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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Three Years


Today we celebrate our 3rd Anniversary!  It's funny because some days it feels like we just got married, other days its like we've been together forever (in a good way!).  Probably because in our short 3 years of marriage we've experienced so many things.  We've moved 3 times, started school, graduated from school, began new jobs, traveled amazing places and bought our first home.  Just to name a few :)

This past year has been our toughest, but most exciting.  Funny how that works huh?  We've lived apart for 2 months, been through the stress of finding new jobs, figured out the wacky ways of home buying and moved, twice!  But we've also traveled around the country, experienced weddings and births, celebrated graduation, went to the Rose Bowl and spent 2 wonderful weeks in Europe.

At times its been stressful and nerve-wracking, but at the end we've grown closer and fallen even more in love.  I can't imagine going through life with anyone else.  Here's to a lifetime of love, happiness and adventure.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Puppy Love

It's no big secret, Corey and I are more than kind of obsessed with our little pup, Lacey.  She was a Christmas present for me 3 years ago and to this day she's the best present I've ever received (but my KA mixer comes in a very close 2nd!)  She's a Shiba Inu.  When we're out with her, people stop us to comment on how pretty she is (or how much she looks like a fox) and ask what kind of dog she is.  We are so used to the "What?" or blank stare across their faces.  Shibas are fantastic dogs, although not always great at sharing their space with another dog.  However, she loves playing with our in-law's dog and gets along great with kids of all ages!

Lacey is beautiful, fun and has so much personality in her little-dog body.  She can be obnoxious and misbehave at times and she sheds like nobody's business, but she's always making us laugh, so we don't mind.  We often remark to each other that she just might be the most spoiled dog we know.  But we don't care.  She's like our child, a member of our family, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

So I thought I'd share some pictures of her across the years:

First day at her new home - only 5 lbs - she was soo teeny!

Teeny-tiny pup - about 12 weeks old

Miserable with the cone
 
Favorite pastime - sleeping

Another popular pastime - sunning herself


With her best doggy friend, Jake, in Hilton Head


She LOVES snow!  Especially digging in the snow

Look at all this snow!

Always trying to be on the top of the couch cushions


Also loves playing in water.  But try to give her a bath?  It sounds like a child is being tortured

She's kinda pretty, no?

Favorite pastime again, but this time on mom & dad's bed - sneaky little bugger


A bit high maintenance perhaps

Didn't much like the recent move...

But loves her new digs


Monday, March 21, 2011

Spoke too soon

Remember this post?  Oh at that point I was so excited that I managed to see all those kiddos with their little GI bugs and escape scott-free.  Yeah, well, it caught up with me.

I've been blessed to be illness free for quite some time, considering all the snotty noses and vomiting kids I've treated this winter.  Last week my luck ran out.  Before heading to bed one night I started feeling pretty nauseous.  Thinking I just ate too many sweet chocolately cookies I had made that day, I went to bed hoping I'd wake up feeling better.  The next day the nausea was still there.  It came and went, but it wasn't staying away long.  Finally over 24 hours after the nausea started more things happened.  Luckily for me I only had to hang my head over the toilet once, but that one time was awful.  I hate throwing up, like hate it so much I cry every time I do it.  At least it helped the nausea a bit. 

Without getting into gory detail, between frequent trips to the bathroom I spent most of the day curled up on the couch in misery.  I stayed home from work the next day because I was dehydrated and hadn't eaten much the previous day.  I started feeling better so went to work on Saturday and did fairly well.  I got ahead of myself and had Mexican food for dinner after work.  Dumbest idea EVER!  Since then I've felt bad.  I hardly have an appetite and what I do eat sucks.  I've been living off toast, plain pasta, oatmeal and other equally bland foods.  I can't even have rice because we ran out.  I actually need to get groceries today because I've pretty much eaten everything bland in the kitchen.  Whenever I eat something more substantial, my stomach revolts.  I just miss being able to eat real food.

Guess that's what I get for getting ahead of myself, eh?  Hopefully I'm better in time for work tomorrow!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Parent Pet Peeves

Working with kids is great, but sometimes dealing with parents can be, well, obnoxious.  Now, I know, I'm not a parent.  I don't know what its like to stay up all night with a crying infant or a coughing toddler.  But I've taken care of children of all ages for several years.  My oldest niece (along with her parents) lived with us her first year or so of life.  I helped babysit her and her younger sister as they grew up.  I babysat regularly in college and again a few times after returning to TX from PA school.  So, do I know what its like to have your child sick? No, but I know what its like to take care of a sick child.  With that disclaimer, here's my top parent pet peeves:

8. Letting your child run rampant in the hallways of an ER - first they're gonna get hurt.  Second, do you know what kind of germs are floating around hospitals?

7. Dragging your child down the hallway by one arm, better yet, walking 10 feet in front of your toddler who can't possibly keep up.  Keep an eye on your children people!

6. Not listening to what is asked of you.  If we tell you not feed your child until otherwise instructed, there's a reason!  (And no its not because we want the both of you to be miserable and hungry)

5.  Talking on your cell phone when a medical provider is trying to care for your child - hang up and pay attention!

4. Yelling at your child in front of me.  I know you're trying to discipline, but there's a time and place for yelling and in an ER in front of your medical care provider is not it.  Be stern but not mean, please.  It makes me feel very uncomfortable.

3. Smoking.  Second hand smoke kills and it does terrible things to kid's respiratory systems, especially kids with asthma.  And I don't care if you smoke outside, the stuff lingers on your clothes and if I can smell it when I walk in the room, you can bet your child is inhaling it

2. Rude behavior/attitude.  I know you're probably stressed out because your kid has a fever and is screaming bloody murder, but please, I'm just trying to help.  And if someone else has blown you off, please don't take it out on me, or assume I'm gonna do the same.  Give me a chance.

And my absolute, numero uno parent no-no...

Lying to me.  It gets you absolutely nowhere.  Don't tell me you do something if you didn't.  Don't lie to me about what medications they are or are not taking.  This is about your child's health.  I'm not the police or your priest, just be honest so we can treat your child to the best of our abilities.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox.

And I want y'all to know, these are definitely the exception, the rarity.  Most of the parents I deal with are great.  They are helpful, understanding, respectful and just want their kids to get better.  I know having a sick kid can't be an easy thing.  Its just hard sometimes when I see parents with chronically sick kids acting so graciously when parents of a kid with a runny nose and fever expecting the world to stop and fix their child.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Annual Review?

Last week I met with my manager to do my 90-day review combined with my annual review.  Yeah, you read that right my annual review.  But I've only been there for a little over 3 months.  Well, at my institution annual reviews for all employees are held in March, no matter the start date. 

Honestly, I was pretty nervous going into it.  Despite the fact that I've been feeling more comfortable and competent in my role, I still am a newbie and have a lot to learn.  I had no idea how much was really expected of me at this point and whether or not I was living up to those expectations.  my team members and at least one attending physician filled out evaluations about me.  Thankfully, everyone was pretty kind.  I definitely still have room to improve, but according to my manager I'm right on par with most things and even a little ahead of the curve on others!

I also had the chance to chat with my manager about my thoughts on my job.  She was very reassuring and validated some of my feelings, letting me know my insecurities were normal, but not necessary.  I walked away from the meeting feeling pretty good about myself.  I know I have tons more to learn, but its nice to know people appreciate and notice the improvements I've made in such a short period of time.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Warm hearts, warm home

Yep, we had our housewarming party this weekend and it was great.  The only thing that would have made it even better was if I hadn't tried my best to cut off the tip of my finger with a bread knife 10 minutes before people started to arrive.  Um, yeah, that was pretty "dice-y". 

Anyhow, the days leading up to the party were a bit hectic around here with the two of us trying to finish last minute decorating, arranging and painting.  Through some hard work and some familial helpers we were able to get it all done in time. 

We had a wonderful time with the family and friends who were able to come celebrate with us.  The weather was beautiful, there was lots of good food and the company was great.  Thanks to everyone who made it out!

Here are some updated house pictures as well as photos from the soiree. 


Dining room with new floors, our table and a new rug

The workout room is complete with new paint and no more safari wall paper!

The office - new desk, bookshelves and rug

Guest bedroom - no longe puke green - its a lovely light blue with an aqua accent wall

The living room - finally all the furniture in place!
And now the party:







And while I loved and appreciated every gift we received (plants and booze seemed to be the most popular), this was by far my favorite because it fits me perfectly:

Aw, a cute little ceramic turtle, right?

Oh, but wait, it unstacks into measuring cups!  How cute is that?

And here's the aftermath of a long week - lights out on the couch at 7pm


Again, thanks so much for everyone who came and helped make our house a home.  And to those who couldn't make it, you are welcome any time!

Friday, March 4, 2011

DIY for the "handy"-capped

Purchasing this house has been the most exciting and stressful time in my life.  I'm feeling more stressed now than I did in PA school for goodness sake!  Putting a house of this size together on a budget is getting tough!  Especially since neither my darling husband nor I were born with the handyman gene.  But that hasn't stopped us from buying "assembly required" furniture and painting 3 rooms on our own.  We've also replaced bathroom fixtures and plan to replace the kitchen lighting and install ceiling fans.  It's been a tough road, let me tell you.  And we still have SOO much more to do before our big housewarming party in 8 days.

We've been lucky to have some help along the way.  For instance, my mother-in-law's boyfriend kindly helped us hook up our dryer (needed a different cord) and install those new sink fixtures in our guest bath. 


And our wonderful brother-in-law got us a great deal on paint for our bedrooms!  Now if we could've only convinced him to help us paint them too - haha, oh well.  We finally finished the first of 3 rooms last night.


Before: bright yellow - yuck

Mid-painting: Primer on the walls

After: a nice calming, neutral color, aah
Now tonight's project is painting the smallest of the 3 rooms, our workout room.  Unfortunately it had a hideous stripe of wallpaper running across the wall.  We spent 3 hours last Friday night painstakingly removing that. 

Goodbye hideous safari paper

We also purchased a new desk and bookshelves for our office.  In an attempt to save money we bough the self-assembly stuff.  With great intentions, I started unpacking the desk parts to put it together only to discover the top piece had a big crack in it.  Now we have to wait for the replacement part.  In the meantime, the pieces are strewn across the office floor and there they will stay.


Last, but not least, we just received our beautiful patio furniture set.  We unpacked the ginormous box last night and set all the pieces out.  This morning I attempted to assemble the two swivel chairs.  And, I can't seem to get the nuts and bolts to tighten like they should.  Probably my error but I couldn't help but muttering a few choice words about the manufacturer before giving up.  So there they sit - waiting to be assembled.


In the meantime, we still have boxes to unpack and haven't done any decorating.  Yep, we've lived here for a month now and I've yet to put a picture on the wall. 

Looks like its going to be a busy 8 days around here!!