T21:46:00.000-08:00

It has been forever since I posted. Like 2+ months. Sigh. How did I get so far behind?!

I get myself into these situations where I want to do everything absolutely perfectly... and sometimes when I know that it is impossible to do so, well, then... I don't do it at all! And I think that's what happened with the blog. :) December was crazy busy and time got away from me!! And then I felt as though I couldn't post just any old random thing since it had been so long.

But posting something is better than nothing in a couple of months, I suppose, so here I am. Not sure where to begin. The perfectionist in me wants to start where I left off in December, and properly document everything since then. However, the perfectionist is rather tired and so we will just jump to the current moment. At least for now. :)

I'm back on day shifts at work (yay!) so that means that I have nice normal sleep patterns again. Was off from work today and did nothing of excitement. Mostly hung around the house doing random things. I am (still) working on handquiliting a quilt for my bed... It is taking forever and I feel like it will never be done! But it is coming along, at least.

My other current project is of the "get in shape" variety. I've come to the sad conclusion that my body really, really likes the weight I'm at now, give or take 5 pounds. Unfortunately, my "set point" (to steal an old biology class term) does not seem to coincide well with my goals for myself. Argh! After 2 very obnoxious weeks on a new diet plan, I realized that weight loss might not be the best goal. Sure, I can eat carrots for the rest of my life and be miserable, but what is the point of THAT?! So my latest thing is just trying to get in shape. This past summer, when I ran that 5K, I felt... strong. And I liked that feeling. That's my new goal... to feel strong and in shape. Regardless of what the scale says or what size clothes I wear. Of course, if the scale were to show a number 20 or 30 pounds lighter than it currently does, I wouldn't complain!! :)

To that end, I've started running again... sometimes. After a rather frightening experience where I had what I suspect (in my professional opinion of course) was the first ever asthma attack of my life, I've been doing less running outside (or at least not when there are severe air pollution warnings). Instead I've been doing some workout DVDs in my living room. Go ahead, call me a dork. :) But I have been SORE the last few days, so that can only mean that it's working, right?!

Not too much else to report for today. I'm getting tired, even though it's not even 10 pm. I'm turning into a little old lady! First quilting with my cat and drinking tea... now thinking about bed before 10. Yikes. :)

Random thoughts

2008-12-02T13:18:00.003-08:00

Some random thoughts I'm having today:

* I just logged into MySpace for the first time in over a year. Seriously, the last time was November 2007. Funny how that happens... I go from doing something constantly... to slowly doing it occasionally... to just stopping one day without realizing it! Anyway, it was amusing to see comments people wrote back in January... that I never saw. Haha! Also, I had forgotten about all these people that I was "friends" with on myspace but haven't talked to in forever... namely, most of my nursing class from Harcum. It was crazy to see all the people who have gotten married or engaged or had babies!

* I am thoroughly annoyed that the lawn service guys came today. I mean, yes, I am glad they are here and all, but they haven't been here in like 2 months!! Last week I got so frustrated that I went out and bought a rake, then raked my yard. And now they show up?! Argh! I have to say that I am not particularly impressed.

* Went to Costco this morning. Every time I blog about Costco, the hits on my blog go through the roof! So therefore, I am letting you know that I went again today. :) Among random things that I bought was a Christmas wreath for my front door! 28 inches of evergreen glory for $15. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. Also, while I am on the subject... another reason I love The Warehouse is that the employees were wiping off the cart handles as people pushed their wet carts into the store. How cool is that? Never saw that before... at ANY store!

* I need to get a haircut. Like, a month ago. But I hate getting it done. So much awkward conversation with the stylist and it costs a fortune. I also really should probably keep up with the highlights but I am too poor for that. :) I have been procrastinating on getting my hair cut for several months now... which means it is nice and long, but also rather scraggly. Sigh.

* We put up the Christmas tree, but I haven't bought ornaments yet. I should do that today, I suppose, since I am pretty much working from tomorrow through the time we leave for Andy's wedding. But I am just not sure how I want to decorate it!! Red balls? Multi-colored balls? Ribbons? The choices go on and on!

* This week I have been contemplating the fact that I have now lived here well over a year and have yet to have found a doctor, a dentist, or a veterinarian. Or for that matter, a hair stylist or eyebrow waxer. Or a mechanic. Sigh. Guess I better get started on some of these things, huh!

Perhaps I have more important things to do than blog or surf the web. :)

Never Gonna Give You Up

2008-12-01T15:29:00.003-08:00

I stole this from Rob's dad's Facebook page... it made me laugh so hard that I thought I better share it with you. :)

O Tannenbaum!

2008-12-01T11:44:00.005-08:00

We put up the Christmas tree last night! No decorations yet, but even just having the tree up puts me in the holiday spirit. :)

Trying to figure out how to make the fake tree look a bit more real!!

The now-traditional photo of Rob in the tree box! :)

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T11:25:00.007-08:00

Well, I've had to fix the previous post because the embedded video just wouldn't work. :( It was a video of a local Costco and how they make all the pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving! But if you are still interested, the article from the Seattle Times (and accompanying video) can be found here. Although Thanksgiving has passed, it is still pretty interesting!

I had a great Thanksgiving!! I cooked a full meal, and Rob came over to help me eat it. :) Roasted a turkey and everything! The menu also included stuffing, cranberries, mashed potatoes (and homemade gravy), and a failed attempt at sweet potatoes. Rob was very kind, and took a few bites of the sweet potatoes, then offered to be the one to make them next year! Hahaha!! :) Perhaps my extreme dislike of sweet potatoes somehow affected my ability to cook them. For dessert, I had pumpkin pie and Rob had tiramisu, and we watched "The Simpsons Movie"... except that we each fell asleep and missed half of it. All in all, a wonderful day.

Thanksgiving, Costco-style

2008-11-26T07:37:00.002-08:00

How do they make all those pumpkin pies?!

Come Thou Fount

2008-11-25T17:13:00.005-08:00

One of my favorite hymns... been stuck in my head all day! :)

Come, thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.

007 Tonight!

2008-11-21T08:23:00.000-08:00

I am determined to keep up with the blog... so I am posting a very quick one now so as to keep it (relatively) up to date!! :)

Just got home from work. Looking forward to having tonight off (even though I am working this weekend)... Rob and I are going to see the new James Bond movie!! I am very excited. :) I have managed to avoid reading any reviews in the fear that it might not be well-received, because I figure that I HAVE to see it, regardless of what any review might say! So that is tonight. Until then, time to get some sleep... I am exhausted. Yawn.

Pictures from PA

2008-11-17T15:37:00.009-08:00

I got home last night from a quick trip to PA this weekend! Friday morning through Sunday night... it felt like I spent more time on the planes than actually there, but I don't think that's quite true. :) Here are a couple pictures from my trip:

My bedroom at my parents' house

Lauren and Brian
Lauren and Maddy!

The wedding cake and groom's cake

A picture to prove that I was, indeed, at my parents' house in Ardmore!!

Nuptial Madness

2008-11-12T06:55:00.003-08:00

Winter is apparently the new spring. No, no, I'm not talking about weather or time of year for cleaning... I'm talking about weddings!

Just got done doing some cleaning of my apartment (I stayed up all night so I could sleep today before work). I noticed that my dining room table held a number of interesting objects. No, not the dead roses that sat in the vase so long that the water all evaporated. (What can I say? I am a romantic and hadn't gotten around to getting rid of them!)

What captured my attention was the plethora of wedding-related paraphenalia! I found, in no particular order: an invite to Kelly's bridal shower (my future sister-in-law), a thank you note from Jonathan & Liz for their wedding gift (with a cute pic of them on the front), an invite to Sarah's bridal shower (it's a big year for weddings in that family!), and the invitation/directions for Lauren's wedding this weekend!

There are 3 upcoming weddings of people I am close to, all within less than 2 months. Strange! Prior to the 2 weddings I went to this past spring, the last one I had been to was Ingrid & Chad's wedding in 2004!! And before that? I can't even remember. But it had certainly been at least a year or more.

What's with all the weddings? And even more perplexing... what's with all the winter weddings? Has the spring wedding gone out of fashion? Hm.

These are the things I contemplate when I have had ~5 hours of sleep in the last 43 hours! :)

Insomniac

2008-11-11T00:54:00.000-08:00

I can't sleep!!! Definitely annoying. I am on this strange cycle... not quite 100% nocturnal. Yesterday, I was up until 3am or so (not on purpose, I might add), then slept until almost noon! I just kept hitting the snooze button. Yes, from 8 am when my alarm went off until 12:07 when I rolled out of bed in disgust that I had wasted half the day!

I was all set to go to bed by 10:30 or 11 tonight, I really was. After I hung up the phone with Rob, though, I decided to watch some TV until 11ish. Then I tried to go to bed. But I am wide awake! What?! Probably has something to do with me getting up at noon today. :) So here I am, blogging late into the night because I have nothing better to do. Last night, I laid in bed and watched a show on TLC about the world's fattest man. It was actually pretty interesting, but still! I wanted to sleep!!

It just started raining here. The forecast is for flooding rains (that is, typical November weather in Seattle). I am hoping that the sound of rain on the carport will lull me to sleep.

Not much else new to report. Today was a pretty boring day... I was hoping to pick up some OT at work but that didn't pan out. I did get my PPD read... negative for TB (yay!). They surprised me by pulling up my file in the computer and determining that I was overdue to have my hep B titre drawn... so I had a surprise blood draw this afternoon. I hate getting blood drawn! The funny thing is, I can draw blood from patients all day long... but when someone comes at ME with a needle, I freak out! Haha. :) Hopefully the results are good. Otherwise I will need another booster shot... and I do not want that! (Although I suppose I would much rather have a shot than hepatitis, but still.)

Well, this is yet another boring post. Sorry. :) Time to climb back in bed and hope the sound of raindrops works as a lullaby!

150th Post

2008-11-09T08:07:00.002-08:00

I have been procrastinating on this post... I feel as though this needs to be a amazing piece of literature, seeing as how it is #150... but I have nothing really profound to say right now! :)

Reading the last two "milestone" posts from May and January, I am struck by the things that have changed, and the things that have remained the same. It seems like a long time ago that I was preparing for the Seafair race and to go to England/Ireland! But yet again, so much rings true. I am still struggling to lose more weight... I've maintained about the same for a while now. I'm looking for a new church to call home, and there are days I still really struggle with aspects of my faith. Maybe it is fitting, therefore, that I DON'T have some huge thing to post for the 150th post... a blog is really about documenting daily life, I suppose... and this IS my daily life. Pretty boring, honestly.

I went to bed at about 2 am last night, and woke up this morning at 5 am. I had a nightmare and then just could not get back to sleep. :( But it gave me time to think and read and pray... before the sun even came up. So perhaps that is what is most important for me to be doing. I have the day off, and have thought about visiting a new church this morning, but I just can't bring myself to do it. I hate "church-shopping". Even the phrase makes it sound like some consumer-driven thing. I just want to have a church home, is all. So far none of the places we've visited have felt like "home", or even that they would have the potential to become that. It's so frustrating. Should I just go to a church on Sunday morning because that is what one does? Should I pick one out of the phonebook because I have the day off and therefore should try it out? That just doesn't seem right.

I've often heard that Seattle is one of the most "un-churched" areas in America. After living back here a year, I believe it. Absolutely. Not only is it particularly tough to be a Christian here, but there just aren't that many churches. Believe me, I've been flipping through the aforementioned phone book! What am I supposed to do? I know that maybe I am being picky. Sure, there are churches that I could go to... but none of them seem to fit what I have been looking for. I could go be another anonymous "regular attender" at Mars Hill or Overlake, or any number of other huge churches. But I don't want to be part of a crowd... I want something smaller. I enjoy contemporary Christian music (hey, my car radio is usually tuned to 105.3)... but I want the opportunity to sing out of a hymnal, at least sometimes. At least have one in the pew rack. I want to hear Biblical preaching. I want to be with other Christians. But I'm just not sure how to do that right now.

So instead, this morning, I sat in my living room with my Bible and my copy of "Hymns of Truth and Praise". It's not much, and certainly not sustainable, but it's all I could muster this morning. Perhaps I will listen to an old sermon on my iPod or something, too, thanks to the internet. Sigh.

There you go... I haven't posted in a while and then once I start, the floodgates open! I would apologize, but it's my blog and you have chosen to read it. :) If you have made it to the end, I would love your prayers. Times are tough right now.

Elections

2008-11-05T01:07:00.000-08:00

This is gonna be a quick post (#149!!)... It is almost 1 am and time for me to get some sleep. :-) I haven't written in a while, so I felt the need to post a quick update!

Election night! Rob and I watched the returns together, although it was rather anticlimatic... I think the dinner from Burger King was more surprising. :) But nevertheless, I was happy that Obama won, even though my absentee vote won't count for anything! Honestly, the last election convinced me that the popular vote means nothing, because it is all about the electoral vote... so... this might seem shocking... but I didn't feel like voting at all for the presidential race. I know, I know, it is "un-American"... but seriously? What is it worth? The major reason I voted was for the more local elections... WA governor, and the local propositions. Sadly, I-1000 was approved, legalizing assisted suicide in Washington. My feelings on the subject are numerous... I will summarize by saying that God is the One who ultimately decides when our time on Earth is up... and even though in my career I have witnessed so much pain and suffering, I am convinced there is a reason for it all. How could I proceed with daily life if that were not true?! Anyway, the popular vote has spoken on that issue... but my prayers will continue.

I am very happy to hear that Seattle Prop 1 has passed!! The Pike Place Market is definitely worth improving/saving. And as someone who has used the restroom facilities there... YIKES! I do not need to see people shooting up while I take care of business... so I am all in favor of some improvements there! :) And it makes me really happy that I am now a Seattle resident and able to vote on such things!!

Clearly, I am blogging in the middle of the night. I am all messed up by this night shift thing... back to day shift in January, though! Until then, however, I have resigned myself to the fact that I will be awake at odd hours. Thank goodness QFC is open 24 hours! :)

This post ended up rambling, even though I intended it to be short... better try to get some sleep soon!

~Alison

World Series Champions

2008-10-29T22:00:00.004-07:00

Hooray Phillies!

I am feeling, for perhaps the first time, a twinge of homesickness for Philadelphia. Obviously there have been times I have missed my family and good times had in PA, but not really the City of Brotherly Love. Tonight, as I sat on the edge of my couch, dressed in red and gray with my purple Phillies cap, watching the end of the World Series... I felt it. A little gnawing at my heartstrings for Philly. On the other hand, I am extraordinarily glad I am not working at Methodist tonight... South Philly is not a place I would want to be right now, as I do not trust crazy Philadelphian sports fans!!

But as I sat at my computer this evening, watching WPVI streaming live coverage of the celebrations over the internet, I felt this connection. It's been a long time since I watched Cecily and Gary Papa and Jim Gardner... granted, I am happy to have broken free of the superhype extravaganza that is local news in Philly. Yet I am reminded that things really are different there, particularly compared to Seattle. The culture is SO different that it shocks me, really, to be reminded of it again! I like it in Seattle, and moving back to Philly wouldn't be my first choice. (Actually, what I would really enjoy would be someplace that is a combo of the two!)

That said, I am really craving a cheesesteak and a Yuengling tonight. :)

Halloween Cupcakes

2008-10-29T15:20:00.008-07:00

It all started when I saw these cute cupcake paper wrappers at Target... and before I knew it, I was baking (and decorating) 4 dozen Halloween cupcakes!! Thank goodness both Rob and I work in large offices! :)

I have no idea why these pictures are turned sideways... and can't figure out how to fix it!! But you get the idea. :)

Turkey Day!

2008-10-21T11:07:00.006-07:00

It's tough to type with a cat sitting between me and the keyboard!! Reminds of the old Mavis Beacon days when we weren't allowed to look at the keyboard in typing class. :)

Last night I finally roasted that turkey that has been in my freezer for like 10 months! It seems like just yesterday that Rob told me he was bringing over a surprise, and I opened my front door to discover him standing there holding a frozen turkey with a big grin on his face. :) Here are a selected few pictures from last night's Turkey Dinner:

This picture makes me look like a Stepford wife!

Rob carving the turkey

Smokey had too much tryptophan!

Bullet List Mania!

2008-10-18T10:37:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted in forever. I've been busy, but lazy, too. :)

My body clock is all messed up! Yesterday I came home from work at 8 am, went to bed at 10 am, woke up at 3 pm... went back to bed at 12:30 am and then woke up this morning at 6 am. Not sure what that adds up to, but I'm pretty much wide awake so I will take it! Of course, I will probably crash this afternoon, as I am prone to do. :) Earlier this week, Rob and I rented the movie "Leatherheads", and I dozed off... woke myself up by my own snoring (how embarrassing!) and discovered that the OPENING credits hadn't even finished. Yikes.

As I like to do when I haven't posted in a while, I am going to revert to the ever-popular bullet list...

* Last night we went and saw the new Oliver Stone movie "W", which I highly recommend. It was actually Rob's idea and although I was initially reluctant, it was surprisingly good. I really enjoyed the scene where Junior chokes on a pretzel. :) Haha. Seriously, though, James Brolin was frighteningly good! The movie definitely made me think about the last 8 years. I remember standing in my college dorm room, watching Colin Powell's speech to the UN about WMDs. And the anti-war protests when we were in Vienna. Anyway, I really liked the movie!

* Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my first date with Rob. We enjoyed reminiscing last night about that... how we stayed at Starbucks talking, long after the coffee was finished, and eventually they had to ask us to leave because they were closing!! :) Fun times.

* This week I purchased plane tickets! I am headed to Philly in mid-November for my friend Lauren's wedding. It's going to be a quick weekend trip, but should be fun.

* I am definitely in need of a vacation. Work has been taking its toll... Thursday night was one of the worst nights I've had in a long time. Yuck. Really glad that I have a 4 day weekend off!!!

* This morning, I finally broke down and installed the new version of iTunes. Of course, I had to mess around with the Genius feature. I've been pretty impressed with some of the playlists it has come up with. But also completely baffled by some of the songs it picks!! I tried it with the Michael W. Smith song "A New Hallelujah", and they picked ones from artists like Newsboys, MercyMe, Switchfoot, etc. Ok, great! But right in the middle is... "I Need You (That Thing You Do)" from the movie soundtrack of TTYD. What?! Totally wacky. Made me laugh, though.

* Speaking of iTunes, I found myself dancing around the room a few minutes ago to that Steven Curtis Chapman song, "Dive". Reminded me of that awesome concert we went to a couple of weeks ago, and hearing it live with all the people dancing. :)

* I really, really want one of the new Mac laptops. But that would mean working some overtime and saving up a bit of money. Hm. Not sure yet whether I am going to try to work extra to get one faster or whether I will try to save up from my regular paychecks (which will take much longer but doesn't require more time at work!).

* I am wearing my purple Phillies hat this morning! But I am mildly concerned that doing so will serve to curse their World Series chances... since I seem to be bad luck for baseball teams.

* I'm currently contemplating roasting a turkey on Monday when I am off from work. Any thoughts?

Alright. I should probably get up from my computer now. It's a sunny morning in Seattle, but only in the 40s so far. Brr!

Rainy Day in the Rainy City

2008-10-03T13:48:00.004-07:00

I just wasted like 45 minutes on Facebook. What a great way to spend a rainy afternoon!! I actually posted a new album of pictures on Facebook... a select group of photos from this fall. (Although a few venture back into August, but who's keeping track?) It was fun to look back over the good times I've had lately. I especially enjoyed reviewing the pictures from Jen's visit! Check out the album on Facebook... if you are not my friend on Facebook, then why are reading this?! :)

Not much new to write about. I worked a double shift Wednesday night... 16 hrs is a long time! But the extra pay will come in handy, so I can't complain too much.

Today is one of those typical fall days in Seattle. Highs in the 50s, rainy. A good day to stay inside! Maybe I will go work on one of my quilting projects... or take a nap. :) Smokey ventured outside when I was taking out some recycling this afternoon. It was hilarious! She ran out the door and got a few feet onto the deck before she realized that it was pouring rain... she then continued out into the grass and got all nice and dirty. I think she thinks she is a dog! Eventually I coaxed her back inside... and discovered she had a leaf stuck to her paw. It made me laugh so hard! What a strange cat.

October Already?!

2008-10-01T00:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's October already!! Man, where did the summer go? When I think back to a year ago this week, when I was researching to buy a new car... it seems to be practically a lifetime ago! Yet I can't believe that fall is here already. Today I went to Target and it really hit me when I saw all the Halloween stuff. Wow. Time sure flies.

I'm attempting to stay up late tonight. My sleep schedule is all messed up!! I slept for a few hours after work yesterday, then went to bed at like 1 am, only to be wide awake at 4:30 am... which meant I only lasted until 1 pm before I needed a nap! There's no real point to getting set on a schedule, because it SO hard to stay on "night shift" on my days off. If I did that, I would never be awake in the daytime and therefore would never get to see Rob or my friends or the beautiful city I call home!! :)

Even so, I am sitting front of the TV catching up on all the shows my Tivo has been recording this week while I've been at work! Right now I am watching "The Biggest Loser" while I blog. I love this show. Seriously. I haven't really been a fan of reality shows since the first season of "Survivor", but TBL is one that I watch religiously. Maybe it is because of my own struggles with weight that I feel a connection to the contestants. Or maybe I just prefer to watch someone else working out rather than me!! Haha. :) Honestly, though, I feel like the show has been pretty inspiring. At the very least, it is really tough to veg out in front of the TV and eat junk while watching a show like TBL!! So there are some benefits in my mind. :)

Speaking of weights/dieting... I haven't been very good lately. I realized last week that I've really just been staying in pretty much the same place, maintaining my current weight. And while it's been a nice break from the intense dieting, I want to lose a bit more than where I'm at now. Which means that I definitely need to get moving. And eating better! I haven't gone running in over a week, and even though I have never grown to love exercising, I do really like the way that I look and feel when I am in better shape. I've noticed the difference at work, for sure. Nursing is a really physical job sometimes, whether it's moving patients or equipment or even just walking and being on your feet for a 12 hour shift. This summer I really started to feel the difference... less exhausted, stronger, etc. And I might be a total dork for noticing this, but my resting heart rate is actually lower than it used to be!!! I often end up checking my own pulse/oxygen saturation (why, who knows!)... I used to run in the high 90s, but now I am almost always in the 70s... and sometimes even in the 60s. Wow!! That is cool. :) I just gotta keep that stuff in mind when I am tempted to eat chips and salsa for dinner!

So I'm putting it out there in my blog, because that has helped in the past. I don't know if it is the sense of accountability or what, but somehow posting it on the blog seems to really help solidify my goals. :) I would really like to run another race sometime, maybe in the spring. And it would be great to be a size 6 (or smaller, even!!) for my brother's wedding in December. Mostly, though, I want to reach the original goal that I set out to accomplish... sure, 50 lbs is a great accomplishment, but I'd love to be able to get that last 20 knocked out!!! :)

On that note, I better move off this couch! Maybe do some crunches... or at least clean up the living room. :)

Fair pictures!

2008-09-25T12:18:00.012-07:00

Another week has passed and I have not been good about blogging.
:( I apologize to my loyal reader(s)!

I have officially made the transition to night shift. I miss normal circadian rhythms!! But so far I've had decent shifts so I guess I can't complain too much. Seattle weather has rapidly turned to fall (highs in the 50s, cloudy, occasional rain showers), so it makes for good sleeping weather, at least.

I wasn't planning on blogging at the moment... I sat down at the computer to do some bill-paying as it is pay day. But for some inexplicable reason, the Bank of America website is down. Which worries me in light of recent events in the financial world! I know, I know, it is unrelated, but still, makes one wonder. So since I can't pay my bills yet (should I trust that the website will indeed be back up "in a few minutes"?? Haha.), I thought I would do a quick blog.

There really hasn't been too much going on lately besides work. On my days off I do lots of boring things... pay bills, do laundry, clean my apt, etc. :) Last week I did do a couple fun things. Rob and I went to the Puyallup Fair on Saturday. It was a lot of fun even though it rained most of the day!

As always with a fair, I particularly enjoyed the livestock. :) I think Rob's favorite thing was the roasted corn on the cob. Sadly, there was a noticable lack of fried things on a stick... but I guess I have been spoiled in the past by the Minnesota State Fair and the North Carolina State Fair!! (As though my diet really needed fried food on a stick, anyway.)

Poor little 4-H project!!

In the evening, we went to the concert at the fair... Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith. Definitely a great concert... at some points much more like thousands of people worshiping together rather than just watching a concert. Pretty cool. :)

Well, I'm annoyed that I still can't log in to my bank accounts. Time to go put the laundry in the dryer (which works now... YAY!! No more underwear hanging on a rack in the living room to dry!). And maybe rustle up some lunch.

Costco, Part 2

2008-09-18T12:10:00.002-07:00

Wow, it's been a while since I wrote... the post on Costco got such a huge response that it is hard to live up to!! Some of you may know that I use Google Analytics on my blog, which is pretty awesome. And I can say with certainty that my Costco post got an insane amount of traffic... 45 unique views the first day, 25 the next, 26 the day after, and 28 the next day!!! Wow. I wonder how on earth that happened? Guess I am not the only one who loves Costco. :) (Actually I know that statement is not true, based on the "anti-Costco" sentiments I have received in the last week... but since it is MY blog, I get to delete them!)

I vow to write more later. I'm busy uploading lots of pictures from the last week or so!! Last weekend, Rob and I went hiking at Mt. Rainier and took a whole bunch of great pictures that I need to post. And of course, yesterday was Rob's birthday, so there are some fun pictures from that. :)

I Love Costco

2008-09-11T14:20:00.009-07:00

Every time I go to Costco, I feel inspired to blog about the experience, but thus far have refrained from it. The time has come, however, for me to declare my love for The Warehouse.

Let me start by saying that I have pretty much been a life-long shopper at the wholesale stores (I shouldn't even mention the names for fear that I will be struck by lightning, but as a child my family had a Sam's membership, and my parents still are BJs shoppers... haven't converted them yet!). So it's not like I have just discovered warehouse shopping or anything. But today I was thinking about how much I enjoy it, and decided it was the perfect topic for today's blog!

Now you may wonder why a single 27 year old woman is even shopping at a place like Costco. I mean, how much could I possibly use of any one item that I would need to buy it in bulk? And that is where you are wrong (or perhaps just naive)!!

Full disclosure time. I must confess that I do have a vested interest in Costco, and maybe am not totally objective. Furthermore, since my membership was a gift, I am only reaping benefits... but I've done the math and I suspect that I would easily recoup the membership fee in a year!!

Now to the reasons that shopping at Costco makes me happy. Let me take you through a typical trip, and share with you Why I Love Costco.

* The parking spaces are gigantic, at least at the Shoreline store. My hypothesis is that people buy so much at Costco that they need to have bigger vehicles, and so the spaces are built larger to accomodate the SUVs/Hummers needed to tote home all the wonderful wares. For someone like me, who drives a Nissan Sentra, this is wonderful, because the first moment of the Costco experience is pleasant.

* There is never a shortage of shopping carts. Compared to my experiences at BJs, where you have to drag one across the parking lot to the front door, only to find that it has a bum wheel, this is great! Do not underestimate the little things.

* Upon entering the store, you are immediately faced with a plethora of beautiful TVs on one side, and on the other side is what Costco insiders know as "The Fence". Now you might be tempted to get caught up in the stream of shoppers heading into the rest of the store, but I encourage you to hold up the whole group (don't be shy!) because there is some cool stuff on The Fence! Today was a selection of coats/vests... I don't need a winter coat, nor does anyone I know, but I was really tempted to buy one anyway, because the price was GREAT! Ah, the power of The Fence.

* Once I've moved past the entrance into the body of the store, I have never once been able to make a bee-line to the item(s) I came for. (Well, except for that one time I went with the Wilson family, but that was just because I was trying to make a good impression!) I must meander through the aisles. Each and every one. Because you never know what you might find. Today I was pleased to discover that Costco sells what they call a "super-ream" of paper. 800 sheets for $6.55! Bigger than just a little pack of printer paper but way less than a huge box (which they also sell but I would never be able to use).

* There are some things I know I am almost always going to buy on a routine trip. Milk, coffee, salsa. But then there are other things (like laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, or chewing gum) that I buy on a less-frequent basis, so I pretty much always come away with quite the haul. :) A few of my favorite items:

Milk in the double pack. Costco even has their own special oddly-shaped milk jugs (I assume they stack better on a pallet or something), so when people open my fridge, they are immediately aware of my loyalty to The Warehouse.
Seattle Mountain Blend whole bean coffee (exclusive to Costco). $9 for 2 lbs and really good coffee!

Kirkland Signature Tortilla Strips... while one might be intially reluctant to buy the store brand at a normal store, at Costco it is different. Many "store brand" items are actually just special packaging of "brand name" items, if you look closely. For example, these chips (3 lbs for $3.39!!) are made by Mission. And they are amazing. Particularly with my giant jug of salsa ($4.25). :)

Tribe Hummus in the snack pack. Little containers of hummus (16 for $4.99), perfect for lunches at work. Yum. I have gotten more questions about it at work... everyone is jealous of my hummus!

Clothes. You might be shocked to discover that Costco has some cool clothes sometimes. Granted, they usually have much better men's clothes than women's, but still. I've found some good stuff at decent prices.
Did you know that Costco sells wine and beer (at least in some states)? I didn't know that until I moved to WA, where it is legal to do so. There are some great deals to be had, if one is in the market for such items. I admit, I have succumbed to the siren call of the Mike's Hard Lemonade variety pack for $21.99. Pretty competitive pricing!

There lots of other deals I could mention, but this post is getting long! Some other time, I suppose. But Costco also apparently has great deals on gas, tires, kitchen remodels, vacations, funeral caskets, mattresses, prescription drugs, eyeglasses... and churros. Mmmm.

I could also discuss some other things I enjoy, such as the little older ladies with free samples, or the fact that the checkers always tease me for dating an employee just to get into the Costco Wholesale Family. (Apparently my membership card makes it public knowledge!)

Have I mentioned that I love Costco? :)

Beautiful Day

2008-09-10T16:15:00.007-07:00

It is a beautiful day in Seattle! And I feel like I had a very "Seattle day". This morning, after sleeping in and enjoying my coffee and watching "The View", I went for a walk around Green Lake. By myself. And it was wonderful! It's been a while since I exercised (sadly), so instead of pushing it and trying to run, I just powerwalked and listened to TWIT. Today was one of those cloudless days, where the sun is shining and people remember why they live in Seattle! Green Lake wasn't too crowded, surprisingly. (Actually, maybe not... school has started and it is a Wednesday!!) And it was a great power walk.

Then, after a shower and a snack, I walked up to Starbucks. Spent a bit of the afternoon there, enjoying my venti nonfat no-whip mocha and reading my book on Christian womanhood and my Bible. It was wonderful! And exactly what I needed.

Eventually, I decided I couldn't stay there all afternoon, so I headed over to QFC and picked up some groceries, put them in my reusable-foldable grocery bag, and walked home. (See what I mean about a Seattle kind of day? :) And what did I buy? Yogurt, garbanzo beans, and carrots!)

September is a good month in Seattle... here's a picture I took nearly a year ago (September 11, 2007), but it could easily have been taken today!

I have said it before, and I will say it again. Moving here has been good for me. The last year has been really tough at times, but the Lord has been faithful, and I wouldn't change my experiences if I could! I know that today's post might sound super cheerful (especially compared to recent ones), and to be honest, I don't feel like blogging in detail about the big things that have happened in my life this week.

What I will say is that this week I experienced God directly answering my prayers. Seriously... I have rarely had the kind of immediate answer that I experienced on Sunday night, when I sat in church and began to cry as I was praying so intensely and just opened up my heart to God... and then a few hours later felt like God handed me a response to those prayers (and many months of prayers). What an encouragement it was to realize that He does indeed hear our prayers!!

Things are changing, and there is a lot of uncertainty ahead as we look for a new church. But our God is an awesome God, and He will provide guidance, if only we trust Him with our lives.

Sunset on the beach at Carkeek Park last Saturday

Frozen Peas and HD

2008-09-05T13:29:00.004-07:00

Thank goodness for frozen peas. I'm currently holding a bag to my face in an effort to prevent/reduce swelling, because I am a total klutz! Here's what happened. I have sequestered the Roomba (my new best friend) in the upstairs bathroom so it can be on kitty litter patrol. I decide to check on its progress, and go to open the bathroom door, which gets caught on the throw rug. I bend down to tug the rug out of the way... at the same time still attempting to push open on the door. Which swings open at the same time I bend down. Thus smacking the doorknob into my right cheekbone. OUCH!!! I actually started laughing because it must have looked ridiculous, but wow. It hurt. So now I have a big red mark on my cheek, just below my eye and it is starting to swell up! Which brings us to the frozen peas. I think you are supposed to put steak on a black eye but I am too poor for such things... if I HAD a steak, I would eat it, not use it for first aid!! The peas have gone uneaten in my freezer for months, so time to put them to good use. :) Hopefully they will help!

I went to the Comcast Service Center off Aurora today (sketchy!) and successfully got my multi-stream cable card! For free! :) It took longer on the phone to activate it than it did to install it, but nevertheless, I am officially in the world of HD. I still need to procure an HDMI cable so the quality is as good as I can get it, but even now... holy moly. I think that my previous cable box was not HD (even though they claimed it was) because now I get all the HD channels that I was supposedly getting all this time (and wasn't). Here's how good the quality is... I literally found myself sitting on the floor in front of the TV, watching some program on ESPN2HD about the 2007 Green Bay Packers. For an extended period of time, before I realized that I didn't care about the content of the program!! WOW. I am stunned. The quality is insane. And now with the HD Tivo working... man. I might never leave my couch again. :)

Now to less exciting things like cleaning and organizing. Trying to be productive today before I go over to hang out with Ingrid tonight!

A couple clippings...

2008-09-05T09:25:00.004-07:00

In my family, we often joke about "clippings" that we send... as in newspaper clippings we think someone may be interested in. (Not toenail clippings or hedge clippings or something else gross!) In that spirit, here are a few recent articles from the Seattle Times/PI that you may (or may not) find of interest:

Hard Rock Cafe to Open in Seattle

Nurses Picket at UW Hospital

Old 520 Tollbooth in a Second Career

Well, I should get moving on my day rather than goofing around on the internets. :) Lots to do! Hopefully get a couple cablecards from Comcast, go grocery shopping, wash my car (got attacked by seagulls at work this week!)... maybe even work on a quilt or organize the 1000 pictures on my computer! Haha. Probably not that ambitious, but there are some possibilities. :) Oh yeah, and I really need a haircut. Hm.

One Moment at a Time

2008-09-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what to write tonight. Not feeling like I am really in a blogging mood, but yet still want to write something. Worked a 12 today... not too bad, but like I said yesterday, I've become rather apathetic. Not bad, but not great either. Today at work the nurses' union was picketing outside the hospital. My coworkers all went down on their breaks to join the picket line, but I managed to skip it. I'm not in the union, but I'm covered by the collective bargaining agreement, so the contract negotiations affect me as much as anyone, but I don't know. I did learn more about them, thanks to the flyers I was handed as I crossed the picket line to come in to work. Apparently there are lots of issues at stake but the one that caught my eye was that nurses at our hospital are paid 8% less than other RNs at comparable hospitals in the area. With no pay raises planned beyond the state employee's 2%. Wow. Interesting. It was pretty awkward when my patients were asking about it, as they each had windows that overlooked the picketers. Hopefully they will be able to work something out before the current contract is up.

Aside from that, not much else going on. Tonight I'm really struggling to stay positive and hopeful... and I know that it is made much worse by the fact that I am tired. My current Facebook status says that I am taking it one day at a time, and that's pretty accurate. Today's been a long day, and I am not convinced that the next few will be any easier or shorter. Sigh.

I've noticed that I can start a day really in a good place, having spent time with God. This morning I was singing along with the Christian worship songs on the radio on the way to work! And I felt like I was trusting Him with everything, without worry. But now, at this moment? I am a little more shaky. I know that I have to trust Him, because I can't make it on my own... it's just tough sometimes. My heart is aching. :(

Well, I better get to bed soon... another long shift tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow's post will be a bit more positive-- this one was kind of a downer. Not intentional, just a reflection of my mood, I guess.

As Promised

2008-09-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

I keep vowing to post pictures, so here are a few recent ones:

My room today (closet contents EVERYWHERE!). Note Smokey sleeping in the middle of it all on my bed. :)

Smokey snoozing on my bed while I clean! :)

Me and my cousin Jen at the top of the Space Needle

Me on top of the Fremont Troll last week :) Jen and I sought shelter from the rain under I-5 but found we had some company!

The infamous flat tire... and a very wet Alison jacking up the car! :)

27 candles :)

The aforementioned ridiculously frivolous red dress!

And September Begins...

2008-09-02T19:41:00.003-07:00

So I have been pretty awful about blogging lately. Seriously. It's one of those things that gets marginalized to the bottom of my to-do list until I forget completely!

This weekend, I worked on Saturday and Sunday... no long weekend for me! But of course, my work schedule is pretty wacky anyway, so I end up with random numbers of days off at any given time. I actually have a three day weekend coming up this weekend... Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. Whoo-hoo! As you might be able to tell, my job is stressing me out. This always happens. I have a couple of bad shifts where I get all stressed, and then a few okay ones where I think its not so bad, but then wham! I get slammed again. This weekend wasn't as bad as it could have been, and certainly not the worst that I have had, but I think the thing that gets me is that my method of gauging each shift is "how BAD was it?". What does that tell you?

There's a difference between loving your job and not hating it. Or only sometimes hating it. I seem to be in the latter mood tonight. I mean, I am sitting at home and already am feeling anxiety over having to go to work tomorrow! And looking ahead to reassure myself, okay, there are only 2 shifts to get through before you are off again. Sigh. Probably not the best way to live one's life, but that's where I'm at right now.

I have found that the best way to deal with the stress of work is to have really enjoyable days off, and to make sure that the time off is what I focus on. To quote one of my coworker's oft-spoken phrase: "Work to live, don't live to work!" And so that has been my goal. Yesterday I had a really good day with a friend... even though things didn't exactly go as planned, we had the opportunity to spend lots of time talking and having meaningful conversations... as well as completely silly fun, too. It was the kind of day that makes the rest of life worth living. :)

Today has been pretty boring. I decided this morning that it would be a really good idea to completely empty my bedroom closet of all of its contents. And then sort through them. Of course, my enthusiasm waned as the project dragged on, but my closet is amazingly clean now. The bedroom is slightly messier, though, as there are some things I hauled out but don't feel like dealing with! But it was nice to do some "fall cleaning". I decided that since I have lived here a year, if there is an item that I have not used since I moved, then I need to get rid of it. Which is tough sometimes when I think about the time/money/effort spent to move it all the way here! But in the end I think it is more beneficial to just chuck these things.

The one neat thing is that my stacks of clothes that need to go to the Goodwill are now huge towers! It's sad when there are pretty new-ish clothes (and especially scrubs) that I have to get rid of because they don't fit, but on the other hand, I don't ever want to be those sizes again. It was good for my ego today to try on some clothes that a year ago I wore regularly, and now they look absolutely ridiculous because they are so huge!

I also finally rustled up the courage to call Comcast to try to get cable cards for my new Tivo (so I can use it!!). Sadly, the guy on the phone was a total loser and sent me on a wild goose chase to the Comcast counter at Best Buy. Luckily, the manager at BB was way more helpful and told me exactly what I needed to do... of course, at that point it was 6 pm and the Comcast store on Aurora was closed, so it will have to wait until Friday. But the good news is that the Comcast website is wrong, and I can indeed install them myself! Yay! Just not until later...

Not too much else going on... my daily life is pretty boring. I've been reading some books on Christian womanhood (or whatever you want to call it), and that's been good. The other night I couldn't sleep and spent a lot of time in prayer and reading my Bible, which was also good. I have spent quite a bit of time in prayer lately, come to think of it. Which is wonderful. I just wish it wasn't hard times that have driven me into that mode. :( I'm trying to be patient, to avoid resentment and anger, and I'm praying that God will provide wisdom and direction. One day at a time. That's about all I can do right now.

Frustrated But Happy

2008-08-29T12:54:00.004-07:00

It's been a week since I posted! Yikes!! It's been a busy week with lots to post about, too... darn. :) But then again, busy often equals fewer posts! That's unfortunate for any reader, however, because it means I post most often when I am bored with nothing exciting to write about! Haha. :)

I have one day off today before I have to work this weekend. But Sunday is only an 8 hr shift, so I can go to church! Haven't been to Hope in like 2 months (oops) thanks to the craziness of summer. Last Sunday, my cousin Jen and I went to Mars Hill on Sunday morning before sightseeing (more about that later), and then before that it was work and trips abroad, etc. So hopefully (haha) I will be there on Sunday!

I'm trying to decide the tone of this blog. I am writing because I need a break from a frustrating day off (which would be great to rant about!) but I don't like it when my blogs are rants all the time... I prefer a more upbeat record of my life! I also need to make it a quick post because I have some of the aforementioned frustrating things to take care of before I can write a fun post about Jen's visit! So, here's the latest in my life:

* My 27th birthday was pretty much the best ever. Even though it was the first one where I wasn't with my family, I felt completely loved by family and friends. Particularly when I compare it to previous birthdays (where maybe I felt disappointed or OLD), it was simply awesome. Thank you to everyone who made it special!! Will post pictures later...

* Birthday gift highlights include Target giftcard, Amazon gift certificate, books, jewelry, linens, reimbursement of Ireland expenses (whoo hoo!), flowers (multiple givers!), a coat, and one of the greatest inventions ever... a Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner! I also bought myself a ridiculously gorgeous red dress because it was on sale and I felt frivolous on my birthday... now I just need someplace to wear it to!

* My cousin Jen came to visit from Pittsburgh!! It was a random idea for a trip, since we got along well at Thanksgiving (well, we've always gotten along well, but now we are older!) and she decided to vacation with me in Seattle! It was a fun couple of days, and I had a blast. Unfortunately, Seattle had awful weather the entire time... 50s and 60s and raining... in August. Lovely. But the visit was FABULOUS! :)

* After Jen left on Tuesday night, I worked two 12s on Wednesday and Thursday. Long and stressful days. Seriously. Glad when they were done! One day off then back for more fun. :) Next schedule, though... 90% time!!

* My TiVo died (see previous rant!). :( So I purchased a new HD TiVo!! But haven't gotten Comcast out to install the cablecards... so it is a beautiful piece of electronic hardware sitting in my living room as a decorative item. I anticipate it will be awesome, however. :)

* On Monday, Jen and I were driving in downtown Seattle and got a flat tire. :( So she not only got to help me jack up the car in the pouring rain of a rare Seattle thunderstorm, but she got to experience the joy of a tire store on Aurora Ave (the FULL Seattle tour!). Actually, I was super glad she was there for both the flat and the purchasing of the new tires, as neither thing was something I would want to go through on my own!

* Thanks to the 2 previous items, I am officially poor! Hence the frustrating day today, as I am attempting to pay bills. I have lived here 1 year, officially! Which means that all my bills go up at the same time!! Car insurance, renters insurance, rent on my apartment, cable bill, etc... sigh. No way to avoid it, but man. Stinks to be a grown-up.

* On top of that, my nursing school decided to finally review their records and realize that I had been given a Perkins loan in 2005. When I graduated in 2006, I repeatedly called and wrote letters, asking for the repayment info (I have copies of all of them, luckily), but was told that they didn't have anything about a Perkins loan in their records. So I filed those papers away and forgot about it. This week, however, I get a notice that I have failed to complete exit counseling for this loan... apparently the school decided that I graduated in January 2008 (rather than May 2006 when I got my diploma!) and re-discovered when reviewing their books that I owed them money! Ok, I understand that I did, in fact, receive money from them, and therefore do need to pay it back. However, the 9 month grace period on the loan apparently starting ticking away when I "graduated" in January. So... bottom line is that I have gained a new bill, first due in November. Yay! Of course, if they had ever responded in 2006 and then again in 2007 when I asked about this loan, they would have received the repayment in full in one lump sum... but not an option now for me, so now I get to repay with interest! Argh. So frustrating.

Well, this blog turned into a rant despite my efforts, so maybe I better stop now before I get all worked up again! :) I will write more and post some pictures later...

~Alison

You say it's your birthday...

2008-08-22T08:34:00.003-07:00

Happy Birthday to me! :) I've only been awake for an hour, but so far it has been awesome!! I'm hoping that 27 is as good a year (or even better) than 26 was... lots to live up to, but off to a great start. :)

I have the day off from work, so endless possibilities lie ahead for today!

Tivo Rant

2008-08-18T10:57:00.004-07:00

I am not in a good mood. My Tivo woes have begun again! I think it is officially dead... again. You may remember the heartbreak over my original Tivo that died last April, and the drama involved with getting a "new" replacement. Well... the refurbished piece of junk that never really worked quite right won't start up now. :( This time there was surprisingly not a lot of things lost, which I guess is good. And the new season of shows hasn't started yet, so there is time to figure this out before then. But that's not my point!!

I understand that hard drives fail. I really, truly, (unfortunately) do understand that. It's a fact of life in the 21st century. So when my original box died after a year and a half, I was sad but not shocked... these things happen. But when the replacement lasts only a few months... actually, 100 days (note the irony that it was not within 90 days)... I think I have a right to be upset. ARGH!!

So what do I do now? I have been considering a HD version since February, and was already thinking about maybe getting one anyway since the current box was so unreliable and I really want to check out HD tv on my amazing tv set! But that's a lot of money to spend... buy the Tivo box, buy the service, upgrade the cable, plus get cable cards for the box and probably a box for the other tv... it is definitely not a decision to be taken lightly. Plus, I would have to forfeit the pre-paid service on my old box, as well as junk the 100 day old box I spend a bit of money on. I have some money set aside from involuntary overtime at work, so its a possibility, but man... I hate being forced into a decision! It was one thing to think about splurging and upgrading to something new and fun, but quite another to now have kind of a timetable for that decision.

I know, I am being selfish and rather spoiled... here I am complaining about amazing technology and talking about spending a couple hundred bucks on HD when there are people who are starving or dying of horrible diseases or have ACTUAL suffering in their lives. I just needed to rant for a few minutes while I try to figure it out. I guess I don't HAVE to have a dvr, or even watch TV. It's just that with my work schedule the way it is (particularly when I go back to night shift in September), it is pretty darn hard to watch any TV at the time it actually airs. And I love my TV shows. :( Yes, it's pathetic, but hey, I'm just being honest. :)

Happy Birthday, Blog!

2008-08-14T07:58:00.002-07:00

Today is the one year anniversary of this blog!! Check out the very first post here.

It's hard to believe a year has passed since I was packing up the van and heading out on the open road! Wow, so much has changed. :)

August 15, 2007

Vacation pictures!!

2008-08-13T20:15:00.004-07:00

I finally got all my vacation pictures online!! I'm still working on captions and such, but feel free to check them out. For your viewing ease, they are divided into Picasa albums by location (click the location name for the link to that particular album).

Oxford, England

Warwick, England

Dublin, Ireland

Galway, Ireland

Not only did I get all the pictures up, but I also managed to upload my video of the Warwick Castle trebuchet to YouTube! It is the world's largest trebuchet... which for those of you unfamiliar with medieval weaponry, is sort of like a catapult. Here it is in action:

I have to share a few of my favorite pictures from my trip... some of these may have been posted elsewhere (by family members who poached my pics!) but I like them enough to subject you to them again. :)

Turf Tavern in Oxford

Andy and I at The Eagle and Child in Oxford, drinking a pint at the table where CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien spent their time

Andy hamming it up at Warwick Castle with his "wax friend"

Dad and the DNA at an Oxford museum

Sunset in Dublin after a rainstorm

Grandpa Reid in a Dublin coffee shop

Shamrock in Burren National Park... definitely one of the best pictures I have ever taken! :)

Grace

2008-08-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

Where to begin?

I obviously didn't get a chance to blog much while I was in Europe, so now I am woefully behind. I could just start with writing about this week... but who wants to read about my boring daily life?! (oh wait... that's what a blog is...)

The number one question I have been asked in the last 4 days? "How was your trip?" #3? "Do you have pictures?" The short answer to these questions? My trip was great, it was nice to see family, and I'd never been to Ireland before so that was cool. Yes, I have pictures... but there are over 600 of them and I don't have them all uploaded to Picasa yet nor are they organized, so I don't have a good way of showing you them!

(For anyone keeping track, the #2 question I have been asked over the last few days is likely, "What time will my doctors be here to see me?". My answer (in my head) to that is that they are an unpredictable breed and I have no idea. Except that you will probably think it is not soon enough!)

So I arrived home Friday night, had Saturday off to recover, then was back to work very early on Sunday morning for a 12 hr shift. Brutal! But now that I have 3 shifts done, I am off for the next 2 days. Which means that maybe I will finally have time to upload those pictures and/or do some laundry!! Oh yeah, and grocery shopping. Trip to Target and Costco. Maybe a haircut. Need to wash my car (badly). Vacuuming and other assorted household tasks. Mail the greeting card to a friend that has been on my end table since June (oops). Sigh. Gonna be a couple days of catching up, I suspect!!

Haven't really had a chance to watch much of the Olympics. :( Hopefully tonight I will be able to without falling asleep on the couch! It's tough because I am so used to watching all TV via my Tivo... but the Olympics are kind of broadcasted as one big program each night so it's hard to pick and choose what sports to watch. I might have to (gasp) watch live television. Not sure I can do it! Haha. :)

Today at work I was pondering the subject of self. Yes, that sounds incredibly deep, I know. (What can I say? I was all caught up on my work!) In reading a doctor's report, I came across the phrase "identity formation"... which got me thinking.

How do we define ourselves? And what happens when we allow others to define us, whether consciously or subconsciously? It's not something we (or I should say, I) really TRY to do on a daily basis... but we do it unconsciously all the time. Who am I? People often define themselves with objective things. I'm a 26 year old female. I have blond (ish) hair and blue eyes. I'm 5 foot 4 inches tall. The other thing people use to define themselves is their job... I'm a nurse. But the funny thing about that for me is that I have never been one who goes around proudly making that statement (and I probably should, I admit it). There are lots of nurses that are very vocal and PROUD to be a RN. I am proud of what I do, sure, but I guess I have tried hard not to be defined by my job. (I am struggling to avoid using the word career... yikes! Too much to think about!) Anyway.

When someone asks us who we are, to define ourselves, we tend to use those objective things. But it's the subjective things that really shape our identity, isn't it? Think about it. Feelings of self-doubt or self-worth are often coming from data that isn't concrete, and it's what we do with that information that makes us who we are. Confident vs timid, arrogant vs humble, kind vs nasty, happy vs sad. And the tragic thing is when someone uses the wrong things to define themselves, whether its based on internal feelings or someone on the outside sending false messages.

What a blessing it is to have, therefore, One who provides the ultimate definition! To plagarize a friend's Facebook answer to the question about religious beliefs... I am a sinner saved by grace. It struck me today that I often don't give God enough credit. "Fearfully and wonderfully made". What a concept! The thought that I am His creation, and He needs to be the defining thing in my life.

Who am I? I'm a child of God. No matter what. Amazing grace, indeed. :)

Back in Seattle

2008-08-10T22:18:00.001-07:00

When I look at my blog page, I find it crazy to think that just a few nights ago I was in that pub in Galway writing... especially when I think about how much has happened over the last 2+ weeks!!

This will be quick, as I am extraordinarily exhausted. I'm back in that usual struggle... I'm tired so I want to go to sleep, but at the same time, if I DO go to sleep, then I just have to get up and go to work... so I end up staying up later and then am just more tired. Sigh. It's a vicious circle!

Today was my first day back at work after 15 days off. The break was nice but felt too short! Back to the grindstone, only now with no vacation coming up to look forward to. :( Actually, today was a good day... a nice transition back. We'll see what tomorrow brings, however, as Mondays tend to be crazier than Sundays.

I have the Olympics on in the background. Haven't seriously watched much yet but I'm sure I will this week. Caught some bits today at work when my patients were watching it! The consensus among the nurses was that we all want to be built like the beach volleyball players. :) And that it is completely unnecessary for them to be wearing little bikinis.

On THAT note, I better get to bed. I promise to write more later! And post more pictures from my trip. But for now... goodnight. :)

~Alison

From a Galway Pub

2008-08-05T14:18:00.002-07:00

I just wrote a "guest authored" entry on my parents' blog... which means that I don't have time to post my own entry! Feel free to check it out here.

Picture from today at the Cliffs of Moher

Dublin

2008-08-04T14:55:00.004-07:00

I spent the last few days in Dublin, Ireland with my mom, aunt, cousin, and grandfather... today we traveled by train to Galway, on the west coast. The internet here has been a little spotty, so I won't post a long blog tonight... but here's a picture of me enjoying my first pint of Guinness in Ireland!

Silly England Pictures

2008-07-30T15:48:00.005-07:00

After my triumph on Saturday night, the last few days have been a whirlwind as I headed to England! I will have to write more later as it is approaching midnight here, but I thought perhaps the best way to summarize things was with a few pictures from our trip to Warwick Castle today. They say each one is worth a thousand words...

29:06

2008-07-27T11:37:00.010-07:00

I did it!! I ran the entire 5K... and in 29 minutes, 6 seconds! #25 in my age group (insane!) and # 339 out of 811 runners. I am ecstatic beyond words! I would write lots more about this amazing experience, but I gotta get packing for my trip. All I have to say is that it was awesome. And I had the best running companion, a friend who encouraged me every time someone passed us, and reminded me the whole time that I was finally accomplishing something that I had wanted so badly. There is no one else I would have rather run the race with! :)

A couple quick pics:

Pre-race Starbucks... hey, it's Seattle! :)

(This is actually the finish line for the 8K, because they took down the sign too quick from the 5K! And it makes a much better picture. :) )

Race Day!

2008-07-26T10:13:00.002-07:00

Today's the day... the SeaFair Torchlight 5K! I'm excited but a little nervous, too, since I'm not sure what to expect (besides lots of people downtown!). The race starts at 6:40 pm and is followed by the Torchlight Parade. I think it should be fun... I am just hoping that it doesn't rain! This being Seattle, however-- it is always a possibilty! :)

So I have all day to prepare mentally for it, as well as run some errands before my trip tomorrow. I think I might make some pancakes this morning. You know, carb load before the big race and all. Hahaha! :)

Saw "Dark Knight" last night. I really enjoyed it, although there are parts that are pretty, well, dark! The best part, however, is a scene that takes place in a hospital... I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it yet, but all I have to say is... even the Joker gels in and gels out!! :) Gotta love it. Although I have to say that he may have set back the public perception of nurses a bit!

OK, time to get started on those pancakes. :)

Search Me

2008-07-25T10:59:00.001-07:00

So I'm busy doing stuff on my computer this morning, and am listening to my one of my favorite podcasts, This Week in Tech (TWIT)... currently listening to #152. Anyway, Leo just mentioned the website SearchMe.com, which I've heard mentioned before but never tried out. I have to admit, it was pretty disappointing using my name. However, I tried with my Dad, and came up with some cool websites!! It's a bizarre mix of legit sites (Haverford, genetics conferences, baseball websites, etc) and things about Meneely bells... and some not-so-Meneely bells. The Wikipedia site for the Liberty Bell popped up! Hahaha. :) Here are a couple of links:

http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/LSD-worm-meiosis.html

http://administration.academickeys.com/whoswho.php?dothis=display&folk[IDX]=515695

and this is the BEST one that I found... previously undiscovered via Google, I think! If you only click one link, let this be it!!

http://millerparkseattle.blogspot.com/2007/02/punxsutawney-phil.html

I will write more later, but wanted to share these pictures I took this morning:

I got this card in the mail yesterday from my aunt and cousin in MN... wishing me luck in my first 5K!! How awesome is that! :)

I discovered the other day that there were not only climbing roses on the side of my house (where I NEVER walk past... no reason to!) but that they were gorgeous and in bloom!! I cut a few for my table... they smell amazing. :)

My fuschia is starting its second round of blooming! It will probably burst out in color when I am away, but even now it is beautiful!

I planted these seeds this spring, and now they are blooming! (Of course, I forget what kind of flowers they are!! Hahaha!)

My tomato plant has had these green tomatoes for like a month. It has been the worst summer in Seattle for tomatoes! Even more so than usual, my coworkers have told me. I am hoping that I might have a red tomato or two by my birthday!

That'll do.

2008-07-21T21:42:00.002-07:00

I've been meaning to write for a couple of days, but somehow blogging often gets pushed to the bottom of the to-do list! I'm in the middle of a big stretch of days working... I did 2 twelves over the weekend, then had today off. I'm working 32 hours over the next three days... but then... I'm on vacation!! 15 days off from work. In a row. Wow. I am thrilled! Of course, I am using 72 hours of vacation/holiday time to do that, but it will be worth it. (Now I need to do the math and figure out how much vacation time I have left! And whether there is any holiday time left... because they pay out any remaining time in September. Which could mean an extra little bonus in my paycheck!)

So I'm trying to focus on the time off coming up, rather than how I am not quite halfway through a stretch of working 56 hrs in 5 days! And thinking about how a week from now, I'll be in the UK with my family!

I'm also trying to remain optimistic about Saturday... yes, the Seafair Torchlight 5K is only 4 days away!! I went running today for the first time in more than a few days. I managed to complete 5K (3.1 miles) in 35 minutes! It's not Olympics-worthy (haha!) but it is my best time yet. Honestly, I've been so focused on being able to run that far that I haven't really worried about my times! But it would be nice not to be the last one. :) I'm trying to figure out logistics, including how I should train this week since I am working the next 3 days, and then am not sure if I should run the day before (maybe just a mile or two?). Also, the most important piece of all... the pasta party! I have heard of this runners' phenomenon for years... pasta party to carb load before a big race, and have always thought it sounded like a blast (only without the big race afterwards!). But since the 5K starts at 6 pm... do you carb load at breakfast? The night before seems too early. Anyway, these are the things that I worry about! :)

Aside from running, I didn't do much else exciting today. Lots of laundry and cleaning the house and stuff. I made lasanga from scratch and had a friend over for dinner, which was awesome. After dinner, we were randomly quoting from the book/ movie "Babe"... "That'll do, pig. That'll do." Hahaha! I don't know why that strikes me as so hilarious, but it does. :) Sometimes, silliness is exactly what the soul needs!

All in all, it was a good day.

~Alison

P.S. I opened my big mouth and blabbed this at work over the weekend, so I guess I better mention it here (for all my loyal readers, haha!). As of last week, I have officially lost 50 pounds! In less than 10 months. :) At this rate, it will only take me like 3 months more to lose the remaining 15... sigh. My goal is to have lost 65 lbs by my brother's wedding in December. (You may notice I have picked a very long time period, so as to give me some wiggle room. Haha!) Hopefully, I will be able to do it!!

Photo

2008-07-17T00:30:00.001-07:00

I was looking through some pictures on my computer just now, and came across this one from July 4th. It made me laugh because I look so silly bundled up in a blanket, waiting for fireworks! Thought you might enjoy a giggle, too. :)

Random Updates

2008-07-16T15:53:00.002-07:00

It's been like 5 days since I posted anything, so I better write something... even if it is just a quick one! I am off work today and just came inside after spending the afternoon on a blanket in my backyard, listening to podcasts and just relaxing in the sun. Lazy, I know. :) But I will vow to be more productive tomorrow!! In the interest of time, however, I will do the ever-popular bullet list blog post of what's new in my life. :)

* I am officially going down to 90% time at work, starting Sept 15. And I am so excited!! It means I will work 2 fewer 8 hr shifts a month (so not a huge change) but I'm told by my coworkers that it makes a big difference.

* The Seafair 5K is less than 2 weeks away. Yikes!

* Which also means that my vacation to England and Ireland is less than 2 weeks away!! I'm excited to see my family and visit some new places. Although it will likely be pretty exhausting!

*I have lost 49.5 lbs thus far. Who knew that 8 ounces could be so incredibly pesky?! Even though I ultimately want to lose about 15 more lbs, I REALLY want to be able to say I've lost over 50 lbs...

* I visited my old house last weekend on a random drive around Seattle. Got a full tour inside and everything. It is certainly different than when we lived there!! It was overall a good experience though... reinforced for me the importance of living in the present and future rather than getting hung up on the past and missing out on the now. :)

* This week I am looking forward to a couple of get-togethers with friends, which should be a lot of fun! Tomorrow with the Ericksons/ Steeles and Friday night movie night at the Lytles!

Um. What else is new? Not much. I apologize for the quick and random format, but maybe that's all you are interested in, anyway! I do have a couple of other subjects for potential blog posts floating around in my brain... like why moving to Seattle was the best thing I ever did, or how I have recently gotten back on a hummus kick, or my musings on the "100 Most Played" songs on my iPod, or why I love warehouse shopping even though I am living by myself (yes, I bought a gigantic watermelon at Costco last week. And a 3 lb jar of minced garlic. I love that store!). But instead, I will end here... for now. :)

Here's a random cell phone pic of the old house:

A few pictures

2008-07-10T11:55:00.008-07:00

I don't really feel like writing an actual blog post this morning, but I thought I'd post a few pictures.

This is the gigantic spider that was hanging out by the ceiling in my living room this morning. Smokey was going crazy! I had to climb up on a chair to finally get it since she couldn't seem to reach that high. :)

I finished the quilt on Sunday night! Still need to wash it to get all the chalk off, and put a sleeve or something on the back to hang it with, but it's done! (I can't seem to get blogger to turn the picture the right direction... sorry!)

Smokey sleeping on the couch.

Smokes venturing outside in the garden.

Olive Juice

2008-07-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend! Not only was it nice to have a break from work, but it was on an actual weekend... wow! :) It's tough to blog when I work a few shifts in a row, so I haven't written much this week. I did 3 twelve hour shifts in a row (Wed, Thu, Fri), which was intense as always but not too bad. It's strange to think about how I put in a whole "work week" in 3 days rather than 5, but it's a helpful illustration when I try to explain to people why I am so exhausted afterwards! And why I am pretty much incommunicado during that time... emails go unanswered, phone calls unreturned... but then eventually I have some time off and catch up!!

Since I worked on Friday, I didn't have any big plans for a BBQ or anything. But a friend convinced me to go to see some fireworks Friday night, even though I was so tired. I am really glad I ended up going, because it turned out to be a lot of fun. There are 2 fireworks displays in Seattle: one over Lake Union and the other over Elliott Bay. And if you position yourself just right (as we did), you can see both!! Pretty cool.

Yesterday I mostly hung around the house after sleeping in. Ate an amazingly good steak cooked on my new grill. (I can't remember if I have blogged about the grill. Nothing fancy. Just a little cheap "tabletop" gas grill... but it gets the job done!)

Today was another wonderful day of relaxation. Slept in again. :) Sat out on my back deck this morning with my coffee, my Bible, and Smokey. Yes, Smokey. She has decided that she likes the outdoors after all and now goes out on the deck whenever I am out there. Today she got very bold and decided to not only walk through the flower bed, but to roll in the dirt and to eat some stems on the irises. She also ventured out into the grass... which makes me nervous as I really don't want her to get fleas!! But she is so cute rolling in the grass that I can't help but let her do it. Of course, then she brings half the backyard inside the house, thanks to her long fur! :)

Tonight at Hope we started a series on the book of Ruth. I really enjoyed the sermon tonight on the first chapter. As I was reading through some stuff this morning, I was thinking about bitterness, so it was interesting to think about Naomi and Ruth in that context. It's neat that we're spending some time on some strong women... too bad I am going to miss the rest of the series due to work and vacation. :( Maybe I can convince someone to take notes.

This evening I've been trying to prepare for the work week, cleaning up the house, folding clean laundry, etc. As well as trying to prepare mentally. Even though last week was not so bad at work, it is just a stressful job any way you put it. I've had some good experiences recently, though, that have served to build up my confidence in my abilities as a nurse, which is great. And I have wonderful support from a group of friends... sometimes that has made all the difference in the world!

You may wonder about the title of the blog... and if you are, I am guessing you maybe aren't a fan of the TV show "Family Guy". In recent months, I've started watching it on the recommendation of a friend (much to Andy's chagrin, who has been trying to get me to watch it for years!). While there are some highly inappropriate things about the show at times (pretty much any time the character Quagmire is present, for example!), there are some other things that are pretty hilarious. Last night I watched a classic, and oft-quoted, episode where Meg writes a letter to her boyfriend on the computer."Dear My Boyfriend..." Hahaha! Makes me laugh every time. Followed by the 2 guys in Starbucks... :-)

Well, time to go pack my lunch and set up the coffee pot before bed. Another 3 shifts to start off the week!

First July Post

2008-07-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

I'm in sort of a strange mindset at the moment. I have a few hours left in the day, and I feel a bit at a loss... what should I do with myself? There's always something to clean, but I've done a bunch of house cleaning already today. I got some exercise earlier. I've even worked on the quilt a bit. I could watch TV but even that doesn't really appeal to me at the moment. Sigh.

I don't really know why I'm feeling discombobulated. Maybe I am subconsciously dreading working 36 hours in the next 3 days. It's not like a feeling of loneliness, per se... I've had some really good talks with friends lately and am not really lonely. Hm. Maybe it's just that feeling you get when you reach the end of some time off and you're looking ahead towards the workweek. It could be because I had an absolutely amazingly wonderful weekend and the reality of daily life just doesn't compare! :)

Today I walked around Green Lake and went to Starbucks with Sarah, and it was wonderful to spend some time with her and catch up. Of course, here I wanted to hear all about her time abroad and I spent much of the time talking her ear off! We never did get to talk about the UK. But we did have some really good discussions about stuff. Definitely something I needed. Making friends is not something I've ever been very good at, so I particularly appreciate it when I have that kind of good experience!

One of the things we talked about was priorities, and Sarah managed to ask me some really tough (but helpful) questions about my job. She pointed out that I was talking about dropping down my hours back before she went to England, and yet several months later, I am still full-time, and it is still stressing me out. I guess I have been talking about it for a while! With no action. So that's my goal for this week. I've been praying a lot about it lately. Mostly because I was trying to figure out if it was something I could do financially, and if not, what I needed to do in order to make it happen. Because honestly, my mental sanity is far more valuable than money in the bank. :)

After thinking and praying about it all weekend, discussing it with some friends over the weekend, and then talking to Sarah today, I came home and happened to log in to check something on my student loans from nursing school. And discovered that the interest rate on my rather substantial loans has dropped. And not just a little. Seriously, the rate is now half what it was 2 years ago, and dropped nearly 2% since just a few weeks ago. I realized right then and there that I was going to take that as a sign that things were falling into place so that I CAN afford to work less. I was on the fence about whether being part-time was something I could afford, and then I've had a few things happen lately that really have been encouraging me to go ahead and do it.

Anyway, this is a pretty boring blog. Seriously. Interest rates? Yikes. I am hitting the bottom here. :)

Hot, Part 2

2008-06-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

Apparently, I am not the only one thinking it is a bit warm in my house....

I own one fan, and set it up in the bedroom... came back a few minutes later and what did I find? Smokey positioned herself directly in front of the fan!! :-D Silly cat.

Hot!

2008-06-29T19:41:00.001-07:00

It was a steamy weekend in Seattle... over 90 degrees both Saturday and Sunday!! Went to the beach on Satuday, which was so much fun, although I did get a little sunburned. Hopefully it will turn into a nice tan, however! Seems like summer has finally arrived here... I turned off my heat in my house only like a week or two ago, so it's about time things warmed up! Of course, the locals mark July 4 as the official start to summer in Seattle, so maybe we're actually EARLY! :) I took this picture yesterday... what a gorgeous day!

I am in the middle of a long weekend off from work. It is a much needed break, as work has the capacity to stress me out. This week I transitioned back to day shifts, which is great for my life outside of work, but it brings other types of stress, too. Someone pointed out to me recently that the majority of our time is spent in the workplace, and that if we are stressed out by our jobs, well, then... maybe something needs to change. Because it's not healthy to live like that! Anyway.

Just got back from church. Sigh. I am so conflicted about so many things. This isn't the right forum to discuss most of them, but honestly... I just don't feel like this church is the right place for me. There are some good people there, though, and I guess that's why I keep going, in spite of the myriad reasons to switch. I know I will end up someplace else, eventually, but for the time being, I am sticking it out there. Tonight I got a parking space right in front of the building, which was seriously an answer to prayer. Last week I was so upset and frankly, angry when I walked into the doors of the church that it just wasn't the right frame of mind for worship. I won't get on my soapbox here, but I simply couldn't prepare my heart for the Lord when I was thinking about the drug dealers in the parking lot and whether it was even safe for me to be coming alone. To church!! Sigh. I feel that soapbox creeping in, so I will stop.

Happier topics! I had a good time with Ingrid this afternoon. It was too hot to do much other than drink blueberry smoothies and sit and talk, but seriously... what else is better?! :) I made plans with Sarah tonight to go walk around Green Lake later this week, which is awesome, too.

Not much else going on. I'm still not finished with the wall quilt, as it is taking me forever to hand sew the binding on. Maybe it just SEEMS like forever because I am so close to being done! :)

Time to do some cleaning up around the house and maybe scrounge up some dinner. And contemplate what to do tomorrow since I am off work a few more days!!

The Elusive 50

2008-06-18T13:32:00.003-07:00

I just got back a few minutes ago from running! I made it 1.6 miles without stopping (including that lovely hill on my street) or walking at all! That might not sound like a lot (unless you know me at all and then it will seem miraculous), but this is after yesterday, where I went 4 miles on the Burke-Gilman trail and ran about 3 of those miles! Two days in a row! Whoo-hoo!

One of my friends made me a "Training Packet" for the Seafair race in July. :) It has a calendar with the different training schedules for each week, plus stretching exercises and even a page of inspirational quotes! Pretty awesome. Of course, it is also totally ambitious... the schedule for the next month has about as many miles on it as I've done in the last 10 years! Haha. Maybe that is a slight exaggeration. But if I can complete this training as laid out.... man. I might actually be able to run the race after all!

I'm feeling particularly motivated to run. As I've mentioned before, the weight loss that was so spectacular a few months ago has slowed to a crawl lately. Today the scale held some good news... I have lost a total of 48.5 pounds!!! Which is great. However... I would really, really like to get past the 50 lb mark. Can you imagine? 50 pounds? That'd be so cool. It's being rather elusive, though.

Over the weekend, someone congratulated me on my success thus far and called me (are you ready for this?)... tiny. What?! Blew my mind. Still thinking about it. Wow.

You'll have to excuse my excitement and self-congratulatory tone. It is incredibly obnoxious, I know. :)

Japanese Office

2008-06-17T14:35:00.004-07:00

I know I am behind the times, but I just watched the season finale of Saturday Night Live last night (thanks to TiVo). I laughed so hard at the latest SNL Digital Short that I had to pause it!!

Here it is:

"It's funny because it's racist!"

Exhausted!

2008-06-17T00:23:00.004-07:00

This is gonna be a quick one... I am so tired! What a GREAT weekend I had! It's been busy, but lots of fun. The sun decided to come out on Saturday, which was pretty awesome... it actually warmed up to 70 degrees! I suspect that tomorrow and Wednesday will be cloudy and cool again, because I have those days off from work. :)

Three more night shifts, then back on days next week! My next work schedule turned out to be pretty much ideal, with the minor exception of a 12 hr shift on July 4th... I wanted to work only an 8 and be done at 3:30, but the nice part is that I get 12 hrs of holiday pay, then, I guess. Other than that, it is a great schedule (for once), so I'm excited.

I am almost done hand-quilting my star wall quilt... only maybe an hour or two left and then binding it. Which means I get to use my sewing machine!! I'm really eager to get started on the king-size bed quilt, since that will likely take me years to finish. Haha. :) Right now the quilt on my bed is my high school graduation quilt, which is great but it is a throw-size and I have a queen bed!! So it looks a little silly. Anyway.

Well, time to get to bed!

Who's First?

2008-06-12T01:43:00.000-07:00

Man, I need a new picture at the top of my blog!

Tonight's been an interesting night for me. They say God works in mysterious ways, but sometimes it is just amazing how things work out. I was sitting on my couch in my pjs, feeling sorry for myself... and a friend showed up at my door in a moment of need at around midnight. Obviously I won't violate her privacy, but it gave me an opportunity to minister to somebody in a way I'm not sure I've ever been able to do before. Some of the very things I was sitting there contemplating... well, I was able to share with her what I was thinking about. Which was awesome. As I am looking back over the last 24 hours, God has really been working in my heart and bringing some things to the forefront. Not everything is warm and fuzzy; rather, some of it is really tough... but necessary. The bottom line? God needs to be first in all our lives. Absolutely #1. Even before ourselves, which is the really hard part!

MercyMe has this song that I used to play all the time, "So Long Self". One of the lines popped into my head tonight: "Believe it or not, life is not apparently about me anyways." It's an ongoing revelation, I think... it really isn't about ME. It needs to be about Him.

I was reminded of a verse this evening, and it might seem trite because it is oft-quoted, but I don't mean it to be that way. Proverbs 3: Trust in the Lord with all your heart. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. My paths could definitely be straighter. And it doesn't say, "with some of your heart" or "many of your ways". Nope. ALL.

That's the hard part. Sigh.

Education Day

2008-06-11T17:23:00.002-07:00

I got home from work a few minutes ago... I know, shocking, right? Getting home from work a bit after 5 pm?! But today was one of our twice-annual "education days" for the floor I work on. Basically, they gather up a room full of nurses from our floor (there are a couple days, since obviously you can't have everyone at once, haha!), and cover a wide variety of topics that we apparently need to be educated on.... for 8 hours.

It wasn't too bad, actually, since the topics were widely varied... from a "Jeopardy"-style game about the new computer system, to a couple of speakers on different topics (heparin drips! palliative care!), to hands-on demos/playing with equipment, it was fairly interesting. One of the first things we did was to get inserviced on the new ceiling-mounted lifts that are being installed... yes, to lift heavy and/or immobile people. Which meant that we were lifting each other with slings and machinery. Think cross between teambuilding and uh, hazing. Haha! :) It was fun, believe it or not. I usually am very self-conscious about that kind of physical stuff but it worked out ok. Lots of laughs! I mean, when there is a piece of material called a "dignity strap" whose entire purpose is to keep a person's legs together when lifting them... come on! Like a joke waiting to happen! :) Good times. And a nice break from the stress of working on the floor.

This is gonna be a quick post... I think I am going to take a little nap for a bit. Working tomorrow night, so I need to stay up all night tonight... which at the moment is going to be impossible as I am exhausted. I woke up this morning at 5 am! I had this nightmare and woke up with a start (don't you hate it when that happens!! Second time this week for me.) and then couldn't get back to sleep. Wide awake, nearly an hour and 45 minutes early. Sigh. It worked out though. Spent some time reading my Bible and over an hour praying! It was pretty crazy to glance at the clock when I was done and realize a whole hour went by. I never blog about this stuff, and maybe I shouldn't... but it kinda shaped my day, so I figured I better mention it.

Speaking of things I should mention... I ran 2 miles yesterday! I mentioned earlier this week that if I didn't blog about it, chances are that I didn't do it... so I figured I better blog it, in order to make it real! :)

OK, time to get some ibuprofen for my pounding headache. Sigh. Too much coffee, not enough sleep. :)

Exciting News!!

2008-06-07T08:14:00.004-07:00

My little brother just got engaged!!!

I got a phone call as I was driving home from work a few minutes ago with the big news. :) Very exciting... and it makes me feel very old to have my little brother (who is taller than me, so I guess maybe not so little) getting married! Not that it was a shock or anything, but how cool is that?

Congratulations, Andy and Kelly!!

Boring!

2008-06-04T09:55:00.002-07:00

Need to go to bed. So tired. But must post. :)

My parents made it to England just fine. Yay!! :) The link to their blog is on my links list, but for those too lazy to look to the right... it is: The Meneely Oxford Comma, yes, I know, a very academic reference! And the longest URL ever. :)

Last night was the first shift after 4 days off. Yikes. Bad night. Not looking forward to the next 5 nights!!

Not much else new around here... unless you care about me putting out my trash can for collection or the fact that I ate popcorn for dinner this morning. Haha. :) This is why I don't blog every day... my life is incredibly boring!!

So it is 45 degrees and raining in Seattle. In June. Sigh. I love this city, and the Pacific Northwest. But seriously? Does summer exist in this place?! Just as well... good sleeping weather. At least I'm not missing anything!

The past few days, these verses from 1 Corinthians 13 have been on my mind. "Love is patient. Love is kind. Love keeps no record of wrongdoings..." I'm always reminded of that scene from the movie "Wedding Crashers" where they bet on which Bible passage will be read. :) But seriously, folks! How amazing is that lesson... patient... kind... not keeping a tally. Something to strive for, certainly. I've realized lately that I'm not there yet. But figuring it out. Slowly but surely. :) What a wonderful gift.

Alrighty... time for bed!

Run, Alison, Run!

2008-06-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

At the moment, I am very red-faced and sweaty, and feel a bit nauseated. But it's actually a good thing. Just got back from running! Yes, it has been a while... don't think that I have been running all this time and just not blogging about it. I hate running enough that I feel the need to mention it in my blog every time I do it!! :) So if I haven't mentioned it... haven't been doing it.

Yesterday was the first time in at least a month that I went running. I've exercised, sure... gone for walks or done my favorite workout DVD (learned my lesson about kickboxing when angry and was sore for several days!). But yesterday was the first time I actually put on my running shoes and ran. Might not have done it if it weren't for a friend who pushed me to come along and go for a trail run at Carkeek... note to self... pick running partners who are NOT former cross-country champs. Yikes. Honestly, I didn't make it very far yesterday. I will blame it on the hills. And all that fresh Northwest air. Too many pine needles underfoot. Or... uh... maybe I am just really out of shape. :) But it was good to get out there.

Thus encouraged, I decided to venture out and run again today. I've been rather panicked this weekend as it occurred to me that it is now June, and the Seafair race is only 54 days away. Less than 2 months until I need to be able to run 8K!! I was doing pretty good for a while in terms of building up my running ability. But man, I feel like I am back at square one. Today I set my goal to run 2 miles... something I was able to do a couple of months ago. I mapped out my route, laced up my shoes, cranked up the iPod, stretched (never cold, as I've been taught!) and was off. It started out great. Then I was reminded how hilly Seattle is! I won't lie. I did not run the full 2 miles. I walked about 13 blocks in the middle of it (however far that is). Definitely set the bar a little high for today. Pushed myself to the point where I realized that I was about a mile from home and I thought I might collapse! Luckily I did not, nor did I throw up like I felt like I might. (OK, I know, I know, TMI.)

Yet even though I've been home a few minutes and my lungs are still ON FIRE, I feel pretty good. Because that was farther than I've run the last 3 weeks... combined. :)

Not only was I encouraged my trail run/walk yesterday and my attempt at running today, but I also had a really exciting moment yesterday at church. Someone who hadn't seen me in like 2 months came up and whispered to me... and asked whether I'd lost weight while they were out of the country. It caught me off guard and totally made my day. :) I have been very discouraged lately and frustrated with myself about my weight, and it was nice to have someone randomly point out how far I've come. Just what I needed.

Well, I should go take a shower and do some errands. It's amazing... I've had the last 3 days off from work, and I still have the longest list of things to accomplish. It's neverending!

Reflections on June 1

2008-06-01T19:58:00.001-07:00

I've been looking forward to this day since December. In my mind, June 1 was this goal date, when things would be different. On some of those incredibly tough days this past winter, my focus was simply to make it through to June.

And yet here I am, on the evening of June 1, thinking about the next segment of the journey, and realizing that today didn't really bring the things I thought that it might. Maybe this is a lesson in focusing on the wrong things. Sure, putting a date on something makes time seem finite. That long road ahead has an end point, and even if it is a speck on the distance, you can see it coming. On my way along that road, I've reached that speck... and have realized that it was just a refueling station. There is still a very long road ahead. And even though ultimately, the reward will be amazing, I'm looking at a road with no discernable end point. I feel like begging for someone to map it out, to tell me exactly how much farther to go, and what to expect. Will there be hills? Rivers to ford or deserts to cross? Or will it be flat and manageable, with a beautiful view? Despite my yearning to know all the answers... maybe that's not the idea. Maybe the point is that I perservere along this path, and trust that God will not only equip me for any obstacles (or stumbling blocks as the case may be) I might encounter, but the one day, I will be making my way, fully trusting Him, and I will come over the crest of a hill... and discover I have reached the end of the journey, without even realizing how close I was.

I know I've dragged out the illustration, but that's the only way I can describe how I'm feeling right now. Honestly, I've had some moments recently where I've gotten very angry. I felt like I'd been cheated or misled... "here's the end point... haha, just kidding... it's only the beginning!" But that attitude will get me nothing. Because ultimately it is not mine to control. Whether I'm angry or not, I'm still at that same point in the road. And the road still stretches ahead, whether I like it or not. I wonder what would happen if instead of spending all my time focusing on my anger and frustration... I just kept on going. Trusting God. Praying. Having faith that this journey will end at the right time, in the right way. And if He's in control, that the reward will be beyond my wildest imagination. :-)

This has been a cryptic blog... but I think most of my readers will understand that to which I refer. And despite the depressed tone of this and my last post, I'm really doing ok. Better than I thought I would be. Not that I'm necessarily pleased... it would have been really nice to have June 1 bring the things I'd hoped it would. Really nice. But since it didn't... gotta keep on.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Loneliness

2008-05-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself, again. I know, it's getting to be a bad habit. At the moment I am frustrated because I requested this weekend off approximately 4 months ago, and finagled so I would only have to work one 8 hr shift tonight out of the whole long weekend so I could have time off from work when the rest of the world does, too... and now it is a beautiful Sunday afternoon and I am sitting alone in my house, bored. Killing the next 9 hours until I go to work. And the fact that work is the only thing on my schedule today except going to Hope... man. Enough to make me on the edge of tears. I should have been more proactive, more vocal about making plans so I wouldn't be alone. But I'm trying not to be such an obssessive planner, because that tends to drive people nuts. Except... now I'm miserable. Lesson learned.

Jonathan and Liz's wedding yesterday was beautiful. It was a nice day to drive up to Bellingham! The wedding itself was neat... I liked a lot of the things they did at the ceremony (some a little different than other weddings I've seen). The reception was fun, too, for the most part. I did end up feeling very alone for much of the afternoon. I'm not good at social situations, in general, and when I am by myself and trying to negotiate the social maze... it's hard. When I came in to the church, they were taking pictures of each family or couple as sort of a photo-guestbook. Well, let me say I about died when I realized it would just be me, standing there like an idiot by myself. I ended up in an even more awkward situation by taking a joint picture with half of the Banks family... another family joked that Jonathan and Liz would wonder when the Banks adopted a white girl. Haha! I laughed... but it was not a good start to the afternoon. Then came the awkward standing around in the lobby pre-wedding... making small talk with people who I haven't seen since I was 14... which made me feel like I WAS an dorky 14 year old again. Confidence out the window! Finally decided to go into the church... then comes the embarrassing conversation with the usher escorting me. Yes, I am here alone. No, there's nobody I came with that I'd like to sit near. Sigh.

The reception was not much better. I spent much of it walking around the room like I was on a mission to go meet a friend or something, since I figured it was better than standing there by myself like a dork. I might have left early except that I really did want to see Jonathan and Liz's reception and I had driven so far to get there that it seemed silly to leave right away. I did end up hanging out with Sarah a bit, which was awesome. Good to catch up a little after she's been away all spring. But then I felt bad, like I was keeping her from her own brother's wedding reception or something. I participated in the first of Jesse's dances but then just watched the rest from the sidelines. Martha and Maureen tried to encourage me to join the girls in catching the bouquet, but honestly, my heart wasn't in it. Besides, better to let one of Liz's friends catch it... I already caught Ingrid's, which was the only one I've ever really wanted, anyway!! :)

I sound really down, I know. The wedding and reception were pretty great, in themselves. I just ended up feeling really lonely. Maybe because being with all those people I've known for over 20 years made me miss my family. I wish my brother, especially, could have been there. All the groomsmen were his childhood friends! I think the other thing I'm not used to is that in the past at weddings or parties, I've always had my brother or my parents to hang out with. Or occasionally a friend, although I've not always been so good in that department. And while there is freedom in being alone (I can do what I want!)... the novelty wears off rather quick. I was pretty jealous of all the girls there who came as part of a couple... oh to have a companion, even if you don't spend every moment together, someone you know you can always go talk to. Compared to standing there by myself, pretending to be this strong, independent, confident woman... that sounds pretty amazing. Of course, it's not the answer to the underlying issue... I've tried that "solution" and discovered it is pretty temporary and doesn't really solve anything.

My frustration lies mostly within myself. I wish I was more outgoing, less afraid of social situations. I know things have gotten infinitely better over the last 5 years (I only made one trip to the bathroom when I didn't have to go, just to take a break from it all!), but just when I feel like things are getting better, I have an afternoon like that when I just feel so... anxious. And alone.

Went back to reading in Matthew again today. I tend to jump all over the place! Matthew 11:28: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." To be honest, I'm weary. I want to give up my burden, but its hard to hand over control sometimes.

OK, better stop pouring everything out here or I might regret my brutal honestly later. :) Let me just say that the ongoing frustration over restrictions in my life... well, the frustration goes on... some days more intensely than others. I think going to the wedding made it worse! Or maybe it was just that the rest of this weekend was actually pretty awesome (I'm just in a mood at the moment and feel like focusing on the negative!). And when things are absolutely amazing for a moment or two... it makes the harsh reality all that much harder to swallow.

Friday!

2008-05-23T14:55:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post... I am procrastinating! Having some people over for dinner and so I gotta finish cleaning up and then run to the store and get the rest of the ingredients for lasagna... or lasagne if you prefer!

I worked the last 2 nights... got back this morning and slept for like 4 hours since I was SO tired but didn't want to be up all night tonight! I'm off tonight and tomorrow but have to do an 8 hr shift overnight Sunday... can't get the WHOLE Memorial Day weekend off! But I do get holiday pay on that shift starting at midnight! Whoo-hoo! I have been feeling poor lately, so that will be good. And I suspect that there might be some opportunity for OT on Monday... we'll see. OT on a holiday? Sweet. They were so short for today... for some reason all these people called in sick. Hm. What's up with that? :) But I had asked for these days off like 6 months ago so I was set.

Tomorrow is Jonathan and Liz's wedding! I am supposed to bring 2 pies... better get on that, too. Lots to do. And I have to figure out what to wear. And how to get to the church in Bellingham!

OK, I want to blog longer but alas there is not enough time! Smokey is meowing like crazy in the other room... it is a suspicious meow so I better go check. Spring has arrived and brought lots of bugs with it, so she spends quite a bit of time chasing spiders and random insects that find their way into my house! I am glad I have my own exterminator. :)

You're gonna make it after all

2008-05-21T04:43:00.002-07:00

So it's nearly 5 am, and I'm trying to keep busy to stay awake. My current Facebook status says, "Alison Meneely has really screwed up her circadian rhythms" and boy is that true!! Night shift will do that, I guess. I slept most of the day yesterday when I got home from work, then managed to stay up until about 2 am... then slept until about 7:15 am. Been awake since then, with the exception of dozing off in front of the TV this evening for like 20 minutes. Thank goodness for random text messages to wake me up! :) Drank a bunch of coffee around midnight, and it's kept me going thus far!!

Smokey is adorable... she has been following me around all night, and now is sleeping next to my chair by the computer like a dog! :) She spent much of the evening chasing this gigantic fly that has been wreaking havoc on my apartment all day, buzzing around very loudly. I don't know if she managed to get it finally... but I don't hear any buzzing anymore! I just hope it doesn't show up someplace unfortunate as a present!

I've been remarkably productive tonight. Finally folded all the clean laundry and put it away, cleaned up the whole downstairs and my bedroom too. The guest room still has piles of junk, but I am tired of cleaning up and feel pretty good about what I got done tonight, so that can wait for another day! :)

While doing stuff downstairs, I watched Oprah's "Mary Tyler Moore" reunion show. I was surprised that there were moments that brought tears to my eyes, even though it really was a show of my parents' generation. I remember watching it on Nick at Night... one of the few shows we were allowed to watch when we first got cable! I think the part that gets me now is what my mom's generation loved about the show... here's this young single career woman, rebounding from a romance and she's taking on the world. Now I'm not going to throw my hat up in the air or anything (not that I ever wear hats!) but just hearing that theme song kinda touches me. Maybe it's because I've moved out here on my own, living in my house and having a career... like some kind of adult or something. :) I was talking to a friend today about that idea of being an adult. It feels pretty weird to realize that I'm pretty much living a grown-up life (with a few notable exceptions). Anyway. I'm rambling. Must be all the coffee combined with lack of sleep!

What else is new? Hm. The weather has gone back to cold and rainy. According to the news it is in the mid-40s right now. Yuck. Good sleeping weather though. :)

I feel like I have more to blog about, but my brain is shutting down after being awake for over 21 hours! Time to go watch some TV and work on finishing up that wall quilt, I think. Almost done with the hand-quilting! Hoping to finally finish it next week, maybe. Then the real work begins on the big bed quilt!!

I haven't posted any pictures in a while, so here are a couple from last week when the weather was so beautiful that a trip to the beach at Carkeek was necessary!

100th Post

2008-05-19T23:15:00.002-07:00

Yes, it's true... this is my 100th blog post! Some of you may remember my 50th post in January, when I hoped it wouldn't be that long before my 100th... well, I did have a little hiatus in April and haven't written as much. :) But once again I am vowing to do better!!! I had this idea in post #50 that I should summarize major changes in my life between milestone posts. Hahaha. Like my life's that exciting!! But I will humor myself (is that possible?) and try to do that here.

The big news at the time was my new mixer. Which I haven't written about lately. But it is wonderful and has gotten some use. :) Will be getting it out this week to bake pies for the wedding on Saturday! I have had some other new and extravagant purchases since January. The first, and biggest, was my new TV in February, followed by the sewing machine in April. (Wow, when I try to summarize things like this, it makes me sound like a shop-a-holic!!)

But probably the most exciting thing I have become the proud owner of recently is plane tickets to England and Ireland! I don't think I've written about it (because I feel like everyone knows already!), but I'm leaving July 27 for England to visit my parents in Oxford. We're then taking a side trip to the land of (roughly half to two-thirds of) my forefathers... Ireland!! VERY excited about that. :)

I booked the flight to allow for the other big event of the summer... the Seafair race on July 26! Haven't been running much lately, so I gotta get back on track (haha no pun intended!) and train for that. Otherwise, it will be a very long 8K. :)

Which brings me to the next big change in my life since January. Since I wrote my 50th post, I've lost another 15 pounds! Sadly, my rate of weight loss has not kept up with my dream of losing it all by June 1. :( But I've struggled along, and have reached a new milestone... drumroll please... over 45 pounds lost! For those doing the math... 19 lbs to go before I reach the goal. Which I'm hoping will happen soon. I shouldn't set dates for these things, but it would be very cool (and reasonable, I hope) to be there by my birthday in August. We'll see. :) At the moment, I'm very happy to have reached a new "tens digit"... haha. Finally at or even slightly below a number that has been a major wall for me.

Hm. Other changes in my life over the last 50 posts. Well, I mentioned in the 50th post that God had tested my faith a bit. Haha. Understatement of the year. :) I think I was in a bit of denial at the time as to how much I was being tested... if only I knew what was to come! The last 6 months or so have been an interesting time for me spiritually. (For examples, check out this post on submission , this one from Easter , or one of my personal favorite rants. For a more upbeat perspective, check out this one about hymn-singing!) Perhaps in January I just didn't feel like putting it out there so publicly, but I've kind of already done that recently, so what's a little more honesty? :)

I won't sugar-coat it. It's been a hard 6 months. Obviously I can't really explain why, here, but let it suffice to say that I have never been faced with so many questions and struggled with scripture and the church so much. Looking back, I can say with absolute certainty that my faith is stronger and is getting stronger as a result... most days. I have definitely been brought to the brink, where there is no place else to turn but to Him. Never before have I found myself literally on my knees, crying out to God... then turning to His Word and finding answers. Not always the ones I want. But still. :) The craziness of this situation has been forcing me to face the reality that I need to trust Him, because seriously, that's really the only viable option. And as hard as that is... wow.

I've made new friends and strengthened existing friendships since January, too. I'm continually impressed by the gift God has given me in my friendship with Ingrid... yes, sometimes we go a few weeks with the only contact being a poke or wall post on Facebook, but then we can get together and have incredibly deep and meaningful conversations, whether about marriage/kids/the future, tough spiritual questions... or about reality TV (SYTYCD premieres this week!!!!). Other friendships are starting to take hold, whether with my coworkers or some of the girls at church. It's slow, and not an easy thing for me, but it's working out. :)

Despite everything, God's given me a peace lately about certain things in my life. Don't worry, I won't go quoting Dr. Evil again... but the other major change over the last few months has been a strengthening of other relationships, too. Even though things aren't the way that I want them to be right now, I have absolute confidence that they will be someday... even if I have to wait until 2012! If Moses can be in the desert for 40 years... well... who am I to complain? :) One day at a time. Which I think is a little bit easier now than it was in January.

Beyond that, not much else has changed. I've settled into daily life here in Seattle. Smokey and I are headed to go watch Jon Stewart... and I might even have a diet Coke, too. :)

One last thing...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANDY!!

A Little Different...

2008-05-16T08:55:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday!! It's kind of funny to have a job where it doesn't really matter what day or time it is... that is, since my work schedule is not of the Monday-Friday variety, I have lost the concept of what certain days feel like! For example, I've been off for the last 2 days, and head back to work tomorrow... so while many people are eagerly anticipating the weekend, I am thinking about heading back to the grindstone!!

Yesterday was a beautiful day in Seattle... mid-60s and sunny by the afternoon. Today is supposed to be even better... highs in the 70s! Everyone has been panicking around here because some weather forecaster mentioned that it could get into the 90s. Heavens!! 90s!! We shall all perish!!! Hahaha. :) But while I laugh at that, I did something very Seattleite-ish yesterday. The first sunny day in a long time... and I went to the beach and laid out my towel and read my book in the sunshine. Except it was approximately 63 degrees and windy. I insisted on wearing my shorts, tank top, and flip-flops, however, in true Seattleite fashion! Maybe if I dress like it's summer... it will become summer! I am not sure one can get a tan through goosebumps, though. As a medical professional, I should know the answer to that. :) (Actually... you can... the two are unrelated. :) ) Yesterday I got a bit of sun on my face... although upon second thought maybe it was windburn!!

There is this series of billboards/tv ads for an insurance company here, where they do "Northwest Profiles"... then the tag line is "We're a lot like you. A little different." Some examples include: ponytailed software geek, roadside chainsaw woodcarver, socks with sandals guy, recumbent bike commuter, and my personal favorite... obsessive-compulsive recycler. There is one that talks about the guy who goes shirtless when it hits 50 degrees... I thought about that when I was lying on the beach freezing yesterday! Of course, I slept with the windows open last night... and it was in the 50s. Haha. Denial is a wonderful thing. You can see the whole series of ads here: http://werealotlikeyou.com/ I highly recommend it!! It's the guide to people of the Northwest. :) Maybe not as funny if you've never lived here, or lived away...

I could write a whole blog about this ad campaign!! :) I think I am a combination of several profiles... "Confused East Coast Transplant" meets "Super Long Coffee-Orderer". Child of a "Perennial Power-Washer" and a "Green Lake Power Walker" who grew up as a "Blackberry Hunter", and who has a thing for guys who fall into the "NW Male Action Figure"/"Software Geek" category!! I have even been "Blue Tarp Camping" in my life. :) ANYWAY, I will move on. They make me laugh. :)

So in true Northwest fashion, I am planning on heading to the beach again today, although I don't think I will go so far as the being the "bikini on alki when it's 60 degrees out" girl. :) Not quite in bikini shape yet. Still a ways to go before ANY bathing suit makes an appearance!!

Hm. What else is going on? Yesterday was Ingrid and Chad's (or as some might call them... Chadgrid's) anniversary! Hard to believe it's been 4 years since that fun week. I realized that I can't really refer to them as newlyweds anymore! Makes me feel so old! :) It's been really cool to move back here and get to know them as a couple. Kinda like a new phase in life. :)

I don't feel like thinking about work... so I won't write about it. Will probably be dropping down my hours and no longer be 100% full time, since it is pretty much killing me. One of the girls at church was telling me how she is a volunteer at the aquarium a few hours a week... maybe I will find someplace to volunteer. Who knows. All I know is that I can't keep up this pace much longer!! I did find out that my parking permit will allow me to park at night... so no more bus!!! Yay!!! It's been pretty sketchy lately, particularly late at night, and I am really glad that I don't have to worry about my own safety just to get to work (where I worry about my own safety enough as it is!! haha).

My neck really hurts. I think I slept on it funny on Wednesday or maybe pulled a muscle somehow... last night it was feeling a bit better after the heating pad and ibuprofen and rubbing it... but this morning it is still hurting. Maybe it is my pillow. Or my sheets... I need to get new ones... really don't like my current ones. Haha... now THERE's an excuse to buy new sheets... they hurt my neck!! :)

Well, I have a lot of accomplish today before I can justify sunbathing this afternoon. :) Better get moving on it.

~Alison

P.S. Thanks to everyone who gave me such encouragment after my last post. Things are still tough but I'm working to rely on Him for strength. It still looks to be a long road ahead until this situation is resolved, but I'm feeling less discouraged about it than I was the other day. I have been really encouraged this week by a couple people who've "been there" when I needed it, and not only given some wise advice... but also just listened when I needed to get some stuff out. Thank you. :)

Submission

2008-05-13T06:11:00.005-07:00

I can't sleep. It's a bit after 6 am, and I've been awake since 4... not on purpose. :( My body clock is all messed up from working night shift, I think. Worked this weekend, and then was supposed to work last night (or actually right now!) but I called out sick. Back to work tonight, so I don't really know what to do, sleep-wise. Will probably take a nap this afternoon and drink lots of coffee during my 12 hr shift!!

It's been a rough couple of days, to be honest. I'm feeling much better now than I have been lately, but still... gonna be a long road ahead, I think. I'm learning about patience and trusting God's plan... relinquishing control to Him. Which is tough for me, a self-professed control-freak. :)

The focus of the last couple sermons I've heard at Hope have been on submission, as we work through 1 Peter. Interestingly, I also finished reading this book last week that I think I might have mentioned before... "The Politically Incorrect Wife", which of course touches on this subject as well. You know, in secular circles, the word submission is such a dirty word. Like a beaten dog cowering in a corner... or a weak person without a backbone-- a doormat. This is definitely the way I used to look at the idea, and certainly when I was taking some "gender studies" classes at F&M, that's how it was portrayed. But God's really been working in my heart for months about what submission really means. So it's been kinda cool to have the topic be brought up again at church, after it's something I've been working through a lot lately.

There's lots of ways this is playing out in my life right now. Submission to God... He holds ultimate power and control. Over everything. His power is awesome, in the true sense of the word... inspiring awe and wonder... and maybe some fear, too. Instead of fighting to do my own thing, I need to let Him be the one in charge. And I need to stop and listen... not just a one-way relationship! I know from experience that when I have been able to back off, to trust in Him, to hand over my life into His hands... even for just a little while... it has been amazing. But I've haven't been very good about that lately. And it's becoming apparent that that's what's necessary right now.

Submission to God is the most important, but we're also told to submit to authority. What I've really been struggling with lately is the question of what to do when those in authority are wrong or abusing their power. We're supposed to do it anyway... ultimately they will answer to God, not to us. Which provides some comfort, I suppose. But on a practical, day-to-day level... it's tough. I know I'm not the first, or certainly the last, to struggle with this. What's really hard is that the way to get through it is to trust God and gain strength through Him... but when you're in a situation where you need to do that the most, sometimes it's the hardest to be close to Him. Sigh. It's tempting to get angry and question why things are the way they are. But we can't do that... He had His reasons, even if we can't comprehend them. I just gotta remember that.

Like I said, I've been reading several books lately on what it means to be a Christian woman, and someday a Christian wife and mother. It sounds crazy, in some ways... if you had told me 5 years ago, as I was on the brink of holding my degree from a prestigious East Coast liberal arts college, that in 2008, this is where I would be... I would never have believed it. I certainly went through my feminist phase, for sure... but I think at that time I lacked the maturity to really understand what it meant to be a truly Christian woman. (Not that I understand it fully now!! But so much more than I did then!) I never would have thought that I would find myself reading these types of books and actually agreeing with them. God has really worked in my heart in that sense, preparing me for the future, when I hope to have a husband and family, and to raise children in a Christian household. I've talked about this with a couple Christian girlfriends over the last couple months, and am realizing the beauty of submission. God really has had laid out different roles for men and women... and this is the part I never really understood before... women are not weak if they are submitting to their husbands, and to God. In fact, it is the opposite... there is strength in His plan. I can't really explain it here, but it's been a really interesting topic to study. I just hope I can start to live it!

If you're reading this (and in fact STILL reading this very long post), then chances are you know me... so I want to take selfish advantage of that and ask you to pray for me. Things are tough right now, and I need prayers for patience-- wisdom-- strength-- a spirit that trusts Him.

Well, now that I've been blogging for like 45 minutes... it's almost 7 am... time to face the day. Sigh.

:)

2008-05-09T22:54:00.003-07:00

The Tivo is officially functional! :)

I've been feeling pretty lonely and definitely more than a little sorry for myself today. But I was reminded (again) just a few minutes ago that I am truly lucky. I've been blessed with a lot, and even though things are hard, God's given me a gift in a special person who is simply amazing. Even though I don't deserve it, I've been blessed with someone who fills a hole I didn't even know I had. At the risk of quoting Dr. Evil and/or Tom Cruise... someone who completes me. I haven't written about it much. But I am filled with gratitude tonight, and therefore it is spilling out here. :)

Friday

2008-05-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

OK, so I didn't go anywhere today. I confess. I wanted to get out and go to the mountains or something exciting, but honestly, I didn't feel like it. And didn't really feel like going by myself, anyway. I've been pretty lazy yesterday and today... haven't really felt well physically. Or emotionally, which then goes in a vicious cycle with the physical! :) Last night I went out for soup with Ingrid, and hung out with her for a couple of hours. It was exactly what I needed yesterday! (The conversation, I mean, not the soup. Although it was pretty tasty!)

Today is a beautiful day, finally. Sunny, although not warm. Only like 50 degrees out! Man, I am definitely not used to Seattle spring. I want the warmth of Philadelphia in May!! T-shirts and starting to work on your tan... not sweatshirts and still having the heat on in your house. I remember the day of my high school prom... 95 degrees and oppressively humid... in May. I could do without the latter, but man... I am tired of being so freakin' cold!!! Last night I found myself on Travelocity, looking up flights to warm destinations, just for fun. I entertain myself by dreaming of a trip to Vegas, although I know I wouldn't actually go through with it. :)

Going to Vegas probably wouldn't solve my problems, anyway. Sigh. I'm pretty unhappy with the whole church situation right now. Don't really know what to do. I realized today that I am working the next 3 Sundays, which made me happy... and it shouldn't have. I shouldn't been glad to have an excuse not to go! But the stuff going on makes me sick to my stomach. And angry. Which isn't the way I should feel. I spent a lot of time reading and praying yesterday. Need some guidance, for sure. I am just feeling so trapped!!

Ok, time to change the subject. The new Tivo arrived today. Actually, the refurbished one that is taking all day to set up. Sigh. I am being grumpy. Sorry. But it arrived with the original software... so it's like when your computer crashes and you have to reinstall Windows... but then you never got around to slipstreaming all the updates so you have to use the original install disk and wind up with a pre-SP1 machine... and then have to deal with all the bugs until you finally get a bazillion updates installed. Not that I've ever had THAT experience. :) But that's what it feels like right now. For example, the current version goes back to pre-WPA encryption... so I had to open up my network in order to get the updates. Which doesn't make me happy, as you might imagine if you know me at all! I am hoping I can get them all installed and then get everything encrypted again soon. :)

I'm already dreading work tomorrow. Working 4 days in a row. Yuck. Unless I decide to call out sick, which is a distinct possibility. I have felt pretty awful lately. Sigh.

Today in the car I was listening to Eve 6 on my iPod (sounds SO good in my car!!), and one of the lines from their song "Noctural" has been stuck in my head all afternoon... I wake up in a cold sweat/got a bone to pick with reality... describes my feelings right now. I definitely have a bone to pick with reality! So frustrated right now. Words cannot express it. Just want to be free of everything and able to live my life. Argh.

Ok, enough of this angry outburst, I mean, blog post. :) Time to go check on the Tivo's progress. And maybe spend some more time in prayer and Bible study. I think I need it.

First May Post!!!

2008-05-08T01:44:00.002-07:00

I've been awful about blogging lately. Excuses, excuses... there's been a lot going on... I'll leave it at that. :)

Working night shift has had me all messed up. It's well after 1 am and here I am, blogging away and wide awake! The only thing good on TV right now is a rerun of CSI:Miami... which I've already seen several times. Oh well. Which brings me to my next subject...

My Tivo has died. For those who know me... this is a true tragedy! I joke around, but man.... it has been rough the last week without it. They are sending a replacement that is due to arrive on Friday! I am still contemplating buying the HD version now that I have my "pimp" TV (as my coworkers refer to it)... but I think I will save that for the next weight-loss reward!

Speaking of which... I have been doing horrible lately on my diet. Like I said, there's been a lot going on... but that's no excuse. I need to do better. Sigh. I have been eating like a pig lately. It frustrates me! Even at work it is hard. Everyone uses night shift as an excuse to eat bad... as much as I enjoy stealing ice cream from the "nourishment room" with my coworkers... not healthy for losing the weight I am so desperate to lose! Honestly, I've hit a wall. Not only is it taking more and more to lose weight, but on top of that, I've reverted to some emotional eating lately. Not good. Yuck. Gotta step it up. Yes, it's great that I've lost over 40 pounds. But there's more to go.

I have the next couple days off. I'm super excited!!! Probably will just catch up on stuff around the apartment tomorrow... laundry, etc. But maybe on Friday I will get out and DO something!! Go to the mountains, maybe. I dreamed of adventures when I moved here... and I seem to spend just as much time on the couch or just hanging out as I did in PA! I need to get out and experience life. What's the point of having days off work when you don't actually LIVE them?! I've gotta remember what it was like at my last job... I would have loved the ability to just pick up and go, to experience the Northwest. And here I am, living the life I've (sorta) dreamed of... but not fully, yet. So maybe on Friday I will do something crazy, like go to Mt. St. Helens or Mt. Rainier. Or maybe not. Gotta leave myself an out, in case I decide to stay home and chill instead. Haha. :)

It's been so long since I blogged. There's a lot that's happened. I'm really frustrated with some specific things in my life right now. I wish I could fix them. It's hard... I'm the kind of person that likes things a certain way. And when they aren't.... yikes. Not a happy camper. :) I want to just FIX some things that are going on. Won't go into detail here... public forum and all that. But those who know me well know what the issue is. :( It is tough, I won't lie. We'll get through it somehow, though.

There's so much I want to write about! Like how proud I am of my friend who just got a gigantic raise after working REALLY hard for it. Or how cute Smokey is right now. :) But I can't blog about these things or I will be up all night! OK, vowing right now to write more often. :)

Happy Nurses' Week! Check out these flowers that I got as a gift for Nurses' Week:

(I have no idea why this picture is sideways! I can't seem to fix it. :( Oh well. Beautiful anyway!!)

I am so lucky.

And here's my cute little bear right now. Honestly. Right this moment, as I post this. Haha. So adorable:

Alright. Gotta get to bed. :)

~Alison

Pictures

2008-04-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that I haven't posted any pictures in a while, so here are a couple of recent ones:

I took this one just this afternoon! The hyacinth bulbs I planted last fall are starting to bloom!

Watching the Stanley Cup playoffs after work

View from my bedroom window on a snowy day in late April

Yes, there are now pictures on my walls! This is one of my favorites that I framed and hung in my bedroom... Seattle at night. :)

Lessons

2008-04-24T09:26:00.003-07:00

Gotta make this a quick post since I have a very long to-do list today!! Dad is coming to visit tonight!! Whoo-hoo!! Smokey and I are super excited. :) And I have 6 whole days off from work!!! Does it get any better than that?! Yes... Thursday is my weigh-in day... and I've lost another 2 pounds! Obviously I am in a really good mood this morning. :)

Yesterday was my last day shift until the end of June. :( I will miss the ability to sleep at night and be awake during the day. I am bracing myself for that lovely reality of not being able to get together with anyone for the next 2 months. Sigh.

I've realized over the last couple of days that I have some things I should really be grateful for, and I often take them for granted. As usual, my patients have taught me some lessons. :) I am so lucky to have family, and further more, a family that loves and cares for me. Beyond that, I have amazing friends who love me, too. Those things alone are something not everyone has. God's blessed me with a lot of wonderful things besides people who care for me, too: a job, a place to live, a car, enough food to eat, clothes to wear, and good health... just to name a few basic things. Sometimes we can get very caught up in the world and all the things we want or think we need, and it's easy to forget how much we already have and take for granted. I think God used some things at work this week to drive the point home for me. It's a good reminder... so I'm sharing it with you. :)

Well, gotta go clean the house and get ready for Dad! Hm. Maybe I better go grocery shopping, too...

Day off!!

2008-04-21T11:41:00.001-07:00

Whoo-hoo!! Of course it's back to work again tomorrow and Wednesday... my last 2 day shifts for a while. :( And they're both 12s. But then my dad comes to visit on Thursday!! It should be a fun but busy weekend... Friday night we're going to the Mariners' game (so excited!!) and Saturday night I've invited a huge group of people over. I'm hoping people show up! So far there have been a few who have let me know they're coming, and if even just those people show up, then it will be fun. The more, the merrier, though! :)

I have so much to do today on my one day off, yet I am going to go to the mall with my friend Cher in a little bit. :) Lunch and shopping... although I don't know that I really NEED to spend more money! But maybe I can talk her into helping me pick out some new scrubs, which I desperately need. I bought a bunch in the fall, and now they are definitely not flattering since they are too big. Also, most of my scrub pants have a tendency to almost fall off once I clip my phone on at work... and I am getting very tired of hiking them up all the time!! Crazy! That is so awesome, if I may say so myself. The bad part is that I gotta spend more money... and on work clothes. Yuck. What's the fun in that?

Another sermon on submission yesterday. Next Sunday is 1 Peter 3:1-6... should be interesting!

OK, gotta get going to meet Cher. More later! :)

Life

2008-04-19T20:23:00.004-07:00

Just got home from work... haven't even changed out of my scrubs yet. I know, I know. Ewww. But I felt compelled to write.

I had a great morning with my friend Amy last weekend. She's graduating from nursing school soon, and she asked me what I did to deal with the stress from work. I've been thinking a lot about this topic lately. If I have time off, sometimes I just need to be by myself and go sit on the beach at Carkeek and read or pray or just BE. Other times I need the TV and a glass of white zinfindel. I've realized, though, that I do have one ritual that has developed over time. Whenever I've had a rough day at work, I drive home with the stereo turned way up, usually blasting some sort of rap or hip-hop or hard core rock. I mean I give that subwoofer in my trunk a workout. Tonight, as Dr. Dre reverberating through my body, it dawned on me what I was doing. I think I literally try to drown out everything in my head! Does it work? Who knows. I do feel some release, I think. But it doesn't really solve the underlying stress.

A month or so ago, one of my coworkers jokingly called me the angel of death, as I seemed to have an uncanny knack for getting the critically ill patients. I don't know how it works out if one were to actually do the math, but I feel like I have been surrounded by death an awful lot lately.

Today I walked into a patient's room, and he looked me in the face and said, "I have the strangest feeling. I think I am going to die today." Later he told me he thought he might be heading towards the light, and I told him that he needed to stay as far away from the light as possible! It did make him laugh, I will say. :) Sure enough, as the day went on, this guy got sicker and sicker, although he was still hanging on when I left.

There's something about having death be so near that always makes me think about life. I haven't written about all the patients I've lost lately, mostly because it's too much for me to even think about. But I have spent a lot of time thinking about them and the lessons I've learned.

Life's too short to waste time not living it. They say that life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. I'm tired of making plans... I just want to live my life!

Enough philosophizing. Is that even a word? I'm too tired to care. :)

Stream O' Consciousness

2008-04-17T18:23:00.002-07:00

Here I go again, having not written anything in over a week!! Excuses? Hm. Let's see. Work is a good one. And then last weekend was so incredibly beautiful I spent my time off outside. And, uh... Stanley Cup playoffs??

OK, so I HAVE been busy. But I have lots to write about!!! I will have to summarize, however, otherwise this post will go on forever. So here's the latest, in no particular order. Actually, in completely random order.

* I bought myself a Bernina sewing machine last weekend! Haven't played with it much yet (see the aforementioned excuses for what's been eating up my time). But I am so excited to try it out!! Spent WAY too much on it, but what else is new. Actually, I got a great deal (it was on sale, and I got a demo model, and it was "tax-free weekend", etc). But still. Lots of $$. Now I will be broke and have to make my own clothes. Good thing I have a sewing machine. Haha.

* Last weekend I went rollerblading for the first time in at least 10 years. Went almost 5 miles on the Burke-Gilman Trail! Seriously, I haven't had that much fun in a while.

* I have officially lost over 40 pounds. I had hit a slow patch there for a while, but I'm hoping to keep it up... still want to lose about 25 more, so there is a ways to go yet. But 40 is a lot, and I'm pretty psyched. I had promised myself that if I got below [insert number here] pounds, I would order myself HD cable... except that I am now 3 pounds from that goal and I can't really afford it at the moment!!! Oops. Might have to set cheaper rewards in the future.

* My dad is coming to visit next week!! He hasn't seen my car or my apartment with all my stuff moved in, or anything. I'm looking forward to the visit! It's only for a few days but should be fun. I'm having an open house on Saturday the 26th for everyone to say hi to him. Which will be cool. Although it will require me to deep-clean my house. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

* Just bought tickets to my first Mariners' game at Safeco in 4 years! Next Friday, when Dad is here. So excited!! We are going to freeze. Nothing like outdoor baseball in Seattle... in April. Can you say parka?

* Switching back to night shift in 2 weeks. Mixed emotions on that. Love the night shift colleagues. But I have really enjoyed being awake during the day and sleeping at night. And the ability to have some sort of social life. Such as it is. Oh well. It's only until the end of June. And I get paid more. Hm. Maybe I will be able to afford that HD cable, after all! :)

* Been reading this really cool book I picked up at the Christian bookstore called "The Politically Incorrect Wife". Yes, I know I am not a wife, but I hope to be one some day, and it is all about women's roles, etc. Applicable to all Christian women, in my opinion. Recently finished an excellent chapter on everyone's favorite subject... submission. Interestingly, also the topic of Mikes' sermon last week. Strange how that works. Although Mike was preaching on 1 Peter and it was more about governmental authority than gender roles. Still interesting stuff.

* Smokey is still adorable. That's not news, but boy has she been cute today! I am so glad I moved her out here with me. :)

* Work has been better the last few shifts, although as I type that I am remembering how stressed I was yesterday. Haha. Selective memory. Precepting the nursing student has been a good experience. I'm learning a lot about how I work as a nurse, which is pretty cool. And she makes me think about stuff, too. Asks lots of good questions. I hope I can precept again sometime! Other than working with her, work has been... well, same old things. It is a job that takes its toll sometimes. Okay, most of the time. But this week I feel like I actually made a difference, so that's at least something.

* I think I am going to make blueberry pancakes for dinner. And maybe some turkey bacon to go along with it. Mmm.

I warned you that this was a random post!! :)

Quilts

2008-04-08T11:14:00.003-07:00

I'm pretty sure I haven't already written about this, but forgive me if I am repeating myself! :) I've been working on hand-quilting a wall quilt for my new apartment... I actually bought the pieced top at an Amish auction last spring, and then have been sporadically quilting it this winter. It is getting closer to being finished!!

It's a Lone Star pattern in shades of purple, lavender, white, and black. (Of course those colors appealed to me!) I am almost done quilting the star part, which is awesome! Yesterday I ordered the stencil to do the blocks in the corner. It's going to be a Mariner's Compass in the blank blocks, which might not be the most traditional pattern for a Lone Star quilt, but hey, it's MY quilt and I can do what I want!! :)

This one I'm currently working on is a wall quilt, but at the same Amish auction I also bought another pieced top. It, too, is a Lone Star, only it is king size and in black and white. My mom's quilt group basted it for me, and then she brought it to Nashville in November so I could bring it back to Seattle. It is huge and weighs a ton (at least as far as these things go)!! It is a daunting task to even look at it and consider how long I will be hand-quilting it. But it is a beautiful quilt, and I got it for a great deal... I think that someday it will look amazing on my bed, but I just have a lot of work to do before it will be ready! I ordered the stencil for that one, too (to save on shipping), so I am getting excited for that project as well. The wall quilt is definitely a "trial-run" before I start on the big quilt, because I wanted to make sure my hand-quilting skills got tweaked before I invested so much time in one that will be on the bed!

At the moment I am sewing machine-less, but I did get a Bernina gift certificate for Christmas, and combined with part of my tax refund, I am planning on getting one of their Activa machines. I might even go this weekend and get it! We'll see. :) I will need it to put the binding on the wall quilt, so I am almost to the point where it is necessary.

Smokey, like most cats, seems to LOVE quilts. Yesterday I spread out the big one on the floor to measure something, and immediately she appeared out of nowhere to plop down right in the middle and go to sleep! Crazy cat. And every time I am hand-quilting, she is of course on my lap and trying to eat the thread. Then sleeps on the quilt when I am not working on it! Here she is, enjoying herself:

Well, time to go do some other fun things on my day off. Like go running. Yuck. Do I have to go if it is 38 degrees outside and kind of rainy?