My life's work

Recently, I've started reading the obituaries. I wonder what happens to patients when they leave us and finally have gotten to the point where I've started seeking out that information. and then, I discovered this...

It's a very humbling experience (and shocking too) to realize I made that much of an impact in someone's day/hospital stay/life that I am mentioned in their obituary. I hope I never forget this feeling so that I may continue to serve this population with all the grace, love and dedication I can muster. 

Foozball season

It occurred to me that for Caesar football season is a weird time of year...

He spends his time in silly bandanas, watching his people yell obnoxiously at the TV, wagging his tail occasionally trying to figure out if all this yelling is exciting or if he's in trouble, and sniffing the smells of wonderful tailgate foods he can't eat... It's a hard life... 

Time is flying...

It's been ages since my last post.  I remember sitting in Panera (waiting on Jeremi to pick me up because at the time we only had one car) writing my last post.  So much has happened since then and the whole time I kept thinking, I really should blog again.  One, because I find it therapeutic, and two, because I appreciate the log it keeps of my life since time is moving by faster than I can keep track.  Also, I'm still not too keen on posting my life on facebook, but want to share with family and friends. (although not sure if anyone would even still be reading this)  Since my last post, I started nursing school and am in my last semester, worked as a ophthalmology assistant for a year and quit when school was beginning to take up more and more of my time, got an airstream! and had other numerous adventures.  Here's some pics to capture all that in review.  

March 2012 - our first trip to Disney World together, which also included a trip to St. Petersburg for Jeremi's work conference, and celebrating the wedding of my beloved friend Em from college (which I naturally could not find a pic of)

 May 2012 - switched from canoeing into kayaking and got our first kayaks.  this is me ecstatically goofing around in the yard with my new kayak.

May 2012 - started go kayaking/camping in hammocks, which is an amazing way to connect with God and nature

July 2012 - went through yet another sleep study, which led to not finding out much except that i have "idiopathic narcolepsy"

 September 2012 - spent lots and lots of time studying for nursing school as pictured with one of my best study buddies

October 2012 - attended a few WVU football games, including the first stripe the stadium game

October 2012 - married off one of my the flip girls from childhood

Christmas 2012 - Switched over to a fake tree, which I was a little sad about but fit much better into our tiny house

Christmas 2012 - Jeremi and his dad smoking xmas cigars

Christmas 2012 - Caesar and a his "Uncle Nick"

February 2013 - spent more time studying in my favorite "fancy" library

 March 2013 - upgraded Easter baskets for Jeremi and me

May 2013 - Hiked up to Mcaffee's Knob on the Appalachian Trail...

May 2013 - which landed Caesar in the hospital for overexhaustion/dehydration :/

June 2013 - continued to kayak as much as humanly possible

June 2013 - participated in my first color run

July 2013 - BOUGHT AN AIRSTREAM! (it's dinged and dented and needs love and cleaning, but definitely a dream come true!)

July 2013 - went for our first camping adventure in the airstream at an airstream only park we discovered that's only 45 minutes away from Roanoke

August 2013 - made my first quinoa dish recently

August 2013 - also made my first pull apart cupcake cake

 August 2013 - went on our first obx trip (to Hatteras) together (Jeremi has been before and I have been to the Nag's Head fishing pier as a kid, which was the extent of my obx experience prior to)

August 2013 - Caesar's first time on the beach (wish I could upload videos, but haven't figured that out yet)

 August 2013 - At the Hatteras lighthouse

August 2013 - Married off my beloved SIL 

August 2013 - my parents and me at my SIL's wedding

Thumpity, thump, thump and The Nasty and other Updates

Sometimes it's been so long since I've posted that I don't know where to begin to update folks.  (Not that anything earth shatteringly exciting has happened, but you know what I mean.)  So, here's what's been on my mind lately, and a few update-y things too!

A quick update since last post:
-  I did not get to see Tony Bennett in Pittsburgh.  Also, it was a crazy weekend (in a not so great way) and my beloved Steelers lost to the Ravens that weekend too. :(

- On a positive note, we had a fabulous holiday season.  It's crazy to think it's been nearly a month since Christmas.  We spent our Thanksgiving in Bluefield and our families were gracious enough to come to Roanoke to spend Christmas here.  Fun times!

- I'm in that weird transition period of changing jobs.  After about three and half months of working retail, I'm finally escaping it all.  While I didn't mind it, it'll be nice to have a "real" and full time job with regular hours.  What's next on the list you may ask?  I'm going to be training to be an ophthalmology assistant at a local eye center.  I'm stoked about the opportunity and glad to be getting back into the medical field.  Plus,  ever since those weird moments of eye dissections, I've always been fascinated by the eye and how it can be both simple and complex.

- I'm trying to get use to the mundane-ness of life.  Now that we're settled into a place that we love, and have some kind of routine established and have some semblance of a life plan, I find being "settled" a little bit on the boring side.  I'm already always thinking... what are we going to do on the weekends, planning out fabulous trips/vacations in my mind and daydreaming about river floats and camping for this upcoming spring/summer.  I know, I need a lecture in living in the now...

So, to explain the title, and getting back to the now...
- One of the greatest daily joys I have found is in owning a dog.  I tell Jeremi constantly that I can't imagine our life without a dog.  (Sometimes I even wonder to myself why we didn't incorporate Caesar into our wedding.  Then I remember, oops, we didn't have him then and he wasn't born until after then.)  I think dogs are experts in living in the now.  No matter how hard it is to find the strength to crawl out of bed in the morning or to come home and be pleasant after a long day, a dog greeting you with his wagging tail always seems to say, "How can you be sad/frustrated/grumpy?  We're together, we're full of life, all is welllllll.  We should rejoice!"  This is what our Saturday mornings are like.  As soon as we wake up, Caesar knows it and is asking (by placing his chin on the bed) to hop into bed with us.  Once we let him, all you can hear is the Thumpity, Thump of his tail proclaiming us to rejoice.

- Now on to The Nasty...  It's not in any way what you might think...  Lately I'm on a quest to lose weight the healthy way and get into a regular exercise routine of some sorts all with the intention of looking great come kayak/canoe season!  So, when I got an email from our church about yoga classes being offered, I forced myself to sign up.  (If you don't already know this, I'm sheepishly shy about group exercise and gyms.)  And to top it all off, I talked Jeremi into taking the class with me.  We've only been to one class so far, but we both love it for different reasons.  But back to my point, after our first class, I'm talking excitedly about yoga and how I'm glad we decided to sign up and Jeremi mentions The Nasty.  Of course, I have no clue what he's talking about.  Then he describes the end of the class and I realize he's referring to Namaste, the phrase spoken at the end.  It has various interpretations but the one I love best is: I bow to your true self.  Sometimes I think Jeremi concocts these moments to make me laugh hysterically; sometimes I know he does it for that reason.  Either way, any time he mentions The Nasty I cackle hysterically nearly every time.  Hopefully I don't do it in yoga class tonight though...

So, that's what's up in a nutshell...  I hope to write more steadily in this new year so hopefully you'll hear from me soon.

Hate that I didn't realize Tony Bennett was in Pittsburgh! And worse yet that I couldn't convince anyone to be seeking out tickets with me...

My Spirit Animal

This has to be the most ridiculous post I've ever written, but I felt so compelled...

I just finished reading Girls in White Dresses  by Jennifer Close.  Yes, it's chic lit (as they say), but it was a fun, light read; something I was desperately seeking as a break to Sophie's Choice (which I still have not finished).

One of the girls in the book is invited to a costume party where you're suppose to go dressed up as your spirit animal.  (Isn't that the most bizarre thing you're ever heard!  Don't you wish you were invited?!?)  My best guess is that your spirit animal is an animal that embodies who you are.

And so, I got to thinking... If I had a spirit animal what would it be?

The answer:  A hybrid of a ninja turtle and a chicken with its head cut off.  If I had mad photoshop skills, I'd show you what I meant, but I don't.  If I had to dress up, I'd have a turtle shell with chicken feet and chicken "paws."  I'd carry a nun-chuck and cover my head with a ski mask.  It would be the most ridiculous thing you could ever fathom. :)

But why would my spirit animal be a ninja turtle/chicken with its head cut off you ask?

Well, I'm like a turtle in that sometimes I just need my space and privacy.  Shells are great for that.  Also, sometimes I get a little freaked out and uncomfortable and a shell would be perfect for that too.

I'm be a ninja turtle because I see myself as a sometimes "tough" person.  I have a pretty independent I can do it myself attitude, and I like to think if I needed to conquer the world, given a pair of nun-chucks and some sweet Macgyver skills I could do it!  Maybe a cape too, because I'd like to be fashionable and a cape seems like the perfect thing.

Finally, sometimes the ADD or the Ester in me shows, and that is the chicken with its head cut off portion of my spirit animal.  While typically I'm pretty cool and calm like a turtle, other times I feel like my head and body are separated and I'm just running around trying to figure out what to do with myself as a result.  Plus, the chicken part makes me think of chicken little... and sometimes I think the sky is falling and what am I going to do about it?

Haha, riduclousness!

On another note, I would just like to add, this book made me literally laugh out loud.  I think this is one of those weird Melanie-isms.  Books sometimes make me laugh.  When I'm in public places, I try to keep quiet, but sometimes a smirk escapes and I just cannot help myself.  Then I think about how other people see me:  that Asian girl... sitting in the corner reading... smiling and laughing... at a book...
Today, I sat on the couch, read my book and laughed out loud... by myself... just me and the dog... he probably things I'm so weird... LOL

My Daily Random Rantings... And a lil Update too

It's been forever since I've posted.  Much like everything else in life, I kept meaning to, but it just never happened.

After spending the month and a half after summer classes ended job searching, I ended up interviewing and searching to no avail.  (Granted I was being picky about only working days so I can enjoy life while I'm not in school.)  So, I've given in and returned to the retail world.  Luckily my manager has been amazing with working with my "picky" schedule.

What have I learned so far?
-  I really like being on my feet and not tied to a desk, which I already knew.  Time just flies by at the store, since there's always something to do and I'm never bored.
-  I'm quite good at customer service and "styling" customers and I even enjoy it.  It's amazing how many people size up your styling ability by what you're wearing, and luckily I'm pretty decent at putting an outfit together.
-  As time goes by, I'm losing my great desire/motivation to change the world, which is a little sad. :(
-  Ruffles, lace and the color plum seem to be what's "in" right now...  That and old school sweaters...

And a few other random rantings a.k.a. piddly things I'm dying to tell somebody...

-  We're still getting by with just one car, which most days works out fine.  Today, however, I ended up having to hang out at Panera for 2 1/2 hours, which I normally wouldn't mind, but there are some super annoying and loud people sitting next to me.  And I don't want to be the person who gets up to sit on the other side of the room.  (Right now, they are taking turns loudly going over what's in their wallets... in great detail... ugh...)
-  Also, I always secretly wonder when you're at Panera or at a coffee shop by yourself what you're suppose to do with your stuff when you go to the bathroom.  Obviously I'm weird about just leaving my computer and purse alone, but I also don't want to pack up all my junk just to go potty...  Again, the stupid things I wonder about...
-  I'm noticing my ADD a lot more lately.  I find myself repeating or "voicing" in my head what people say or ask me before I can respond or answer.  And other people's conversations distract me so much sometimes, I can't think straight...

Something I'm looking forward to:  Going to the Raven's vs. Steelers game in November
Lately I'm loving:  Fall weather and Pumpkin Spice Lattes (And to think I use to be a summer girl)
What I'm reading:  Sophie's Choice, but I also pre-ordered the Steve Jobs book
Latest CD I've bought:  pre-ordered Michael Buble's Christmas CD!
My current thoughts/feelings:  Trying to enjoy the now of life and not be jaded by the past
Newest random epiphany:  A lot of women are caddy and judgmental  (a little bit of a well duh tidbit for most of you, but it still surprises me...)