A weekend together & 3rd annual self timer photoshoot

I end up taking lots of photos of friends and family, but rarely get actual photos of the two of us. So, we packed our gear and handy tripod (kitchen stool) and headed to this spot I've had in mind since last April. This inactive railroad lies adjacent to the Willamette river and glows if the sunlight hits the tree tunnel just right. Truth be told, I much prefer to be the one behind the camera than in front of the lens. Andrew too, I think. Hence, why we have seemed to make this self-photoshoot thing an annual event. Though, I do believe we'd get much sharper and better photos if we just gave in and let someone else do the work. 

There is something to be said for taking turns setting the camera and running to the said spot in 10 seconds. Lots of laughter!

We both had this past weekend off and it was oh so nice. We didn't actually do much of anything. Went out to eat, ran errands together, I sewed while he watched football, helped him cut his hair, caught up on tv shows together, accompanied each other to church etc. It was a very normal weekend. Nothing special. Just normal and so nice to just be together. 

While dropping Andrew off this morning for the start of a new rotation (parking is difficult & costly at OHSU), he told me that the past few days, he's gotten used to being together.  He explained that he already missed me for this week and it hasn't even started yet. Our opposite schedules really get old fast. But, good news folks, I'll be moving to day shift in a few weeks! Hallelujah! I cannot even begin to imagine seeing Andrew every day/night of the week. That sounds sad, doesn't it? Seeing your own husband every day? Imagine that!

 

Awesomes & Awkwards

 Leaving my tennis shoes on the front porch over night and going on morning walks in sun-warmed soles. It's the best feeling. Running into spider webs on my walks and then doing my spiders-get-off-me-dance is the worst. At least the neighborhood gets a show.

 Fresh, ripe tomatoes from my dying plants. They look pretty hideous in the front yard and certainly highlight my lack of gardening skills- but they keep producing. My neighbors probably chuckle each time they pass by, but I don't see their plants yielding red tomatoes, so there. Maybe I'm on to something...

 Andrew and I don't talk much when he's away. We are usually on opposite schedules. It's amazing how much we are both okay with it (mostly amazing how much I am okay with it). I know and trust that he is working hard, and he knows the same of me. And, we know that we'll see each other in a few days and hopefully catch up then. Maybe last year's Air Force training was good husband-away-training too. I had a much harder time last summer with very limited contact. But, a simple "hi, had a good day, you ok? love you, goodnight" is plenty for now and we make do. Add a few emoji pics in there too and I'm a happy wife. Or, maybe it's because losing Gabriel put things into perspective. There are worse things than not having Andrew home every day. Far worse...

 When opening our 2 year anniversary cards, a table setting card fell from the envelope. At our wedding, each table was titled with an attribute from the "love is" verse in 1st Corinthians. The card that fell read "patience." All fell quickly quiet in the depths of my soul. How perfect. The one thing I have been praying and pleading God for most is just that- Patience. It's what I need most right now. So- to whoever put that card in there, thank you. Love is patient...

 My sister is coming to visit with baby Reid in a few weeks! I'm beyond thrilled to get to spend time with my little nephew and enjoy his 3-month self. Better yet- my Grandma is visiting in a few shorter weeks. My grandma is far more than just a grandma- she's kind of like a best friend. Really truly. So thankful. See you soon!

 Our puny little window A/C unit is my bestie. My day-sleeping-when-working-self would be simply miserable without that little guy by my side. Tossing and turning in puddles of sweat- ugh, been there. It ain't pretty. A/C, you're a life saver.

  I think this entire summer may end up being a bit of a blur come a few months from now. I often forget what month it is. What time of year. I feel stuck in May/June. Not wanting to move past. I left something someone behind. I want a do-over.  It's truly how I feel and I can't quite explain it; but time is a bit of a blur. I'm still moving through the blur and the fog, but my heart remains in June.

 Every time I go to Trader Joe's, I ask myself why I don't go there more. It's heavenly. It makes me excited about eating healthier. Always a pleasant experience, always delicious eats. The only trouble is planning out meals to beat the expiration dates. First world problem? Yes, indeed...  :/

 Going to the bathroom at Costco with Isaac... I'd held it for far too long. I grabbed the handicap stall and hoped that when I put him down, he wouldn't try to crawl under stalls- touch anything, etc. It was an experiment indeed, but went better than I expected. I set him on his feet and did my business while he literally didn't move an inch. just looked around- unsure of where he was, what was happening, or what he should do. Haha, it was perfect, but I realize that I may not be so lucky next time. These are the things you don't think about when having kids...

Awesome & Awkward

Awkward

• Setting the smoke alarm off in our apartment 2 nights in a row before work. Oops! 
• Feeling like I'm on reality tv with some of my patients these past few weeks. If only I could divulge more... Sure keeps things interesting. That's all I'm going to say. 
• A bold slew of birds (this one pictured above was part of the clan) who grabbed Andrew's sandwich out of his hands during our snowshoeing day. They were i.n.s.a.n.e. & had zero reservations. Ruthless. 
• The left over mashed potatoes that stayed in our fridge for one month too long... did that just make you gag, because I definitely did. 
• One of my patients interrupting "bedside RN to RN report" to ask how old I am. Rudely, might I add. That sure put me in a great mood at the start of a shift. Not.

Awesome

• Dance parties with Andrew... they make getting the house cleaned so much more fun
• Breakfast dates with sweet friends 
• Car shopping... except my eyes are bigger than our budget...
• Paying off my school loans!!! Feels so good! 
• Grapefruits.... I'm literally obsessed- Can't get enough. NINE for $3. Thanks Freddies. Yeah buddy.

Up hill both ways...

 A "day off" for both of us is rarely wasted. We do our best to take full advantage of such bonus days (like yesterday's MLK day). With beautiful weather in the forecast, we headed to the nearby, majestic Mt. Hood with my younger brother, Jensen; aka, Mountain Man. He came fully prepared with a pack full of gear to include a jet-boil. We had great intentions of making some hot cocoa as a mid-trail treat but instead made a stop at DQ on the way home for a refreshing sugar boost.

We chose to snowshoe a 5 mile lake loop and enjoyed our packed-sandwich-lunch part way through the hike. 

All in all, I'd say that my first time snowshoeing was a success; though I reached my limit of walking around mile 4... Okay more like 3. Three miles is plenty, people. Especially when there are hills involved. Besides, with the number of times I stop to take pics, the trek ends up taking far longer than it should. I know, I'm a wimp. Don't get me wrong, it was a great time. But, next time, I'm feeling the sledding/tubing hills! Less work, more reward. After all, screaming and adrenaline always equals more fun.

PS- My brother is so much fun. So glad he came along. Lots of laughter was much appreciated and much needed. He's a hoot.

 

We are walking over a frozen lake here.... Not gonna lie, I was very nervous!

 

Hope you had a great weekend! Thanks for reading! 

Awesome & Awkward

 Awesome & Awkward

Staying up until the wee hours of the morning because our bedroom smoke alarm is out of batteries and wired to alarm throughout the apartment complex if we tried to take it apart... consequently, we ended up snuggling up on our guest twin bed trying to block out the high pitched BEEEEEP and sleeping in until noon... ok, I slept until 3 but then went to work all night, I promise!

One of my patients hating me because every time I walked in her room, her baby started whaling... "How are you doing?" "Fine until you walked in...". Those were her words! Eeeeek!

Enjoying a pizza-making-feast for my brother-in-law's birthday. It was my two favorites meshed into one- arts & crafts and eating! Yum!

Literally falling out of my chair at the nurses station. Only my preceptee nursing student saw. That's right, Ashley, follow my lead! Oh, I forgot to mention there are cameras all over our unit. Super Nurse right here! 

Getting to use my parent's vehicle for a few weeks- I feel like a soccer mom except without the whole being a mom part... Gotta work on that :/

Feeling blessed with some amazing friends this week. So thankful.

Holding little Isaac (7month old cousin that I help watch) and squating down to pick up something I dropped..... but ending up on my bum.... in the parking garage... I don't think anyone saw. No one was hurt. 

One of my patients insisting that the photo on my badge was not me. "Looks absolutely nothing like you" as she stares back and forth between my face and my badge. I guess working nights has morphed me into someone else.

Meeting up with my brother for a 30 minute overlap at the airport. Listen up single ladies, he's a stud.

Just a few more days of class for Andrew until a little winter break.... cannnnnnot wait....

Self Timer Fun

 You want to know what makes for a fun afternoon activity? Attempting to self timer your own Christmas card picture. It was freezing, we were on a jogging/biking path, carrying our kitchen stool, big camera bag, and our coats. Found the perfect spot to set up (with the stool/camera duo right in the middle of the path of course). We took turns aiming, focusing, and running to the correct spot within the 10 second window. We ended up with at least 20 attempts and came away with maybe 3 usable pics. Oh dear... 

The numerous runners/walkers just laughed and some even offered to take a picture for us. It was far more fun doing it ourselves and I knew that it would be harder to explain how to use the camera to the stranger anyway.

This one isn't on our Christmas card- but it makes me smile. Too bad I was silly and didn't order enough cards for everyone I want to send one to. Lesson learned for next year.

Awesome & Awkward

 Awesome

• It's finally boot & scarf weather and I love it
• Watching the entire 1st season of Homeland in a week with the hubs... so good
• The oreos that I bought for Andrew, but secretively bought for myself... I've eaten far more than he has. Shhhh....
• Weekly play dates with our baby cousin Isaac. If you follow me on instagram or facebook, you know how ridiculously adorable he is
• Our Sunday morning marriage class at church- really challenges us to discuss and pray about applicable and important things
• The insane amount of pie we've had in our fridge over the past 2 weeks. Whew! 

Awkward

• Rolling my ankle at the crosswalk while leaving from work. Don't worry, there were only a few people behind me and just 1 car at the crosswalk. Smoooooth
• Trying to console a fussy, tired, yet oh so sweet 5 month old in a strategically chosen aisle at the grocery story (the baby/diaper aisle- hoping for sympathetic moms who understood). Poor baby fell asleep shortly after and slept the whole way home. No sympathetic moms- just an abandoned aisle
•  The fact that I'm wearing all black with a brown purse in the pic above... hence the black and white photo to cover it up
• Trying to speak Spanish with my patient and calling blood "sangria" instead of "sangre"... She probably would have preferred some sangria after delivering a baby and was super confused why I was asking about it. Oh boy, I have a lot to learn
• Being the youngest in that Sunday morning marriage class by at least 10 years... Most are probably in their 50's. Never too early to make our marriage a priority and learn ways to keep it that way

amputation

via

I have new material for those "introduce yourself and say a random fact about yourself" ice-breakers! While at the doctor's office, the physician looked at me quite confused & asked if I had any significant health issues. When I answered no, he said, "Ok, I was trying to be discrete, but do you have an amputation somewhere? Am I missing something? Your chart says you have an amputation. I see normal limbs, fingers, & toes..."

I displayed my proper limbs and assured him that it must be an error in my chart. Maybe I should get that fixed? Or maybe I should keep it and just confuse people. Ha... highlight of my day!

Awesome & Awkward

Awkward

• The old scruffy-looking man at Starbucks that very confidently stated, "It's okay. I'm 82. I can look at you girls..."   Ummmm.... excuse me? "And with that, I'll leave..." as he gets up and walks away. 
• Riding in elevators with people at our apartment... why can't people just smile and say hello? So awkward...
• Catching myself singing out loud with earphones in at a coffee shop. Oops! 
• While at a delivery a while ago, I said, "Wow, a red head! He's precious!"... and the new mom said something along the lines of, "Ohhh nooooo, it'll wash out right? Noooo." Interesting response...

Awesome

• A full beach weekend with best friends from college. It's so nice to reconnect and reminisce!
• Getting my rings cleaned. So sparkly! Working as a nurse does a number on my poor rings.
• Photographing this lovely gal
• Getting to work in the ridiculously beautiful brand new children's hospital for the a while (temporary move for our unit). Get ready to see some Portland skyline pics over the next few weeks.
• Having my hubs home & enjoying the last 2 weeks of summer with him. (We enjoyed trips like this one, & this one)
• Checking things off my summer do to list...  (Now that I know more about this great city, I'd add much more to the list. Working on a favorite Portland spots list...) 
• Looking forward to visits from 2 very special people next week and the week after. Can't wait!
• My Birthday is next week! 24... feeling old right now

 

Bolt time!

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!

Awesome & Awkward

Awesome

• A Monday night delicious picnic dinner at the park with friends
• A few hours spent with my favorite little man, Isaac
• Hearing Andrew talk on the phone about a "fun" activity that he successfully completed at Air Force Officer training... can't wait to hear more and see him soon!
• THESE amazing cookies from Christine over at Apartment 46
• Expecting the worst at a dental appointment (because it's been years) but getting great news! No cavities!  

Awkward

• Crying alone in the ophthalmology exam room at a 2 hour long eye appointment. I was starving. The tech was rude. I'm practically blind. I'm emotionally exhausted. And, I miss my best friend like crazy...
• Showing up to a mini photo shoot smelling like baby spit up (Thank you sweet Isaac)
• Realizing that I've nearly emptied my husband's drawer of t-shirts. Wearing his shirts is the closest thing I can get to a hug...
• I've also completely taken over his side of the bed...
• Taking out the trash and gagging all the way down the hallway to the trash shoot... thankfully no one was in the hallway to see me