Oh Summer Saturday's How I love You!

Today was one of those days that you wish would last for weeks.  It started out with sleeping in just a little.  I love sleeping past 7am, even though I wake at least once a night usually at 4 or 5am, ugh.  I met Grandma Betty for a lovely brunch of Oatmeal with Gelato and berries; this is amazingly delicious.  We chatted for 3 hours, about every thing from travel, to work, to investing and much more.  As I was driving away, my eyes watered a little as I felt such gratitude that I was able to spend 3 hours with such an amazing women who loves me so much.  Someday she will be gone and I will wish I could do it all over again, hopefully not for at least 15 years, then she will be over 100 and it will be okay.  

I promise there's oatmeal beneath.

I braved the wal-mart on a Saturday for a few supplies, that is one scary place, especially on a Saturday.  I then came home and made a couscous salad and a BLT avocado pasta salad for our cookout.  Tristen, Mitch, Troy, Becky, Alisha and all their kids came over for the afternoon and well into the evening.  Because it was 97 degree's today, we had such fun playing in the pool, visiting and enjoying yummy summer food.  Now that it is nearly 9pm, I'm going to finish my book, until my cousin Jennifer and her family come for the night as they are passing through and then we shall chat a little.  Hooray for Summer!  Bring on July!

Even mom enjoyed the rays!

Aidree is only 2 and so not afraid of jumping in with the rest of them.

Bridget Loves to sunbathe with Auntie T!

Someone spilled the Spree's!

Last Fabulous Friday For June 2012

I feel like my Fabulous Friday posts are what gets me through any of the negativity from my weeks, because I know come Friday it's all about being positive...
1.  Seriously, it is already the last Friday in June.  I think I've treasured most days this month, especially my days off.  I find myself reading as much as I can.  I feel like I'm back in 4th grade when I read all summer, but is there anything wrong with that?  I don't think so.  I finished To Kill A Mockingbird this week and must say to my friend Kaycee, it really is a great summer read.  Yesterday at work in between patients I started reading the 3rd Walk book and am almost finished, as I must admit I have spent much of my day off on the porch reading.  I hope I don't run out of summer reads as I have already gone through several of the books on my list.
2.  I worked last weekend.  I am not a fan of working weekends.  I should be use to working every other weekend, since I've been doing it for the past 6 years; but I'm not.  Last weekend it was easy for me to find the positive in my weekend work.  I found it in suturing the 7 patients that came in on Sunday.  I haven't sutured that many patients in one day since I was in the ER.  I'm good at it and gives me a sense of accomplishment.  It's the closest I'll ever get to being a reconstructive plastic surgeon.
3.  Funny story Saturday morning an 80 something year old man came in because his very tiny abrasion on his head wouldn't stop bleeding from when he ran into the corner of the kitchen cabinet the day before (he was on coumadin).  I grabbed a silver nitrate stick, applied a little pressure with it and it stopped immediately.  We were both happy campers. He didn't even feel the burn from it.  He was so happy he kissed my cheek. I love when I can help grandpas; makes me think of my own.
4.  Funnier story...yesterday I had a 60 something man come in with his wife, both were totally embarrassed.  Seriously I've seen it all and nothing phases me anymore, even this one.  He was trimming his privates when he accidentally stuck his scrotum with the scissors, nicking a veinule that was gushing blood.  I quickly put in a few sutures and he was good as new!  It was rather funny when I was stitching he asked me to please be careful with the scissors when I was cutting the sutures, all in the room got a chuckle from  that.
5. Dr. S my supervising physician that I have to see face to face once a month because of Idaho law came for a visit last night.  She has to go through and rate 10 of my charts each month.  She gave me a 100 and said she had never done that.  She said that she just couldn't find any complaints with my charts.  That made me feel good and gave me the little boost that I needed to get through the next crazy hour of work.  Dr. S is quickly becoming a great friend of mine.  I just adore her and look forward to our monthly visits.
6.  Tuesday we had our monthly RS Oh what do you do in the summertime?  We had 25 women at our house.  They brought their favorite summer salads and desserts and we shared our favorite summer reads and summer activities.  It was a rather enjoyable evening.
7.  This afternoon 3 sisters from our ward brought their children over to swim at the Bishops house.  We enjoyed a few hours on the porch chatting.  I needed some girl chat and it was fun to get to know them a little better.
8.  Tonight mom, dad and I had a nice simple dinner at a small taco joint in town where I had really yummy and healthy fish tacos.  We also visited Grandpa tonight.  He read us a poem that he received from someone who found it in their suitcase just this week.  Bazar how things like that happen.  The poem was written by his grandmother in 1941.  It was kind of cute about when they were building the Anderson Dam.

First Week Of Summer...Fabulous Friday

Summer is here in full swing and I'm in Love; with summer that is!  

1.  This week we celebrated Fathers Day and June Birthday's the Saturday before Fathers Day.  I think this might be our new tradition.  Even better we reserved the event room at the pizza parlor, which meant we didn't have to cook or clean up the aftermath destruction by the family.

Drinking Ranch Dressing, Yummy!

 

2.  Mom and I were in charge of the Father's Day treats for our ward.  I think they were quite the hit

3.  Tristen's Birthday was Wednesday so we enjoyed a lunch out at her favorite place Gino's.  It was pretty good and something different!

 

4.  Mom and I had our first snow cone of the season.  It's good to be back in Idaho for the summer where we have snow cone shacks on every corner, a dry 97 degrees the first week of summer feels not so hot compared to a wet 97 in Carolina, and the fields are beautiful with plentiful crops and sprinklers a twitching.

5.  Memories of the many days and years we practiced preparing for the National Fiddle contest came bounding in as mom, Alisha, two of her kids, and I ventured to the small town of Weiser yesterday to listen to some pretty amazing fiddlers competing to be the Grand Champion.  We enjoyed a fantastic lunch at a local cafe where we listened to one talented man and also had us a treat of ice cream in home-made waffle cones!

On our way, we found Owens RD, so of course we had to take a picture!

6. I've been reading To Kill A Mockingbird and really enjoying it.  I sure love my summer reading every chance I get, but I love it most sitting in the swing on the back porch.  

A Litte Broken

Last Friday I went in for my annual physical and came out a few days later with a diagnosis of hypothyroidism.  My nearly perfect health is not so perfect now and I'm feeling a little broken.  I'm not a happy camper at all about this; since I will be taking a pill every day for the rest of my life.  Yes it could be much worse, but at least I have an explanation for my fat face and my always feeling tired.  I thought this weight gain of at least 5 pounds and feeling tired was just due to my lovely lifestyle change; I thought wrong.  This week at my follow up appointment my doctor was rather flabergasted himself when I told him that I was working several 12 hour shifts in a row and then going to the gym after my shifts.  He flat out told me that I'm exhausting myself.  He is right on.  My TSH was nearly 4 times what it should be and my T4 is nearly non-existant.  And I'm getting ready to do 6 of 7 shifts because someone up and quit and it just so happens that I am on call on my fourth day in a row when she was suppose to be working, so I have to fill in for her.  Lets hope that on day 7 that I make it through, because at this point its only 7pm and I could go to bed.  My excitement for my job has worn off a little, given the fact that I'm working much more than I want.  I'm learning the grass isn't always greener on the other side and after 8 years of working full time, I'm ready to be a part timer or even a PRNer....I'm not wishing my life away, because I hope it comes along, I'm just ready for a slower pace thats all.  Lets hope in 8 weeks my levels will improve, I'll have lost those dang 5 pounds and that I will have much more energy than I do today.

Fabulous Friday

I just finished working 6 out of 7 days, all 12 hour shifts.  Let say I had to delve deep for FF.
1.  Tristen and I worked out last last 5 days.  We have gone on some pretty great jogs this week.
2.  I love summer evenings in Idaho because they cool off a bit and it's light until after 10PM.

3.  Tristen's lilies finally bloomed this week.  They are so pretty.

4.  I went to a really good fireside on Sunday.  I liked this quote, "Don't let your situation in life identify your identity."
5.  I reconnected with a childhood friend this week.
6.  Today Tenielle, mom and I had lunch and went shopping at Macy's.  It was like old times.
7.  The kids came over tonight and we sat out on the patio chatting for hours.
8.  I finished another Summer Read this week.  That's 3 down.
9.  I started planning my fall trip to the Northeast this week.  Oh, I can't wait.  It's going to be so fun and so colorful!

First Week Of June... Fabulous Friday

1.  I can hardly believe we have just experienced our first week of June.  You know you live in Idaho when the first part of the week is in the 90's and the end of the week it's in the 60's.  At least there is always one constant in Idaho, always carry a jacket.
2.  I'm well on my way to planning the next 6 months of RS activities, including our next one, Oh what do you do in the summer time?  Can't wait for this one.  It will be fun and relaxing.  Speaking of RS activities, last night I went with Alisha to her RS activity which was decorated so cute with lemon heads and lemons in mason jars with a big flower in the middle.  I think I'm going to have to steal this idea.  They had tons of yummy desserts and summer salads.  A sister talked about ways to keep your flowers lively during the hot summer months.
3.  Grandma Betty and I had a lovely chat this week about trips to the Northeast during the fall and Europe maybe in December.  I'm going to Europe in the next year I really am.  There is an 8 day cruise in Europe the week before Christmas.  It might be cold but would be such fun.  The sad thing is I saw and talked to Grandma Betty more when I lived across the country than I do now living across the street.
4.  I had a lovely visit with my supervising physician this week.  She is such a great mentor and always gives me lots of praise and good ideas.
5. Tuesdays cycle class brought me so much happiness.  It is always an hour of pure enjoyment.
6.  Friday nights dinner at the Soda Shop was heavenly and a great way to end our beach trip.  I noticed on my way to the airport Saturday morning that every house has a porch, no matter what.  I sure miss that here in the west.

Fabulous Friday Beach Style

This has been an incredible week at the beach.  We flew in late Friday night.  I immediately went to see my night crew in the ER.  Boy do I miss those wonderful people, but am still grateful for my job that I enjoy.  My cousin Abe and his daughter Olivia drove from Cleveland and met us in Charlotte.  Saturday morning we all drove down to Hilton Head where we met up with Alabama cousins and aunt Thalia and uncle Robert.  It is always so fun to be together as a family.  Of course we went out to the beach where we had pretty great waves because of the impending tropical storm.  Sunday morning I woke up early while everyone else slept in, to go to my conference.  I really enjoy this conference because I get to see some of the physicians that I previously worked with.  I always come away from conferences with new ideas and knowledge, but also realizing that I know more than I think I know.  Sunday the wind was crazy, but we still enjoyed a nice chat on the beach.  I went to my conference on Monday morning and when it was over we all went to Savannah because of the threatening rain.  Gratefully it waited until that evening when we got back to our house.  It was a wonderful day to go to Savannah because the crowds were sparse, the cloud cover was cool, and the breeze was fabulous.  We at lunch at the Pirates House, which is always fun.  Tuesday the storm rolled in and the clouds were thick, so after my conference I enjoyed my day sitting reading a book.  Wednesday the sun finally came out, so after my conference we all enjoyed the day at the beach.  Thursday because my conference was over on Wednesday I got to sleep in.  I like sleeping past 7:00!  Thursday was also spend at the beach.  We have had fun cooking, baking, eating, laughing, playing games, chatting, and planning our next trip, which will be a girls only trip to the NE the first week in October to see the beautiful fall leaves.  Today we will drive back to Charlotte to have dinner with Nick before flying out early tomorrow morning.